Magic Destiny
I wrote the post below BEFORE the start of the Celtics vs. Magic game last night. I was at a sports bar watching the pre-game show and wrote this quick post using the WordPress app for Android on my Motorola Droid, but I forgot to post it! (I only had one beer, so I guess I can't "blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol," like Jamie Foxx always does.
A quick post about destiny. The Orlando Magic are down three game to none in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. The mood in the bar and around the office is that of utter despair and defeat. Take heed my fellow Magic fans, for this 2010 Magic team is a team of destiny. I have only felt this feeling of destiny five time before in my life: The 1980 - 1983 NY Islanders Stanley Cup champion seasons and the 1986 NY Mets World Series season. The Magic will be the first team in NBA history to come back from a three games to none deficit and win the Conference Championship. After that, they will ROLL OVER the Lakers in the finals, with one minor hiccup that will cause them to go a game five. It's not a prediction. It's destiny.
Winter Park
Remember when I said that Orlando had culture, but you just had to look harder for it and drive further to it? Well, I did. Just because you don't remember doesn't mean that I never said it. Anyway, this past Sunday while my Mets were losing their 4th game in a row and the Magic were starting their first game against Boston (and first lost of the post season), I was on the bucolic lakes of Winter Park, Florida.
For just $12, The Scenic Boat Tour of Winter Park will take you on a guided one hour tour of the lakes and canals of Winter Park. From their website:
Located on Lake Osceola in the quiet suburb less than 10 minutes from downtown Orlando, the boat tour offers hour-long, guided cruises through three of the seven lakes and two, narrow manmade cannals on the tranquil Winter Park chain.
On any given tour, participants may observe large cranes swooping waterside to snag a large fish or a lazy alligator languishing on a nearby bank. An occasional water skier or racing shell full of crew members from the areas private liberal arts college, Rollins, are also enjoyable sideshows for tour goers.
This is the second time that I've taken the tour, and it is a great experience for the native Floridian, recent arrival, or tourist. I have found that it is a great way to show visitors and guests a part of Central Florida not associated with a certain high-pitched rodent. Soon after I moved down to Orlando, I invited my parents (long Florida residents) to join me on the tour, and this past weekend my girlfriend's family was in from out of town. After a week of Disney and the Outlets, I think they really enjoyed the change of pace.
We Wii? Oui!
The other day I received my Nintendo Wii. I had every intention of letting it sit in the box until I could post it on Craigslist and collect a tidy profit from my free Wii, but I couldn't resist having a piece of technology in my home and not trying it out. The company for which I work awards its employees with 'points' for various reasons. For example, I won a quarterly award and received points as well as a personalized plaque a while back. The points can be collected and then redeemed for prizes from a website. At one time, you could redeem your points for gift cards to Target, The Home Depot, etc., but I missed out on that great deal. By the time I got around to redeeming my points, the gift cards were no longer an option because of tax reasons, so I was told.
Being the clever individual that I think I am, I decided to redeem something that would be easily converted to cash via Craigslist. I didn't have enough points for the LCD TV or the iPod Touch, so I opted for the Wii console and the Wii Fit Plus. There's no way a man of my age could be tempted to open and keep a gaming console aimed at kids and a fitness peripheral designed for the ladies! Well, I was tempted, and I did. I had played Wii at various corporate team building events and with my nieces and nephews last Christmas, so I was aware of the cool factor, but it was the fact that it had built-in WiFi that sealed the deal for me. I can now sit on my couch and surf the web on my TV! How cool! Never mind that I have a very powerful desktop PC in the other room, a nice laptop, and a Motorola Droid with 3G and WiFi that has been surgically attached to my hand; I now have yet another way to watch highlights of the latest (almost) Mets win on the internet!
I plan to use the Wii Fit to help me kick my exercise routine up a notch. I wonder if it really works, or is just a gimmick. I guess I can still sell the whole thing used if I keep the packaging and use it gently, but who am I kidding? I can only part with technology when it is replaced with newer and better technology, and since my last gaming console was the Atari 5200, I have a feeling the Wii is here to stay.
Mother’s Day
I was born on my mom's birthday. Every year, she tells me that I was the best birthday present she ever received. I always loved that, but the day my dad brought home my mom's first brand new car (a circa 1975 Dodge Dart Swinger coupe with a V8, white vinyl seats and roof) I thought my 'best present ever' status was in question, but my mom has since reassured me that despite the amazing pickup of a 1970s era muscle car, I was still the best.
My dad had a great job with a big corporation that allowed my mom to stay at home and raise the kids, not an easy accomplishment with the recessions and fake oil crises of the decade. My mom gave up her career to be there for her children as they grew up. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of my mom and I running errands together in the Soundview section of town. My older brother and sister were in school, but I guess I was only in preschool half a day or something, but I distinctly remember sitting in the Dodge Dart with only a waist seat belt (no shoulder belts back then), the white vinyl under me and the hard metal dash staring me in the face. There were no child car seats back then, and kids sat in the front seat No worries, if the driver had to stop short for some reason, an adult arm would come out of nowhere and press your chest against the seat-back. My mother and I would go from store to store running errands, and then we would wind up a Jimbos for lunch. Lunch at Jimbos was my reward for being good while we shopped. I don't remember why I liked Jimbos. It was a tiny little luncheonette that served greasy food, but I guess it was the company that counted more than the food. Don't go looking for Jimbos; it's not there anymore. The last I knew it was called Rib Roost, and only very odd folks at odd hours still frequent the Roost.
My mom, along with my dad, was always there for us kids. She taught us manners, right from wrong, and to always do the 'right thing', even when the 'right thing' was the most difficult thing. My mom gave me unconditional love and protection. She may not have approved of every decision that I made, but she always supported me. There is no other person in the world that is a better judge of character. My mom has a sixth sense when it comes to understanding people. I have been told that I'm a sensitive person, and that I have an intuitive sense of people's character. I get that, and all my good qualities, from my mom and dad. The bad qualities I must have picked up from television and the 1986 Mets -- not the best roll models. :-)
Well, I should get going. As I write this I'm already way behind schedule. I should have been showered and on the road by now. I'm off to mom and dad's to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom and the family. Even though I am a 'man of a certain age' and my mom is the mother of a 'man of a certain age', she is still my mom and I'm still her baby boy, the one who kept her from getting a slice of her own birthday cake all those years ago.
My mom has the biggest heart, the purest soul, and she is one of the wisest people that I have ever known. I lover her with all my heart, and I want to wish her and all the moms out there the happiest of Mother's Days.
Date Night: Orlando
Orlando has more culture than just Disney, Universal, and Sea World. There are many non-corporate, non-tourist, authentic things to do on your Friday night date with that someone special. I grew up near New York City where all you have to do is walk around Greenwich Village in the evening, and you'll find something fun to do. Likewise, a trip to Central Park on a Saturday afternoon will write your agenda for the day. With a little planning, a vast array of museums, art exhibits, street fairs, theaters, and movies are all available. Orlando is a different animal. The mom-and-pop restaurants, the Irish pubs, museums, festivals, etc. are all here, but you just have to look a little harder and drive a little further to get to them.
But, never mind all that. It was Friday night, and my date had free passes to the clubs at Universal City Walk. When 'free' is entered into the equation, all that 'authentic culture' mumbo jumbo goes right out the window. :-) City Walk is an area between the two Universal theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. You have to pay to get into the theme parks, but City Walk is free, save for the three dollar parking fee after 6pm (it used to be free parking after 6pm!). City Walk has a man made lake, promenade areas, restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, and various vendors and live music. It's actually not a bad place to take a date, especially a date with free passes.
First stop was a bite to eat. Unfortunately, the bar/club area was roped off for a private event that was going to run to 8:30pm. That left us with limited options for food. We chose Hard Rock Cafe over NASCAR Sports Grille and NBA City. I guess at this point we were as far from 'authentic' as can be, but a hamburger is a hamburger, and I was hungry! What follows is quite a baffling eating experience. We entered Hard Rock and waited on line to speak with the hostess. We inquired about the wait time (about 15 to 20 minutes), but the bar was first come first serve. Cool. We took the pager from the hostess and went to the bar for a drink, but luck was with us. As we entered the bar, a high-top table opened up, and we grabbed it. A waiter came by and informed us that these tables were controlled by the hostess, and that we had to wait for a table. I told him the hostess said that the bar was first come first serve. He respond that bar, you know the bar stools around the actual bar, were first come first server, but the tables in the bar were not. Well, duh! Of course the bar stools are first come first serve. Who ever heard of reserving a bar stool? Any way there was no room at the bar, and we didn't feel like standing around.
It was time for my date to take control. She works in the hospitality industry and knows the ins and outs of customer service. She led me to the upstairs dining room where there must be another bar (and there was). As we reached the top of the stairs, we were asked if we received tickets from the hostess downstairs. We said we just wanted to get a drink at the bar. The nice man said we could 'look around'. Having no idea what the hell he was talking about, we went and looked at the bar, and then we sat down and looked at the bar tender and ordered a couple of beers. No sooner than the first drops of brew touched my lips, the pager went off. I quickly paid for the beer, and off we went to the hostess station at the top of the stairs. We were informed that we needed to go back downstairs to the main hostess station; they would help us. Down we went to the hostess station and handed in our buzzing and blinking pager. In return, we received two paper tickets and were informed to go back upstairs. At this point, I'm dizzy with hunger, but we trekked back upstairs and meet the nice gentleman again. He took one of the tickets from us, handed us a Fender Stratocaster for us to both hold and took our picture. (Later during dinner, a woman came by with our photo already printed out and tried to sell it to us for 20 bucks. My date and I surmised that since she had a digital camera and I own a Strat that we could take our own damn picture for free and told her to bug off -- politely).
We handed the second ticket to the hostess who escorted us on an epic journey around a cavernous Hard Hard Cafe (with many empty tables, by the way -- the wait must have been due to not having enough staff because tables were sitting empty) to our table. After all that, we ate our mediocre, overpriced meals while 80s hair metal videos played on the big screen next to us. While waiting for the check, I excused myself to use the rest room. Along, the way I marveled at the rock & roll memorabilia adorning the walls of the Hard Rock. It was when I saw a framed pair of shoes worn by the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots at some awards show that I knew it was time to leave. I was going to try to see if I could find a the cummerbund worn by the lead singer of Soundgarden at his brother's wedding, but it was getting late.
If it wasn't for the company and conversation, the Hard Rock would have been a total bust, but our next stop was far more enjoyable. Using one expired coupon, my date sweet talked the woman at the door of City Walk's Rising Star into waiving the cover charge for both of us! She has a way with people that I do not. If I was alone, the woman at the door would have talked me into paying for two cover charges somehow. Rising Star is a karaoke bar where customers sing karaoke with a live band. The band at this club was tight. The host and the backup singers had killer voices. The guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard players were all top notch. It was a bit cheesy, but keep in mind that this is a family-friendly tourist establishment. My date performed a beautiful rendition of Let it Be, but I chickened out (maybe next time, with a little more liquid encouragement). My favorite moment of the night was when this very shy, nervous looking man walked on stage wearing jeans and a white button down. He looked petrified! But, when the music started, he belted out an amazing rendition of Mustang Sally. As Gloria Estefan warned us, "the rhythm is gonna get you", and I guess it got the dude that night.
So, date night in Orlando. There is lots to do, but make sure you bring a date that can get you into places for free and eat before you go if you plan on visiting the Hard Rock.
Crazy From The Seat
Below are my rantings and ravings from my trip back from New York on jetBlue on Monday morning. I typed my feelings of frustration and rage into my Droid as a way to cope. It was too early to start drinking. :-) My musings are stream of consciousness with little care of grammar, so 'reader be ware'. Keep in mind that I was in a seriously bad mood for reasons I do not wish to share at this time. I'm not usually this 'insane' when I travel. I have transcribed my Droid notepad text into the post below. BTW, next time I drive. :-)
I just got though Newark Airport security, and I'm sitting in the waiting area for my flight. Thank God, the security guard didn't call the FBI on me! I had a bottle of Diet Coke in my laptop bag! I know, it's my fault. I am well aware that you can't bring soda bottles through security, but REALLY! It's just a damn bottle of soda... At least the gentlemen was polite about telling me about my infraction. He held it up between his gloved index finger and thumb and said, "NOT ALLOWED!" He then proceeded to toss it in the trash. Lucky me, twenty yards after security there was a Hudson News where I could buy another bottle of Diet Coke for only $3! What luck!
...Now I'm on the plane an hour into flight. There are two annoying [CENSORED] sitting next to me eating stinky homemade food. They also had to ask for two snacks each from the flight attendant. Lady is on her second cheese blintz and Tera Blue chips. They're eating like its their last meal. I sure hope not. Maybe they know something I don't about this trip. Two kids in front and two kids behind. Little [CENSORED]wont stop kicking back of my seat. At least the screaming stopped. Why do people have kids? I'm glad my folks did, for obvious reasons, and I guess if people all stopped having kids the human race would end, but still...
... Twenty minutes later, and the brat is still kicking the back of my seat, the cabin stinks of farts or a dirty diaper or fumes from the lavatory. I'm on a flying school bus. The crazy old lady next to me, dressed in a baby blue velor jogging suit, is dancing in her seat while watching a mortgage refinancing commercial on the jetBlue TV. KID STOP [CENSORED] KICKING MY SEAT OR IN THE OVERHEAD YOU GO, [CENSORED]!! I want off this [CENSORED] plane. I have to pee, but I can't get out. I'm seated in a window seat because jetBlue gave my aisle seat away to some weird looking woman. They did this even though I reserved an aisle seat 7 weeks ago. [CENSORED]you jetBlue! My legs are cramping. I'm gonna die of a clot in my leg before this flight is done. I just know it.
...Ha! Some guy just bumped his head on the bulkhead getting back into his seat. DO IT AGAIN SILLY MAN!
... I think I have Uromysitisis poisoning . A rare and dangerous syndrome that you can get from holding in your pee. Seinfeld got it in an episode where they were searching for Kramer's car in the mall garage. I need to go. I could wake up the loons next to me, so I can get to the bathroom. I hope the weird woman is enjoying my aisle seat. I can't do it. I can't wake them up. Were making our decent. El Capitain will put on the seat belt sign soon. Its now or never.
...[CENSORED]! The crazy woman next to me wouldn't wake up. I guess it was the two smelly cheese blintzes, the bag of Tera Blue chips, and the chocolate chip cookies that put her out. I was up and ready to move, but she wouldn't budge and then "DING! Fasten seat belts please for our decent into..." Gotta shut off my Droid now. It could bring down the plane you know.
...On the ground now waiting for a gate to park this stupid plane. I WANT OFF!
...In the terminal FINALLY! Actually, it wasn't such a bad flight. It was on time and not much turbulence. I wonder what the nice lady next to me on the flight was eating. It looked and smelled delicious. Ah, there's a bathroom. Orlando International is so clean. It's good to be home.
Mets Trip: Wrap Up
My trip to New York to visit family and see my first Mets game at Citi Filed is quickly coming to an end. It was great to go to the game with my brother and friends and see the Mets win, but the Citi Field experience was completely underwhelming. To be fair, I've only seen Major League Baseball games in Shea Stadium, the old Yankee Stadium, and Tropicana Field. So, I don't have a large sample set to compare with Citi Field. With that said, I was not impressed with Citi, and I really missed Shea Stadium.
Shea was not that old. It's a crime that a structure was torn down after only44 years. Unfortunately, the economics of baseball made it necessary for the Mets to build a new venue, but I wish Shea could have been preserved or renovated for soccer or some other purpose. Shea was ugly, and there is no denying it. It was a multi-purpose, function over form, 1960s era behemoth. The mets and New York City could have made vast improvements over the years to Shea, but I guess they were focused on a new stadium and did little to make it a nicer place to visit.
I should probably give Citi Field another chance and come back to see another game before passing final judgement. You see, I grew up with Shea, and my opinions about Citi Filed are undoubtedly colored by sentimentality and sadness. I lived on the Port Washington Long Island Railroad line that transported me directly from my home town to Shea. I remember the first time my dad brought me to a game. I was in this dark hallway that led to a dark tunnel under the stands, and when I came through the tunnel into the stands I saw blue sky, green grass, and an ocean of people and orange and blue seats. It was breathtaking. As I got older and went to more games, I was never as impressed with this scene as the first time, but the sight of Shea before a game always gave me pause. For me, baseball is big and brash, just what New York is supposed to be. Citi Field is small and quaint and would be right at home in a small market baseball town. That 'intimate' feel was what the Wilpons were trying to achieve when the had the stadium designed, but as I stated in a previous post, this stadium seems to have more to do with a team that left New York for L.A. over 60 years ago than it does with my Mets. Citi Field is more about manufactured nostalgia than about the modern day New York Mets.
Citi Field is new and clean. It has wider seats and some more leg room. It is an inoffensive building with little to no warmth or charm. Food and beverages are insanely overpriced, and three of the four concession stands were closed in our section on the day I saw the Mets beat the Braves. There were no beer vendors in our section, and just a couple of hot dog guys. Tickets prices are beyond ridiculous. On that day, I was in no mood to wander the stadium. I hear that the area behind the scoreboard is cool, and I should have explored a bit more; perhaps that would have given me a better impression of the facility. Next time I come for a visit I don't think the loss of Shea will affect me as much, and I'll be able to do a better job of fully appreciating Citi Field, but with ticket prices being what they are it may be a long time before I come back to the house that CitiGroup built.
LIVE: Citi Field Impressions
Update: Long beer and food lines, no vendors, no love for the nose bleeders.
Like a shopping mall in Great Neck, Citi Field is clean and sterile. It could be in any generic park in the U.S. Nothing about it says Mets or New York.
On the positive side, I'm in the last row of Section 504, and I have to admit that the view is not bad at all. That's the positive of a tiny stadium.
Braves vs. Mets
Here we go! It's 9:30am, and I'm trying to get my brother's family, including a teenager and two tweens, corralled into the minivan. We have to drop one kid and the dog at the grandparents the make our way to Queens to drop off the girls and pick up the last member 'guys day out' gang. Then it's just a quick jaunt over to Citi Field to meet more friends and see the game. We'll never make it in time. Getting from Central Jersey to TWO destinations in Queens with only three and half hours to spare...not gonna happen, but we'll try.
I will be live blogging from my phone today, so wish me luck. I hope my Moto Droid is beer (and tears) proof. It is a Mets game after all. There will be beer and tears. My prediction: Mets 4, Braves 3.
