Only in Florida: Cleaning up the kid’s mess
So, I get home from work last week, ready to discipline my oldest GIFTED student for deciding she wasn’t going to do math homework anymore. In an attempt to divert my attention, she started saying “You need to hear what [insert little sister's name] did at school.”
I was not to be swayed. Discipline was reinforced because her mother already handled it. She handles the types of discipline, I’m just there to put the fear of god into them.
After she left the room, her mother joined me and said, “You really do need to know what [insert little sister's name] did at school.”
Shiiiiiiiit.
My Kindergartener, my angel, my PRINCESS, did not get in trouble for talking, or not doing her work. No, my wife could not keep the grin off her face.
She started a food fight.
So, discipline was reinforced again, and I kept that stern, disappointed look on my face. Of course, I was laughing inside.
Then I read about these kids in Orlando that started a food fight – all planned out, with changes of clothes and everything. But what struck me as really bizarre was this:
It took 11 adults to clean up the mess…
ExcusemeWHAT?
Shouldn’t cleaning the lunchroom have been an immediate punishment? Yeah, yeah, they’re facing expulsion and all, but still – every pea, every carrot, every bit of mystery meat should have been cleaned up by the kids. It’s not like they’re kindergarteners – these are middle-school kids, perfectly capable of using brooms, mops, and sponges.
Come on, they knew better.
Floridians are going to Yo-Yo their way to a World Record
The folks at Izea are getting the word out to Florida bloggers and advertisers about an event later this month at the Orlando History Center. The History Center is going to try to set the record for most people Yo-Yo-ing simultaneously.
I was always a Duncan man, myself.
The event is towards the end of January, on the 26th to be precise.
Florida bloggers, let me know if you’re going to be there and maybe I’ll drag myself out of my hate-filled introversion for a couple of hours and bring the kids down.
Vacation Tip: Use discount card to save money in Orlando like the locals
Well, we’re going to Dismal Disney World in mid-December for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. We do this trip almost every year – we get there in the afternoon, check in at the hotel, then hit the park at sunset. Rides, parades, hot chocolate, cocoa, then Dad gets a sore back carrying children who have passed out to the parking lot. Most years, I can still walk the next morning, so we like to schedule some other cool activity – another park, shopping at Disney Village, something off Disney property.
Whaaaaa??? There’s more to Orlando than Disney?
Um, yeah!
Having lived in Orlando and worked for both Sea World and Disney World, I learned a few tricks. Yes, having an employee pass is great, except the last place you want to be on your day off is back at the park. With the benefit if time and distance, though, I’ve regained my enthusiasm for the attractions. Locals know all the ins-and-outs of saving money at the parks and attractions. One of those methods is using discount cards. For instance, the Go Orlando Card includes 50 Orlando Attractions, Tours, & Shows for 1 Low Price. You can go to as many Florida attractions as you like, once per day on your card. Depending on how many days your card is valid (1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 days), you may use it on any day, up to the total number of days you have purchased, within a 14-day period.
Even better, though, is that you can get a discount on your discount card: Go Orlando Card – Save 20% Now!
Are these kind of tips a good thing? Let me know in comments, I have more where this came from.
Only in FLA: Superman robs 7-11
My guess is these two will be the Belles of the Ball at the 33rd Street lock-up:
Two men wearing Superman pajamas were taken into custody today after they robbed three 7-Eleven convenience stores at gunpoint, according to police.
Here’s where they went wrong:
An officer said he noticed the pajama-wearing men robbing the 7-Eleven store in MetroWest and waited in the parking lot.
See guys, you thought the jammies would a great distraction, huh? That the jammies would be the onliest thing people would remember? You forgot about how you would sorta stand out, didn’t you?
Hat tip to tampabays10.com
Want to learn more about Orlando?
If you’re coming to Florida on vacation, you’re most likely going to wind up in Orlando at some point. Such is the draw of the Mouse.
If so, you may want to check out some of the hotel guides and the Orlando city guide I’ve linked to. What I like about the guide is that it shows a simple map that gives you a hint that there’s more to Orlando than just Disney World. In fact, they even include Leu Gardens, a favorite of locals, especially guys looking for a beautiful, quiet, romantic place to ask their girlfriend’s an important question.
Not me, of course. The one time I did THAT in Orlando, I was forced to do it in the parking lot of Fashion Square Mall. But, that’s a WHOLE different story.
I also like that this one city guide is actually like a mini-portal to Orlando. There are dozens of hotels linked from the sidebar, along with an events list, online resources, and even blog posts about Orlando. It’s a good way to get a thumbnail sketch for the city and the surrounding area without getting overwhelmed.
Blogger poker championship
Filed under: Florida Vacation, Gambling, Great Blogs, Orlando, Theme Parks
So, I played in the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker yesterday. If you’re interested in poker, you can check out my posts about it over at my poker blog. If not, just know that I played against 1,337 of my closest friends, lasted 6.5 hrs and about 500 hands (it takes about 24 hrs to play 500 hands in real life), and finished 16th because I was stupid. I won an xBox Elite for my trouble, which I’ll be selling so I can take my kids to Disney World for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. I’ve done better in bigger tournaments, but this was a tough tournament with big stakes and it’s taken a toll on me mentally and physically that I wasn’t prepared for. Holding that level of concentration for so long has fried my brain.
While I’m disappointed about the way I finished, I have to admit that I’m pleased to have played so well and finished so high. I have high expectations when I play because I know the game I’m capable of playing, and while it hurt not to take it down after lasting so long, I know it was a hell of an accomplishment regardless. I don’t play much poker anymore, so when I play I tend to concentrate better than I used to when I played every day. But, given the toll this took on me, I think it will be a while before I play again.
I had a couple railbirds late in the tournament. Mr. Fab said he’d let people know to stop by and give me a little support, so if you were one of his flock, I thank you for the support. Each time my energy waned, someone popped in and gave me a shout-out and it gave me boost – and thanks to you, Fab.
Only in FLA: It’s all fun and games until someone breaks out the Stinger missile
Police Get Missile Launcher During Gun-Shoe Exchange
Somehow, I don’t feel safer with the Orlando Police Department keeping their “no questions asked” policy intact.
There’s an exception to every rule, guys. Yes, when you get a man-portable, shoulder-fired guided missile system being turned in for a pair of child sneakers, that would qualify as one of those exceptions.
It’s tough being loved and in demand
I had an opportunity to spend my Saturday terrorizing drivers on I-95 and I-4 as I drove from Jax to Orlando and back.
An hour and forty-five minutes. A new record, thankyouverymuch…
I was part of a focus group for PayPerPost. They paid me and in exchange I agreed not to talk about the new gay porn production facilities they’re creating. Ooops!
I also got to meet Mr. Fabulous, Cheryl, Kat, and Colleen, all Florida bloggers that sometimes blog about Florida and most times not. I have so many updates to make to my blogrolls. A couple are already over there.
PPP is where an advertiser can go to get some buzz going on the intartubes about a new product or service or whatever. Can’t discuss what I saw on penalty of losing my first-born, but trust me, you want to be there and be a part of it.
If you’re a blogger… ignore the previous paragraph. Too. Much. Competition.
By the way, hasn’t Writing. Like. This. jumped the shark?
On the agenda today is a trip to Gainesville to visit the parental units, who are driving back from their mountain-top bunker in NC and stopping off at l’il bro’s house for a Sunday afternoon pizza or some such thing. I’ve seen them recently due to health issues with my father, but the kids haven’t seen them in almost three months so this will be nice for everyone.
No speed records will be attempted while driving with kids.
New Harry Potter Theme Park In The Works
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?
Fun Things in Florida: The Pirate Dinner Show in Orlando
Filed under: Florida Vacation, Interesting, Orlando, Theme Parks
If you live in Orlando or will be traveling to Orlando, the Pirate Dinner Show is one of several dinner shows available for night-time entertainment once you’re finished with the parks. I’ve been to a couple of the dinner shows, and they’re always great fun. The food is plentiful, and the sets and performances are always first-class.The Pirate Dinner Show in Orlando is convenient for visitors to the theme parks, located right on International Drive. If you’d like to enjoy an evening with the swashbucklers, visit mapleleaftickets.com, the sponsor of this post, to purchase your tickets.
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