We Central Floridians are all-to-familiar with the seasonal summer storms. We’re smack dab in the middle of them right now, actually. As I sit here typing this post, here’s what’s outside my apartment window:

It’s times like this I’m glad I’m safe indoors. Have you had similar storms in your part of town?

Several local news outlets reported late yesterday/early today that vandals have damaged city vehicles by spray-painting anti-Barack Obama messages on them. Reports are that the vehicles were actually parked out in the open, across from city hall in downtown Orlando. Here’s the kicker: the vandals left business cards!

I’m sure there will be many follow-ups to this story, particularly because this vandalism specifically calls-out Presidential candidates Obama and Sen. John McCain but the business cards left by the culprits apparently have messages that favor the support for Hillary Clinton. (By the way, Vandals: you know Sen. Clinton dropped out of the race, right?)

In addition to spray-painted statements like “Obama smokes crack,” many of the vandalized vehicles had open gas tanks.

I wonder if any other cities have experienced such vandalism during this campaign. Of course, we’ll post updates here.

You can also keep-up on the story at:

- OrlandoSentinel.com
- Local6.com
- Wftv.com
- Wesh.com

If you happen to have photos of this incident please share them with us by e-mailing pulseofcentralflorida[at]mail[dot]com.

According to a recent Tweet by Orlando Arts Blog’s Mark Baratelli–and an article currently on the OrlandoSentinel.com homepage–Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island is closing its nightclubs. Apparently they aren’t doing that great, and Disney fans would rather see more shops and restaurants in the space.

In all honesty this is probably more upsetting to local residents than to tourists: Thursday nights at the entertainment complex have become a staple for Disney employees and many Central Floridians.

The nightclubs are reported to close for business after of September 27th.

In an age where traditional journalism is being challenged daily by the blogosphere, you’d think reporters would step up to the plate and produce better headlines than this:

FWC: 18-year-old who lost arm to gator’s claim that hunting permits go unused is wrong

All I can say is: WHAT?!

A week or so I was “out and about” running some errands, and drove past this…well, I’m not sure what it is. All I know is I had to turn around and document it. It is by far one of the oddest things I’ve seen in Central Florida recently.

“It wasn’t me, officer. I swear I didn’t do it.”

(This is in front of a local business. Do you know where it is?)

It’s the weekend. You’ve had an excrutiating week, and are looking for some place to unwind. But you’re sick of the same ‘ole hangouts, and wanting to experience something new. Well, getting in the car and driving around is one way to do it…and probably the most adventurous way. But if that sounds like too much work then why not pick-up the latest [print] copy of Orlando Weekly, which includes their Summer “drink” guide.

I’m one of those folks who’s always complaining there’s nothing to do in Central Florida. As I’ve mentioned before–numersous times–that’s one of the reasons this blog exists. And I have to say the Weekly’s guide is a huge, huge help in looking for things to do, and keep things exciting. I live and work in downtown Orlando, and there are places in the area I’ve never even heard of — but they’re listed in the guide. I’m certainly looking forward to trying some new places to drink (and eat).

Here are a few reasons you might want to pick-up a guide for yourself:

• Hangouts by location
• Discounts, promotions and special offers
• Coupons
• Happy hours
• Upcoming entertainment (concerts, comedians, plays)
• Maps

The guide really is great for a quick reference, and something new to experience on your weekend. Go ahead…try something new! And I’ll share any new places I go in the coming months.

This is Zeke.

No one person knows where Zeke came from or where he has been. He was rescued from a shelter in Michigan just before he was going to be put to death. They deamed him too wild and untrainable to be a pet. A woman who trained Search and Rescue Dogs got Zeke from the shelter. She spent a couple of years teaching Zeke obedience and agility. Zeke was a cadaver dog. He was trained to find dead bodies….like in the rubble after an earthquake. They said he was the best at finding bodies. He traveled on airplanes and went to conferences and other events.

Only problem was that Zeke was infatuated with squirrels and rabbits. After he was done searching, he would take off in hot pursuit. They decided to retire him from the SAR team. His handler did agility events with Zeke. She also put a harness on him and used him for skijouring….that’s going on cross country skis with the dog as power. Zeke loved that!

Zeke’s mom knew the handler as she was on a homesteading list together on the computer. She was in Michigan, Mom was in Vermont. They met near Rochester, New York and Zeke became his mom’s best friend and helper. Although he came with something like 4 pages of commands, Mom had little use for “FIND”….the command to search for bodies.

Zeke was retrained and became a service dog and that has been his job for the last 6 years. His mom has myasthenia gravis….which literally means grave muscle disease. She was actually in a wheel chair off-and-on when she got him. Now he steadies her and keeps her from falling. He has a handle on his vest to help out.

(Zeke sounds like an awesome dog!)

I’m no wordsmith, but damn while doing some research today about (of all things) Blogs, I read this article by InformationWeek writer Cory Doctorow, and I had to scramble for a dictionary. Foofa what?

Foofaraw: A great fuss or disturbance about something very insignificant.

Granted, Cory spelled it wrong, but hey, at least he knew how to use the word. Somebody’s Word of the Day calendar is paying off!

I’ve been a pet owner for almost three years now to a great little puggle named Peanut.

Not having family nearby has made traveling a challenge. She’s not exactly a Paris-type dog, so leaving her behind is the best bet.

Prior to this past weekend, I’d always left Peanut at my Vet’s office, since they also do boarding, but I’m quickly realizing that there are few benefits to that. I love having her stay in a familiar place, where they’re accustomed to treating animals, but I don’t love being forced to pay $24 for a bath before she comes home.

I’ll be traveling again in less than two weeks, so I’m considering a new place.

If you have a dog bigger than Tinkerbell, I’d love to hear your suggestions for great dog sitters and boarding facilities in the Central Florida area.

Time for a reciprocal shout-out here.

Local creative/entertainment blog Orlando Arts Blog and Podcast is a great resource for diving into the cultural and creative scene in Central Florida, as well as other niches, too. “Orlando Arts” was kind enough to give “Pulse” a mention a couple of weeks back, so I thought we’d return the favor. When you have a few spare moments make sure and head-on-over and give it a look.

We’ll soon be highlighting blog author Mark Baratelli in our “People Pulse” series, so make sure and be on the lookout for that!