1999 NPC Nationals (Intro)
By -jabber


Subtitled "Into The Hurricane"

Okay, as you guys know, I RARELY cancel my plans for a weekend of femuscle
flexing on stage, but I was "this close" (-jabber puts his fingers up a
distance about as thick as a bratwurst - ha!) to pulling the plug on this
one.  

I'd almost deep sixed my plans for the Jan Tana in Roanoke due to personal
health problems I was having during the summer (luckily that's cleared up),
now on Thursday morning (one day before I was to fly to Orlando), my mother,
who lives in South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale area) asked me if I knew there
was a hurricane headed STRAIGHT FOR ORLANDO!?  Sheesh!

If it wasn't for the fact that I had a couple friends of mine in town that
weekend (one flew in from Las Vegas - first time in Orlando in 4 years - and
into a Hurricane!) and the fact that I had over $200 worth of tickets
prepaid for the Orlando weekend, I had my finger on the plug of this one.  I
had already nixed my plans for staying in Orlando visiting some cousins of
mine on Sunday/Monday because of my work demands, so...

But the biggest deciding factor is that so often weather predictions are
wrong.  Indeed, there was rain that weekend, but minimal flooding in Orlando
itself, as Hurricane Irene ended up passing a good deal east of Orlando (and
causing lots less damage than it could've, thank God).  Heck, I lived in
South Florida for 22 years - I was hoping I didn't have to deal with this
Hurricane watch/warning stuff...  oh well.

How was the show?  It was in the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, with the
Host Hotel, the Orlando Marriott Downtown, right across the street, and the
arena where the Orlando Magic plays home games right there, in the
"Centroplex", it was actually a good location.  Although Orlando is not one
of my favorite small cities, with cousins close by and Walt Disney World and
Universal Studios not far, it IS a good travel destination, if the weather
will cooperate.

As with most shows, you needed a ticket to get into the large but crowded
and sprawling multi-level lobby of the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center.  

Shall I talk about the show now???

-jabber