For some odd reason, I woke up early this morning. No alarm clock; I reserve Saturday for sleeping in as long as I need. There was nothing pressing that I had to do today, so it came as quite a surprise to me that I was awake at 6:00 am. Staying in bed didn’t help, as I wasn’t able to get back to sleep. May as well get up and have breakfast, since my stomach is rumbling.
The only thing different about today is that it’s my free day. Basically, that means I get to eat anything I want. The rest of the week, I’m exercising and eating healthy meals. Honestly, I don’t mind it. After putting on weight last year being in an office, it’s really a nice change of pace to have more control over my diet while working at home. My trainer (she who forces me to lift heavy objects) is actually concerned that I’m not getting enough calories per day, but I don’t seem to feel hunger.
She needn’t worry today. I woke up hungry and was determined to have a real breakfast. Actually, I planned it last night. I was checking local reviews and people seemed consistently satisfied with Peach Valley Cafe in Lake Mary, FL. It seemed worth trying.
One thing the reviews warned about was to get there early, as this is a popular breakfast spot on weekends. True enough, I was in a line of cars pulling into the parking lot about 7:30 this morning. Fortunately for me, a few of those folks went to the Panera Bread right next door. A couple of bikers walked into Peach Valley Cafe with me, though. Part of me wished that I’d ridden my bike – after all, I planned on going for a ride later today. Then I remembered that I hate getting on my bike early in the morning. No matter, they were all a lot older than I am and I don’t like talking to strangers, anyway.
The place was rather empty, which surprised me. I had no problem getting a booth. Restaurants always want a single diner to sit at the counter, but that’s a last option for me. Counters are never comfortable or semi-private.
My server, Jessica, appeared quickly to offer something to drink. As I’m not a coffee drinker, I can’t tell you if theirs is strong, week, good or bad. I just had water and orange juice.
Looking over the menu, I noticed the Apple Fritters at the top that were mentioned online. Everyone says you gotta get these things, so I didn’t. Look, I’m sure they’re fine. It’s just that I’m sitting there alone and I don’t need something that comes by the sack, or even a half-sack. If I go back with friends, we’ll order the Apple Fritters and share them, but it seems like overkill for one person.
Being a traditionalist, I just ordered two eggs scrambled well, biscuit, and breakfast potatoes. If you want bacon or sausage, it’s an upcharge. I asked Jessica which was better -bacon or sausage. She didn’t hesitate a moment. “Sausage. Sausage patties. We hand press ‘em here.” Now to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never had hand-pressed sausage before. That was enough to give it a shot.
This iPhone shot doesn’t do it justice. Let’s face it, most food doesn’t photograph well. Food is brown because that’s the way you fry it. No matter, it was damn delicious. I’m not going to rave about it, because it’s just breakfast. However, it’s a very tasty breakfast. The eggs were cooked perfectly without being runny or over-cooked. The biscuit was homemade; light, flaky and warm. The potatoes looked like they had red skin on the sides, topped with onions and very flavorful. In fact, I’d go as far to say that they’re the best breakfast potatoes I’ve ever had. That leaves the sausage patty. It was definitely hand-pressed and you only get one, bit it’s big enough to count for three of those Jimmy Dean things that are shaped like a tube and these taste a lot better, too. Definitely a little bit of pepper spice, but not overwhelming. Like I said, the breakfast didn’t look like much, but it was quite delicious. Nothing fancy, but really tasty. So often, breakfast is a really disappointing meal for me when I eat in a restaurant. This had to be in my top 3 best breakfast meals and it was only $11.67 + tip.
Peach Valley Cafe also has a patio dining with a nice lakefront view. I walked out there to take look. There were plenty of people talking, folks exercising on the trail, and a line of cows walking around the lake in the pasture just beyond the fence. A couple of calves were feeding in the rushes surrounding the lake nearby. Other cows slowly walked up and nestled in to feed. I didn’t get it. They walked at least half-way around the lake, and the whole thing was lined with rushes. What the hell was so special about this spot? Whatever it was, they liked having breakfast there. I suppose I could relate. You can get breakfast at a lot of places, but I’ll pass a lot of them to come back to Peach Valley Cafe.
Peach Valley Cafe
1210 South International Parkway Heathrow, FL 32746 -
(407) 833-9440
Open Daily 7am-3:30pm
It’s finally happened. I’ve succumbed to curiosity, though not peer pressure. That’s because I don’t really know of any peers who use foursquare. So although I’m late to this particular social media part, I suppose you could say that I’m ahead of my peers.
When location-based social media started happening, a lot of people figured it was only good for letting people know that you weren’t home, and therefore exposed you to crime. That was about a year ago. People love to warn you about the dire consequences of your actions.
You know what? I haven’t really heard about these dire predictions coming true. The evening news reports would love to scare us with details of burglary, muggings or rape caused by Foursquare, but it just isn’t happening as those naysayers predicted. More or less, people are using Foursquare without coming home to an empty house.
That’s not to say some folks haven’t been pretty stupid about it. Once I activated the account, I was kind of surprised at the number of people who created a check-in at their house. Then again, these were people who referred to their residence as a “crib”, so I’m not assuming any great level of intelligence on their part. Here’s why I think it’s a bad idea to check-in at your residence. People nearby can see those locations and who checked-in. They can also see when you check-in elsewhere, and that’s the kind of behavior that could lead to a burglary. Most of us have patterns. We get up at the same time, go to work at the same time, come home at the same time, etc. One of my worries with the app would be that people could use it to locate you, even if you hadn’t checked-in at a specific location. That doesn’t seem to be the case. If any of you are planning to rob me while I’m away, please know that my home address is 400 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801-3360. There’s a key under the doormat, so you don’t have to break any windows or locks.
One of the other aspects of using this service is trying to divine how much to share vs. how much sharing annoys other people. I connected it to my Twitter account, but I’m already re-considering that decision. By default, Foursquare wants to broadcast a lot of stuff that most people don’t care about. This morning, I checked-in for the first time and unlocked the Newbie badge. Do you care? Of course not. It may be of interest to some if we visit the same places, hence the broadcast of where I am. However, the badges are just superfluous crap and I have that stuff disabled for Twitter. I may disable the check-in updates, too. Not so much that I’m worried about people knowing where I am (isn’t that the point of the service?), but more because I’m worried about being an annoying prick who spams people with meaningless updates. If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let me know in the comments.
At any rate, I’ve made the plunge and I’ll see what happens. If you’re interested in stalking me online, you know where to look.
As today is Rick Scott’s inauguration as Florida Governor, I can’t help but think about what he’ll bring to our state, or perhaps, what he’ll deny. Despite being a registered Republican, I could not bring myself to vote for this man. Alex Sink didn’t seem like any prize to me, either. As many voters before me have done, I just swallowed hard and cast a vote for the candidate I thought was least objectionable, as I didn’t find one I felt was best suited for the task. Both Scott and Sink had flaws that I couldn’t overlook. The race was fairly close, but Scott won and now he has the right to bear the title of office.
Fraud or Incompetence?
Many people have discussed his past involvement with Medicare fraud. I’m astonished that wasn’t a clear warning sign to most voters, but we get the government we deserve. If a majority elects a man who either cheated the taxpayers out of billions or dollars or (as he says) was completely unaware of it. Let’s take him at his word. How incompetent of a leader do you have to be to NOT know how billions of dollars flow into your company? Understanding your revenue flow would seem to be a major qualification for a leader, but Rick Scott claims he didn’t know. If we did’t elect a cheater, then we surely elected an idiot. Again, we get the government we deserve.
From WikiPedia on the Columbia/HCA issue
[box]On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.
Following the raids, the Columbia/HCA board of directors forced Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO. He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.
In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc.
In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA plead guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors “loans” never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.
In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims. In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.[/box]
He’s Not One of Us
Of course, all of that happened before Scott came to Florida. After being forced out of Columbia/HCA, he created an investment firm in Connecticut, which later moved to Naples, FL. My concern is that he hasn’t lived here very long, certainly not long enough to understand the history of the state and how issues have affected people’s lives. He’s a carpet-bagger whose self-interest is driving his need to change us without knowing what it is to be one of us.
He’s Not Open
[box] General state policy on public records -
(1) It is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person. Providing access to public records is a duty of each agency.
Florida Statute, Chapter 119.01[/box]
As a candidate, Rick Scott flatly refused to answer many questions. That was his right. As governor-elect, he held private meetings with his transition team rather than open them to public & press. That drew a number of complaints and speculation as to whether Florida business could legally be discussed without public access. Of course, we were told that 200 people gathered for three days to help the governor-elect prepare for his transition to office, but that no state business was discussed. Yes, they said it with a straight face. If you believe them, perhaps I could interest you in some nice Everglades real estate.
The Agenda
Every incoming politician has an agenda, and perhaps this is what scares me the most about Rick Scott. Some of his ideas call for remaking the state government from scratch. What the hell does that even mean? Will we ignore our existing laws that he doesn’t like (e.g. Florida Sunshine Law)? Rick Scott also calls for regulatory control. Some developers have stated they feel like the enemy when they apply for permits to bulldoze over natural, undeveloped land in order to build a new plant. Florida law requires local growth plans to address energy efficiency and the stress that developments place on water resources, transportation and schools. I fear that Scott wants to eliminate these requirements in order to streamline development and job growth, but at the expense of managing resources and impact to the community. Perhaps I’m wrong, but it’s a concern of mine.
Rick Scott is has also been very critical of high speed rail, something local leaders have endorsed as a “game changer” to help the economy and job growth. Rick Scott stated that he didn’t want it in Florida and doesn’t want the state to fund any part of the estimated $2.6billion project. The Federal government has already awarded over $2 Billion of that amount to the state for this project. The state government would bear about ten percent of the cost, as the Feds are ready to provide another $340 Million. For an investment of $280, Florida could create jobs and stimulate economic growth, not to mention help public transportation by proceeding with High Speed Rail. Scott’s rationale for opposing High Speed Rail is that he doesn’t want to pay for indefinite subsidies for a railroad. That would be admirable, except for one thing. We already pay indefinite subsidies for highways and other roads. Providing a transportation infrastructure is a job we expect of government. Rick Scott doesn’t seem to get it, because it’s not something he would do in business.
The reality, Governor Scott, is that you’re not in business. You’re in the government. The rules are different.
Welcome to 2011. Life as you know it, is forever changed. This is the year that the Earth will be ruled by damn dirty apes! At first, I was upset by the Rise of the Apes, but I’ve since decided to go along with it. After all, it can’t be that much different than our current society, and they may yet fix both healthcare and the economy.
As with most power transitions, there will be some who won’t adapt well. We’ll call those people Volunteers for Lobotomy, as our Ape overlords will surely cut open their skulls to investigate why they can’t handle change. Others will try to assist the Apes in their take-over. We’ll call those people Ass-Kissers, because there are some talents that never go out of style.
There are many theories as to how apes gained dominion over humans, but I have a theory. In a continuously escalating grab for power, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expanded on two fronts. The first was allowing TSA agents to screen passengers for all forms of transportation, including rail and automobiles. Before commuting to work, each and every citizen had to submit to a back-scatter screening or an enhanced pat-down. Even those who owned private vehicles were still subject to screening by either method, lest they try to attack themselves and take over the vehicle for use as a weapon of mass destruction. Other nations eventually adopted his policy of screening its entire population. It was quite boon for the folk who made back-scatter machines!
Second, another DHS agency worked in secrecy to develop counter-terrorism tools and techniques. Prompted by fears of safety at British Nuclear facilities, DHS counter-terrorism experts began intensive discovery of ways to protect U.S. nuclear facilities. Unfortunately, these tests exposed the agents to massive doses of ionization energy. The ionization energy itself occurred in small quantities, but its effect was cumulative. As counter-terrorism employees went about their daily lives, interacting with families, shopping, etc – they spread the ionization energy to others in society.
Like many other government agencies, there was a lack of communication between them leading to a common problem, one hand did not know what the other was doing. This was unfortunate, as the combination of ionization energy from the counter-terrorism agency employees, combined with the radiation emitted from the TSA’s back-scatter devices, developed into electron binding energy. In essence, the DHS unwittingly joined forces to cause a massive nuclear explosion in the name of protecting American citizens. The only human survivors were those who opted for the enhanced pat-down, as they did not have the combination of energy necessary to induce their self-destruction by nuclear explosion.
In the future, as it is now, New York City will be known as The Forbidden Zone. There are apparently a plethora of unattractive people there who live underground and possess additional nuclear weapons. We’re not sure if this was due to NYPD’s counter-terrorism measures or if the people in the subway were always ugly. In either case, most tour guides will recommend avoiding the area due to bed bugs.
Happy New Year!
The year is wrapping up and I’m on vacation. Most people wait until after Christmas, right before New Year’s Eve, to start looking back on their year. I don’t need to wait. Quite a lot of it was frustrating and almost shitty for me. which affected what I wanted to write here. More often than not, I decided not to post something because it would’ve ended up being a whining festival and I see no reason to inflict that on the masses.
Fortunately for me, things are really improving for me and that’s starting to have a positive effect upon my attitude and outlook on things. I have to regain some ground that I lost over the year, but it’ll happen. More specifically, I ate too much during the year (food soothes a poor attitude), so I’ve recently started correcting both my diet and exercise. I’m on my path to becoming a much healthier person, only whining about the heavy objects that my trainer asks me to lift.
Sadly, things aren’t perfect around town. OPD Chief Val Demings is still sending mixed messages and threats to the community that she’s supposed to protect. Don’t believe me? Isn’t she the same person who said that she expects her officers to think, but found the officer who slammed an 84 year-old man on the ground and broke his neck acted within guidelines? Isn’t she the same person who just announced that violent crime went down for the 3rd year in a row, but yet said the city is getting more dangerous?
Don’t worry, Val. You’re not the only community leader that lies to us. We’ll have a new Mayor in town to tell us some new lies, or at least dress up the old ones. I, for one, will pay attention and listen for your mixed messages and duplicity. It would be a pleasant surprise if you gave us something else next year, though. I would much rather support you than find fault with you. Whether that happens or not depends upon the integrity you use in office. So far, I’m not impressed.
OK, so maybe I still had a little whining left in me. It was whining for a greater good, though. So now that the whining is over, let me simply say “Merry Christmas” to those of you who celebrate the season.
 Merry Christmas - © Copyright 2010 by Orlando Local
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