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Florida Living

Disney World barefoot.

May 14th, 2011
by Chris.
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At Disney World today it rained like crazy just as we got there, so I spent the vast majority of the day barefoot. This was, how should I put this? Effing awesome.

The surfaces I walked on were a veritable treasure trove of textures and temperatures — cobblestones, smooth polished chipseal, wood, rubber, glass, exposed aggregate concrete… it was a feast for the soles, and it was warm and soaking wet to boot, so I got so splash in puddles. There was extra super bad ass bonus magic in this trip to the Magic Kingdom.

The place is immaculate, so I had zero fear of stepping on anything. There’s an army of smiling, theme-dressed people with brooms and dust pans keeping any significant debris from collecting. More about them later.

I was the ONLY person barefoot, which mystified me at the time. God, it was so NICE. Especially given the rainy conditions, why didn’t it occur to a single other human soul there (and there were a sh1t load) to whip off their shoes and enjoy the rain? I’m baffled, still. What a powerful force social mores must be about “needing” to wear shoes. The only time I put them on was in the bathrooms and restaurant.

About those sweeper people or, “cast members,” I was told once, by a friendly older lady in Frontierland that she was very sorry, but had to ask me to please put my shoes back on for safety reasons. I just shrugged and whipped out my flip flops until she was out of sight, at which time I whipped them right back off. What safety reasons? So I don’t step on something dangerous? Isn’t that your job, anyway? Maybe so someone doesn’t step on my toes, or I don’t stub a toe and sue them. What a stupidly litigious society we live in. Anyway.

I was also taking mental notes on the route of the Disney Princess Half, though I’d never in a million years put in writing that I’m wanting to run that race. Or anything like that.

This was kind of a first for me. I’m didn’t get into barefoot running intending to become obsessed with my feet (and other people’s feet too, I will not lie) or a weird eccentric. I may be turning into one or the other, and if that’s the case, then so be it.

Animal Universe, Planet, Kingdom, whatever.

Mar 24th, 2010
by Chris.
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Gainesville Trip

Sep 20th, 2009
by Chris.
3 comments

We had to go up to Gainesville for the Tennessee game at Jamie and Rae’s.  We managed to see Mike’s folks, and Summer Duke, too!

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She Can Decorate

Sep 7th, 2009
by Chris.
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My wife was down on her decorating skills for a while, and then she did this, and we love it.  After this job, if I never paint another wall in my life,  it’ll be too soon, but the main point here is that I think she did a great job.

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Tijuana Flats gets a second chance

Dec 17th, 2008
by Chris.
2 comments
Tijuana Beef Chimichanga (with everything)

Tijuana Beef Chimichanga (with everything)

I’d totally gotten to hate this place, but George Mora thought I was crazy, so I’m giving it another go. A chimichanga this time.

We’ll SEE who’s crazy.

Rusty discs

Dec 14th, 2008
by Chris.
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utterli-image
This was the last time I threw my Champion Beast distance driver.

You know, the green and purple fly-dye I’ve had since forever? Yeah, that one.

7th hole, pulled really hard right, two houses into the ghetto.

RIP
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Mobile post sent by gkikas using Utterli. reply-count Replies.

Grocery Store Outing

Jun 17th, 2008
by Chris.
1 comment

The wife’s pregnant, and she needs milk for breakfast in the morning. We’re out of milk. It’s 9:30, Sweetbay’s not closed yet. I’m off.

The first thing I head for’s the milk, because I know where it is. I rarely shop in this grocery store. I’m usually at the dirt Publix three blocks from the house because it’s closer. But, they’re closed by 9 and Sweetbay’s open, so I’m in a strange grocery store with a mission to find some nonstandard items.

On my way to the milk, I see Edy’s Grand ice cream is on crazy sale, two for seven bucks. Lunatic flavors, too… Coconut Pineapple? Cherry Chocolate Chip, red velvet style? Shit. (more…)

Divebombers at Dusk

May 1st, 2008
by Chris.
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Burrowing Owl

Photo used without permission from Birder’s World Magazine – hope they’re cool with it

It’s dusk in my backyard and I’m meandering around with my dog Oyster. Hotdog, our old-man Maine Coone cat, lounges in the neighbor’s yard, twitching and flipping his tail contentedly. It’s a lovely Spring evening.

Out of nowhere, a smallish, feathery silhouette flutters near my cat’s head and zooms back to the telephone wire hanging above. At first, I think it’s a bat, but realize it’s too big for a bat. It is the bat time of evening, and I look skywards and see a few actual bats careening around the evening sky and realize that whatever is swooping down near Hotdog is too big to be a bat.

It’s a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia), a tiny little raptor that lives in mazes of underground tunnels, usually in open fields. In Southwest Florida they’re very common, though I’d never seen them before.

This little owl is attempting to snatch, and presumably haul away for a tasty snack, my 16 pound male cat, Hotdog. He’s unfazed, and appears to not even notice the terrifying brushes with death he keeps enduring. The owl swoops near him again and again, returning to his perch on the wire, sometimes on the shed, where I get a halfway-decent look at him. They’re very pretty.

Then…. THREE MORE of them show up, all on the wire overhead. By now, my wife’s outside with me, marvelling and laughing at the fact that these tiny little birds are attempting to murder our cat, when all of a sudden, they start divebombing us! Coming within inches of our heads, we duck and cover as they assail us from above. Hands-down this is one of the funniest and most amusing thing I’ve seen in ages. We’re okay, and nobody’s injured. In fact, Hotdog’s back inside now and probably doesn’t even know how close he came to being carried away and pecked to death.

Disc Golfing in Sarasota – Lakeview Park

Apr 19th, 2008
by Chris.
1 comment

After my disc golf passion was resurrected last week at Wanee, I did what I should’ve done years ago – google around to find out if there’s a course in my area. After a swift smack to the forehead, seeing the results indicating not one, not two, but THREE courses in my area, I make plans to get out there. I left my discs with John in Gainesville. Damn.

An enthusiastic phone call to a friend later, I’m in Play it Again, buying “factory second” discs at $10 apiece. Then, I’m driving through parts of Sarasota I didn’ t know existed, winding through a residential neighborhood until coming upon Lakeview Park, with its 18 hole disc golf course.

Disc Golfing - Lakeview Park - Sarasota FL

I am intimately familiar with the Gainesville course on 34th Street but few others (I’d played Lake Wauburg in Gainesville, and of course Spirit of Suwanee’s Grateful Dead course last weekend). The excitement of a new course, this close to home, was almost unbearable.

Unfortunately there wasn’t a map of the holes, and we ended up meandering like tourists through 18 holes of challenging, at-times-heavily wooded, swampy dream for any disc golfer. We never found holes 11 or 12.

The course is fun, with creative pin placement and lots of water. The park had restrooms, water fountains, a fenced-in dog park, and picnic tables. Nice.

This whole thing’s got momentum. I’ll be playing the North Watertower Park course tomorrow morning, which is apparently either on-par with (no pun intended) or even better than the Lakeview course. I’m learning all of this from the Sarasota Sky Pilots web page. Yep, a full fledged disc golf community, which I’ll duly be looking into. Tuesday and Thursday night handicaps? Count me in!

Disc Golfing at Wanee

Apr 16th, 2008
by Chris.
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Disc Golfing at Wanee 2008
06:26
After many years, I heard from an old buddy of mine, John. On short notice, I found myself at the Spirit of Suwanee music park fo After many years, I heard from an old buddy of mine, John. On short notice, I found myself at the Spirit of Suwanee music park for the Wanee Fest, featuring some unbelievable music and a perfect chance to catch up with an old friend.

Johnboy and Gkikas throwing discs at Wanee

They had a DISC GOLF course at the park (among other things) that John and I and his fiance Tracy took the opportunity to play. We both scored well, considering we’d never played this very narrow, challenging course before. I also got bit on the ankle by something with fangs, but I survived and am doing okay. Thanks for asking.

If you’re unfamiliar with disc golf, don’t be surprised… it’s a hippie sport that most people haven’t heard of. It entails throwing specialized frisbees into chains. It scores just like golf, you play it where it lies, and copious amounts of inebriants are often involved, in our case, historically.

Background music – Sugar Magnolia, Grateful Dead, Europe ’72

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