When we checked into the hotel, this was staring at me.
Ah, what vacation would be complete without origami towels?
Our hotel was very beach/water-themed. Even the pillows were beach balls.
This is where we stayed:
And a view of the pool. Not too shabby, eh?
The 24 hour dentist that was across the street from our hotel. Good for when you get drunk and crack your teeth at 3 am.
This ride (which I was much too chicken to go on) was also across from our hotel. Perhaps next time I'll ride it...or when I have a whole slew of Xanax.
At our first show, we worked at the Orlando Jai-Alai club (pronounced like high lie). Well, allow me to clarify. We performed comedy, but it happened to be at a place that also hosted Ja-Alai games. Nobody handed us jerseys and helmets and demanded that we get out on the court.
I had never seen Jai-Alai, and when we watched it, I was a bit confused. I watched it for about a half hour, and I'm not that much more clear on the rules now, but I'm pretty sure they have something to do with whipping the ball back and forth as hard as you can. Oh yeah, and there's some sort of betting that goes on. And swearing. There was a lot of that, too.
On Sunday, per usual, we took silly pictures (no trip is complete without them).
We also had a bit more pool time.
Then we headed to Daytona Beach to stay with Keith's friend, Jo (she has a beautiful three bedroom condo right on the beach there). We happened to be in town when the Daytona 500 was also happening.
Randomly, we decided to get tickets. We figured there was no way we would have any luck as the Daytona 500 is the biggest event in all of NASCAR (it's pretty much like the fossil fuel-burning Olympics). So we drove up and down International Speedway Drive and, on a whim, approached one of the scalpers selling tickets. Keith talked him way down in price, and we eventually got tickets for $55.00 each.
Despite knowing nothing about NASCAR, I was excited to see the spectacle that is this race (I also figured it would be filled with comedy gold). We then attempted to find parking. All of the strip malls and fast food joints along International Speedway Drive were charging between $35 and $50 for a spot. So Keith decided to venture into the actual speedway.
We were stopped by a man that fit nearly every stereotype of NASCAR-lovers (thick accent, jagged teeth and a beer logo t-shirt). He informed us that all of the spots were reserved for people with disabilities, but then followed up by saying, "but, if y'all can find a spot, you're welcome to it."
So we hunted for a bit, and hot damn if we didn't actually find one!
We headed into the race, and walked around for a bit before attempting to locate our seats. We even got as close to the track as they let you, and I was nearly blown away by the noise and speed of the cars. Holy crap do they ever go fast!
I then asked a security guard where our "turn two terrace" seats were located. "They're right over on turn two" was his reply.
I pondered for a moment and then said, "Um, and that would be where now?"
He looked at me like I had just stabbed a baby. How could I possibly not know where turn two is located? I'm sure he thought I was a huge disgrace to America.
We eventually found our seats, and I was shocked by how many people cheer for the cars (it's not like the drivers can hear them over all of that engine noise). We also got to witness Dale Jr. take the lead. You would have thought it was the second coming of Christ by all of the noise that took place.
I doubt I'll ever watch it again as I don't really believe in wasting that many natural resources just for entertainment, and also because I found it kind of boring. But, it was an experience, and I did get quite a few chuckles from watching all of the drunks attempt to successfully climb stairs without falling down.
Here are some of the pictures:
We spent the rest of our days in Daytona being completely lazy. We lounged on the beach, read, went to the movies (we went to the cutest little indie theatre called Cinematique), chatted and played bored games (I would like to take this time to officially gloat over my 6-1 record at dominoes against Keith).
I also spent some time catching up with friends and family members from Michigan. Apparently, they were getting record snowfall while Keith and I were lounging in 85 degree heat. Rough life, eh?
This is the view I woke up to every morning:
And some shots from the beach:
On two of the days, Jo took us over to her friend's condo in New Smyrna Beach. It featured gorgeous views, too! But, the best part of the trips over there was drinking box wine and exchanging dirty jokes with women who could have been my grandmother. I definitely got some keepers. Plus, I laughed ridiculously hard!
Keith and me in New Smyrna:
On one of the days, we got to watch the shuttle Discovery take off for her last mission. It was pretty amazing to see! The most interesting part is that you see the rocket launch, and then, about three minutes later, you hear it launch. Sometimes I'm still blown away by some of the technology humans have. This was definitely one of those times.
After staying nearly a week with Jo (that's her with Keith), we headed back to Orlando to work at another club.
This time, we worked at an entertainment complex that was home to a bowling alley and arcade. Not only were the crowds fantastic, but we also got to play arcade games for free. Score!
That's Keith winning big (and avenging our failed audition for the actual show) on Deal or No Deal.
And then the punching bag happened. One question, Internet: who's not afraid of this?
This was after I trashed-talked to some 14-year-olds, challenged them to a punch off, and then lost. In the sarcastic words of Charlie Sheen, winning!
Keith's turn.
After our last Saturday show in Orlando, we decided to get back in the van and drive all night to Michigan. The drive wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be, and we passed our time listening to lefty podcasts, belting out Cheap Trick songs and rapping along to Jay-Z.
Now I can cross another state off the list. Here's to performing in all 50!
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