My Life Has Changed & A Big Thank You To Viewers For All The Years - Looking Back On This Weird Job
My YouTube Life
Transcript
0:05
Today's adventure begins
0:05
as the recording of this Tuesday,
0:08
November 4th,
0:10
2025. You see the bus stops over there.
0:14
I'm in St. Cloud, Florida,
0:17
my former hometown and the town that my
0:20
family moved to in 1991
0:25
when I was 17 years old.
0:28
an assortment of my first retail jobs
0:31
were right here. I probably worked
0:34
15 years,
0:36
well 10 or 15 years retail in St. Cloud
0:40
and then another 10 years,
0:43
you know, give or take a year between
0:44
the twin cities of St. Cloud and CMI, if
0:48
you want to call them cities, more like
0:49
towns.
0:57
1991
0:57
started at a Publix
0:59
just across the street that I will go
1:01
over to. It's now a gym.
1:08
And I stopped working retail places when
1:08
I quit the feed store in St. Cloud
1:12
2011. So for 20 years was punching the
1:14
clock, working retail,
1:17
helping customers,
1:20
loading groceries, stocking shelves,
1:22
placing orders.
1:25
etc., etc.
1:28
But right here
1:31
in 1995, 96,97,
1:34
don't know the exact year, but mid90s,
1:37
I sat right here on this bench. Well,
1:39
one of these two benches
1:41
because the bus stop used to be not
1:43
where it is now, which is right over
1:46
there. It used to be right here. And I
1:49
lived at Simpson Ridge Apartments
1:52
up on the CM St. Cloud border on Simpson
1:54
Road across from the Kmart.
2:02
I would take the bus down here, get off
2:02
the bus or I would ride my bike. But
2:04
most time I would take the bus and when
2:06
I would take the bus home, I'm working
2:08
at this Walmart. I sat right here and I
2:12
came up with the completely pointless,
2:14
meaningless name that I use as my stage
2:17
name, Adam the Woo,
2:20
right over here
2:23
on the second bench
2:25
right there.
2:28
It means nothing. Has no meaning. Just
2:30
came up with it.
2:33
Was using it
2:35
on return stamps. I'll I'll explain a
2:38
little bit. I've explained this before,
2:39
but I'll reiterate as well, but I wanted
2:41
to start the video right here. Welcome
2:43
everyone. Adam the Woo here. Cheers
2:48
to 30 years ago.
2:51
30 years ago,
2:55
sitting right here, not knowing for the
2:59
in inconsequent,
3:01
in inconsequential,
3:04
pointless, meaningless name of Adam the
3:07
Woo
3:09
would take me or be using it for this
3:12
channel, becoming the name that is
3:14
synonymous with me filming myself every
3:17
day, which start right here. Originally,
3:20
that was not the intention.
3:22
By the way, I'm inviting you to join me
3:25
on a stroll through memory lane and a
3:28
thank you. Later this month is
3:29
Thanksgiving. And I have a lot to be
3:32
thankful for. I am very grateful.
3:34
What is over the last 30 years, the
3:37
progress of my life and what I'm able to
3:40
do for a living, what I am able to do
3:42
for a quote unquote job is unusual and
3:44
bizarre of a job as it is. The
3:48
escalation and the evolution of timeline
3:53
really is an amazing thing and it really
3:55
it all started with you know the access
3:58
to the internet. the internet, you know,
4:00
is full of not good things, not all
4:04
positive things, but the internet
4:07
and being able to be self-employed based
4:10
on what I do. And there are others who
4:12
do things different than what I do when
4:14
it comes to creating things, selling
4:16
things, doing ride share stuff, doing
4:19
food delivery, doing, you know,
4:23
anything, selling things online. None of
4:25
that existed as easily as it does now.
4:36
1995. No cell phones. Couldn't go on
4:36
your computer and someone's saying
4:38
something.
4:39
>> Starbucks.
4:40
>> Starbucks is right over there. Right
4:43
across the street in that in that other
4:45
parking lot. No problem.
4:48
Nonetheless, I'm inviting you to join
4:49
me. Let's have a let's have a little a
4:52
little chat. I go by some of my former
4:53
jobs. Go downtown.
4:56
St. Cloud, Florida. I have a STC tattoo
4:59
right here. You can see it. STC.
5:06
I have a lot of memories here. St. Cloud
5:06
is
5:08
a lot of fond memories in St. Cloud
5:09
moving here when I was 17 in 1991. Join
5:12
me.
5:14
Thank you.
5:17
Shall you? And I believe that was the
5:19
third retail job working grocery that I
5:21
had just in this little tri road area,
5:25
the three roads, the super Walmart
5:29
behind me. And when I started at
5:31
Walmart, it was after I worked at Publix
5:33
first from 91 to 95
5:37
and then Wind Dixie from 95 to 96. Okay.
5:40
So behind me would have been 97 probably
5:44
to 90 96 to98
5:47
cuz I worked at Publix 3 and 1/2 4 years
5:50
or 3 years at Publix and then I was over
5:53
at the Wind Dixie over there which is
5:55
now an Aldi and a Staples right over
5:57
there. I'll walk over there. And then
5:59
after that I did a year
6:02
here at this Walmart and I worked in the
6:04
grocery department. That was overnight
6:07
and then I went to daytime
6:11
daytime dairy department. Then I quit
6:14
that. Then I went to CMI, Florida, which
6:16
is just up the road. Then I worked at
6:18
that Kmart for 5 years and on and on and
6:20
on. Office Max in CMI for 5 years.
6:26
Lot of retail, lot of retail work. But
6:29
it all started right here in three
6:31
places.
6:32
The old Publix over there, which is now
6:34
a gym. the Wind Dixie right here. And
6:37
then after quitting that went over to
6:39
Walmart, which used to be over there,
6:41
which is now a Goodwill. And that was
6:44
when they were becoming a regular
6:45
Walmart to a super Walmart. And they
6:48
were transferring everything over here.
6:50
And I started before any products were
6:53
in the store. There was not one thing on
6:54
the shelves. In fact, when I first
6:56
walked in as a new hire going from the
6:59
other Walmart to this one and the
7:01
changeover, there was nothing in this
7:03
building. Not even shelving.
7:05
We walked in the door. There was a group
7:07
of like 20 or 30 of us that walked in
7:09
and you could see all the way to the
7:11
back milk coolers.
7:17
And then we set the shelves up, stocked
7:17
the shelves. I think we had a I don't
7:19
know a couple months before the store
7:21
opened. Was working a lot of overtime,
7:24
60 70 hours a week preparing the store
7:26
for opening. Then that tapered back into
7:29
regular full-time status of 40 hours a
7:30
week after the doors opened. And then I
7:33
worked there about a year, year and a
7:34
half before I went up to
7:36
CMI and got a job at Kmart for 5 years.
7:38
And then, you know,
7:41
onward from there. Anyway, it's a lot to
7:43
take in, but yeah, I just wanted to
7:45
wanted to state that. But to talk a
7:46
little bit more and again, I've stated
7:48
this before, but for those who have not
7:50
heard the story,
7:52
I was sitting there kind of bored
7:54
waiting for the Lynx bus to arrive to
7:56
take me up into CMI to Simpson Road to
7:58
my Simpson Ridge apartment. Simpson
8:00
Ridge Apartments homestead, a little
8:03
small place I had up there. And I bought
8:06
a stamp set. You there was like a stamp
8:09
set. You would flip it open, took some
8:11
tweezers, so you could pull the
8:13
individual letters out and you could
8:15
create a return address stamp pad. And
8:18
that was back when I was really into
8:20
punk going to punk rock shows pre-
8:21
internet. And the way you would get on a
8:23
band's mailing label where they can send
8:26
you info and tour dates and all that
8:28
through snail mail was to sign up at
8:31
their merch booth and you put your
8:34
address down. And I thought, "Oh, it'd
8:36
be kind of neat to have an alias
8:43
and put that down and see if bands would
8:43
send me something to my alias." So, I
8:45
came up with a couple of kind of wacky
8:47
names. Adam the something, Adam the
8:50
something else. Adam, just random. I
8:53
can't even remember some of the other
8:54
ones I had. And then I just put WO. I
8:57
thought Adam the Woo. Put my address in
9:00
for my Simpson Ridge Apartments. And
9:02
that was the stamp pad that I used that
9:05
when I would mail. Okay, I take that
9:08
back. I did I'd put that name down also,
9:11
but then I would use it, you know, at
9:13
the shows, the punk rock shows for their
9:16
mailing lists, but I would also use it
9:18
when I would mail off to bands for free
9:21
stickers and pens and things like that.
9:23
I would use that. That way, when they
9:25
would send back the self-ress stamped
9:26
envelope, it would come back to the
9:30
stamp that I had on there, Adam the Woo.
9:32
Years went by, started selling on eBay
9:35
in the late 90s, 99 I believe it is when
9:38
I started that eBay account, which I
9:39
hardly ever use. Haven't used in a long,
9:42
long time. That was what I used for
9:44
that. Adam Woo, social media stuff
9:47
started popping up. You know, the
9:49
MySpace days, even premy MySpace stuff
9:52
that doesn't even exist anymore, and I
9:54
would use those as my screen name. And
9:57
then when YouTube started, I logged in
10:00
as that. That was my screen name way
10:03
before I did these, you know, videos,
10:05
these daily vlogs and things like that
10:07
or even the main channel and that was my
10:10
main channel login name.
10:13
So, it just kind of became a thing. And
10:15
that's the explanation. Let's get on
10:17
with today. I'm re I'm reiterating that,
10:19
but I know some people don't know. Let's
10:21
get going. The name just kind of popped
10:23
up by accident with no real rhyme or
10:26
reason to any of it. It's hard to
10:29
believe that, you know, next year, this
10:30
year or next year, give or take a year,
10:32
it'll be 30 years ago
10:35
and now it's just a common name. A name
10:37
is just such a weird thing. It's kind of
10:39
like bands and their names.
10:41
You when you first hear it, you're like,
10:43
that's a weird name. But then one is
10:44
just like once it's on the tip of the
10:46
tongue all the time, you never think
10:48
about it anymore. It's just it's just
10:50
how someone is known as. So the staples
10:53
here used to be Wind Dixie. I worked at
10:55
this Wind Dixie a year, year and a half.
11:00
94 95 I worked right here. That was a
11:02
Staples. This sidelines place has been
11:04
here forever. That was there even when
11:05
Wind Dixie was a a spot. Wind Dixie took
11:07
over two storefronts. Staples and the
11:11
Aldi. Many times I pulled I worked
11:13
overnight. So, you know, I'd show up at
11:16
10:00 a.m. or 10:00 p.m. I should say.
11:19
You know, park in the parking lot at
11:20
9:50, go in, clock in at 10:00. I'd work
11:22
till 8 9 10:00 in the morning. Sometimes
11:24
later than that depending on when the
11:26
store was done being stocked. There was
11:28
no 8 hour you clock. Guess you weren't
11:30
helping customers. You didn't have like
11:31
a shift, an official shift. Your shift
11:33
was over when the store was stocked and
11:36
the truck was unloaded and the shelves
11:39
on your aisle and other people's aisles
11:41
were done. So sometimes I'd work till,
11:42
you know, a 12-h hour shift. Sometimes
11:44
you get out at 7 or 8, sometimes you get
11:46
out at 10:00. But many times I would sit
11:48
right there in one of these parking
11:50
spots and think, I really have no desire
11:53
to go in tonight. Many, many times I sat
11:56
right there in my car looking at the
11:59
sign and really thinking, man,
12:07
overnight again
12:07
while everyone else is sleeping,
12:10
they stocking the peas on aisle five.
12:12
I'm across the street now at this
12:15
Tractor Supply, Goodwill, and Dollar
12:18
Tree. Used to be the old Walmart preer
12:22
center days.
12:25
And that's where I got hired to start
12:27
the Super Center aspect. And then on the
12:30
back side of this building
12:32
was the first job I ever had, which was
12:34
at Publix. That predated Walmart. That
12:38
Value Pond used to be an old
12:39
Blockbuster, too. That was a little
12:41
later on, but yeah, that used to be a
12:42
blockbuster. There is a CF Fitness right
12:45
up there. That was the old Publix that I
12:48
started working at in '91. My family
12:50
first moved here. The first job I ever
12:52
had with the exception of mowing yards,
12:55
you know, under the table for people in
12:56
the town and you follow Oklahoma,
12:59
you know, just a couple yards here and
13:00
there just to give me a little spending
13:02
money. But as far as an official job,
13:06
that was it.
13:08
Publix was right there. I'd park my car
13:10
out here. I had an 84 Ford LTD that was
13:14
always breaking down. And sometimes I'd
13:16
park it in this spot. Park it in that
13:18
spot.
13:20
And I would walk into work and then the
13:23
car would be broken down, starter would
13:26
be out, the battery would be dead.
13:34
So many hours I stood right out here
13:34
trying to fix my piece of crap car.
13:42
in these in these parking spots. And
13:42
that was early 90s, 91 to 94. There was
13:47
a brief time I w went over to Buen
13:49
Ventura Lakes Bvl and worked at that
13:50
Publix, but most of the time I was in
13:52
this Publix right here. And my car, my
13:56
old
13:57
on its last leg car was parked right
14:00
over here. That breeze feels good.
14:04
Whenever I reminisce about stuff like
14:05
this, it really kind of hits your heart
14:08
on where you came from, where you are
14:12
now, you know, the thought process. It's
14:15
easier to wrap your head around it and
14:16
really visualize it when you go back and
14:19
visit places like this. And really the
14:22
only reason that separates me, well, I
14:26
take that back, not necessarily because
14:28
there are certain things I probably
14:29
would be able to do now based on what I
14:32
said about, you know, being
14:33
self-employed on the internet is a
14:34
little bit easier than it was before.
14:37
Back in the '9s,
14:40
you know, if you didn't if you weren't
14:42
working for someone or you weren't
14:44
punching a clock and having a an
14:47
official boss,
14:49
you would be broke. You'd have no money.
14:51
But now you can kind of make a little
14:52
bit of residual income here and there,
14:55
you know, just by doing stuff in this
14:57
day and age. So it is it is a little
14:59
easier. So I probably would have found
15:01
something other to do than doing these
15:04
YouTubes. But even with YouTube, I just
15:06
stumbled on it. I had no idea I would
15:08
ever be able to make an income, make a
15:10
living wage as time went on and things
15:13
progressed.
15:15
If I could go back to myself right here
15:17
trying to to get my car to start, not
15:19
knowing why the jumper cables weren't
15:22
working or the battery or anything like
15:24
that, having to get my dad to come give
15:26
me a ride, give me a ride back home,
15:28
come back and get the car,
15:31
thinking, man, is this car ever what's
15:32
what's going on with this car?
15:35
It's also
15:38
It's also wild to think that up until I
15:42
quit the feed store in 2011, 20 years of
15:44
working retail,
15:47
I was just barely getting by. I did not
15:51
I was not able to ever get out of debt
15:54
and save money until I quit working
15:59
for someone.
16:01
I know that sounds sounds insane when
16:04
you say say it out loud, but until I
16:06
quit working a traditional style job, I
16:12
was always struggling. Always
16:14
struggling.
16:27
And I think a lot of that has to do with
16:27
when I started doing what I'm doing
16:30
because no one there was not a lot of
16:31
people really doing it early on. And I
16:35
think I got in on the ground floor and I
16:37
think because I got in on the ground
16:39
floor and so many people were watching
16:43
supporting
16:45
each day by tuning in even though the
16:47
numbers were very small started to creep
16:50
up started to give me a little income
16:52
based on the ads on the views and all
16:54
that. I've explained how all that works.
16:59
So, anyone that's been around all this
17:01
time or anyone that's just stumbled on
17:02
this channel, you know, even in the last
17:05
year or even six months or even even if
17:07
heck it if this is your first time even
17:09
tuning in, thank you.
17:12
Because without anyone watching,
17:20
probably be across the street over there
17:20
where the Wind Dixie was. Probably
17:21
working at Staples,
17:23
working at Publix still. I'd probably be
17:26
working at Publix. Publix is a good
17:27
company to work for. That's probably
17:30
where I would be right now if it was not
17:32
for the progress of my life.
17:51
Good old STC
17:51
St. Cloud right here on Pennsylvania AD
17:53
was AB was the apartment. I had the
17:55
second story above a storefront where I
17:58
decided I was going to quit my job. I
18:01
was going to move into a van that I had
18:04
that I was using when I was in a local
18:06
van that I bought for us to chore like a
18:08
week or two out of every year, which
18:10
really did not really serve that purpose
18:12
too well. So, I thought, I have a van.
18:14
Why don't I just live in the van,
18:16
downsize, sleep in the van, travel, and
18:19
concentrate on doing YouTube, just go
18:23
out on adventures, travel the US, show
18:26
things. I thought only if just a few
18:29
people watch. And the thing I always had
18:32
in the back of my head was
18:34
if I'm doing something interesting,
18:37
something unique, something odd
18:41
traveling across the country,
18:43
I can't be the only person that would be
18:46
into that. There's got to be other
18:48
people out there that might be into
18:50
that. And it slowly trickled in. people
18:54
found the videos and it was the first
18:56
creative thing I ever did in my life
18:58
that I didn't have to approach anyone
19:01
about. You know, when I was in a band,
19:03
you have to go hand flyers out, things
19:05
like that. You have to basically twist
19:06
people's arm to go to shows.
19:09
But with the videos, you just throw them
19:10
up and people find them. Whether you
19:12
like it or not, people will find them if
19:15
you put something interesting out there.
19:17
And that just blew my mind. And that's
19:19
why it resonated with me on that's what
19:21
I needed to be doing. and that's why I'm
19:23
still doing it to this day.
19:26
So, right up here on the corner of 11th
19:28
in Pennsylvania was the apartment that I
19:30
lived in
19:32
the top of the storefront.
19:43
When I lived up there, there was a
19:43
coffee place across the street, which is
19:45
since long gone. Now, it's a boutique.
19:47
But I would use the Wi-Fi
19:50
from the coffee place. didn't have Wi-Fi
19:52
of my own. Tapped into the Wi-Fi for the
19:55
nice lady that owned the coffee place.
19:58
My apartment
20:02
was one of two. So, the door was right
20:05
there. You'd go up. My neighbor's
20:07
apartment was there. And I had a little
20:09
apartment right here on this end. And
20:10
that was my room on the far end. That
20:12
was that was my window. My living room
20:14
was on this side. My bathroom was right
20:16
there. And my room was right there. I'd
20:18
park my van right here. I'd have to move
20:20
it sometimes for once a week street
20:22
cleaning. But I could still recall
20:25
again. I've talked about this in the
20:27
past. But I'm down here, so I'm just
20:29
kind of repeating myself of stuff I've
20:31
said know over the years. But but I can
20:34
still recall when I had my van parked
20:38
right here. And even though I was still
20:39
living there, I went down, inflated the
20:42
air mattress, bought a cheap air
20:43
mattress, put it in the back, and slept
20:45
all night in there. I thought I got to
20:47
test it out. Can I sleep in the back of
20:48
the van when I am used to sleeping in my
20:50
own comfortable bed up there? And I did
20:52
it. And that's when I made the decision
20:55
right there in that spot on the air
20:56
mattress. I think I'm just going to
20:58
concentrate
21:01
on downsizing my stuff.
21:04
I'm going to move out of the apartment.
21:06
Lived in the van for a couple months
21:07
until I was able to catch up on some
21:09
bills.
21:12
Then I quit my job on August 9th, 2011,
21:16
one day before my birthday
21:22
and that everything escalated from
21:22
there. Used to walk all around these
21:24
streets at night.
21:27
I would get off work at 6:00, go home,
21:29
take a shower, walk up to Save A Lot,
21:32
get some food, come back, watch a DVD,
21:40
eat my dinner, and then just walk
21:40
around. I have walked these streets
21:43
many, many times,
21:46
and I bet they still have not completed
21:52
the work in progress up here. This old
21:52
hotel. Yeah, the St. Cloud Hotel right
21:54
here. This was the first building when
21:55
the residents first arrived. The first
21:58
town folks while their houses were being
22:00
built lived in this very hotel. It is
22:02
said as extremely haunted. I think
22:04
people have done ghost huntings and
22:05
things in it. But over the years,
22:07
they've been trying to refurb it. And
22:09
they have been refurbing this thing for
22:11
so long. I mean, I'm talking far back as
22:14
I can remember, probably 10 years. And
22:16
when I was living here at the apartment
22:18
over there, it was open and I was able
22:20
to go in. But since then, they've
22:21
started to remodel it. And it's been
22:22
remodeled. It's been again under refurb
22:25
for a long time. Let me cross over. See
22:28
if the sign is still over here. This is
22:30
what it's supposed to look like. The new
22:31
new version of it.
22:34
I still have this etching here.
22:38
Let me live in my house by the side of
22:40
the road and be a friend to man. The old
22:43
police substation right over there with
22:45
the clock that does not work.
22:51
This shows a little bit of the history I
22:51
was just discussing in a little more
22:54
detail.
23:02
The Simol Land and Investment Company,
23:02
Hotel St. Cloud, right there. The one
23:05
that's been under refurb.
23:17
35,000 acres of defunct Distant Sugar
23:18
Plantation, which I've shown that in
23:20
fact the first video I ever did
23:24
back on New Year's Eve 2009.
23:27
So basically starting on, no, New Year's
23:30
Day 2010, I like to say, is the start of
23:32
my YouTube career, quote unquote, career
23:35
on the Adam Woo channel.
23:38
But that sugar plantation I've showed
23:40
many many times the abandoned remnants
23:41
over there. The 35,000 acres eventually
23:46
is where people started to arrive
23:53
to live in St. Cloud.
23:54
Now, while they were building their
23:55
homesteads,
23:57
the original residents lived in the
23:58
Hotel St. Cloud, which is right over
24:01
there, sitting
24:04
unused.
24:10
Now over the years I have become
24:10
non-reliant.
24:12
I do not rely on
24:16
any crowdfunding,
24:17
viewer funding,
24:20
any sort of sponsors,
24:23
anything coming from an outside source
24:25
monetarily wise.
24:28
I don't sell merchandise anymore.
24:31
It's been many years since I've done
24:32
that.
24:34
My only source of income comes from the
24:37
ads I have on the videos. It comes from
24:39
people watching. And even though I do
24:42
not have any sort of outside income
24:44
coming from viewers, which anyone that's
24:47
watching right now is a viewer, I do
24:50
realize that anyone that is tuning in
24:54
and that when those numbers are
24:55
compiled, I make a little bit off the
24:58
ads that are placed on the videos based
24:59
on viewership.
25:05
And I just want to say thank you for
25:05
anyone that that has been watching all
25:07
this time because without you it would
25:09
be a lot different. My life would be a
25:12
lot different.
25:26
This is Joyand Beach Pavilion 1929.
25:26
Right on the lake shore. There used to
25:27
be a pavilion called Joyand Beach. I
25:30
mean this gosh in four years this is
25:32
going to be the 100th anniversary of
25:33
Joyland Beach. Isn't that wild? There
25:36
used to be a Oh, there still is a
25:37
jammer's music center over there
25:40
right there. Jammer's music. Now they
25:42
just did music lessons, but they used to
25:43
be a music shop. The jammers in CM is
25:46
where I first bought my first bass
25:48
guitar, my PV bass guitar, which I
25:50
learned to pay play bass on and joined a
25:53
couple bands
25:54
because of that bass. So I got a lot of
25:56
history in Oyola County St.
26:02
Lakeshore and Ohio Avenue, a place for
26:02
relaxation, entertainment for the
26:05
growing town.
26:07
I feel like the last few years years
26:09
have been kind of a an interesting mish
26:11
mash of the things I've been doing. And
26:13
I I talked about this a couple weeks
26:14
ago, but I really want to kind of throw
26:16
it back old school
26:26
and really really excited
26:26
about 2026 and doing US travels and
26:28
small towns and road trips and back road
26:31
stuff and history. 250th anniversary of
26:34
America, the 100th anniversary of Route
26:36
66.
26:38
I'd also like to attempt to do US1 from
26:42
Key West to Maine. I'd also like to
26:44
attempt to do Lincoln Highway in its
26:46
entirety
26:48
from New York, I believe it is, to
26:52
San Francisco,
26:54
and possibly some other highways. But a
26:56
lot of small towns. A lot of small
26:58
towns. Do the colony, the original 13
27:00
colonies.
27:02
really kind of dive into some of the
27:03
other states that I don't really haven't
27:05
really focused on at all or in a long
27:09
time. I have been to all 50 states, the
27:11
48 continental and also Alaska and
27:13
Hawaii, but it's time. It's been it's
27:17
been years.
27:19
And that kind of goes into my gratitude
27:21
of being able to do what I do and why I
27:23
originally wanted to start this channel
27:26
and my original channel, the Adam of the
27:27
Woo channel and this vlog channel in
27:29
July of 2012 when I started what you're
27:31
watching now. I don't know why I'm
27:33
pointing at the horse, but I'm talking
27:34
about the
27:36
this channel. I don't really use the
27:37
main channel anymore.
27:40
But I think 2026 is really going to be a
27:42
throwback mentally for myself and also
27:45
as far as the content that's going out
27:46
there. So, thanks for bearing with me.
27:53
I really appreciate anyone that that's
27:53
stuck around all these years. I've been
27:54
doing this a heck of a long time and it
27:57
I don't want to say it's only just
27:58
begun. It's way past just beginning. But
28:02
I'm I'm excited about, you know, going
28:04
back to my my roots, if you will, of why
28:07
I originally started doing this. I think
28:09
I lost track of that. I think I I think
28:12
I really lost track of that
28:14
over the last few years.
28:17
This proa auto detail building has been
28:19
here for so long. I love this. Look at
28:22
this.
28:24
It's like a hand with a rag right there.
28:28
The extra touch. Proa auto detail.
28:32
Pretty neat.
28:34
This is cool, too. This is JT Burbank of
28:38
the Wonder City. So, City of St. Cloud
28:40
has quite a few nicknames, but one of
28:42
them is the Wonder City.
28:48
There you go. Here's a little info on
28:48
it.
28:55
Now, obviously, I'm not going to go back
28:55
to sleeping in a van full- time because
28:57
I do have the house, but my plan is
29:02
to stay in, you know, little local
29:04
motel,
29:05
maybe stay a day or two in small town
29:09
areas before moving off to the next
29:12
region, not be in such a rush to get
29:14
across the country, and just focus on
29:17
small town life, tell some stories, talk
29:20
to some people,
29:23
and just kind of take it back. That's my
29:25
goal.
29:29
Yeah, there's my place. I don't even
29:29
think there's a business downstairs
29:30
anymore. I don't think there is. Oh, no.
29:33
It's a barber. There's a barber. Oh, no.
29:34
That's actually the No, there is a
29:36
barber shop. Look, there's a barber pole
29:39
right in the middle there. That was my
29:42
living room right up there. Fun fact.
29:44
Ah, it's crazy to think about. It's
29:46
crazy to think about. Good times and
29:49
good progress. What a fun ride it's
29:52
been.
29:53
over 15 years.
29:55
started at the beginning of 2010 and
29:57
again this vlog channel in 2012 which is
30:01
I always refer to this as a you know
30:04
video diary of sorts where I just put
30:06
stuff out there and I can look back on
30:08
it other people can
30:10
watch and enjoy
30:14
but also like a a history of myself and
30:16
places I've gone
30:25
the old band shell
30:25
They just put this plaque up. This
30:27
plaque was not here before.
30:29
In 29, St. Cloud Tribune published a
30:32
call for the local government to start a
30:34
beautifification program. Again, that
30:36
was around the same time as Joyland
30:38
Beach up at the lakefront. Interesting.
30:47
On Highway 192, the citizens donated the
30:47
use of their trucks to transport to the
30:49
park.
30:50
Oh, the soil. the soil for where I'm
30:53
standing right now. The community raised
30:55
$50 to hire a landscape architect to
30:57
finalize the plans for this park. Native
30:59
plants were chosen to reduce
31:00
maintenance. The American Legion donated
31:02
bricks for the walkways. Artificial pool
31:04
was later excavated. An artificial pool
31:07
using machinery from a nearby project.
31:08
The pool was one of the only the pool
31:11
was only a few that had been
31:13
successfully completed in Florida at the
31:15
time. In June of 1937, the mayor
31:17
Clarence C. Smith dedicated the park to
31:19
all veterans, United States Armed Forces
31:21
in a large ceremony.
31:25
Wow. Okay. Never knew the history of
31:36
Obviously, the Herser Gordon Lewis,
31:36
Godfather of Gore horror film from the
31:39
60s. They use over here. They built a
31:42
boulder machine that crushed some people
31:44
right there. It was all filmed in
31:45
downtown St. Cloud. 2000 Maniacs was the
31:48
name of that movie. But I also have some
31:50
memories here of mid 90s, a punk rock
31:54
show, some local bands played here. I
31:56
was one of a I don't know, maybe a
31:58
hundred people in this park that were
32:00
get a little circle pit going, swirling
32:02
around, some stage diving. Probably the
32:05
one and only time a punk rock and metal
32:07
show took place here at the band shell.
32:12
It's been repainted.
32:25
Yes, I have I have sat and stood here
32:25
many many times, done some thinking,
32:27
done some reminiscing. Today is no
32:30
exception, especially when I used to
32:31
live right over there at the apartment I
32:33
just showed, which is just over the
32:36
backside of the Kissleback Ford, which
32:38
used to be Poff and Ba Ford.
32:46
And in the continuation of my travels
32:46
and whatever happens at 26 onward,
32:50
we're taking it back again to my my
32:54
original roots and all that. Still not
32:56
going to have merch. Still not going to
32:58
need crowdfunding.
32:59
Still not going to request anything from
33:01
anyone on a financial standpoint. I'm
33:05
way way past that point of needing any
33:08
any kind of monetary help. Doing just
33:10
fine with how things are working out.
33:14
But I also want to show my appreciation
33:16
for anyone over all this time that's
33:19
always been tuning in, leaving positive
33:21
comments,
33:23
you know, spreading goodness out there.
33:25
The circle of goodness, which I have
33:27
always referred to it as, but I've
33:30
almost,
33:32
well, not almost, but I have rarely
33:35
mentioned that phrase anymore, which I
33:38
probably should bring that back.
33:39
probably should maybe start making it
33:42
all
33:44
all enclosed once again.
33:48
I feel like I feel like the last few
33:49
years have been a kind of a wacky time
33:51
period and I've always done Disney. I've
33:53
always done conventions.
33:56
the international stuff. Even though I
33:57
am doing a couple more countries, I do
34:00
enjoy doing it, but man, I love getting
34:03
in a car going across the US. And that
34:08
is getting me so excited to bring to
34:10
bring it back.
34:12
Just want to appre just want to show my
34:13
appreciation and verbalize my
34:16
appreciation to everyone that takes the
34:18
time out of their day, their weeks,
34:21
their months, or heck, even their years
34:24
of tuning in. I know everyone is People
34:27
are busy. I'm busy. It's hard for me to
34:30
even sit down and watch a movie half the
34:33
time because I'm so, you know, busy
34:34
doing this, doing other things and
34:37
whatnot. So, I understand that time is a
34:40
valuable commodity to a lot of people
34:43
and the fact that you are taking time
34:46
out of your day to listen to what I'm
34:48
saying right now,
34:50
it really does mean a lot to me. So,
34:51
thank you.
34:53
That's about it. That's that's what I
34:55
wanted to say. That's going to do it.
35:02
Every time I see this, I think of that
35:02
punk show. It's crazy crazy how long ago
35:05
that was. That was 30 years ago.
35:09
Where does the time go? My goodness. And
35:13
that's going to do it for today. I'll
35:16
see you in the next video. The vlog
35:21
is over.