May
31
Here’s a big disclosure for everyone: I’m a big dude. So big, in fact, that I have two diet blogs! So, needless to say, I’m VERY familiar with the capabilities of an online calorie counter - I’ve used a number of them over the years.
Today, I created a profile at myfitnesspal.com, the sponsors of this post, because I wanted to judge for myself; frankly, I’m an expert at these things. The first thing I noted was that this is a free calorie counter - no monthly fees like other sites. The profile was easy to set up, in fact, it only took about a minute. You input your height, weight, birthdate, the level of activity you experience in your daily life, and the amount of exercise you do, and it generates nutritional and exercise goals. I was interested to see what was generated, and was surprised to see it matched the caloric intake I know works best for me. Most of these tools generate a caloric intake that’s too high for me.
The other cool thing is that you can customize the goals of your macronutrients to account for different diet programs - change them to match Atkins, South Beach, or just any old low-fat program. Another great feature is the exercise log that differentiates between aerobic and strength exercises. The food log is great for calorie counting. It is organized by meal, and even has a section to track the number of glasses of water you drink during the day. You can add food from their database and input the quantity you ate, and it will track your intake throughout the day. You can also create custom foods, which is a good feature to have in this day where so many of our meals come from boxes rather than scratch.
So, yeah, even though this was a sponsored post, I’m going to be using this as I work on my Florida beach body. Heck, the price is right - 100% free.
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May
31
Have you ever been to Orlando and said, “Hey, what this place needs is another theme park?”
J.K Rowling, who became the world’s first billion dollar author on the back of Harry Potter’s success, has given the go-ahead for the creation of a Florida theme park dedicated to the schoolboy wizard.”The plans I have seen look incredibly exciting and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed,” Rowling said of the Orlando park that is scheduled to open in 2009…
…In a statement rich in entertainment hyperbole, the builders of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” said they planned to “create the world’s first immersive Harry Potter themed environment.”
Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment, said: “Over the years we’ve received thousands of letters from fans around the world wishing they could visit Hogwarts (School) and the wonderful locations described in each of J.K. Rowling’s beloved stories.”
I’m sure my wife will keep us all abreast of the progress and details.
Me?
…Eh… whaddayagonnadoboutit?
May
30
The Florida Times-Union is reporting that Skybus will start daily flights from St. Augustine in July.
Gotta say, commercial aviation in this part of the First Coast is desperately needed. Going from St. Johns County up through Jax to JIA can take 75-120 minutes, depending on time of day. A couple of small puddle-jumper regional airlines would be a great addition to a growing area.
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May
30
Dead men don’t surf
Filed Under Humor, St. Augustine | Leave a Comment
I got a kick out of this - the director of the archaeological group didn’t let a find get in the way of his surfing.
I’m having an Apocalypse Now flashback… “Charlie don’t surf”…
Bits of nautical history rise in sands of Vilano
By MATT COLEMAN,
The Times-UnionWith Capt. Jack Sparrow and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean riding high on top of the box office, the remnants of a 19th-century ship uncovered over the weekend at Vilano Beach are harkening back to North Florida’s nautical history.
One of the discoveries, a 100-pound, 6-foot-long piece of iron covered in seashells and mineralized sediment, would be barely distinguishable at first glance to a novice as part of a sailing vessel. The first indication of the item’s seafaring antiquity is the deadeye, a protrusion of ironwood jutting from the rust-colored surface of the metal. Despite its dilapidated appearance, the piece was actually attached to the hull of a ship that possibly sailed the St. Augustine-area coastline.
John W. Morris III, director of South Eastern Archaeological Services, found the pieces on the shore of Vilano Beach when he was preparing to surf Saturday. He said he immediately identified the items as the chain plate assembly of a ship, which helped in securing the standard rigging.
“Once I figured out what they were, I went surfing,” Morris said. “It’s not like they were going anywhere at the time.”
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May
29
Johnny Depp, Gotta Love Him! He’s Back as Jack!
Filed Under Pirates, St. Augustine | Leave a Comment
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May
24
Restaurant Review; Jade’s Garden & Peterbrooke Chocolates
Filed Under Restaurant Reviews | Leave a Comment
The kids are in a vacation bible camp this week that meets from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Can you say dinner and adult conversation?
We can. My wife wanted steak, but I had a taste for Chinese food and wanted to try a new place in Mandarin (Jacksonville). Let’s start with the atmosphere:
Think Asian Fusion. Nice, modern. The tables were spaced far enough apart to allow for private conversations. Mostly adults, even as early as 6:30, which was nice on our child-free evening.
On to the food: I had the General Tso’s Chicken. I figured that, since it’s what I always get, it would be a good way to compare their food to the less expensive storefront takeout joints.
It was pretty good. The chicken was lightly breaded, unlike the frozen-then-deep-fried version you usually get. Nice and meaty. The sauce was adequately spicy, but you can never have too much spice for me. The rice was a choice between white or brown. I chose brown for health reasons, but I really wanted pork fried. It was acceptable. Sorry, I’m just not a fan unless it’s fried in pork grease. 
We also had the spring rolls for an appetizer. Kind of pricey at $4 for two spring rolls, but again, they were handmade and very tasty. You gotta pay for quality.
My wife had the Mongolian Beef. Her assessment: Nice presentation, good: gingery taste, I usually like lots of green onions and it had a lot, looked appealing. On the bad side: No spice to it, very mild seasoning, green onions were undercooked to my taste.
So, a mixed review this time, but I think my wife’s issues can be solved next time by just asking for more spice and a little extra cooking time for those onions. So, I’d go back. Not often, because it’s about twice the cost of takeout, but I liked it.
Afterwards, we walked over to Peterbrooke Chocolates. Mmmmmm…. Always pricey, but she had a chocolate-covered strawberry, her usual, and it was good, as usual. I went with chocolate-dipped oreos. The dessert of champions, dontcha know?
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May
23
I feel so official!
Filed Under Administration | Leave a Comment
The move to the new domain is now complete. Of course, you may have to re-subscribe, so click here 
Subscribe in a reader …
…or click below.
And if you’ve linked up previously, I hope you’ll consider updating those links. The original links still get you here thanks to the way google re-directs, but as we all know, the Sun Dog needs him page rank.
So, stick around - same great, weird stuff, better station!
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May
22
Name Change!!
Filed Under Administration | Leave a Comment
As you may have noticed, we’ve change the name of this blog from Florida Yard Dog to Florida Sun Dog. The url will be changed as soon as I get an answer to a question.
Why?
I was recently in St. Augustine and saw some T-shirts that said Florida Yard Dog and had an alligator illustration. At first, I thought someone had stolen the idea, but when I asked the clerk if he knew anything about it, he said they’d been carrying the shirts for years.
Errrr…
Coincidence, maybe? I don’t know. I’ve been to St. Augustine so much, maybe I’ve seen the shirts before and it stuck in my subconscious. Who knows?
Anyway, I’m being a little proactive and trying to avoid any conflicts in case there’s already a trademark. Besides, it gives me an opportunity to take on a more recognizable brand (in my opinion).
So, if you’re linked here, or if you have this site bookmarked, or favorited, please get ready to change the web address to:
http://www.floridasundog.com
Long live the Dog!
May
22
Waving the Flag, Today
Filed Under Interesting | Leave a Comment
Here in Florida, we have a lot of state pride. Or, at least, those of us that consider ourselves Floridians rather than transplanted New Yorkers, Ohioans, or Michigonians.
United-states-flag.com, the sponsor of this post, is the largest online vendor of flags and flagpoles, with approx 50% of the online market. The store sells a wide range of US flags, outdoor flagpoles, state flags, college and major sport flags, and even some custom novelty flags.
The site itself is laid out well, with an easy-to-understand menu structure so finding the flag you want is pretty easy. There is also a search function, and telephone and e-mail support to aid customers. The shopping cart is powered by Yahoo ecommerce with 128-bit encryption, so buying online is secure.
A pet peeve of mine when it comes to American Flags is flag etiquette. Maybe it’s the Boy Scout in me, or maybe I just appreciate what the flag stands for, but I think flag etiquette is becoming a lost tradition. If you’ve never been involved in a burning ceremoney for retired flags, it can be a moving 
experience, especially when carried out by men and women that have fought for the country and truly understand the symbolism of the flag. I was very happy to see this site provide quite a bit of information about flag etiquette.
Finally, I also liked that you can get the accessories you’ll need to mount your flag, whether on the wall outside of a garage, or a 100-ft flagpole. There are also a ton of of patriotic wear and gift ideas, like pins, decals, and car flags, perfect as we head into election season where each candidate tries to prove that he (or she) is more patriotic than his opponent!
May
16
Rock on, RockStartup!
Filed Under Interesting | Leave a Comment
Orlando-based internet startup, PayPerPost, kicks ASS! Check out what I just won:
**Happy Dance**
