Boba Fett - © Copyright 2012 by Orlando Local

Boba Fett

Let’s face it.  Mandalorians are a cocky bunch. Look at him, tilting his head.  It’s like he’s behind that helmet saying, “Take the damn picture before I kill you.” That’s OK.  I’m not afraid of Boba Fett.  After all, what is his great claim to fame?  Oh, that’s right.  He followed the Millennium Falcon and snitched on Han Solo.  He didn’t even capture the guy.  He just phoned it in!  That’s too lame to deserve such a cocky attitude.

Star Wars Weekends

Today is the beginning of Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  In August, Orlando will again host Star Wars Celebration.  Hordes of Star Wars fans descend upon us for both of these events and drop some serious money in the local hotels, restaurants and some other businesses.  As long as they’re paying, who cares if they dress up and bang plastic sticks at each other?

I end up going to Star Wars Weekends every year because I like to take photos, but also because I like Star Wars.  The first year I attended seemed much better than recent years.  There were more characters just walking around.  Lately, everything seems far too organized.  People stand in lines to get autographs and photos with a character.  I was happier when you could turn a corner and find a couple of Storm Troopers carrying a tray of cookies.  Spontaneity is more fun.  You never get a pleasant surprise by standing in line for a scheduled encounter.

Despite the changes, it’s still a pretty good time.  People are nice and you can forget about the rest of the world for a while. If that’s not enough, where else can you see Darth Vader and Chewbacca in a dance-off competition? Even though the same guy wins every year, it’s still pretty amazing to see how some of these folks can move in those costumes.

Star Wars Celebration

This event doesn’t happen every year, but it’s the über-geek convention for Star Wars fans.  People drop big money on tickets to this conference, not to mention more money just to get inside some of the panel discussions, or even more money to pay an aging Luke Skywalker for his signature.  Me, I’ve never paid for a signature.  The only signature I want is on a check endorsed to me.  However, that’s what the people want.  Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a market for over-priced autographs.

I go for the visuals, though.

I Have a Bad Feeling About This - © Copyright 2012 by Orlando Local

This is what I’m talking about.  Perfect costumes.  Outstanding sets (including a life-sized TIE Interceptor) built by Belgians who brought these sets across the ocean to show here for a few days.  Droid races.  Did you know that people actually build droids like R2-D2 and race them against each other?  I didn’t, but those little suckers are kind of zippy.  It’s cool to watch, at least until to people start banging plastic sticks against each other.

The truth is that these events give people a chance to escape the monotony of the real world for a while.  I’ll never dress up.  I’ll never have a plastic stick to bang against someone else.  I may build a droid to race one day, though.   So, I suppose there’s a bit of something for everyone.  It all starts today.

Just remember – be kind to the Wookies.

A Taste of Hillstone - © Copyright 2012 by Orlando Local

The Social Media Dinner

I joined a group of Central Florida food bloggers last night for a social media dinner at Hillstone in Winter Park. Hillstone provided a variety of its dishes and drinks for the table to give us a sample of their offerings.

That’s a fine thing in itself , but the truth is that I’m already a fan of Hillstone. It’s one of my top restaurants in the country.  Many of the staff know me on site. When my family celebrates birthdays, we go to Hillstone’s.  In other words, I knew what to expect from the food and service and I can vouch that both are outstanding. So why go to a social media dinner?

Mostly because I wanted to learn a bit more about some changes at my favorite restaurant, but I also wanted to see how the food blogging set goes about its business.

I came away from the dinner completely stuffed into a food-induced stupor, met some incredibly nice people who were also there for the dinner, and learned a bit more about how Hillstone goes about its business.

From Houston’s to Hillstone

As I mentioned when I first reviewed the restaurant as Houston’s, I’m a creature of habit. The restaurant has everything I like – comfortable environment, friendly service, and excellent food on a consistent menu. It was a perfect fit for my conservative personality. If you wanted to find me for lunch on a Saturday, I’d be at Houston’s having my grilled chicken sandwich with a side of black beans & brown rice.  I loved this meal so much that I declared it would be my request for a last meal.

When I started to notice the gradual changes from Houston’s to Hillstone, I inquired and learned that part of the idea behind the change was to allow the restaurant to modify its menu.  That sent me into panic.  Change?  Why would they change?  They have everything I want right now.  A grouper sandwich as a regular featured item, the best grilled chicken sandwich I’ve ever eaten, my favorite side of black beans & rice.  Now they’re all gone.

As things move off the menu, something else replaces it. The reasons make sense.  Slow selling items get pulled off the menu for something that may sell better. As I learned last Saturday, my beloved grilled chicken sandwich was the latest casualty of this war – replaced by a crispy chicken sandwich. Instead of serving grouper as a frequent grilled fish sandwich (with a wonderful cajun seasoning), it’s now on the regular menu as the Gulf Coast Fish Sandwich – also crispy.  I’ve had this sandwich and, like everything coming out of Hillstone’s kitchen, it’s delicious. Part of me laments the passing of some healthier cooking options among their sandwich selections for fried items, though.

That’s not to say you can’t find healthy items on the menu. The Hand Filleted Salmon is one of my favorite seafood dishes anywhere, particularly when asparagus is in season. Hillstone always has fresh fish available, depending upon the market. Vegetarians have a number of choices among the salads, not to mention a House Made Veggie Burger that had our table raving last night.

I’ve always thought that Hillstone had one of the best kitchens.  Everything I’ve had over the years seemed cooked to perfection.  What I didn’t think about was how much of that happens before you place your order. Hillstone has its own garden to grow fresh herbs. They bake their own bread in-house. Even the ice cream that tops my brownie is locally produced by a vendor in Kissimmee that makes it just for Hillstone.  Essentially, they’ve gone to great lengths to find the best ingredients to use for meals. You would expect that from a nice restaurant. However, if they can’t find what they want from a reliable vendor, then they make it themselves. You won’t find the bread on those sandwiches anywhere else. How many restaurants do you know that keep their own herb garden?  I’m impressed by the lengths they go to in order to get the best quality ingredients for a meal.

Warm Five Nut Brownie - © Copyright 2012 by Orlando Local

The Central Florida Food Bloggers

I follow a few local food bloggers on Twitter, but I learned last night just how much effort goes into making those articles.  Food blogging is a tough job!  I’m not cut-out for it.

Maybe it’s because I approach everything from a photographic perspective. Like everyone else, I brought a camera with me to take some shots. Food photography is difficult under the best circumstances, but try doing it at sunset with harsh light, multiple shadows, and a table full of folks who also need to get their shot.  Meanwhile, we’re all looking at this delicious food thinking “Get in my belly!” There’s a lot of pressure to get a good shot that represents the food before people armed with forks and knifes mistake your fingers for an appetizer.

On top of that, most of the bloggers were armed with a smart phone so they could share the experience with their followers – moment by moment. You’re juggling quite a bit here.  Take the pictures with a camera and a phone, communicate with your audience, have a nice dinner conversation with the group while also discussing the menu items with Hillstone’s staff, make sure you get a bite of that thing before it’s gone to the other end of the table, and watch out for the occasional bird that’s eyeing the stuff on your table outside on the dock. These guys are definitely on top of their multi-tasking game.

While all of this is going on, I’m also learning that some of them are planning their next 5K or longer race.  They’re talking about juggling time commitments with family, work and exercise.  Meanwhile, I’m thinking the only time I run is if someone meaner than I am is able to scare me. What I remember about running is that it made breathing difficult. The very idea of running while having a wonderful meal just didn’t sink into my head, so more power to those folks who can do it all.  You want my advice?  Never piss off a food blogger.  Chances are that she’s tougher than you are.

Overall, I had a magnificent evening.  We had great hosts, food, service and company for dinner.  Maybe there’s something to this food blogging business.  If only I weren’t such a finicky eater. Even if you aren’t running your own food blog, you should come visit one of my favorite restaurants. I think it’s one of the best places I’ve ever dined, and it’s right here in the area every day.

Central Florida Food Bloggers

Check out some of the folks who joined me at this dinner on their Twitter accounts –   @EatingOrlando, @PrimlaniKitchen, @Kwidrick & @TravelerFoodie.

Hard Rock Tampa has a Job Fair coming up and they asked me to help spread the word. Head over to the Florida State Fairgrounds on Monday, April 16 between 9:00am – 5:00pm and show them why you’re the right one for a job. Here’s the official word on the job fair.

The Hard Rock will be hiring over 400 new jobs as well as over 500 construction jobs and investing over $75 million in a new expansion of the property. The job fair will be held on April 16th, 2012 and job seekers can apply online starting March 1st.

Seminole Gaming is proud to have the best team of employees in the gaming industry and we are always looking to grow our family with openings in a variety of positions. Our current team member benefits include medical, pharmacy, vision, dental, disability insurances, wellness program, 401(k) plan, generous paid time off plan, tuition reimbursement and much more.

Good luck!

Shrek the Halls

I went out to Gaylord Palms ICE! on Tuesday. It’s best for me to hit this thing early before it gets too crowded.  Not only do the prices go up for peak times, but so does the hassle factor. I like to take pictures and it’s pretty dark in there for photography; not to mention cold at 9 degrees. Dim light means you have to do one of three things:

1. Raise your ISO (creates noisy pictures)
2. Use flash (ruins the atmosphere of the place)
3. Use a tripod (winner)

That’s right, a lugged a tripod out there to get my pictures. Everyone else walked around with a cell phone camera or a small point & shoot with a flash.  Most folks just wanted to pose in front of the ice carvings, snap a shot (which it seems to take them far too long to do), and then move along. Not me.  I’m the only dude out there setting up a DSLR on a tripod with a shutter release, taking brackets of 5 different exposures.  One of them has to turn out, right? At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

The nice thing about a tripod is that you get a clean shot with the ambient light.  The downside is that it takes time to make that shot; time spent waiting on a seemingly endless crowd meandering through popping their little cell phone flashes about, generally right in front of my camera which somehow seems invisible.

That’s OK, though.  They have just as much right to be there as I do.  I run into this kind of thing all the time and I know how to handle it – with patience.  I have it, they don’t.  That means they’ll scurry along to the next scene soon enough.  I just have to watch the ebb & flow between crowds and take my shots when the place is empty.  Like I said, I do it all the time.  The difference here is that it’s 9 DEGREES!  Patience is much more difficult in the cold. Especially when one of those groups decides to stop in that archway and have a conversion while my big ass is sitting on the floor with a camera and a tripod waiting for them to get out of the way.

In any case, I eventually got my shots because they eventually moved. My ass was numb, but I’ve heard that we must suffer for our art.  I’ve suffered to bring you this photo, and many more than I’m not posting yet.

Speaking of suffering, they have sound clips from the movie playing repeatedly in the different rooms.  Most folks only hear them once, because they move along before it replays.  I heard them about a dozen times.  They haunt me in my sleep now, especially that creepy exclamation of “SEASON’S GREETINGS!”  Did I mention that I suffered for my art?

No doubt, the people who are in control are greedy and will step on anyone else to maintain their power and comfortable lifestyle. Do you think that anyone attending the protest would do differently if their roles were reversed?  The history of humanity has shown us the answer.  It even gives us trite sayings to remind us of these little power struggles – absolute power corrupts absolutely. So the protest has little to do with ending corporate greed, but rather, whining that they’re on the shitty end of the stick.

Meanwhile, the folks who engage in protests tend to be consumers of corporate products. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream pronounced its solidarity with the Occupy[Insert City Name Here] folks. Yes, why shouldn’t they? This is an outstanding marketing opportunity! They’re siding with the people who buy ice cream in a campaign that I’m sure has the approval of their Corporate Board of Directors.

Look, I have no problems with protests. In fact, I’m glad that there are people who will give up part of their weekend to go yell and scream on a day when no one from the corporate office will be around to see the protest. I have no doubt that the organizers picked this date and time so it wouldn’t conflict with the work schedules of the protestors who work for greedy corporations, because you know that it’s mostly non-corporate businesses that work weekends to sell & serve these folks at small businesses.

However, I wish these protestors would be honest with themselves and target the corporations they know most.  Instead of passing out flyers at the Chamber of Commerce on a day when no one is around, why not protest Target? Why not protest the Orlando Magic on a game night?  Why?  Because these same people are supporting those corporations all the time. You won’t see this protest at Bright House headquarters, because they want to go home and watch a football game on cable after stuffing flyers under windshield wipers.

There’s only one way to protest against corporate greed. Stop giving them your money. That’s why we have another trite saying, “Money talks.”

Join the fun! Book signing event – meet author Aya Knight!

Purchase The Chronicles of Kale: A Dragon’s Awakening at a discounted price – or, bring your own copy!  There will be T-Shirt giveaways and free character art prints available to be signed by Aya Knight at no cost.

Stop by and say “Hello!” – Saturday only on Father’s Day weekend! (June 18, 2011)

TIME: 12pm – 4pm

LOCATION:

Sci-Fi City
6006 E Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida

—-

The Chronicles of Kale: A Dragon’s Awakening is book 1 in a young adult fantasy series.

For more information, please visit the official website of Aya Knight (www.ayaknight.com).
To confirm event details, please contact Sci-Fi City.

Winter Park Fish Co. Food Truck - © Copyright 2011 by Orlando Local

Another Food Truck Bazaar popped up last Sunday by the Fashion Square Mall.  I missed the first one.  Truth be told, I’ve been missing the entire food truck craze happening around town lately. I’m not even sure why the concept is so popular, so I wrote it off as a fad. My idea of eating out is not being the one outside of the venue, peering in through a window wonder just what the hell is happening to my potential meal in there. I like going to a restaurant, sitting down in some air conditioning while an attentive server places my order with an unseen kitchen staff and then brings me an excellent meal on a plate. I still haven’t been to Four Rivers for BBQ.  Inadequate parking, standing outside in a line, ordering at a counter and then hoping I get a seat at some uncomfortable table just doesn’t appeal to me. The food may damn well be excellent, but the experience isn’t one for me.

However, sometimes fads make for interesting subjects and I had some free time late Sunday.  Not enough free time to really get into the whole experience, though. Rather than planning on visiting for some food, I planned it as a photo exercise and to satisfy a bit of my curiosity, too. That said, I only managed to order something from one of the trucks.

Red Eye BBQ - © Copyright 2011 by Orlando Local

Having never seen these trucks before, I was hoping for some colorful vehicles.  Also, I kind of wanted to see a few of them together. My idea was more visual than practical, but I’m selfish like that. The trucks were scattered around the parking lot.  It wasn’t visually attractive, but the idea was practical – make room so the line from one truck doesn’t screw up the line from another one.  My own sensibility would be to have them park in a circle – sort of like covered wagons fending off an attack. It would give the operators a bit of a safety zone in the middle, and the lines for each truck could extend out like spokes on a bicycle wheel. Practical, sensible, and far more photogenic.  Since I wasn’t consulted, they went with the scattered approach and it worked.

Yum Yum Cupcake Truck - © Copyright 2011 by Orlando Local

The only truck that I really knew I had to try was the Yum Yum Cupcake Truck.  I have this cupcake fetish lately.  Having recently come back from Las Vegas, I was in need of a great cupcake.  While there, I tried a place called Sugar.  Very over the top and impressed with themselves, the cupcakes at Sugar taste like dried dog-shit.  Seriously, it was dry and almost crunchy cake.  By far and away, it was the most pathetic dessert I’ve ever eaten, and that includes anything made by a child with an Easy Bake Oven. With that disaster on my mind, I eagerly approached the Yum Yum truck and tried the Carrot and Red Velvet cupcakes.

Meh.  It wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination.  It just didn’t blow me away. The cake was good, but the icing seemed to have a consistency more like whipped cream than what I expected.  Good flavor in the cake, but not so much in the icing. I’m glad that I finally tried it, but I’ll stick with Sweet! by Miss Holly for my cupcakes in the future.  Everyone has their own tastes and these guys appear to have a lot of fans.  They brought out 1400 cupcakes and sold out.  That wouldn’t happen if the cupcakes sucked, so please don’t misinterpret me.  It’s a good product.  It’s just my own preferences are a little different.

Tree House Truck - © Copyright 2011 by Orlando Local

I pretty much keep to myself when I go out.  One of the guys from Tree House Truck saw me shooting and asked if I was shooting for a newspaper.  I told him it was just for my little blog.  He asked which one and I reluctantly told him.  Surprisingly, he’d heard of it and didn’t call me an asshole. Now that’s a nice touch! Of course, that was when it dawned on me that one of the big attractions of this event is the social gathering. Even though I had to leave fairly early into the event, I was watching things go back & forth about it on Twitter. One person mentioned that it reminded him of Block Parties in Brooklyn. That aspect seems pretty cool. On my way back to my car, I noticed a few couples sitting on their bumper eating food on little tray tables they setup – very smart. I was walking around trying to juggle a camera, tripod, a pair of cupcakes and a bottle of Orange Crush while my pants were falling off my ass. Smooth, I know.

From everything I could tell, this event was a great success.   People were happy and trucks were selling out. I’m following a few of them that have Twitter and Facebook accounts, so maybe one day I’ll try this for a meal.  Just remind me to bring my own chair and table.  If someone wants to act as my server, I tip well.

I’m debating whether to go tomorrow or not. On the one hand, Bill Shatner is speaking and I’d actually like to hear what he has to say about his career and experiences. On the other hand, I hate crowds and this place is going to be packed. I already have to attend a conference there next week and another one near the end of April, so I’ll have my fill of crowds. On top of that, add in the overpriced parking rates of the convention center and the appeal starts waning rapidly.

Even more than the crowd, though, was something that really turned me off last year – the smell. Not the smell of the convention center, mind you, but the smell of the attendees. In other words, they needed to bathe with soap and water.  Seriously, most of the people there just stunk. Well, it seemed like most people.  Maybe there were just some über-stinkers there that permeated the air and influenced others with their bodily funk. Whatever, I don’t get why having an interest in comics or science-fiction is mutually exclusive of good hygiene. For the love of your fellow man, take a bath before you go out in public!

Now if it seems like I’m just complaining (I am), there’s something I do like about this event. The people who attend are passionate about this stuff. They dress up for it, some wearing multiple outfits or costumes per day. They spend time making their own costumes – some more impressive than others. How often do you run across people who care this much about anything? It takes a certain amount of confidence to walk out in public dressed in brightly colored tights without worrying what anyone else will think.

Buns of Steel - © Copyright 2011 by Orlando Local

Supergirl seems to be using her X-Ray vision to admire Superman’s buns of steel. These folks are interesting. Trying to take photos in a convention center is an exercise in frustration due to the wretched lighting and cluttered backgrounds, but you can get some snapshots.

As you would expect, there are vendors selling all sorts of stuff that I would consider junk. To the faithful, they’re collector’s items or useful for creating their next costume. I think most folks just go to let it all hang out for a day with some like-minded people, and they tolerate skeptics like me. I can appreciate that and it’s interesting to see what they’ll wear.

MegaCon tickets are no longer available online, but you can pay $25 at the door per day. A 3-day ticket is available for $60.

http://www.megaconvention.com/

Onsite Ticket Sale Schedule:
Friday, March 25th from 11:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday, March 26th from 8:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, March 27th from 8:30am – 5:00pm

Showroom Hours:
Friday, March 25th from 1:00pm* – 7:00pm
Saturday, March 26th from 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, March 27th from 10:00am – 5:00pm

[quote]

We regret to tell you your registration was not selected for the NASA Tweetup nor the wait list. Thank you for your interest in attending the NASA Tweetup in conjunction with the launch of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-134 mission. We value your interest in space and wish we had room to invite all 4,100+ who applied! Thank you for your ongoing support of our nation’s space program and the men and women — including astronauts living in orbit — who work at NASA.

The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19, at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

If you have any interest in seeing the space shuttle launch, we strongly encourage you to make your own arrangements to view from one of the off-site locations. Remember, you are not alone, and you can still have a great experience at the launch. Check out http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/view/view_shuttle.html for more information about locations.

In addition, there are multiple ways you can follow the Tweetup and the launch:

• Follow the launch and the Tweetup on Twitter at @NASA and @NASATweetup. We have created a Twitter list of those who are confirmed to attend. You can view the list and follow them at http://twitter.com/nasatweetup/sts-134-launch. We encourage you to participate in the conversation using the hashtag #NASATweetup.

Don’t forget to follow STS-134 commander and crew member Mark Kelly! Learn more about the STS-134 mission at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html.

On April 18, NASA will use UStream to broadcast the first two hours of the Tweetup at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-hd-tv. We will announce the start time of the broadcast on @NASATweetup.

• Launch coverage will be provided on NASA Television and online at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

• Photos will be posted online during and/or after the event at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto.

For your reference, the registration information you submitted was: [Redacted:  Means I removed it.]

Thank you for applying and for following us on @NASA. If you have any questions or concerns, e-mail us at HQ-Twitter@mail.nasa.gov.

[/quote]

Let’s be fair, I knew that plenty of people would apply and most of us wouldn’t get invited. Still, it would’ve been pretty cool to attend. I grew up here in the Apollo era and remember when you could drive to see a launch without being caught in hours of traffic, and that was when the Beeline was only a couple of lanes. I remember bringing along my tape recorder (about the size of today’s laptop computers and heavier) so I could record the launch and have something for my 3rd Grade show & tell session.

As a lifelong resident and NASA observer, there was a part of me that just really hoped I’d have a chance to get an inside look, but that’s clearly not going to happen. Sometimes you just have to let go of your dreams.

From Orlando (Waterford Lakes Store in East Orlando), Jessica Moody:

Jessica Moody - photo courtesy of Hooters Magazine

From Lakeland, Janet Layug:

Janet Layug - photo courtesy of Hooters Magazine

Here’s the detail information I received from Hooters.

[quote]

16 Hooters Girls Vying for Votes to Become the Next Hooters Dream Girl

(Atlanta, GA)  16 of the most gorgeous Hooters Girls from around the country will be featured in the Hooters Dream Girl television show.  Each Hooters Girl was selected to compete in the Hooters Dream Girl Bikini Bracket Challenge and is hoping to get the most online votes and ultimately be named 2011 Hooters Dream Girl.  The show airs on February 19th at 11 PM on FX, followed by a re-air on February 21st on FSN.

The following Hooters Girls were selected to film the TV show in Cancun, Mexico for 1 week to stake her claim in the competition through photo shoots, interviews and beach challenges.  The Hooters Girl that receives the most votes and makes it through all 4 weeks of the Bikini Bracket will be featured on the cover of Hooters Magazine and be named 2011 Hooters Dream Girl.

2011 Hooters Dream Girls

•             Ashleigh Dunn, Hooters of Newnan, GA

•             Juliette Cabrere, Hooters of Doral, Miami, FL

•             Tia Jackson, Hooters of Saugus, MA

•             Chelsie Hurst, Hooters of Saginaw, MI

•             Theresa Trujillo, Hooters of Campbell, CA

•             Lindsey Way, Hooters of Fort Lauderdale, FL

•             Sam Arena, Hooters of Cumberland, Atlanta, GA

•             Megan Dedousis, Hooters of East Brunswick, NJ

•             Victoria Brown, Hooters of Baltimore, MD

•             Susan Murray, Hooters of Katy, TX

•             Brooke Borso, Hooters of Channelside, Tampa, FL

•             Janet Layug, Hooters of Lakeland, FL

•             Rachel Mortenson, Hooters of Phoenix, AZ

•             Jessica Moody, Hooters of Waterford Lakes – Orlando, FL

•             Allison Baker, Hooters of Pensacola, FL

•             Stephanie Haney, Hooters of Santa Monica, CA

The top Hooters Girls with the most votes will move on the next round during the 3 elimination periods.   You can view the photos and vote for your favorite at www.Foxsports.com/Hooters.  Voting begins after the show airs Saturday night.[/quote]

You may remember Jessica as the winner of the Hooters Swimsuit Regional Finals that I previously covered on the blog. I apologize that the show has already aired, but I just heard about this last night and decided to pass it along because I like to see local folks have support from their community.

To make-up for the late notice, I’ll toss in something else. Go get yourself a free treat from Hooters – today only.

Hooters Free Offer - Feb. 22nd.