The Mr Whitt Experience
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Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Chris Whittaker" journal:[<< Previous 10 entries]
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07:30 pm
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Welcome to the sauna
It's beginning to become saunatastic here in North Florida with the temperature at about 90 or so. However there's some good out of this weather, since the pool at my apartment complex is now warm enough to swim in and it's light out late enough to go rollerblading after work. After months of having little to do after work to stay sane other than walk around Lake Ella that's not such a bad thing. What I'm not looking forward to is July, when it's 95 degrees at 7AM and someone in our office decides to flip the heaters on so we roast.
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09:27 pm
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The Tournament
Well, we now know who the final 4 are. More importantly, I have yet again seen my sheet of integrity blown to tiny shards by the likes of LSU, UCLA, and the million to one shot George Mason taking out my national champion Uconn. Speaking of George Mason, you can't help but root for them, especially against their next opponents they whom we shall not name. The Patriots are a team that was overlooked all year long, squeaking into the tournament at the last minute, from a conference, while having a strong basketball tradition, is not thought of highly in the big picture. More importantly, as a graduate of the commuter safety school of the Rochester area, I have to go with my fellow commuter school brethern, since Brockport will never go D-1. Realistically, John Thompson's protege Frenchy will probably make the Patriots look like Jimmy Arias did against Frenchy's dad, but it will be a heck of a ride that will benefit GMU as a university and their program's perception in the years to come.
Current Music: Eurythmics
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09:47 pm
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Road trip
Late last week, I came to the realization that I hadn't been out of town for pleasure since late august of last year. Being a sane and rational person, I decided that the only answer to this dilemma was taking a road trip to Orlando, since not only would I be getting out of Tally, I would also be able to go and observe the rite of the season here in Florida, spring training. Anyhow, I got out of town on Friday night, crawling into a half renovated former Howard Johnsons on the north end of I-Drive. Early Saturday, I made the drive to Kissimmee, not just to watch the game, but to also indulge in the calorie ignoring, artery clogging experience that is known as breakfast at Everett's, a mom & pop diner on OBT in Kissimmee near where I used to live. Throwing caution to the wind, and more importantly having forgotten exactly what it means to have pancakes that overflow the plate, I ordered two eggs and the short stack of pancakes. About halfway through, and after seeing people with guts twice the size of mine give up, I sat on the stool, Duran-like, thinking to myself "No mas". Thankfully, I had also gotten down there early so I could take advantage of something that I used to enjoy on many of my days off, rollerblading along Lake Toho and Neptune Road. This helped to burn off some of the calories from the not quite Hungry mans breakfast.
I made it over to the game after a couple of quick work related errands ((revising an entry for http://www.deadmalls.com) and looking at The Loop, a lifestyle center at the south end of Hunter's Creek.)) Driving around, I was simply in shock of exactly how much growth could happen in a place in 5 years. Field after field had grown housing developments and strip malls, with the neighborhood nearest my house getting a retail/office building at Deerfield and John Young. The game itself was pretty much a pedestrian affair, with the exception of seeing Ryan Howard, last year's NL rookie of the year (think Frank Thomas) hit two homers, including a 420 foot monster to left-center. After driving around a bit more and a couple of hours at the hotel, I went over to the Mall at Millenia. This is the only mall I have ever been in that I walk in the door and become conscious of how broke I am, even with plenty of money in the bank. Let me put it to you this way, Macy's is the poor people's store in this mall. After walking through the light shows and seeing the ornate tile and skylights, I had to leave. After a quick dinner, it was back to the motel to see Syracuse pull off one of the greatest runs I have ever seen, winning the Big East by knocking off 3 top 15 teams (including 2 top 5's) in 3 days.
Sunday morning, I woke up with a headache and the urge to see what had been going on with Baldwin Park, a large urban infill development on a former navy base that I had written about in a class paper in grad school, as well as to break out the rollerblades again on the Cady Way Trail, which runs alongside Baldwin Park. Because it was a gorgeous Sunday morning, there were dozens of people on the trail, mostly cyclists, but a few rollerbladers like myself, enjoying the scenery along the 4 mile (including a recent addition past Cady Way Park toward a future bridge across Semoran Boulevard) trail. Along the way, I saw that the development of Baldwin Park had marched on, with houses going up along the eastern boundary of the community, as well as the road out of the community that will connect with Semoran (and the adjacent trail that will eventually tie into the Little Econ Greenway running to UCF and its 40,000 students). Afterward, I drove into Baldwin Park to look at the progress that had been made in the town center in the two years since I had last been inside. By now, most of the town center, including a Publix at the edge of downtown, had been finished, with a block of buildings in the middle of the town center and the properties along Lake Baldwin were in some stage of incompletion. While I agree with the design of the community, I do have some issues with other things that relate to the community. First, there isn't a place you can sit on a Sunday morning and eat a real breakfast, just a coffee shop and a Subway. Second, even with all of these services and stores, there isn't a place for the people working in these places to live, since the rents in these communities price out anyone working in the service industries. Still, I like the general vibe of the place, and am glad that the site that 5 years ago was a 100 foot tall mound of concrete and demolished buildings has become a community that is tied into the surrounding neighborhoods. After all of this, I had to leave, to get back to business, while not refreshed, at least having had the chance to look at Orlando through the eyes of a sort of tourist again.
Current Mood:  exhausted
Current Music: Every Time We Touch by Cascada
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08:09 pm
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It's a small world after all
Sometime over the next few weeks, I'll find out if I will be able to experience something so surreal that, growing up, I never though possible. Jennifer, someone I have known since first grade at Immaculate Conception in Ithaca, wrote a book called "52 Fights" (http://www.52fights.com/) about her relationship with her husband Matt and the transition that she made in going from single woman living in the Twin Cities to being part of a partnership, with all the arguements, both petty (the temperature in the house and becoming a fantasy football widow) and more longer term (financial and having Jennifer stay at home to write full-time vs. staying in the cubicle world). While having someone that I grew up with and even had more than a kind of awkward interest in as a gawky high school student write a book published by a major imprint was strange enough, the next thing takes it to another level entirely. Her book was optioned by ABC for a sit-com, and the pilot is to be shot within the month. Seeing the actress that is best known for playing Marcia Brady portraying a hollywood script version of someone that I know takes surrealism to the next level entirely. I wish her the best and hope that come September, I will be crash out on the couch and watch the adventures of Jennifer and Matt, or at least their Hollywood dopplegangers, as they negotiate their way through the first year or so of their marriage.
Current Mood:  mellow
Current Music: King of Pain by the Police
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11:08 am
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Life in general
The last few weeks have been a time of transition. Now that I'm back in the "Real world" there has been a bit of adjustment. Trying to find things to do after work has been a bit of a chore (I know I shouldn't whine, but still) but I've been able to accomplish a few things. I've started working out again, so getting into shape is going to help a bit. Also, I've been able to get a fair amount of reading done. finally, I've started to watch some of the movies that I haven't had time to see lately, and have seen sevtral of the films and performances that are up for Oscars. One thing, though, I will not, under almost any circumstance (ok, if I'm on a date and she will not see anything else out there ) be going out of my way to see Brokeback Mountain. It's not the homosexual content that's scaring me off, but the fact that at the end of the day it's a chick flick.
Current Music: James Blunt
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08:04 pm
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It's about Freakin time
Earlier today, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its class of 2006. Finally, the powers that be have awakened and have honored one of the most underrated linebackers in NFL history, Harry Carson. A 9 time Pro bowler, Carson played a key role in the Giants rise from its 20 year slumber into Superbowl XXI Champions. Just because he played in the shadow of a legend did not distract from the fact that amongst Giant fans and those that followed the game that Carson was a special player. As far as the other inducteees, I would disagree with only Warren Moon. While his individual statistics were impressive and he had a long career, he never won the big one, or even appeared in one that mattered, since by the token that his 5 straight Grey Cups in Edmonton mattered would mean having a bronze bust of Doug Flutie in Canton and that will not happen.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9208507
Current Music: Ozzy Shot in the Dark
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09:01 pm
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It's my Goddamn network...
and you'll watch what I say. Earlier today came the announcemment that the WB network and UPN will merge in the fall to become the CW( My network!!!) If they want to honor me in this manner, they can give me some choice into the programming for the merger. First, dump almost every show that UPN has, with the exception of Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, and maybe Smackdown, it's crap. Second, if you decide to have a Saturday lineup, move Smackdown there, bringing back the Saturday Night show to look forward to. Finally, kill off Living with Fran, since Fran Drescher is not funny.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/24/news/companies/cbs_warner/?cnn=yes
Current Music: Crazy by Alanis Morrisette
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09:02 pm
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Maybe the WMD's were in there
In an attempt to avoid an increasingly hostile press today, President Bush tried to escape through a locked door. The picture says it all.
This is the leader that 51 percent of the people wanted? This is the statesman that we want in the world? This nation has truly raised a generation of idiots.
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11:10 am
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Box makes hall of fame
As much as I enjoy the Strong Museum, and am glad that since the addition of the Toy Hall of Fame the museum has grown significantly, this is a little too much. the Cardboard box making a hall of fame?? What's next, an inanimate carbon rod getting a ticker-tape parade?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051112/ap_on_re_us/toy_hall_of_fame
Current Music: Fall Out Boy
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09:20 pm
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Surreal
Sorry it's been awhile, but after witnessing the train wreck of Mike Tyson and Bobby performing Monster Mash, I had to speak. If you had told me 20 years ago that the guy that had knocked out the first 20 guys he faced to get on the cover of SI with his pigeons would have had his career spin out of control to the point where he was performing (and I use the word generously) on a late night show with the bad boy from New Edition, I wouldn't have taken those odds. It would be like thinking that the Red Sox and White Sox would win rings in back to back years. Still, it was simply an inspired move to put the two of them together on stage, and will be the only thing people will remember from that show 20 years from now.
Current Music: Monster Mash
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