Vinnie’s Vlog

We went to the Lowe’s Kid’s Clinic this morning.  Lily got to build a castle -

We hit the mall afterwards.  It wasn’t too bad, parking was a bear and it was really crowded but  I’ve seen it worse.

Lily was good – she really likes the “car” strollers they have.  She sat there and sang most of the time.  Usually at the top of her lungs while we did some shopping.

But it’s the time of year that each of you is referred to as “being done” or not.   And it isn’t just us.  I heard several other conversations today that go like that.  “OK, Uncle Carlos is done, Aunt Loretta is done.  All we’ve got to do is get Cousin Ricardo done and that’s it”.  We were there for 3 hours (an hour of which was lunch and Starbucks) and got 5 of you “done”.  So that’s an average of 24 minutes per person.

The Disney store was packed.  Like Starbucks – the line was out the door.  Also looks like it will be a good Christmas for the Discovery Store, Brookstone and Radio Shack.  Those places were packed.

Lily is down for a nap having passed out somewhere during the 4 minute drive from the mall to home.  I’ve got to get up on the roof and fix some Christmas lights.  Not sure what the rest of the day will hold – we’ll see what Lily has in mind.

The building is just about empty. If the child psychologist can go early, then juice traders can too!

Good dinner tonight…beef stir fry with fresh broccoli, greenpeppers, onions and carrots from the garden.  Now, if we had only had our own cow….

We are playing hookie tomorrow and going to meet Diane’s sister at Disney for the afternoon.  The weather is supposed to turn sour as the day goes on.  Highs on Friday barely 60!

We ran some errands today at lunch time.  Lily got to see Santa – they nailed the picture in one take!   Lily told Santa what she wanted for Christmas and so clearly that Santa was able to tell Mom so she knew.

 The mall was packed – doesn’t anyone have to work this month?  We went to the grocery store earlier this evening and, again – it was packed!  Even the roads are clogged.  It’s like the day before Christmas or something.

We haven’t found a way to explain to Lily that Santa won’t be here for two more weeks.  She just barely understands the concept of “yesterday” – (which she calls “that last day”) and “tomorrow”. 

We’ve finished our trip thru Epcot. We saw Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie and Chip and Dale. Lily danced with Minnie.
From there we went to The Sea and did the Nemo ride.
Now it’s back to the hotel for lunch and naps!

A long walk later and I’ve worked off my lunch and procured my discount dining card. Waiting in line for twenty minutes at Guest Relations you really hear the troubles of travelers. Lost tickets, ID’s, even fake tickets…everyone has a story. A family from California got here without their tickets and they were having a lot of trouble finding them in the master computer. They were still fighting about it when I left.

I kind of forgot I could post on this trip.
We’ve all arrived and except for the Ohio gang’s room, all of our rooms are ready.
We all met up and had a quick lunch and now it’s nap time.
Dinner tonight at MGM followed by the big Christmas light show.
The weather is nice- lite breeze, not too much sun and not too hot. The change is in the air…we’ll see how it goes.

I’ve made it out of the house and to my early dentist appt. In fact, I’m at least five minutes early.
I didn’t take the time to get a handful of Oreos…my hygienist loves me.
I left Lily still having breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa. I’ll meet them all for lunch after Lily’s art class.
Very pleasant here this morning-no real signs of the fronts trying to get through. Sounds like we’ll see more weather as we get into Saturday.

Hey, if you are in town next Thursday night…look east around 9:30pm

NASA gives green light for night launch – Human Spaceflight – MSNBC.com

Don’t know if you’ve paid any attention to the little temperature graphs on my webpage or not. 

You can tell a lot about the inside temperature graph.  Like when the heat or AC comes on.  I just checked… it’s still 50 outside but over 70 inside!!!  Someone has the heat on!

Lily likes when I get my haircut. She’ll spend the next week telling me “I like your haircut…You got it at Perfect Sam’s?”

Florida is cold this morning, again. Jackets are out, velour sweat pants…the heat even came on last night for a couple of minutes.
I’m going to meet Lily for lunch now!

Just left Babies R Us…Lily needs shoes. Again.
They were playing Christmas music.

Well, this is just torture. No, not because it’s the Wiggles. It’s actually very good and Lily loves it. The worst part is that I can see the football game on a distant TV, but I can’t make out the details!

We’ve made it to the arena for the 1:30 Wiggles show. Lily is in line to buy a tee shirt. She is excited out of her mind!

Going to surprise Lily ar art class!

I’ve made it back…no trains along the way. Going to lunch with Lily, who is at art class this morning.
Did I hear right? Tomorrow is Friday? woo hoo!!

Well, I’m trying to go see a customer but I’m stopped by a train. And not just any train…it’s a fully loaded phosphate train. For those of you who don’t know, Polk County is home to the country’s largest phosphate industry. The train is forever long and very, very slow. I’ve been sitting here for 25 minutes and Ìstill haven’t seen the end of the train.

I’m done! Heading home! Daddy’s on his way Lily!

The guy I’m supposd to see at 3:30 is running late, so Quittin’ Time will have to wait. I just talkd to Lily who sounds a bit rambunctious today. I think she knows it’s Friday. Diane sounds like she needs a break! I haven’t got a lot of things done this week that I needed to, so I’m making a ToDo list for Monday…boy am I behind on a lot of things. I haven’t seen the news today so I don’t know if there is anything to comment on there. Friday nights are usually when Diane likes to discuss Stem Cells, abortion, death penalty…whatever..heavy stuff…on a Friday night. I like to know what’s gone on today so I can be prepared.

Wow. 

** I’m going to self censor here.  Boy, would I like to say something right about now.

Red Wine even better for you than thought

Coffee wards off diabetes

Dinner is done and the costume is on! Everything was off to a great start until BLINK…the front porch light burned out! Up the ladder …watch the ladder…and we ar off once again!

This sucks….48 hours ago I was waking up in a Caribbean island paradise.  Now I’m here.

I’ve got three days worth of mail to go through and 75 emails.  And I have no idea how many calls.  And my UPS just got here with my end of the month accounting to do also.  I think for every day you take off, it must set you back two days.

Joel has been smack talking about his Cowboy’s winning last night.   Seems this kid Romo can turn water into wine.   Joel could have used a little divine intervention on behalf (get it?) of this snook.

Let me look….nope, the Bucs lost and didn’t score an offensive touchdown again.  I didn’t bet on this game.  I seem to recall winning a bet recently…hmm….

I guess there is always FSU football…nope, we lost too.  To Maryland?  Oh my.  Could be worse…I could be wearing an “I Love Jeff Bowden” tee shirt.

Lily slept like a rock last night.  Diane took her up at 6:20…she was out like a light by 6:23 – no kidding!

It’s a beautiful day today.  We slept with the windows open – I think it dipped into the low 60’s.  Made for nice sleeping weather.  The sky is crystal clear and I think it is supposed to be in the 70’s – just gorgeous.

We’re here!

Good morning! We are pulling into port…actually, looks like we are tied up to the dock. We gained an hour last night…just a little Disney magic I think. We get breakfast and then off the ship by 8 or 830 I think. I’ll have pictures up later, but first we are stopping to see my grandparents for a quick visit!

After a rowdy party, we’ve set sail! Lily danced til she was blue in the face! Off to dinner!

We’ve made it on board and enjoyed a nice lunch. We are sitting poolside right now, waiting maybe 30 min. for our rooms. Lily is pumped!

It just occurred to me, as I sit here waiting for my $9.95 haircut that I’ll bet Diane’s $alon doesn’t take coupons. Meanwhile, I wait until I find a $1 off coupon before I get mine cut.

I’m on my way to get a much needed pre-cruise haircut. F16’s are still out in full force today…kind of surprised the media hasn’ts made mention of it.

Ok, now it’s getting ridiculous – It’s almost 10 o’clock at night and we’ve sat here, with the windows open, watching TV listtening to an F16 roar overhead almost every 10 minutes now.

MacDill continues to do its fly-bys overhead.  I’ve counted nearly 43 eastbound planes since yesterday morning.

Diane thinks it is rehearsal for a presidential visit.

I, personally, think it’s the same four planes going around and around the globe.

Oh, that’s right…it’s Monday.  It’s a bit overcast today in the Sunshine State as a front is moving through.  Temps are dropping into the upper 50’s for the next couple of mornings…brrrrrr.

On account of the cloudiness, I slept a bit later in my darker than usual room.   The only disturbance I had was when Lily came down and saw that she didn’t have a nice note on her place at the table saying she went to bed good and was in for a treat.  Poor Lily, she was crushed, but quietly played with her Legos until 7:45 when she wanted me to inspect what she had built. 

Tampa’s football spirit is reborn this morning.  Talk radio, the news, the paper…

are all alive with a renewed level of excitement.  Sure made for good TV!

Diane and Lily are off to the grocery store this morning.  They are skipping Gymboree this week just to minimize the chances of any of us catching a cold right before our cruise.

One last thing, I’ve lost this morning’s round to the garbage men.  They picked through my garbage and left my half filled cans with the remains of the concrete blocks and some trash.  That’s ok.  Those broken pieces of cinderblock are going out in those cans, into that truck and they are gonna get dumped by that garbage guy if I have to bury the chunks in the middle of my kitchen scraps one chunk at a time.

Sorry, not much to post today. I’ve been on the road for the third day this week. The only good part is that I had a great BBQ lunch.
Well, that’s not the only good part. I’m done for the day and going home at 3:45, that’s nice too.

Good Monday morning. I’m on the road again this morning. I’m at the warehouse pulling samples of peach, pear and tangerine. It’s a messy job. And cold. After I’m done here, I’m taking a customer to lunch, then off to Lakeland to see an Orange Juice processor. Diane and Lily are house bound today on account of a flat tire on the Volvo. Lily will miss her play group today. If you talk to her today, ask her about her new Rice Krispies.

Today’s parenting advice comes from the American Pediatric Academy.   They might know what they are talking about here…but this is the same group that didn’t want us teaching Lily to swim until she was 4 years old.

Harried parents urged to just let their kids play – Childrens Health – MSNBC.com

Florida ranks high as a favorite place to live – The Business Journal of Jacksonville:

Dear Editor of The Business Journal of Jacksonville,

Are you nuts?  Do you know what this kind of headline could do to me?  Florida shouldn’t be ranked as a favorite place to live.  In fact, I have plenty of reasons why they…I mean, anyone, should NOT move to Florida.

1. It’s hot here folks.  Don’t let the Weather Channel fool you, they’re all liars.

2. Mosquitoes.  They are bigger and badder this year.  A bite can send you to the hospital.  In fact, the mosquito is now the official State Bird and you can’t even swat the little buggers.  Bug spray isn’t allowed.  Nope – no more OFF!…Now you have to use ON!

3. Ants – oh my gosh, the aunts…I mean ants.  We have them in the house and they are building a nest!  No joke, just ask Lily.

4. Hurricanes.  I know, it’s been a slow year – IF YOU BELIEVE THE WEATHER CHANNEL!  They’re liars I tell you. It’s blowing something fierce out there right now. 

5. Disney World is closed.  Beaches are closed.  The malls are closed.  The only attraction open is the Florida Senior Center Shuffle Board Hall of Fame and it’s only open from 6am to 9am on Tuesdays, except the third Tuesday of the month when the Lodge has it’s monthly garage sale and bizarre.

I’m at my usually quiet Starbucks right now. I say usually because this morning it is anything but quiet thanks to the Kohl’s Grand Opening about 200 yards away. I hate Kohl’s for plowing under that big piece of land the Sandhill Cranes lived on and I hate it for making me stand in line for coffee.

Vinnie the Vlogger here….still out on the road this afternon. Actually cruising thru the thriving city of Winter Haven, home to Stevie B’s Southern Buffet and the Florida Garden Motel. Traffic is heavy round these parts because of a funeral for a police officer.
So it’s just me and the radio. I jut heard an ad for a group trying to raise money for world hunger. They want you to fast for 30 hours. Now, it’s been two hours since lunch and, honestly, I’m starved now! I think I’ll have to find another cause.

Hi readers…Sorry for the lack of posts the last day or two. I’ve been on the road. I can tell you that the only thing being talked about on talk radio is the Congressman from FL and his emails.

I’m flying thru Plant City right now. The acreage is fully prepared for strawberries!

Hi readers…Sorry for the lack of posts the last day or two. I’ve been on the road. I can tell you that the only thing being talked about on talk radio is the Congressman from FL and his emails.

Florida’s job market hottest in nation – American City Business Journals – MSNBC.com

Things that make you go “hmmmmmm”…..

Radio New Zealand – More heavy rain forecast for Northland, Auckland and Coromandel

Grandma and Grandpa are four days into a long New Zealand trip.  Not sure exactly where they are in NZ…hope they brought their slickers!

My website is down, once I figure out all the technical stuff I have to figure out, I’ll get the site backup and running.  Of course, it isn’t as easy as I had hoped, so bear with me.

22 hours later…no trial necessary here.

Police kill suspect in Fla. manhunt – Crime & Punishment – MSNBC.com

Now, can we get back to our Friday?!

Yes, it continues in Lakeland….

Todays News from MSNBC – MSNBC.com

All the way from my old stompin’ grounds in Lakeland, Florida.  A massive manhunt underway, an officer and his dog shot and killed, another officer shot and in the hospital.  As of 4pm, there were 4 schools, loaded with kids, still under lockdown.  I think they are just now, at 8pm, figuring out a way to get the schools emptied and get everyone home while they scour the area.

Officer killed, manhunt continues – Crime & Punishment – MSNBC.com

Hardees

” Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it”  Mark Twain.