FOOD: Nona Tap Bar

This past Saturday (7/23/11) was one of my fonder days of recent memories' past.

It began at 3:15am, an hour after when I was originally intended to wake up. By 4:30am, I was at Downtown Disney, in front of the World of Disney store, waiting for the Passholder Sale. In line, I met a mother & daughter from Tampa who were awake, perky, and somewhat covertly "conservative" as I picked up on their references to "Fox & Friends" plus the tone in which they encouragingly implied that someday I will get married [as in the traditional way] ... seriously, do I not put out the gay vibe? Anyways, between them and the attractive young Latin couple in front of us, 6:00am came quickly, and the madness was on.

Really, there weren't many great deals this time around, but I managed the following:

• Two full trays of Vinylmations (Toy Story and Have a Laugh),
• Four polo shirts with a Mickey on them (2 black, 2 orange),
• Four new outfits for Duffy Stitch (Australia, United Kingdom, China, and Buzz),
• Two awesome fabric, 40th anniversary jackets,
• Three girly scarves,
• Two Kermit Mickey ears, and
• One Disney kid's bank.

All-in-all, the damage came out to around $300 -- oh well, I was glad to have left the store in good spirits. Tired and depleted, I went over to Ghiradelli's and, per tradition, picked up a chocolate croissant and a small coffee -- a small breather before heading onto Event #2.

Next was the District 84 DEC Meeting at the Tupperware Headquarters. Registration at 9:30am, meeting to begin at 10:00am. I always enjoyed these meetings when I attended as an area governor last year. It was an opportunity to be part of a well-run, professional meeting. The difference this time was that I was there without any real responsibility, and there was a new generation of area governors -- it felt like I just stepped into a television spin-off. Anyways, I was there just to, during the breaks, distribute Club Ambassador forms and speak with each division to answer any questions and to get them excited about the program. The meeting was a really cool time, and I met a lot of people -- and many who I'd like to get to know better. At the meeting, I did get positive feedback from some of the district officers. I was appreciated for my energy and for taking pictures -- that communicated appreciation is what really fuels me and keeps me wanting to go back and do more.

That meeting ended about half-an-hour ahead of schedule. It was hot outside with the weather possibly changing. Instead of heading back west to the parks (dressed in slacks and a polo), I headed towards home, but not before stopping by the Lake Nona area to go exploring.

I'm a big Gowalla fanatic -- I recently reached over 2000 unique check-ins. Long story short, a Gowalla friend of mine who I never met had taken a picture, earlier in the week, while checking-in at a toll plaza, and made a comment.

His:

Rob Morris checked in at Boggy Creek Mainline Toll Plaza and took this photo.

5 days ago

• 
  Rob Morris: I tried to recreate Cedric's photo. I think I was pretty close to it.
  5 days ago
• 
  Cedric Ching: Nice timing! :) +1
  3 days ago

And here was my pic...

Mine:

Cedric Ching checked in at Boggy Creek Mainline Toll Plaza and took this photo.

3 months ago

Well, I then made it a mission for me to recreate one of his photos. I was going to pass by his area anyway, so let's have fun with it. The picture that caught my eye was one that he took of his Banana Bread Beer at the Nona Tap Room because it looked so delicious.

His (my goal):

Rob Morris checked in at Nona Tap Room and took this photo.

9 days ago

• 
  Eric Longstaff: Congrats! I keep forgetting to give my beer club card when I close my tab
  9 days ago
• 
  Cedric Ching: That looks so good.
  3 days ago

After the Toastmasters meeting, I drove over to Lake Nona and to the Nona Tap Room. As I walked up, a family was leaving. As I got to the bar and told the bartender my goal, my purpose, my mission, she told me that "yeah, he was just in here with his wife and daughter." I had given him a long look, but I didn't say anything other than "thank you." I might have wanted some recognition back... but then I remembered that my profile pic was of Stitch, and maybe 1 of my 1566 photos had me in it. Upon that realization, I felt like a stalker on one of those CBS procedurals.

Anyways, the beer turned out to be of the $15 variety... but it was my main purpose for being there, so alright. And I think that I did pretty good -- I had to get Stitch in there. What could've helped even more is if I had brought a print out to do side-by-side comparison, but perhaps that would've been even creepier.

Well, about an hour later, I receive notification of a comment on the pic, and it was Rob.

Mine:

Cedric Ching checked in at Nona Tap Room and took this photo.“Howdy Rob, here's an attempt to copy one of your pics. :-)”

2 days ago

• 
  Rob Morris: Nice job Cedric! I think I might have passed you on my way out the door.
  2 days ago
• 
  Cedric Ching: Yes, thanks for holding the door for me.
  2 days ago

Side-by-Side:

I was proud and scared at the same time. Proud that I accomplished my goal. Scared that I was being creepy. I didn't mean to. After finishing up there -- the beer was good (not overpowering) and quite a bit (two of those glasses' worth) -- I continued on to try to complete his Local Nona Living trip (10 spots, need 5). I picked up some Walnut Shrimp from Mr. K Chinese Restaurant and a large unsweetened iced tea from Dunkin Donuts a couple doors down, but that's it. I couldn't manage any more food. I will have to accomplish his trip another time. I brought the foods over to Moss Park -- a bit of an exploration. It had a nice view of Lake Mary Jane... $3 admission, but it's going to a good cause. The break from the ordinary was nice, and it fed some of my Gowalla-ing obsession.

That's about it.

(I'm sure that I could really work to tighten up the Lake Nona visit description -- plus add more links -- but I'd rather get this stuff up sooner than too late.) *smiles*

FOOD: Chick-fil-a's Spicy Chicken Sandwich

This week (from May 31st through June 5th), Chick-fil-A is having a preview of their new Spicy Chicken Sandwich. People were able to sign-up and schedule a time to pick up a free sandwich via their Facebook page (all spots have been filled).

The day the promotion was posted on FB, I signed up. My scheduled time was 5pm-7pm today, May 31st. A co-worker had invited me to a Memorial Day BBQ, but I didn't know this when I had signed up a couple weeks ago. I decided to stop by Chick-fil-A before heading to the party (I know, not good etiquette, but we're talking about free food).
...
Anyways, the Chick-fil-A had "flame" decals on its windows, and it kinda looked like the building was on fire! I totally appreciated the theming.

Inside, although there were a lot of regular customers (though not so represented in photo below), there was an order line especially for patrons with their printed-out Spicy Chicken Sandwich vouchers.

I just ordered the sandwich and asked for it to go.

While waiting, I noticed that off to the side, there were three tables -- each with a red tablecloth -- that were reserved for those with Spicy Chicken Sandwiches (great touch!).

Then I realized what I was wearing... my red steak shirt... with the words "Make Mine Well Done" on the back (oh, the cruel irony).

Anyways, when my order was ready, I quickly took it and headed to the car. Inside the bag, I found my sandwich and a special card/envelope -- which I saved to open for later.

(note: envelope was inside bag but not in the actual food container)

Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Sandwich was not quite what I expected. It was more of a buffalo chicken sandwich than Burger King/Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich. Also, the texture of the chicken was somewhere between their Original and Grilled varieties.

My overall impressions of this new offering was... inconclusive. I mean,I'm a big fan of the Original Chick-fil-A Sandwich, and also I usually shy away from foods with a "Spicy Flavor Inferno". Still, I'm open to something new twice.

And a good thing too...

When I got home, I pulled out the little orange envelope that came with my order, and inside found card thanking me for "taking the heat" plus a coupon for another Spicy Chicken Sandwich for after when it's available to the public.

How awesome was that?! Overall, from start-to-now, this was such a great promotion, and I'm ever-more proud to have a Chick-fil-A so close to home! Thank you, Chick-fil-A!
-----
The Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich will be available to the public on Monday, June 7th.

TOASTMASTERS: "Rock It!" Meeting

I was the TMoD for this morning's TM meeting. I had decided last week to give it a theme: "Rock It!". When I theme, I like to tie it to the particular day, and on March 24th 2006, Hannah Montana premiered on the Disney Channel -- hey, it was either that or the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

And it was a theme that everyone got enthusiastic about. I feel so much gratitude to everyone participating and putting in the time and effort.

When I was introduced, I walked up to the podium and gave an intentionally lack-luster "Are you ready to rock?." and got a huge "Yeah!" [come on guys... make me earn it! :)]. I then untucked my white button up (and oh yes, I was also sporting a vest [love it!]), djushed my hair, put on some shades, and threw on a Hannah Montana wig (featuring a couple purple-highlighted braids). And having become much better(???)-dressed, I gave a more enthusiastic and rocker-screeched "Are you ready to rock?!" to my adoring fans!

Seriously, I loved everyone's energy and appreciate all the love that people put in today. Fantastic was our Thought of the Day by one of our newest members; she shared a Dave Matthews Band lyric to uplift and inspire us. Then our grammarian had a quirky, relevant, and easily-accessible Word of the Day: 11 (Eleven) "as in one more than ten" (from This is Spinal Tap). And our Table Topics Master, another newbie, went all miscellaneous with rock references -- rock as a gift, rocket ship conference room, dinner with a rock star, and Fraggle rock -- I totally enjoyed the eclecticism. All of our speakers were well-rehearsed, and for our business session, there were quite a number of recognitions to hand out.

It was very uplifting meeting, which made for two in a row! Last week had a St. Patrick's Day theme, and it also carried well throughout that meeting. We're having more fun, the speeches are great, and our club's on its way back to Presidents Distinguished.

Many thanks again to everyone who was there. Y'all Rocked It!

TOASTMASTERS: ACC Tall Tales Contest / RUN: 1.09+2.50 miles @??:??, Home<-sL->Gym+, Melbourne, FL

Tonight, the Advance Communicators [TM] Club held a Tall Tales Contest, the first of its kind that I've attended (or even heard of). There were eleven (11!) contestants!... nearly all of the District 84 and Division B officers. It was a great great showing and a hoot. All through the contest, I was imagining myself having to be up there giving a humorous speech. And in all honesty, I'm still intimidated getting in front of others to give a no-notes speech. Anyways, all did a good job. There were four or five who were pretty outstanding. And it was nice that I agreed with all of the placings (though, among friends, it almost seemed like the awards didn't matter). It was a nice experience, and I'm glad to have attended.

Well, the contest had started late and as mentioned, there were eleven contestants. The Tall Tales ran 3-5 minutes each, so the meeting ran just under two hours. Piccadilly Cafeteria typically closes at 8:30pm, and it was near nine when we quickly herded out. I was going to be really late for volleyball the gym, but I didn't worry so much. A nice drive home, I quickly got changed and ran out the door, shortcut to the Pro-Health.

Oh, forgot to mention that I had an entire Little Caesar's cheese pizza for lunch today. I was probably able to finish the pie because I stretched my stomach from all the sushi this past weekend (thanks Joy!). It was good though. Oh, and I also had a large Tropical Smoothie. Yeah, so I'm not remotely hungry tonight and will probably just have a small scoop of strawberry-banana frozen yogurt (and yes, the fake LC cheese did affect me tonight... *blurg/oh well*).

Getting back to the Pro-Health, I walked to the gym, saw the young kids goofing, waved to Brad, and signaled to him that I'd be upstairs running. And Good karma today. This morning I found out that I was put on a list for a Hospitality Pass (I'm staying vague on this one *wink/nod*), and tonight at the gym, I passed by the guy from work that I just light up from seeing. Small moments of happiness that's holding back the D&T urge. Don't get me wrong, I felt like I made progress at work today, which is fantastic, but I've been expecting a fall from Saturday morning's ContestMastering high. It's a short and busy week, so I may be able to fend it off... oh gosh, I veered off on another tangent. Ramble.

Again, getting back to the Pro-Health. I got in a ten laps (1 mile) -- I don't like the corners -- then spotted Brad on the 2nd floor... the kids were too much. I totally understand. So he did some weights as I put in some extra laps to hopefully accumulate my 3+ miles (I want my sticker!). The gym was closing, and we talked some more about this Sunday and Busch Gardens. I'm looking forward to a new park! (I will have to control myself). And then we just called it a night. I took the long way home. 1.09 miles on the road, 2.5 on the track. Woo!

At this moment it's just about 11:00pm. It's going to be a little longer before I select and add photos from, especially since I'll be combining posts *shrug*. Anyways, it feels good to blog. Here's tonight's sweaty Ceddy pics:

JOURNAL: WA1A's Gaylord Palms ICE Tickets

I won a pair of tickets to ICE at the at the Gaylord Palms Resort! I won them this afternoon from 107.1 WA1A. It's been months since my try, and it seemed amazingly simple this time around: I was caller #1 and then #7.

Spend a holiday weekend getaway in Orlando, and experience ICE!, Orlando’s coolest holiday attraction at the spectacular Gaylord Palms Resort. ICE! at Gaylord Palms in Orlando, it’s 2 million pounds of ICY fun. ICE!, which is kept at a chilly nine degrees, is your chance to have a winter holiday experience – even in Florida! Don’t worry – warm winter coats are provided! Only at Gaylord Palms!

For more information, visit www.gaylordpalms.com/ice

Anyways, I hope that I'll have the time/opportunity to use the tickets, but I may also be fine with giving the tickets to a couple friends just as gifts. As a ticket winner, I've been automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a "Best Of Florida Christmas" package including a stay at the Gaylord Palms and more ICE tickets! I'm going to wait until Friday before I make any decisions.

[eop]

JOURNAL: Dog Wash Run / RUN: 5.16 miles, Home<-LL->WWTP, Melbourne, FL

Today was a fine day. I spent the night on Pom's couch and was able to sleep in until 10:30am. Then she made breakfast as we watched Top Chef and some History Channel. After that, I resisted the urge to head back to the parks, and I drove home.

I went out to get a book of poetry from the library only to find it was closed on Sundays. I also wanted to get my oil changed, but the two places I had coupons for were also closed. Then I saw that the new Top Dog Express Car Wash near my house also did oil changes. I pulled in only wanting to know how much an oil change was, but I quickly caved and let them have at it. And I have to say that I was incredibly impressed.


The staff was incredibly nice and professional (also: young, clean, attentive). I was in the car the entire time ("due to insurance reasons, customers must remain in their car the entire time") and that wasn't for too long. They were quick and efficient -- their communication with each other for each step of the service was pretty awesome.

They also checked my car's fluids and air filter then took the time to go over this with me. One of the guys also check my car's cabin air filter (behind the glove compartment), and it turned out to be incredibly dirty (it's been 155K+ miles); I was fine with getting it replace there because it was a good find, and I felt like they were doing a good job making me comfortable throughout this process.

It was like an auto-shop version of Chic-fil-a.

Included with the oil change was a free car wash -- and it was a really nice one too. It was one where you put your car in neutral and your car is guided through a series of sprayers and wet noodles. Then, I drove around and some workers hand-dried the car, brushed the tires, and worked to remove some of the bugs from the hood.

It was like a D23 Oil Change/Car Wash -- it felt very VIP.

Anyways, I hope that they didn't set my expectations too high. It really was very good service, and I'll definitely be back in another 3,000-4,000 miles.

So, I drove home feeling really good -- I saved a lot of time; my cabin air filter was now clean and smelling of lemon. And I translated this good feeling into getting changed and back outside to mow the lawn, which was relatively easy this time around. And then, I changed shoes and grabbed the music (NPR: Most-emailed stories) and headed out for an extended run.

Tonight, I ran from my house to the roundabout then west until the sidewalk ended (entrance of the waste water treatment plant). I stopped briefly a few times, mostly because I found the run to be boring, but otherwise think that I did well -- I had a couple sprint stretches. Perhaps I should go easy on the Orlando weekends and instead do the Saturday morning causeway run with co-workers and then the Sunday long runs up in Cocoa with the running club.

Anyways, here's tonight's picture of me. It's time for bed.

[eop]

DISNEY: AllEars.Net Article #4 "Annual Passholder Preview of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure"

My fourth article for the AllEars.Net website went live this morning! I had written a trip report of last weekend's WDW Passholder Preview for the upcoming Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure movie. Here's a link:

AllEars.Net "Annual Passholder Preview of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure"

I really appreciate about the opportunity to contribute to a website that I not only love but respect. And next up for me, I'll be covering the D23 Sip & Stroll event taking place on October 18th at Epcot.

Woo! :)

[eop]

GAY: "Ben & Jerry's goes Hubby Hubby for Vermont weddings"

As of midnight this morning, same-sex couples are able to get married in Vermont! And to commemorate the occasion, the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's has renamed their "Chubby Hubby" ice cream to "Hubby Hubby"!

     Official Press Release from Ben & Jerry's

     Ben & Jerry's Hubby Hubby flavor page

(and from SFGate.com)
Ben & Jerry's goes Hubby Hubby for Vermont weddings

"While activists are still hard at work on repealing Prop 8 and marriage equality, wedding bells clanged for same-sex unions for the first time in Vermont today.

Vermont, home to maple syrup and birthplace of that other magic elixir, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, ignored the "who will change his name" debate, and just went ahead and did it. The artist (ice cream so good it's art) formerly known as the flavor "Chubby Hubby" has a new married name: "Hubby Hubby," in support of all the newly married couples.

..."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?entry_id=46663#ixzz0PuQzMNLa

Yay!

[eop]

JOURNAL: An Awre+ of Awesome Evening

I just had an awesome awesome evening.
...
And it all started this morning. I got to work on time and had a moderately productive day. I brought in some Smore Crispies and a large tray of additional desserts (half rice crispies, half brownies). I also took my car to the garage where they replaced the gas pedal block (they gave me the old one!).

Also resolved were a lot of plans for the upcoming California trip -- D23 baby! -- hotel, tickets, flight... all resolved! Now, it's a matter of not thinking of how much all that and the car fix cost.

Anyways, I left work on time, returned some stuff at Advanced Auto Part and did a little research at Office Depot for a new camera -- all before the Advanced Communicators Club TM meeting. It was a good contest, and I was glad to help. It was funny afterwards because everyone was like "I'll see you Wednesday" or "I'll see you Thursday"... these people get around! And I really feel like one of them -- 8 different clubs in 8 days.

Next was volleyball, but I made a quick stop by Best Buy to check out their digital camera selection. I'm narrowing it down.

When I got to the gym, I got changed and then went to the court where there were 30+ people there (4 teams with rotation). Wow. I wasn't super-anxious to play. I just felt some nice energy around and just socialized for a bit, then I was in. I joined a team of 5 guys and one of my favorite girls, Kelly, and it was really awesome. Even though many of the guys were new-ish, we all played very well together and nearly swept the rest of the field -- our third match ended in a 14-14 tie as it was the end-of-night. I had some nice sets and actually had a perfect serve (all good!). We had a good blush of encouragement, and it was pretty fantastic.

And for note, CBJ was there but didn't play too much of a factor in tonight. Blood donor was there in a team with 6 girls, and they had their volleyball chants. It was mentioned to me that the scene was a bit high-school -- maybe... like one of those Bring It On / unreal fake high schools. It was entertaining.

[Also, of some note: +R was wearing a ring tonight. Oh well, it doesn't hurt just to look.]

Afterwards, Kirk, Susan, Cara, and I met up with Vivi at Uno's for a drink and some appetizers -- and we totally had the food pics.


One thing I've learned from hanging out with them is that realtors are a lot of fun. Well, hanging out with a lot of extroverts is fun, and that's one reason I love this group. We embrace our experiences and perspectives.

I'll miss them these next few weeks with all my traveling, though I should be able to make it to volleyball next Monday.

After Uno's, I filled up my gas tank (yeah, the week of high-revs did eat up fuel) then stopped by Wal-Mart to get cereal for work. Of course, I didn't just get cereal. I had a neatly stuffed hand basket; I stocked up on coupon-ed deals and saved over $14 (in coupons!).

Now I'm home, about to take a shower and call it a night. I would say that I have high hopes for tomorrow, but I'm afraid of jinxing it.

[Just checked my facebook, and someone informed me that Cat Cora made a link on her blog to my AllEars article about Kouzzina! (I am so giddy!)]