Simple America

The Marriott Downtown Orlando is in quite a nice location. If you are a fan of the NBA this is conveniently located across the street from the Amway Arena where the Orlando Magic play. They played the Washington Bullets the night we arrived, but I was too tired to think about looking into tickets. There is a civic cinter of some sort also located across the street where a local ballet production of The Nutcracker is playing.

Amway Arena as seen from my room on the 15th floor.

A look at our room and all of our baggage. No light travelling here.

Rugrats watching the cartoon channel. The hotel also had a lovely breakfast buffet. We pigged out the two mornings we stayed there.

For the first day we went to EPCOT. I always have enjoyed this park. When we went to pay for the tickets we learned that you can add on to your tickets within two weeks of the purchase. This is nice as it provides the visitor a lot of flexibility. And as you add more days the price is much cheaper. Once you get beyond four days the addtional days only cost two bucks a day. Another thing to do when purchasing tickets is make sure they know if you have a special celebration. Our anniversary is near and they gave the missus and I both button to wear announcing our celebration. This has been nice as the staff often greets us with a congratulations. When we visited the American area in the Nations area of EPCOT they actually gave us a certificate to commemorate the day. They also had us call a special number where Mickey and the gang wished us a happy anniversary too. Really was a cute gretting. And then we were given premium seating for the show.

Here is the cert they gave us. Made us feel really special.

On Sunday we visited Universal Studios’ City Streets. The missus wanted to meet a pair of her work mates from IBM. We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. The food was fair, but I loved the atmosphere and all of the rock and roll items on display. After lunch we moved to the Hilton Grand Vacations Club resort on International Drive.

This resort provides us a lovely suite. The kids loved the extra space and the opportunity to not hear my snores at night.

The dining room table is a lovely place to have breakfast and dinner. Behind it there is a full kitchen with the utensils we need for cooking. And they have Starbucks coffee for us as well. I like this place.

Beyond this door lay the bedroom for the missus and I. The kids had a sofa bed to rest upon.

There was a huge tub with whirl pool and a walk in shower that allowed me to stretch my arms out fully without touching the sides. I enjoy this bathroom a great deal.

And there are two sinks to speed things up in the morning. Quite nice marble upon these counters here.

The kids discovered they could hook up the X-Box here. After spending a bit too much time at lunch with out excellent companies we decided to chill out in the room rather than go to MGM Studios. Later in the evening we visted Disney Downtown. There are many shops located here. They have the best Disney store located here. If you should come this way, you really owe it to yourself to visit the Disney Downtown. There is no fee to enter this area and you should not miss it.

When you go on the road the one thing you might miss is your bed. But surprisingly I have enjoyed the beds at Marriott. Sleeping like a baby. I took at peek under the sheets and I see they are using a memory foam mattress in our room. We’ve had the beds at our house since we moved in back in 99. Could be time to make a change.

Thursday was the day of departure. We planned to pick my son up when school let out and drive from there on to Orlando. But with last minute preparations, we were not even close to being ready to leave. Sent my girl to retrieve the boy, while we packed and prepped road food. Then I suggested we leave at midnight after a nap. I felt tired and the missus looked beat as well. When the bags were all packed the missus agreed some rest would be beneficial. I looked at the travel itinerary and estimated the drive would be 19 hours. If we had left at the original time we would have sat around Orlando waiting for our room to become available. Forget that. I knew we would be tired after the drive to boot.

While I’m gone or any other day for that matter my little Ford sits out on the street. It sits out there exposed to the rain and wind. Dust gets on as it is blown over from highway construction not too far from my house. Wonder If I should take a look at car covers to protect my truck? Time to make a decision.

Saturday I ate one piece of bread, crackers, and applesauce. Still did not want to risk anything as I still ran a low grade fever. Spent most of the day watching Season Four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Honestly, I needed to take it easy so I could attend Houston Symphony’s Very Merry Pops program.

And I did attend with the missus, my son, and his friend. Saturday night was freezing cold with light spray in the air. No snow as this is Houston, but this is about the most Christmassy weather I can expect. We ran late as I did not go to Joe’s Crab Shack with them for dinner. The smell of food just affected my stomach and I wanted to enjoy the evening. And every theater must have had a venue that night. The streets were slow and the parking garage was packed. Parked the truck close to a mile away from Jones Hall. Walking the streets was chilly and the wind almost knocked me down a couple of times.

We dashed into the hall, thankful for the warmth it offered. We were late and I could hear the sounds of Deck the Halls being performed. By the time we reached the balcony they had started playing Holiday Moods Suite No. 1. They projected the symphony on the side wall, which allowed us late comers to see a bit. But viewing that is not the same, especially with the sounds muffled by the walls.

Hard to tell from this picture but that is the Houston Symphony with the Houston Symphony Choir set up on stage behind them. We also had a lovely view of the Jones Hall Christmas tree.

They went right into the Hanukkah Festival Overture without delay leaving us standing outside a bit longer. Finally, the conductor, Michael Krajewski paused, allowing us to try and find our seats. We failed in the dark so I told the missus and boys to stand and wait for the next pause so we did not block anyone’s view while The Prayer was performed. An usher came by and pointed out where our seats should be. When the song ended we hastened to our spots and sat down in time to hear the Little Bolero Boy. You know I should have been happy to have a seat, but I heard this loud tapping. I looked at the boys and I was close to quieting them when I realized the sound came from behind me. A grown man tapping so loudly, oh, and off beat. At one point he started to clap out the beat, though remember, he has no rhythm. Just kill me. And then the candy wrapper brigade started crinkling their papers. Why can’t you people be quiet? Open candy and cough drops between songs please.

Will Maker, a local who gained some notoriety by appearing on American Idol, then accompanied the Symphony for O Holy Night. He has a splendid voice. Next the Symphony performed the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah. This brought most folks to their feet in respect for Jesus Christ without with there would be no Very Merry Pops performed. It was beautifully done and my hats off to the Houston Symphony Chorus. Bravisimo!

The intermission came and we went to the washroom. Then the lads and I found a quiet corner and discussed World of Warcraft. Three pretty little teen girls walked by and I felt like come on boys give ‘em a look at least. LOL! Oh well they are just young teen lads. Those check out the girls genes just have not kicked in yet.

We returned to sit and the missus told us we had been in the wrong seats. Stupid usher. But it was perfect. The people in this section were well mannered. No tapping, inappropriate off beat clapping, or crinkling wrappers for the rest of the evening. Just my son asking questions. Well that’s what duct tape is for.

The program returned with the Christmas Waltz, which even had a three pairs of waltzers on stage. That was followed by We Need a Little Christmas from Mame. The next selection was quite unusual. They had the bassoon section come up front and the three bassoonists were featured as they played Bassoon It Will Be Christmas. They put on a delightful performance and I enjoyed this a great deal. This reminds me. PY, the Houston Symphony, had six double bassists performing on stage Saturday night.

The program even became more fun as the songs moved to old favorites like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The dancers returned to the stage and performed a comedic routine as the music played. The next tune was Sleigh Ride, very much a song full of memories for me. We played this tune in High School band and the percussion section is quite busy during this tune. There are jingle bells too jangle, and wood blocks for clopping, and don’t forget the whip for cracking. We used to fight over who got to crack the whip.

Will Maker returned to the stage and sang Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Beautiful voice, if I was a woman I would love to have him sing to me. I’m not, therefore I am just damn jealous. LOL!  The orchestra then played a medley of songs, giving the audience a turn to stand and sing along. The program then ended with a performance of Feliz Navidad. The conductor returned to play an encore and I cannot remember the tune. I still had a little fever okay. Lost my mind that second.

But I really enjoyed the evening. Felt so good to leave the house after being stuck in bed. I felt so good I could eat a house. How about this one?

Hey but I am 100% today. Eating as normal. Sorry I am not out visiting blogs that much. So much to do as I prepare to go on vacation. Trying to list a bunch of eBay auctions so they can run while I travel. And time it so I can ship them when I get home and my winning bidders do not have to wait. I am using the eBay Turbo Lister 2 for the first time and I like it so far.

Merry Christmas to all of you and may God bless you and your family too.

I know it is almost Christmas and me half-way dashing out the door to Florida. But the missus asked a speculative question before me. She said what are we gonna do for the kids Spring Break? What a question there. I’m thinking we can chill out in one of those Condo Hotels by a beach.

I can imagine us now. The kids out on jet skis. Me and the missus sipping on some wine. Flipping burgers on the barbecue. Yep this is the way to go.

I am so late with posting this. But I want to let you know that we have the second charity auction listed. This charity benefits the Autism Research Institute in their efforts to find a cure.

What are we offering to the winning bidder this time? The chance to play a role in our upcoming ETU adventure. I posted the beta of our ETU emblem for all to see. I think it is pretty wicked looking. Me likes it. Do you want to be immortalized in Pinebox? You know, not just another tomb stone by the student parking lot.

When I was younger I always wanted to own a Corvette. Not just any particularone though. By that I mean I don’t care about the year of the engine. That engineering stuff is beyond me. I just wanted cool. And cool to my mind is a canary yellow Corvette. I used to see one all of the time way back when. Seeing that Vette zoom by would plant me in my tracks. Really took my breath away.

This memory came back to me today when I surfed around and found a site that sells Corvette floor mats. Maybe I should go drool on a Corvette at the Chevy dealer. If business gets good I ought to be able to restore this little dream.

I feel better today. Still have a 100 F (37.8 C) temp but I feel like some food. Anything beats crackers and applesauce. Perhaps I’ll have a piece of toast. The smell of food has really unsettled my stomach the last couple of days so I look forward to anything different. The missus wants Korean tonight. I don’t know if I can be that adventurous with my tummy yet.

This morning I also fixed the Simple Warcraft comments problem. Thanks Giddy Tiger for making me aware of this problem. I reset my permalinks to the default setting and that cured all. Phew.

Hoping I can spend less time in bed today. So far so good. Thanks for all of your support.

Half of the fun of visiting Las Vegas is the hotels. There are so many different themes and even without the variety shows, magic acts, and superstars each property has so much to offer. Hotels Las Vegas just brings a huge dose of excitement.

A person can fulfill many fantasies in Vegas. Going back in time to visit the Roman Empire at Caesar’s Palace. Having a romantic moment at the Paris Hotel looking out at the city from the Eifel tower. Being a rock star a Planet Hollywood. Vegas is such a fun place. We all deserve a good time now and then.