I love working downtown. Not only because it’s convenient to where I live and it makes me somewhat feel like I live in a city, but because I get to see things like yesterday’s Citrus Bowl Parade. Right outside my office!

Some colleagues and I got to watch the whole thing from a third-story balcony, and here are a few photos I took:

For more you can visit our Flickr page.

We here at “Pulse of Central Florida” hope all of our readers have a safe, happy, and healthy new year. 2009 is going to be a good one, with many changes and enhancements to our site. We’re already brainstorming for a redesign, to celebrate our one year anniversary in February.

Do you have any thoughts or comments about what’s to come? Now’s your chance to share your likes, dislikes, and overall feelings about our blog. Please tell us by leaving comments in this post, or e-mailing us directly at pulseofcentralflorida[at]mail[dot]com. We want to hear from you!

This was painted on the back of a beat-up (and I’m being gentle) VW Bus, spotted in the parking lot of the 17-92 Home Depot in Winter Park:

I’ve been trying to figure out all day what it says/means (I have a feeling it’s something dirty…which makes it all the better).

By definition, ethos means “the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution.” We chose the name Ethos because it implies the ethical and moral nature of our beliefs about operating a socially responsible and environmentally sound business.”

This quote is the inspiration for Ethos Vegan Kitchen, a somewhat new vegan dining experience near the downtown Orlando area. I took it directly from the Ethos website because, well…who better to describe what Ethos Vegan Kitchen is than from the mouths of the owners?

Now you might be asking yourself why a vegan “review” or where did this place even come from? Particularly because there’s only been one other post on “Pulse” about vegan food. It’s the start of a new year and I want to try to live healthier, plus I like to support local people and businesses (make sure and read the Meet the Owners section on the “About” page).

Are you turning your nose up, thinking you could never find something desirable to eat at a vegan restaurant? Wrong! I recently went to Ethos on a Sunday morning for breakfast, and was quite pleased with the food I got: vegan french toast with a side of potatoes. Yum!

In addition to items such as this, you can find:

• Soups
• Sandwiches
• Pizzas
• Salads
• and more….

I was also happy there wasn’t a huge crowd there, that I was able to sit outdoors on the patio, and that there was a live DJ to provide some entertainment! (Truth be told, this last thing was my favorite!)

To get a little “taste” of what Ethos has to offer check-out their menu. You might be surprised to find something you like. Plus you’ll be doing something good for yourself and the environment.

Next time I’m going to visit Ethos Vegan Kitchen for a healthy, enviro-friendly dinner.

Information:

1235 North Orange Avenue, Ste 101

Orlando, FL 32804

407.228.3898

It was horrifically excruciating. Like my tooth was talking to space….”

(Location: Dandelion Communitea Cafe.)

This time last year I was hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, so Christmas Day lunch consisted of food from a Sonic drive-in along I-75, while Christmas dinner was spent at Bennigans.

Today, I saw Orlando Sentinel columnist Heather McPherson’s blog about Central Florida restaurants open on Christmas Day and thought it was worth repeating.

Thanks, Heather, for providing several options for those who might not have a traditional home-cooked meal lined up.

Disclaimer: I realize this is sensitive territory, so flame me (no pun intended) if you choose.

At least twice a week I walk into my office elevator, push the button and am suddenly overtaken by the residual smoke smell left in the elevator by the group of smokers in our building.

For all we know about secondhand smoke and smoking, in general, it’s fairly astonishing to me that people continue to be so selfish.

So here’s a request, dear smoker, next time you choose to puff away on your break, in your condo, on your way into an office building … do me a favor, and take the stairs.

I love learning about and connecting with other Central Florida bloggers. And while I’m certainly not a realtor (heck, I’m not even a property investor!) I often check-in with The Orlando Condo Blog – they publish great information. Sometimes entertaining information, like this video titled “A Realtor’s Christmas Carol.” I’m sure if I were a realtor I’d find it much more amusing, but I still think it’s funny. For some reason these two remind me of SNL’s “The Sweeney Sisters.”

Have a broken nipple you need to remove? Not a problem! Just head on over to your nearest Home Depot store and pick-yourself-up one of these:

Several weeks ago most of the folks I know who have Central Florida cable service provider Bright House experienced an outage. Some longer than others. Truth be told, I barely even noticed there was an issue at my house.

Well, yesterday I received a letter from Bright House, and was both quite surprised and impressed by the level of customer service being paid to this matter. Why? Because I get an entire month of premium channels for FREE! And if that weren’t enough I’m also getting a credit for the hours my service was “interrupted.”

Did you receive a similar compensation for the outage earlier this month? If not, you can head over to my place and we’ll watch some free movies!