tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66521692181247426312024-03-05T07:02:09.898-05:002008: The Year of YesAvoiding tomorrow's regrets by saying "yes" today.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-2119502686470975222009-01-06T15:49:00.002-05:002009-01-06T15:52:50.404-05:00Let's Yes!I come from the future to give you good people of 2008 this message: I've changed the new blog from yesdefinitely.blogspot.com to <a href="http://letsyes.blogspot.com">letsyes.blogspot.com</a>.<br /><br />Forgiveness please for the trouble this may have caused for you, but you can read all about my exploits over at <a href="http://letsyes.blogspot.com">2009: Let's Yes!</a><br /><br />Please say yes and change all your readers and etc. accordingly. And I promise you, this will never happen again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-34893047752396542332009-01-01T11:46:00.002-05:002009-01-01T12:38:14.640-05:00And here's the link...<a href="http://yesdefinitely.blogspot.com/">http://yesdefinitely.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Yes2009 was taken. YesForever? Ruined by some dizzy schoolgirl who clearly doesn't take the word "forever" to heart. And while I liked the Japanese style "Let's Yes," the URL's lack of an apostrophe made me squeamish. <br /><br />So I went with the best answer from my Magic Eight Ball. Somewhere I have (had?) a Magic Eight Ball that actually works. It's got a huge crack in it that I tried to repair with this white plaster (?). The water has faded to a dull yellow and a lot of it has evaporated, but damned if it doesn't/didn't answer every question accurately. <br /><br />When I think of real-life magic items (magic items being the best part of Dungeons and Dragons), it's fitting and accurate and kind of cool that the only one I've ever come across is that old Eight Ball.<br /><br />That story has nothing to do with anything Yes-related, though.<br /><br />Anyway, if you would like to continue reading the blog (and I certainly hope you do), please update your RSS feeds or Google Reader or whatever it is that you do, and I'll see you over there.<br /><br />As for now, I'm gonna start the New Year off right by getting a cheezburger.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-64990070867258212172008-12-31T09:44:00.013-05:002008-12-31T11:19:18.688-05:00A Look Back...First I just wanna say someone already claimed yes2009.blogspot.com, but it's been removed by the site and the URL is unavailable. THANKS A LOT, BUDDY! When I come up with a good alternative URL, I'll post the link. And if anyone has some suggestions, please send 'em my way.<br /><br />But for now, let's travel back in time through the year that was 2008, and how all that Yes fun turned out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">January</span><br />Bought an acoustic guitar. Remember that? Well, I don't. I did not keep up with playing, sadly, and gave up about February. But I have a lot of good excuses! Namely, that I can only practice when no one is home, and that's a rarity in this day and age. Also: busy. Also: lazy.<br /><br />BUT... now that I'm unemployed, I might take it up again. Maybe switch off every other day between guitar and Wii Fit. I actually did play for a bit two days ago, but that might just have been in preparation of this blog post.<br /><br />Hey, and this was when I first started watching <span style="font-style:italic;">LOST</span>, one of the best decisions I made all year. What a great show! I can't wait till it comes back, Wednesdays at 9 on ABC! (Note: I don't actually know if that's the right time.)<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">February</span><br />Whoa, a sleep regimen where I would go to sleep by midnight? What was I thinking?<br /><br />That didn't pan out.<br /><br />However, my current goal right now is to not go back to sleep when Sarah leaves for work (at 8:50 a.m.). This is Day Two of that plan, we'll see how that turns out.<br /><br />I will say, though, that lately my sleep patterns have been pretty good, but, again, having no day job and the opportunity for naps makes that a lot easier. I should note that the above goal does not allow naps. I didn't take one yesterday!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">March</span><br />Ah, March, the month of St. Patrick's Day and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Song of the Irish Peddler</span>. I'm very glad I did that show, though it was a pain in the butt lugging around a 3,000-lb. accordion to the rehearsals and shows. <br /><br />But, hey, how many other Asian-Italians can say they were part of an Irish folk band?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGIpztmOq__bRzHkjPGqt7ef4lPlnJdXsRVSfg2p-jua0PCabVSOy-r2oLWr_80rvRpTA5Lxahoe1v0XyHuVQA61ptHejrG6krVKyNwt5gfFpG6y34fKsayJH4NBhi9QF9oVYnzS2Pvg/s1600-h/irish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGIpztmOq__bRzHkjPGqt7ef4lPlnJdXsRVSfg2p-jua0PCabVSOy-r2oLWr_80rvRpTA5Lxahoe1v0XyHuVQA61ptHejrG6krVKyNwt5gfFpG6y34fKsayJH4NBhi9QF9oVYnzS2Pvg/s320/irish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285981157724549026" /></a><br /><center>(Photo by <a href="http://improvisgoodforyou.com/">Keith Huang</a>)</center><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Smarch</span><br />Lousy Smarch weather.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">April and May</span><br />Ah, the months where I tried to be healthy in my eating and by signing up for Yoga classes but then not going to them. Yoga was a definite fail.<br /><br />In an ideal world, 2009 would include some new physical classes, but since I'm now on a budget instead of Rich Uncle Pennybags, who knows if that will happen?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">June</span><br />June spoon, to the moon! From where I'm from (Canada), that little rhyme is usually reserved for contemptuous feelings for something, but June was actually a fun month. It was my first trip to Maine, which is quite pretty during that time of year.<br /><br />Also, I briefly changed my hairstyle. That didn't last long, either.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1P5gUExDE0ZjrxqGzEO0h0MEjAwvQ-0jKBg1A58QCVetOzgaB9h3fBPzqranbxslFFFwbPdpDzbW9YV0_M5FtWhdQZxf2KRGcYWCnViVzXtoSSAqf18hWRz2cpnOnO0Qi5YLc2bT7dAY/s1600-h/newhair.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1P5gUExDE0ZjrxqGzEO0h0MEjAwvQ-0jKBg1A58QCVetOzgaB9h3fBPzqranbxslFFFwbPdpDzbW9YV0_M5FtWhdQZxf2KRGcYWCnViVzXtoSSAqf18hWRz2cpnOnO0Qi5YLc2bT7dAY/s320/newhair.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285982442761792274" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">July</span><br />July held what was probably the best Yes decision I made all year, which was to go to Dragon*Con even after learning that I'd be losing my job soon. To be fair, I had already purchased the plane tickets, so it wasn't a <span style="font-style:italic;">real</span> Year of Yes moment, but I stuck with the trip, and the world is a better place for it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">August</span><br />Dragon*Con! Oh, what a lovely time. I think about it when times are difficult, much like Bilbo Baggins would think of cakes and bacon when he was miserable and dreary. You guys remember that part, right?<br /><br />August was an awesome month, since it also included a second trip to Maine <span style="font-style:italic;">and</span> Terry Jinn's Enormous Television. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9uSbGtSGVtInlvs-SBzvldLoAiZWKA3_lUNrUG5FT8eB_6nU23EcboUWiq_kG_5vcwzgFdzW3sHA6oBXPysPeiHAHuOOgLkguAungq0dOVZDDMTVprlPYmjQgvmJpRwCCqgjTD1W61I/s1600-h/etv.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9uSbGtSGVtInlvs-SBzvldLoAiZWKA3_lUNrUG5FT8eB_6nU23EcboUWiq_kG_5vcwzgFdzW3sHA6oBXPysPeiHAHuOOgLkguAungq0dOVZDDMTVprlPYmjQgvmJpRwCCqgjTD1W61I/s320/etv.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285983188726021474" /></a><br /><center>(Photo by <a href="http://www.ariscott.com/ ">Ari Scott</a>)</center><br />All months should be like this: two vacations and a concert. And I usually hate August! It's the hottest month, and the summer heat turns me into a monster, but I also bought a portable air conditioner this year (this must have been one of those situations that were too personal to blog about), so it was pretty good.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">September</span><br />Got my wisdom teeth removed. That sucked massive, but it could've sucked worse. At least, as my doctor pointed out, I didn't die. Sometimes the Year of Yes means you gotta do what you gotta do, and at least I got those bastards out of me before my insurance ended, unlike some other, more horrible things.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">October</span><br />This got downplayed a little in the blog, but whoa, I moved into an awesome, huge apartment! October was easy, since it just involved watching movers move my crap, but September sucked, because adding on to my medical pain and penicillin allergies was the hassle of looking for an apartment, and I gotta tell you, I earned this one.<br /><br />Almost every other NYC apartment I've found through good fortune - a friend of a friend knew about it, and voila - but, like in finding a job or landing a big score, you don't get the lucky break until you put in the work for it. And this year, damn, I worked for it. Usually while on Vicodin or something.<br /><br />I must've looked at 3,000 apartments (all in Astoria), and then suddenly found two nice places. One was really nice, right down the street from my old place, but was more expensive and a hassle to apply for. This one, the guy was like, "Just give me the deposit, it's a done deal," since his dad runs/owns the building, and kaboom, the search was over.<br /><br />But October, yeah, a good time. I braved ZombieCon by myself, and I got to play a comatose psychic during that live-action gaming event on Halloween, which was a good Yes. It was a very unique way to spend the holiday, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. I was drooling uncontrollably while strapped to a wheelchair!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFlWiJZ_FzN7tZ-yK04Aa9PZE7I0ZzSRlhqSViBGZbtByQPbKix93Yrw5581tJXI6-Lvtrxo1W2HOpfAUJhyphenhyphenBdwywslwly7i-N4rTs30BRIoafZuBq-B_Zn_RMHOyUJnJ-qatmEq4f68/s1600-h/1101080049.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFlWiJZ_FzN7tZ-yK04Aa9PZE7I0ZzSRlhqSViBGZbtByQPbKix93Yrw5581tJXI6-Lvtrxo1W2HOpfAUJhyphenhyphenBdwywslwly7i-N4rTs30BRIoafZuBq-B_Zn_RMHOyUJnJ-qatmEq4f68/s320/1101080049.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285983610294489474" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">November</span><br />Sure, this was the month where I started my novel and we threw that housewarming party, but really, all that matters is this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ag5i9b0wVFlwOGlcvuhH9ruwNp0qZn-4XA7GjVBKEvfyBkW-oEzEtUMaAJurpAKYy6kXQh7r8Z7QnPwvfJpzYu7bZt7Q3_PT9V8xZXahjCYJOs_M_UQCG_B3RssCMee3nyTfZXb4r74/s1600-h/epcot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ag5i9b0wVFlwOGlcvuhH9ruwNp0qZn-4XA7GjVBKEvfyBkW-oEzEtUMaAJurpAKYy6kXQh7r8Z7QnPwvfJpzYu7bZt7Q3_PT9V8xZXahjCYJOs_M_UQCG_B3RssCMee3nyTfZXb4r74/s320/epcot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285978995952239762" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">December</span><br />Directed Lynn and Betsy's show... Wrestled at (but did not blog about) Hanukkaos: The Festival of Fights... Hated (or didn't hate?) Christmas... Spent the month writing... Grew a beard... Got new glasses that look a lot like my old ones but are slightly different and a lot more fancy-ass... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPk6sofzO2NVtbfscl7ZvJN_bijv3Q9E9sJB7PhZduqkgMupSlj2Hyx5f3JUy6jq1cxxlLL-EZ_hAGVIE5dj_Mkz-ViPF7peYO8lRIVkpJuJogxxddtTg4qcitpLoCPusrBu3s7vVBFs/s1600-h/1227081235.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPk6sofzO2NVtbfscl7ZvJN_bijv3Q9E9sJB7PhZduqkgMupSlj2Hyx5f3JUy6jq1cxxlLL-EZ_hAGVIE5dj_Mkz-ViPF7peYO8lRIVkpJuJogxxddtTg4qcitpLoCPusrBu3s7vVBFs/s320/1227081235.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285988969261071234" /></a><br />Not a bad way to end the year, I guess.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">And Beyond!</span><br />Some previews for what's to come in 2009: Finally wear my gnome costume. Go back to Dragon*Con (those two aren't necessarily inclusive). Get into some new TV show. Finish this scarf I've been knitting for three years. Finish and post up my novel. Run a few more scenarios of Disney Zombies as an RPG. Keep playing the guitar. Outer space, maybe?! And fight a shark. <br /><br />Happy New Year, everyone! See you in the new blog... and the future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRvPLbgqE8yKg93E0bWYkumerjWd4SMI5Z_Qm_yYIkAWo4SarpOi5w1EOMi0PIU4hlD-1-sv_G4N5T9PSN2Pt0eZt3hmqmfh3STdYBVNSS0J0c7ZMJjG8iqEyR0GQiENK32qXeI_mwp0/s1600-h/spaceshipearth.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRvPLbgqE8yKg93E0bWYkumerjWd4SMI5Z_Qm_yYIkAWo4SarpOi5w1EOMi0PIU4hlD-1-sv_G4N5T9PSN2Pt0eZt3hmqmfh3STdYBVNSS0J0c7ZMJjG8iqEyR0GQiENK32qXeI_mwp0/s400/spaceshipearth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285989239413641538" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-51406611424884059092008-12-29T13:05:00.003-05:002008-12-29T13:48:19.647-05:00End of the Year... End of the Blog?So 2008 is coming to a close. Will this be the end of the Year of Yes?<br /><br />I'm still undecided. <br /><br />On the one hand, did this blog actually accomplish anything? It forced me to write more, which is a good thing, though it was a time-eater, and I could've used that time on more creative endeavors or wasted it on nonsense. And I need a serious amount of nonsense in my life or I fade away. <br /><br />But did I inspire other people to get psyched and say Yes (one of my original goals of the blog)? And more importantly, my point of view about life change for the better? I don't think so. I continue to be like this dog...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4DU-ND3sQ-oNBX-4lt4gTGKMRLg3PRRSEpOz4nOZSxQDwGr4zXZNQbh1-pQGKWe1Ll35jUd5hKZUObE3JjnEYxpAR-xj9NIddA4FTRwwxcQIA6KyGvSHVtLHl24RwHxep46Gy1XTUe4/s1600-h/ihateeverything.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4DU-ND3sQ-oNBX-4lt4gTGKMRLg3PRRSEpOz4nOZSxQDwGr4zXZNQbh1-pQGKWe1Ll35jUd5hKZUObE3JjnEYxpAR-xj9NIddA4FTRwwxcQIA6KyGvSHVtLHl24RwHxep46Gy1XTUe4/s320/ihateeverything.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285279931216517586" /></a><br />...in the sense that I'm wearing my wonderful pink bunny rabbit suit and no one appreciates it properly, and I'm like, "What the heck is wrong with the world? I hate everything... and I'm thirsty."<br /><br />Also, for every event I wrote about, there were probably two or three that I didn't mention, for whatever reason. Sometimes I'd forget. Sometimes I'd think, "Well, I don't wanna blog about something until it happens," but then once it did happen, I'd think, "It's old news by now, who cares?"<br /><br />That's a pretty weak reason, though. Over the past 12 months, I'd learned that the best way to blog is to write before the event (to get psyched), and to recap afterward. Even if it sucked, it's enough to say, "It was sort of sucky."<br /><br />But the main reason I omitted certain events are because I'm an incredibly private person, and I have no desire to talk about my medical misadventures or personal tragedies with my friends and family, let alone the Faceless Internet. Even blogging about my wisdom teeth was a struggle. For a long time, I didn't include my real name and picture until I realized it's pretty easy to find me, so why bother hiding?<br /><br />Other Reasons to Stop: Laziness. Saying "No" to things is easier. That <span style="font-style:italic;">Yes Man</span> movie kind of killed it for me.<br /><br />And, to be honest, I don't take great joy in blogging. I've never felt like "WHOA MAMA I CAN'T WAIT TO WRITE ABOUT THIS!" with the exception of Disney World.<br /><br />Finally, the year is written in the URL. Isn't that passe? Wouldn't I have to change it and deal with all the crap that such an effort would entail? 2008 is the past, man, I gotta quit living in the past! But I don't wanna start over on a brand-new blog, want to keep all these posts and stuff. Maybe I can just change the title or something. Is that legal?<br /><br />Reasons to Keep on Bloggin': On the other hand, being responsible for the Year of Yes ensured that stuff would get done. I wouldn't waste all my time on nonsense, I'd go out and do things that aren't usual for me. Or I'd do easy Yes things (Friend: Want to eat this cheezburger with me? Kirk: OK.) and get an easy sense of accomplishment.<br /><br />And (is this one lame?) I like having a record of my year. Even though I don't like blogging, I like having a blog. I can look back on past months and be like, "Oh, yeah, I did that!" instead of forgetting the mundane pleasantries of, say, eating a cheezburger with a friend.<br /><br />In the past, I'd categorize each year by a month-spanning project: <span style="font-style:italic;">My Wife, the Ghost</span> one year, <span style="font-style:italic;">Cakey! The Cake From Outer Space</span> the next, then a Halloween karaoke musical. This year, I didn't do anything creative other than this blog. And that's OK, 'cause it was also a little personal project, too.<br /><br />So will I continue it? I guess it'd be the ultimate No to be like, "And that's 365 days, I'm out, suckers!" However, it <span style="font-style:italic;">would</span> be kind of funny.<br /><br />Thoughts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-53976638046581982602008-12-27T13:39:00.007-05:002008-12-27T15:03:12.751-05:00Merry (Belated) BlechmasYou'd be surprised to hear it, but I'm not a big fan of Christmas. I mean, I like the idea of Christmas, and I often wear an Elf hat and excitedly shout "Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!" in the hopes that I'll get psyched, but at the end of the season, I'm as far from psyched as one can get.<br /><br />I'm not into gifts, and that's really the reason for the season, isn't it? Just watch any <span style="font-style:italic;">Family Matters</span> Christmas special (and I did, courtesy of Nick at Nite), and it always ends with them opening a mountain of presents. Eddie got that new boom box he wanted! It just adds up to too much clutter, and really, is that the payoff to 20 minutes of Christmas spirit? Presents?<br /><br />I hate giving gifts! It's hard to figure out what to get people that isn't teh suck. One of my friends told me her family gave up on the act of gift-giving because it's basically "giving garbage to each other." And I agree! So much of the time, it's giving something people don't want or need. Maybe that's just my experience... or I'm terrible at giving gifts.<br /><br />Buying gifts stresses me out <span style="font-style:italic;">so</span> much, probably brought on by a lifetime of watching Christmas specials and being told it's very important to get the perfect thing, and I can never figure it out.<br /><br />Then I thought about it, like, "What does Sarah really like?" and I got this very cool (to me) piece of gerbil artwork:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQ_mgauAZHYUs_5S56BQfD8P6635_Ukd_NIRCNSjcK8UBnm5aBkvNL1voz6IU-soruJJLgNr9elQQ7yXELUsBTgy7xyp9Rouz9ZQwKhxbALXnOSoWWZTT48-qvseRWTrebe9qofVyAzM/s1600-h/GerbilArt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQ_mgauAZHYUs_5S56BQfD8P6635_Ukd_NIRCNSjcK8UBnm5aBkvNL1voz6IU-soruJJLgNr9elQQ7yXELUsBTgy7xyp9Rouz9ZQwKhxbALXnOSoWWZTT48-qvseRWTrebe9qofVyAzM/s400/GerbilArt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284545108670167058" /></a><br />But let me tell you the ordeal it took to get this damn thing. First off, it was on eBay, but I couldn't Buy It Now, then it came in from France, and there was this huge self-induced stress of "Will it get here in time?" (since we both left town for the holidays), then I had to try and get the damn thing framed, and the whole thing was a nightmare. <br /><br />Then I felt a little guilty because she got me a present I really liked, seriously, one of my favorite presents of all time: Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii. I've rarely gotten good gifts in my life, so it was a nice surprise. It perfectly fit my definition of a good gift - it's something I want (I really, really, really love this game) but would never buy for myself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsIMnvPTOWWdUR1HR6YQw3omdh4ltjYuN8-SrCdfO3SjeMTqek77zZw3mrPNR1XsUi4X1OtTIm_lWMBXWJjBWI2JyAjuSwz90dFSkb-IxcXVhEcF_bh1_4oOM5OehRwxwyWoRbFHPRE4/s1600-h/brawl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsIMnvPTOWWdUR1HR6YQw3omdh4ltjYuN8-SrCdfO3SjeMTqek77zZw3mrPNR1XsUi4X1OtTIm_lWMBXWJjBWI2JyAjuSwz90dFSkb-IxcXVhEcF_bh1_4oOM5OehRwxwyWoRbFHPRE4/s320/brawl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284550073892062482" /></a><br />Most years, I try and alleviate this holiday hatred by taking part in the New York Cares <a href="http://www.nycares.org/volunteer/annual_events/winter_wishes/index.php">Winter Wishes</a> campaign. One would think making poor kids happy would make me feel better (and that's a selfish reason to take part in a charity, isn't it?), but no! All I remember from years past is how difficult and crappy it was finding and sending these gifts, and always being late about it, and feeling bad. <br /><br />And yet, I enjoy those bad memories in the same way Oscar the Grouch enjoys hating the world. Ask me about how I had to deliver a very heavy wagon (admittedly, a really cool gift, I'm glad that today's youth still appreciate the classics) during the MTA transit strike a few years ago. I almost died.<br /><br />Sometimes I feel like Charlie Brown, but on that note, even though I subjugated Sarah to hours of Christmas specials and I watch them in the hopes of finding spiritual fulfillment, they still piss me off. They're too trite and easy and never delve into a deeper meaning of the holidays. <br /><br />Even friggin' Charlie Brown, especially Charlie Brown - they just decide to make the tree look pretty and then sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and that's the ending? That solves all his problems? I highly doubt it. He's going to kill himself come February.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1SnWC88sAkTZyyVZP3e0VOn9osq-VNoaVsSL9Nl8NEJIVQiTGPPfz0-1Sm3jdpVWB8Z9gzej1bTglvb6vaUYs-_a-eNTQIY-lOrLr0YTc3qOyjS7iKcCJp5yPcxNURRRmeFW91_522Y/s1600-h/CharlieBrown.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1SnWC88sAkTZyyVZP3e0VOn9osq-VNoaVsSL9Nl8NEJIVQiTGPPfz0-1Sm3jdpVWB8Z9gzej1bTglvb6vaUYs-_a-eNTQIY-lOrLr0YTc3qOyjS7iKcCJp5yPcxNURRRmeFW91_522Y/s320/CharlieBrown.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284552396547982674" /></a><br />Or the Grinch - I love the (almost) ending! The Whos sing without presents. Christmas doesn't come from a store after all! But then what does the Grinch do? That idiot brings 'em all back so everyone gets their material rewards. It undercuts the entire message! Eff that ess. I wish he would've burned it all and been like, "I'm sorry. I ruined Christmas. I'm an ass," and then the Whos would say, "It's OK. We forgive you," and that'd be it. No Christmas miracle, no appearance of Santa, just them singing without presents of foods.<br /><br />Maybe I'm a misanthrope, but I prefer reading the Charles Ludlam (one of my favorite playwrights) adaptation of <span style="font-style:italic;">A Christmas Carol</span>, where Scrooge realizes, bit by bit, that it's all about kindness. It doesn't cost anything, doesn't hurt anyone, and it makes it a difference. When he talks about how much he appreciated Fezziwig's parties, and they didn't cost hardly anything... isn't that what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown?<br /><br />One final rant: Man, was church lame! I like my religion the way I like my coffee: full of mysticism and ritual and singing and weirdness. That makes it fun. And it's such a letdown when the priest just tells an amusing anecdote for his homily (Really? That's all you got? It's just the Birth of your Savior, padre, you couldn't mention that a bit?), everyone's shuffling their feet so they can go home, there's just no real joy or zest, just bored obligation, and there are at least three kids playing with their Game Boys. That part just killed me... parents really let kids bring video games to church nowadays? <br /><br />Even the Christmas music was sang in a boring way, and that just boggles the mind. Christmas music should be the best, most-psyched music ever. And I listen to EPCOT's <span style="font-style:italic;">Candlelight Processional</span> (of which I had the honor of being a part of, many years ago) and "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" on constant repeat during the entire month of December. I'm not kidding. To see that music fail to get people psyched... at a church... on Christmas Eve... it made me want to give up on everything.<br /><br />And now for the topper: I had a pretty good Christmas this year! Both of my flights had zero problems, I got to go home for a longer amount of time (usually I just get to visit for a day or two), got to see most of my family, went swimming on Christmas Day, got a lot of writing done, played with the dog (at one point, I took a sword and knighted her Sir Stupid. I thought that was the most hilarious thing ever. Am I right, people? That's really funny, right? To knight a dog while she smiles a dopey smile and doesn't understand what's going on? And to use the name Sir Stupid for a female dog?), and had a good time.<br /><br />So what the heck am I complaining about?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58FP5Kgc3lDdQl9QTod100hA8gu56_0EtmGhWwLbmudcMquYFbEmkOUnXcEfoGPBNCCfgekv5Ua_E89RSZv1Wyei8zoTAgoosORA1hxv8EqKtu_PKvDikqpI_gmc4lvZk2kngKLXgbHc/s1600-h/Jingles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58FP5Kgc3lDdQl9QTod100hA8gu56_0EtmGhWwLbmudcMquYFbEmkOUnXcEfoGPBNCCfgekv5Ua_E89RSZv1Wyei8zoTAgoosORA1hxv8EqKtu_PKvDikqpI_gmc4lvZk2kngKLXgbHc/s320/Jingles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284555835106169986" /></a><br />PS: I'm very proud of this post title. Let's all try to use the word "blech" a little more in 2009, shall we? 2009: The Year of Blech.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-26006040621949688872008-12-17T12:18:00.003-05:002008-12-17T12:58:56.525-05:00Writin'I've got a lot of writing going on. Always do. And now I've got some more.<br /><br />I recently found out that <a href="http://www.figmenttheatre.com/">Figment Theatre</a> is running a contest for people to write a one-act play that involves classical movie monsters. <br /><br />(Unfortunately, registration is now closed. I wish I could've posted about it earlier, but I found out about this less than an hour before the deadline.) <br /><br />Sounds like fun, but here's a good reason why I shouldn't enter: I'm trying to finish the first draft of this novel, hopefully by the end of the year, so I can start putting it up on the blog beginning in January. Now that I'm unemployed, it's not that hard to get down 2,000 words a day, but I don't need any distractions. <br /><br />Here's a bunch of reasons why I should enter: It's the Year of Yes. I like classical movie monsters. I like distractions. It seems like fun. It's due in 30 days, so this won't consume my entire life and creative self. I've got an idea that I've wanted to do for ages, but never did because while it's easy to write a script, producing and putting together a film shoot is a huge, huge hassle. And most important, because I want to.<br /><br />So I signed up. Whee!<br /><br />I might have bragged before that I have a somewhat easy time writing dialogue. At least, that's been my experience, because then you have actors to give it life and a director to make sense of it all, and you can always rewrite things if they don't flow.<br /><br />Working on this novel has been a lot harder. It's a lot more final than any script. Scripts are joint efforts, this one is all on me. And that's scary because I don't have any decent amount of experience writing prose, I don't how to do it, and all my sentences start with a character's name or "The [something-something]."<br /><br />It's weird doing something you're not good at and then putting it out there on display to be judged and critiqued and given cease-and-desist orders from corporate lawyers. <br /><br />I saw an excerpt from a zombie novel that was posted online, and you better believe I judged it (it was pretty horrible!). What if people think that about my story? Man, that would suck.<br /><br />Also, I'm fully aware that this probably falls in the realms of "fan fiction," and all the stigma that entails. Part of me doesn't care about that, and yet, I just thought about the Prologue, which features Rafiki (from <span style="font-style:italic;">The Lion King</span>) reading the entrails of a sacrifice and being bothered by what he sees. <br /><br />That's ridiculous. I know it is. I'm taking talking animals and putting them into a grim scenario that's already overdone (zombies are everywhere, even at the Bust Craft Fair, where I bought a nifty ring... but that's another story).<br /><br />People are going to think that's stupid. So half of me is like "I don't want people to think I'm stupid!" while the other half is like, "Eff 'em. They don't have to read it. And really, the title should give them fair warning about what I'm going for, here."<br /><br />Beh. For now, I'm just ignoring all the self-doubts and plowing through. Editing will take place in the second draft (I haven't read over anything yet, so maybe it's better than I'm remembering. Or worse.), the first is just to get the words (<span style="font-style:italic;">all</span> the words - good and bad) onto the paper.<br /><br />But writing a play that's got a monster in it? Man, that practically writes itself! How could you go wrong?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-68861317724459035612008-12-13T23:08:00.013-05:002008-12-14T00:24:07.651-05:00Post-Disney Interview with Sarah (Part IV)And so we reach the final, long-awaited chapter in our Disney Adventure: Animal Kingdom.<br /><br />K: We started out at the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. You'd never heard of this place, but I'm very familiar with it - we had one at Sawgrass Mills. What'd you think?<br /><br />S: I made friends with an elephant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVh6BgMnQL2IEyXzsvU69v6-u7RVMcZC7D9vNHt5w1Qzok3vlKOnrBOPvFcPgwGejtXk9qDjcIlihwvUsUgyAjYyE2WLKvQlxudhU7Og44rUnT3eSz4RYmdUYjfQ85K1ATA_goJjmCBs/s1600-h/elephant.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVh6BgMnQL2IEyXzsvU69v6-u7RVMcZC7D9vNHt5w1Qzok3vlKOnrBOPvFcPgwGejtXk9qDjcIlihwvUsUgyAjYyE2WLKvQlxudhU7Og44rUnT3eSz4RYmdUYjfQ85K1ATA_goJjmCBs/s400/elephant.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279503988174371362" /></a><br />K: This place must be a lot of fun for kids, but so annoying for everyone else. Every 15 minutes, the animals come to life, and every 20 minutes, there's a thunderstorm.<br /><br />S: Actually, the kids didn't seem to be having a lot of fun.<br /><br />K: Did you like it, though?<br /><br />S: It was OK. It was funny. They had the best stuff in the gift shop, it was ridiculous.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hR7b6XoFd0tyI2zrRsDPvCl7EI8ERDdJQ6tjFv42bQeYMmLNWzWfkBR0ME2gWjsfFPg5K9J00PoIAL2lVTyfMLymsIlb2QZerpw3-bw6JIowK-9NIDSoqWiszC6TV3E2sT_ZZZzmZYc/s1600-h/merch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hR7b6XoFd0tyI2zrRsDPvCl7EI8ERDdJQ6tjFv42bQeYMmLNWzWfkBR0ME2gWjsfFPg5K9J00PoIAL2lVTyfMLymsIlb2QZerpw3-bw6JIowK-9NIDSoqWiszC6TV3E2sT_ZZZzmZYc/s400/merch.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279504834291027378" /></a><br />K: And then we went into the park itself. First stop: Dinosaur!<br /><br />S: That was cool.<br /><br />K: Why?<br /><br />S: Dinosaurs!<br /><br />K: So you liked this ride? <br /><br />S: Yeah.<br /><br />K: It wasn't too scary?<br /><br />S: No, you said it was going to be scary. And I did see a little kid crying on their way out.<br /><br />K: But sometimes it moves fast, that's what I'm talking about.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJa8cOqdy_2Q1W8eVToTm53MqcAaDWjp5-1e8p53vMCBOPFm3JOsvh41-2jCvE0lnv1btzN1g6MOsDA-wY4YipoMD0U0JpBOWBQv-nJX_9uPVgj2c22ugFw9WZRevJWMEzPK7j3m-h9w/s1600-h/dinosaur.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJa8cOqdy_2Q1W8eVToTm53MqcAaDWjp5-1e8p53vMCBOPFm3JOsvh41-2jCvE0lnv1btzN1g6MOsDA-wY4YipoMD0U0JpBOWBQv-nJX_9uPVgj2c22ugFw9WZRevJWMEzPK7j3m-h9w/s400/dinosaur.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279505021096881330" /></a><br />S: I thought it was exciting, actually, unlike most of them. They used the effects to make it exciting, but not scary.<br /><br />K: So then we went to the Asia animal trail. It was nice! It's very zoo-like there, and zoos are fun.<br /><br />S: True.<br /><br />K: This is where we saw tigers and bats.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEdNAIIEp4bwY5CBUew4GPDNvnroISA3c6VjR8j26zRMMQr-SfBiUsyL1lNBki5MEbAHMCEDYCK6_cCxU9zof1CxL-qjtrsRkV5ny6A2LEDyRxZ0i_WSkKdfw5BR_Ob8ijc6Bs07mhuo/s1600-h/tiger.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEdNAIIEp4bwY5CBUew4GPDNvnroISA3c6VjR8j26zRMMQr-SfBiUsyL1lNBki5MEbAHMCEDYCK6_cCxU9zof1CxL-qjtrsRkV5ny6A2LEDyRxZ0i_WSkKdfw5BR_Ob8ijc6Bs07mhuo/s400/tiger.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279505239115153506" /></a><br />S: We saw some ridiculous tourists. The "Nowhere Butt Hawaii" guy [he was wearing a t-shirt featuring airbrushed bikini babes in thongs] who kept on saying all the animals were "good eatin'."<br /><br />K: They probably were. But what about the tigers and bats? Any comment?<br /><br />S: I liked them. And they had a mouse that was pretty cool.<br /><br />K: All right. After that we went on the Kilimanjaro Safaris, featuring the most sarcastic tour guide ever.<br /><br />S: Yeah, he was sarcastic.<br /><br />K: But good! It was a lot of fun, and we sat in the front row!<br /><br />S: Yep. We were the only people in the front row. It was fun. I thought we were gonna be better friends with the people at the end, but we all just went our separate ways.<br /><br />K: What?<br /><br />S: Remember the rapport we all had?<br /><br />K: Oh, right. Some of those people were very chatty and jokey.<br /><br />S: Actually, they were kind of obnoxious.<br /><br />K: But we got really close to a rhino! And some deer or I don't know what they are.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-EbrdkNV-pqvq1CLgGy43Myn82v5SnB8Fr7WVixlcX5RiOUA5B_MGwxDp40l-mlB1mJPEq6uXvU8rGQSymE03vaSs0JcmmVkttkyiHmcLgIT_iDvLvlxTTr3zqp-bxDJT0qmnX_4m5E/s1600-h/rhino.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-EbrdkNV-pqvq1CLgGy43Myn82v5SnB8Fr7WVixlcX5RiOUA5B_MGwxDp40l-mlB1mJPEq6uXvU8rGQSymE03vaSs0JcmmVkttkyiHmcLgIT_iDvLvlxTTr3zqp-bxDJT0qmnX_4m5E/s400/rhino.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279505461269566546" /></a><br />S: That rhino is awesome. It was coming up to us. And it was big and cool. I like animals.<br /><br />K: I like turtles.<br /><br /><DIV ALIGN=CENTER><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CMNry4PE93Y&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CMNry4PE93Y&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></DIV><br />K: And then we went to the Africa animal trail, where we saw that deer get on its hind legs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize97wmVrwCHluj2mGZQ4B8r-lRbmh9NOJT0Llg1HJt-NE3mGVIApklyZuyThr2dy6wSN0lNjLgyBwGf-KDNreu_Xbnxd-NMkHKODH_yPR-WEhUTd0_TqulhuShepWzQJlvlw4pPTHa6I/s1600-h/deer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize97wmVrwCHluj2mGZQ4B8r-lRbmh9NOJT0Llg1HJt-NE3mGVIApklyZuyThr2dy6wSN0lNjLgyBwGf-KDNreu_Xbnxd-NMkHKODH_yPR-WEhUTd0_TqulhuShepWzQJlvlw4pPTHa6I/s400/deer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279505655437740066" /></a><br />S: That was adorable. Wait, that's where that ["Nowhere Butt Hawaii"] man was. Because he said that about the deer and some birds that we saw after that.<br /><br />K: Right, that's right. And they had some gorillas, which I don't think I'd seen before, but it was pretty amazing.<br /><br />S: I think people who don't love animals like I do get a kick out of gorillas, because they seem like people, only, you know, bigger and different. To me, we're all part of a global community...<br /><br />(I give her a weird look.)<br /><br />S: Hey, I'm trying to sound good for once. I liked the mouse, and I liked the gorillas.<br /><br />K: I liked 'em, too! They were really big, and their faces are creepily expressive.<br /><br />S: Mm-hmm, their eyes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR-KYCnigAEXETFrmyb5pfFfqTszWkB8EBIkqEyA88faT88jh-yPLrNN3f14pLFeUidyN5FeoODa1rnSTEBgHdrDzxDjt9rLAPvUX9T9KZIxnM38PKR8uwPxh4_Xe0gNqDD_aOIIlCoI/s1600-h/gorilla.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR-KYCnigAEXETFrmyb5pfFfqTszWkB8EBIkqEyA88faT88jh-yPLrNN3f14pLFeUidyN5FeoODa1rnSTEBgHdrDzxDjt9rLAPvUX9T9KZIxnM38PKR8uwPxh4_Xe0gNqDD_aOIIlCoI/s400/gorilla.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279505872461490882" /></a><br />K: And in this week's episode of <span style="font-style:italic;">Survivor: Gabon</span>, they went to <a href="http://www.africas-eden.com ">Africa's Eden</a>, a gorilla sanctuary. It was pretty impressive. You decided not to go on Expedition Everest.<br /><br />S: Yeah, I watched about 12 of those cars go down the mountain, and I decided to not risk throwing up.<br /><br />K: It wasn't that bad. I don't think the drop was as bad as Splash Mountain.<br /><br />S: Really?<br /><br />K: Yeah.<br /><br />S: But it goes right into a turn afterward. That was the part I was worried about.<br /><br />K: I didn't think it was that bad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE95nYYSQx2zJ6cFriMjleFch0Tm1bBbNtxeg_oCO1Xx7SbnIX-I-UWGyPGZeQ9lSrzmuhNF9O4xU2gk09hvMlfLLxvdeYlKX2CFA3lbtQxWSloQis_vrvTzDpd4VN3w283h06ztDHUQs/s1600-h/everest.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE95nYYSQx2zJ6cFriMjleFch0Tm1bBbNtxeg_oCO1Xx7SbnIX-I-UWGyPGZeQ9lSrzmuhNF9O4xU2gk09hvMlfLLxvdeYlKX2CFA3lbtQxWSloQis_vrvTzDpd4VN3w283h06ztDHUQs/s400/everest.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279506082195541298" /></a><br />S: Plus, I didn't want to experience the fear of waiting in line and knowing I can't get off the ride, like I did on Splash Mountain.<br /><br />K: With our FastPasses, I just waited like seven minutes each time. It was neat!<br /><br />S: I would rather you have a good time twice than have you have a good time once with me possibly not.<br /><br />K: That's very nice of you. That was about all we did, really. It was mostly a relaxing day in a zoo, with some rides. But I really liked Animal Kingdom! Anything else you want to say?<br /><br />S: We didn't do anything else?<br /><br />K: No, we just walked the animal trails. Oh, but we never talked about Downtown Disney!<br /><br />S: True.<br /><br />K: Downtown Disney had <a href="http://www.earlofsandwichusa.com">Earl of Sandwich</a>...<br /><br />S: Which was the highlight of your trip.<br /><br />K: That was the best damn sandwich I've ever had in my life. It was the Holiday Special, with turkey and gravy and stuffing and cranberry sauce. I wish to God I had taken a picture of it. I am not kidding when I say it was one of the finest meals I've ever had.<br /><br />S: I actually enjoyed Downtown Disney, 'cause I like stores. And they had some pretty weird stuff.<br /><br />K: Like what? The Ariel doll?<br /><br />S: That was weird. It was weird that someone had, well, you know... undressed it.<br /><br />K: And weirder still was that just one of the many baby Ariel dolls appeared to be anatomically correct. The Little Mermaid vagina. I just typed that so weirdos can find us on Google. Here's a pic!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn_pBCMJta3wWk_vV2U4yyT94FLBDPqYpPpmw2Kq9bduVExNQ5ncHHaBhyphenhyphenKLvPvcHpQpPz7OAZdcBr-Woc6t3_iu7geLE7He1ZNh-AGBuvYHPCkC80uLZc-1dy-JIUSIE1BeJXqJD-kY/s1600-h/ariel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn_pBCMJta3wWk_vV2U4yyT94FLBDPqYpPpmw2Kq9bduVExNQ5ncHHaBhyphenhyphenKLvPvcHpQpPz7OAZdcBr-Woc6t3_iu7geLE7He1ZNh-AGBuvYHPCkC80uLZc-1dy-JIUSIE1BeJXqJD-kY/s400/ariel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279506410475850306" /></a><br />S: Also, it was pretty cute watching the kids play in the fountain.<br /><br />K: I ran through it! Remember? And I didn't get wet. Also, they had a Lego store.<br /><br />S: Yeah, if I recall, you got scared in that store. You got scared a lot at Downtown Disney.<br /><br />K: I sure did. It was weird and different. And nighttime.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4kee4spfIODGqCWPwGZDwBDEOkyECwsdjwZPsYXZULkAn444q8ae_autnMM71bULGlCa_at3N2TTkz9ua4I8r-DcLhzMJud-wEj6cqzvG-EQG8tuIQDcoeL3Sik_rJuBrQRw_cpvZck/s1600-h/santa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4kee4spfIODGqCWPwGZDwBDEOkyECwsdjwZPsYXZULkAn444q8ae_autnMM71bULGlCa_at3N2TTkz9ua4I8r-DcLhzMJud-wEj6cqzvG-EQG8tuIQDcoeL3Sik_rJuBrQRw_cpvZck/s400/santa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279506680482547506" /></a><br />S: And at Downtown Disney, I got to see my only triple [meaning a Disney character dressed up as something else as something else]. Well, some kind of merchandise representing three different...<br /><br />K: Incongruous things?<br /><br />S: Yeah. Like, I saw a lot of, you know, Holiday Mickey, or Pirate Mickey, but no Holiday Pirate Mickey.<br /><br />K: I wanted to see Minnie Mouse as the Virgin Mary giving birth to Pluto, but that didn't exist. However, we did get the triple...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHxK2cErItKpCs1JTmUMImlTCN45lrz66_hOVruhOVvu7BO6JUviASYP9w5vO86-6-nkiYGejLf9uFcZYr_cYjS9MTzdWSo8j1ZehLQ6TQ46oBHrhcJEG99Q3LHd6yTqUnmDcygWdAmM/s1600-h/clue.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHxK2cErItKpCs1JTmUMImlTCN45lrz66_hOVruhOVvu7BO6JUviASYP9w5vO86-6-nkiYGejLf9uFcZYr_cYjS9MTzdWSo8j1ZehLQ6TQ46oBHrhcJEG99Q3LHd6yTqUnmDcygWdAmM/s400/clue.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279506938723763410" /></a><br />K: It's Disney characters as Tower of Terror characters and they're also sort of Clue characters.<br /><br />S: Better than nothing.<br /><br />K: I don't understand why they used Pete instead of Pluto.<br /><br />S: He's a dog. Dogs can't be...<br /><br />K: Pluto could've been the bellhop, instead.<br /><br />S: Dogs can't be bellhops.<br /><br />K: Pluto would make a better bellhop than Goofy. Goofy, as that kid said, is a weirdo. I also would've liked to have seen...<br /><br />S: You wanted to see Kermit Mickey.<br /><br />K: That would have been the stuff of nightmares. Anyway, that was our trip! Any final thoughts on the complete package that is Walt Disney World?<br /><br />S: At least I know what you're talking about now.<br /><br />K: Do you miss it?<br /><br />S: Actually, I was thinking about it earlier today.<br /><br />K: Oh?<br /><br />S: I was thinking about what a good time you had, and how it was nice to watch you have fun. I guess now I know what it's like to have a kid.<br /><br />K: I'm a big boy. Do you want to go again next year?<br /><br />S: No.<br /><br />K: Too bad. I'm taking you there for your birthday.<br /><br /><br />Oh, Disney World! I miss you already! I wish I was there right now. But we'll always have <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/68551298@N00/collections/72157610599076100/">this flickr set</a> to remember the good times. I'll close with a picture of all we could see during the parade at Animal Kingdom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5xVECH7hIFCjyr5lyZSA9CnzHU31qjJ4uUJmtgyoF7xswARYJcrae8yPg2bM0aVH56HRXwvs6P3FnZ0a1rG6L-WAzS9HySJSIOFbNzDQZ6d7ukEszk6qVOPcWJ3V-1uYnVY3_wxm-6I/s1600-h/butt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5xVECH7hIFCjyr5lyZSA9CnzHU31qjJ4uUJmtgyoF7xswARYJcrae8yPg2bM0aVH56HRXwvs6P3FnZ0a1rG6L-WAzS9HySJSIOFbNzDQZ6d7ukEszk6qVOPcWJ3V-1uYnVY3_wxm-6I/s400/butt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279512025865580690" /></a><br /><div align=center>The End.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-27563409020563192292008-12-11T09:25:00.005-05:002008-12-11T09:32:04.172-05:00The Pun That Started a Round of Applause...Pam remembered it!<br /><br />It happened after the fight between King Arthur and the Black Knight (who loses his arms and legs in the process).<br /><br />A beggar walks by, calling out, "Alms for the poor, alms for the poor."<br /><br />Then he picks up the fallen arms. Arms for the poor. Wokka wokka!<br /><br />In retrospect, it's not that hilarious, but the timing was right to bust out the applause.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcF2MEWVMuBRrrw3nCfXhdRgwFDrFlbRxWqf4XWd3eiyHFFj9_oXXHjb2fGfo8KBOKj4ZGhDBQEHifn9gnFvg91Uf2ExRm6L650D1D0P-wYL7ozBjb8haA5MWbsAx9_sXxIpSH98T1mc/s1600-h/knight.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 336px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcF2MEWVMuBRrrw3nCfXhdRgwFDrFlbRxWqf4XWd3eiyHFFj9_oXXHjb2fGfo8KBOKj4ZGhDBQEHifn9gnFvg91Uf2ExRm6L650D1D0P-wYL7ozBjb8haA5MWbsAx9_sXxIpSH98T1mc/s400/knight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278540096280589922" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-60326333490230811172008-12-10T09:44:00.003-05:002008-12-10T10:15:26.813-05:00SpamalotLast night, in what could be the final theatre-going event of 2008 (or longer, depending on how much I end up tightening the financial belt), Pam and I went to see <span style="font-style:italic;">Monty Python's Spamalot</span>.<br /><br />It's closing soon, they're offering $20 tickets (visit <a href="http://www.broadwayoffers.com">http://www.BroadwayOffers.com </a>and enter the code SPBAL20), and it's the Year of Yes, so why not?<br /><br />Plus, we'd seen a lot of downer theatre this year (<span style="font-style:italic;">Equus, All My Sons)</span>, so we thought it'd be nice to end the year on an upbeat musical.<br /><br />The show was all right. I'd rather watch <span style="font-style:italic;">Monty Python and the Holy Grail</span>, obviously, but it was a way to spend the evening. And it had a lot of puns! I love 'em! I'm an idiot! They're one of my favorite things, I find them just punderful.<br /><br />When King Arthur said, "The grail is a symbol..." and the percussionist in the orchestra hit a cymbal, oh, how I laughed.<br /><br />During a dance number, when someone carried out a bale of hay and everyone on stage pointed at it and said "Hey!" rhythmically, I hit my knee and elbowed Pam painfully to let her know how much I appreciated that horrible bit of wordplay.<br /><br />And there's one more, I wish I could remember it, but I just started applauding. And I didn't stop. Pretty soon, the audience picked up on it, and they were applauding their approval for some stupid pun.<br /><br />I was pretty proud of that moment. If there's one thing I can do, it's incite a crowd to action - I once got everyone in line at Splash Mountain to sing "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" or some similar song. Oh, and when we landed in Orlando last month, I got the other passengers to applaud. Yeah, I'm a regular John Candy from <span style="font-style:italic;">Planes, Trains and Automobiles.</span><br /><br />I kept track of the number of puns in the second act - there were ten. I was curious if any of them would get spontaneous applause that <span style="font-style:italic;">wasn't</span> started by me. No pun in ten did.<br /><br />That's my show, good night, folks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-90772328241307788392008-12-08T12:16:00.004-05:002008-12-08T17:56:20.830-05:00Fired!On Thursday our department was finally let go. <br /><br />We were in good company, over 800 other people were laid off from Viacom in a <a href="http://gawker.com/5101825/the-dreaded-viacom-layoffs-850-people">big initiative of sadness</a>. <br /><br />At least our department had warning - a huge amount of warning, really, considering we were told at the end of July. But I still went from being a rich, rich man with more money than I could ever spend (remember that proposed trip to London and Paris?) and the savings just piling up to having to carefully budget my coins and be nervous about the future. Fun! And just in time for the holidays.<br /><br />So now I find myself unemployed for the first time in about five years, wondering what to do and what will happen... along with thousands and thousands of other people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUdWDNfEg3z8BNmWl0C0dHLC1UEZFX-8b4sk6TheMEJ381zT9fvq5jZ_Woz6IrJFK7GyIRKA8aokpD1CG6JPUK73HbN2FBsfrgNPgP2WRs_a-n1dHvwqHhIwFsJliIGRzkoViG68h58A/s1600-h/1204081640.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUdWDNfEg3z8BNmWl0C0dHLC1UEZFX-8b4sk6TheMEJ381zT9fvq5jZ_Woz6IrJFK7GyIRKA8aokpD1CG6JPUK73HbN2FBsfrgNPgP2WRs_a-n1dHvwqHhIwFsJliIGRzkoViG68h58A/s400/1204081640.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277550295809774578" /></a><br />Gone is my work ID, which always made me laugh. As you can see, I got it during a moustache period of my life. And when I finally shaved, everyone was like, "Wow, you look so different!" To which I responded, "Oh, this? This is what I <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> look like."<br /><br />I'll miss the job. I liked the work, it was interesting and stress-free, I liked the people, and I had a plant that I didn't have to water for months at a time. It was without a doubt the best job I've had since moving to the city. Or in my life. I don't know what'll happen to the plant.<br /><br />And there's a big, boring story about the MTV Closed Captioning Department and why things happened to us the way they did. Basically, in an effort to save money short-term, they're outsourcing us, even though short- and long-term, we were a profitable department. Long-term, they're probably making a mistake... but who cares about tomorrow when there are so many troubles today?<br /><br />Our severance, which I was expecting to be a big fat zonk, was nicer than I could expect, so at least that's something. But everyone is unemployed these days... that's the part that worries me.<br /><br />On the one hand, a steady paycheck is a great thing. But on the other, though 2008 was the Year of Yes, I don't feel like I got a lot done, writing- and production-wise. What did I do, what did I create, what steps have I taken toward my ultimate dream goal of turning into a Muppet?<br /><br />Not much, honestly.<br /><br />And so maybe 2009 might be a time to really work on that, instead of finding a 40-hour job that'll keep me rolling in the money. I think of some of the people I've met and admire, like Brian Huskey and Rob Corddry, who eschewed (God, I love that word) regular 9-to-5s in the pursuit of their comedy dreams. And maybe I should be taking similar steps.<br /><br />Also, inspired by my friend <a href="http://dcpierson.com/">DC's</a> success in a similar venture, I'd like to work more seriously on my novel. That's right, the one from NaNoWriMo. Though the month is over, the novel isn't. I'm at about 33,000 words, hopefully done by 55,000. More on that in a future post.<br /><br />So that's about it on the Employment story. Last Thursday, as I took my suitcase full of stuff home, I decided to Year of Yes the day, and not go home and sulk and watch <span style="font-style:italic;">Survivor: Gabon</span> (one person on the show went to my high school, and another had a small part in a UCBW wrestling show last year - small world!), I'd take a coaching gig and do a commercial audition, even though it was raining and I wanted very much to sit and sulk.<br /><br />I didn't get the commercial, but I think it's an auspicious beginning to my unemployment. I'm glad I didn't give up and go home. The coaching gig was a lot of fun.<br /><br />Oh, and before I exited the office, I left them a little something on my bulletin board, to show them (whoever "they" are - it's not like the people who will be going over my desk are the higher-ups that cut all the jobs) that we're all real people, not just numbers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Uu23tL99yLnb90TZryCmX7Hsg4GN25iNrGyKWmjbk-tASRoxePQLc3BD645hfi0Bj1qoe6BLz3Be1KJdE9IPuDklwMiHlY9aUCNrqJyUzWaX5mP9c8m4eBXd0GArh-riLQAU_J4EKqs/s1600-h/1204081653.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Uu23tL99yLnb90TZryCmX7Hsg4GN25iNrGyKWmjbk-tASRoxePQLc3BD645hfi0Bj1qoe6BLz3Be1KJdE9IPuDklwMiHlY9aUCNrqJyUzWaX5mP9c8m4eBXd0GArh-riLQAU_J4EKqs/s400/1204081653.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277550525245182466" /></a><br />I certainly was.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-61856759011934331402008-12-07T18:16:00.018-05:002008-12-07T19:44:21.761-05:00Post-Disney Interview with Sarah (Part III)The Magic Kingdom - the mother of the four theme parks! <br /><br />We went twice, once during the Extended Hours when the place was open 'til 2 a.m., and again the next day. Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot done (we spent a lot of time riding the train around the park), because Sarah was feeling sick most of the day, and I didn't want to drag her around. Also, it was pretty crowded, and that always gets my goat.<br /><br />Anyway, let's get to the interview. Take us away, Dumbo!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRJNtVO4e-vQ7k7_OuiidnQyAtRfqe5yESMjAZ7AZTcI_bJymk9VdR7izOaIYyK1eRjPxia6lfKGHWS59VAgXZVNUX5pcE16rjVqlWIwuQF1Fg6lqA37grlKYtYURnD3OFWYyRN-I0v0/s1600-h/dumbo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRJNtVO4e-vQ7k7_OuiidnQyAtRfqe5yESMjAZ7AZTcI_bJymk9VdR7izOaIYyK1eRjPxia6lfKGHWS59VAgXZVNUX5pcE16rjVqlWIwuQF1Fg6lqA37grlKYtYURnD3OFWYyRN-I0v0/s400/dumbo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277205691122599138" /></a><br />K: Ah, the Magic Kingdom! What did you think?<br /><br />S: It was the most typically Disney. It was what I expecting, with all the rides based on characters.<br /><br />K: Well, we started out at the Carousel of Progress.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuD1gMwbdS4otjKBOR5HrIbKJ7EzKtfYFfevOI5s6CSrDc6j1k_kePXzakALqQGbNmZjOERO89xNDT404Xi6PeWZFzACWEICQPrNrQSGF3eBTpCs4dYAkLs5Flaol8-IBycD7dV0JbAI/s1600-h/CAROUSEL.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuD1gMwbdS4otjKBOR5HrIbKJ7EzKtfYFfevOI5s6CSrDc6j1k_kePXzakALqQGbNmZjOERO89xNDT404Xi6PeWZFzACWEICQPrNrQSGF3eBTpCs4dYAkLs5Flaol8-IBycD7dV0JbAI/s400/CAROUSEL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277199135466047810" /></a><br />S: Oh, yeah. That was not what I meant.<br /><br />K: Yeah, I know. Did you like it?<br /><br />S: Um... Not really. It was ridiculous, I don't know.<br /><br />K: But didn't you like their weird view of the future?<br /><br />S: No, I definitely did not. It seemed like this old-fashioned thing, and then all of a sudden, it turned into just outdated.<br /><br />K: They actually mentioned laser discs and car phones as being cutting-edge. CAR PHONES!<br /><br />S: That was painful to watch.<br /><br />K: But the rest of it's good. And the song.<br /><br />S: That song got stuck in my head for days.<br /><br />K: And what's wrong with that?<br /><br />S: It's too short to be stuck in one's head, unless there's a bridge I don't know about.<br /><br />K: Maybe "Man has a dream, and that's the start..."<br /><br />S: No, that's part of what got stuck in my head. Oh, yeah, you were singing and everyone turned around to look at you. That was the most attention you got.<br /><br />K: The ride was practically empty.<br /><br />S: You were singing before the guy started.<br /><br />K: It's a good song! After that, we went on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and you hated it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95Iy5yOocaf-9cFQCXdNsdqrOh2T80t7GccdmtkJttIeyuNfVsrX1eO5IzdCphlNrNJKtqk7Vu7qf0AbricaYT5kz6xwoVjc95CaG6P5gy8ho81UvAv-7yGB3CI9J_g0HfRXJQ42MPNo/s1600-h/buzz.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95Iy5yOocaf-9cFQCXdNsdqrOh2T80t7GccdmtkJttIeyuNfVsrX1eO5IzdCphlNrNJKtqk7Vu7qf0AbricaYT5kz6xwoVjc95CaG6P5gy8ho81UvAv-7yGB3CI9J_g0HfRXJQ42MPNo/s400/buzz.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277198473916545586" /></a><br />S: I didn't hate it. I didn't hate the ride, I just didn't have a good experience because I didn't know how to do it.<br /><br />K: Yeah, the guns are hard to aim, you just gotta keep an eye out...<br /><br />S: I thought it was broken for half the ride, because they didn't explain there wasn't going to be a pointer all the time.<br /><br />K: But you scored better than that little kid!<br /><br />S: I scored three times what that little kid got, and you scored... 100 times what that little kid got.<br /><br />K: More than that, actually. I've been playing for a while. And we also took advantage of the shorter lines at the Haunted Mansion. Did you like that?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPEFMMDmeb0TOHvEuoazfatK-KfYV7OAcOrkSXJgI3yHBiM-TJrDRUfc-JjDw2jb2tzv2dDNAwlCumTg52zDlG0d8gjVlfhPAMqke1RUosXQxNofOS05Xeq5lpC93jAM-K3IG6cTE1KQ/s1600-h/stretch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPEFMMDmeb0TOHvEuoazfatK-KfYV7OAcOrkSXJgI3yHBiM-TJrDRUfc-JjDw2jb2tzv2dDNAwlCumTg52zDlG0d8gjVlfhPAMqke1RUosXQxNofOS05Xeq5lpC93jAM-K3IG6cTE1KQ/s400/stretch.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277200921314018578" /></a><br />S: Yeah, I did. It was spooky, but... it was sombre, you know, not terrifying.<br /><br />K: What was your favorite part?<br /><br />S: The new [attic] part, with the woman and the husbands, because it gave you the best story, I think. That's what I usually look for. You see the first one, and you're like, "What is this?" Then you see more and more, and then she [the bride] basically tells you. But it was visually interesting, and you get a sense of story.<br /><br />K: We also went on Peter Pan's Flight in Fantasyland.<br /><br />S: That was... You made that out to be one of the best things ever, I feel.<br /><br />K: Well, it's extremely popular.<br /><br />S: But it just seemed normal. You feel like you're flying, I guess, but not like Soarin', where you actually feel like you're flying. You've gotta have an imagination, which I don't have.<br /><br />K: Dreamfinder and Figment told us that imagination is something that belongs to all of us.<br /><br />S: OK. I didn't go on that version of Journey Into Imagination.<br /><br />K: I know, and I'm sorry. Do you remember anything about It's a Small World?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGAT8WKF-wasWsSSJdVbh2YNIXODQNn0Dj7_DLTwRVJfzdV5E-bFdD1-Kh6-7IcA8sdbXLl9OIiQyygj4zpwpj4cXenyMQPznke4eUUgb7u-UkXuKlVMWwvXm4eA3NVbxYFiIL8w1PfE/s1600-h/smallworld.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGAT8WKF-wasWsSSJdVbh2YNIXODQNn0Dj7_DLTwRVJfzdV5E-bFdD1-Kh6-7IcA8sdbXLl9OIiQyygj4zpwpj4cXenyMQPznke4eUUgb7u-UkXuKlVMWwvXm4eA3NVbxYFiIL8w1PfE/s400/smallworld.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277200395735432946" /></a><br />S: It was more chaotic than I thought. Everyone was happy. I was expecting segments for different parts of the world, rather than a giant room full of everybody singing and dancing in various languages at the same time.<br /><br />K: But each room is a continent.<br /><br />S: I wouldn't have known that if you hadn't told me. Ask me what I learned.<br /><br />K: What did you learn from it?<br /><br />S: (Laughs) I learned that hula girls always wink, across the globe, in every country. It's universal.<br /><br />K: Fair enough. They made the castle to look like it has icicles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHmLphvcpZcSPopZ9x7SFrzKkT49ktk6gANLhNeD9wMhPfBuODzu42tJdK-8H27qsn6ZqllC7UYUEPZdswQggoCxe1-LwgTIEXijk4D5T7HWeQgnqIh9gNkFdxT27ZNjiVApD-y5vH14/s1600-h/castle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHmLphvcpZcSPopZ9x7SFrzKkT49ktk6gANLhNeD9wMhPfBuODzu42tJdK-8H27qsn6ZqllC7UYUEPZdswQggoCxe1-LwgTIEXijk4D5T7HWeQgnqIh9gNkFdxT27ZNjiVApD-y5vH14/s400/castle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277201803586504530" /></a><br />S: I liked when the little boy said, "That's so pretty." That was one of the highlights of the whole trip, because I was surrounded by this, like, Disney romance, you know, man/woman, prince/princess, little girls dressed up like Cinderella and little boys in stupid, dumb-ass t-shirts, you know. It was a really gendered place, and I wasn't expecting to hear a little boy to say that. And it's true, it was pretty.<br /><br />K: It was. I was really impressed. We came back the next day and had lunch at Tony's Town Square Restaurant.<br /><br />S: It was nice of the chef to make something special [to accommodate her vegan diet], but it wasn't that great. It might've been what made me feel sick. I feel bad saying that.<br /><br />K: He was incredibly nice, though. And at least we got to see Mary Poppins outside!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u4XYmYBz8cqoySwIM6E7GbEL14VZKSNN-L9lzsMa_oPzPLoWMwsDR2-CNWXEMiO2kVt8OQzdN4gxZg4_QP-TiPdQOw-oXPSMMxYhqNQ0q80kBW7t0T6uhd-xBcVA1TDWld61F-iPf_U/s1600-h/MaryPoppins.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u4XYmYBz8cqoySwIM6E7GbEL14VZKSNN-L9lzsMa_oPzPLoWMwsDR2-CNWXEMiO2kVt8OQzdN4gxZg4_QP-TiPdQOw-oXPSMMxYhqNQ0q80kBW7t0T6uhd-xBcVA1TDWld61F-iPf_U/s400/MaryPoppins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277202427056453746" /></a><br />S: OK.<br /><br />K: We went on The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management, any thoughts on that?<br /><br />S: I was annoyed by the two new birds [Zazu and Iago]. Especially the comedian.<br /><br />K: Which one is that?<br /><br />S: Iago, right?<br /><br />K: Yeah. The show was better without them.<br /><br />S: Sounds that way.<br /><br />K: Also, they look weird compared to the other birds. They look like they're made of plush toys or Muppets.<br /><br />S: The red one looked like he was made of Telly Monster.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyGevwvewG3e4R3VVxYdxAX0liOJKb2SpLuU1_ek5u-MdtaL3YO_U6u_PxD5CLEdoVv6OIZag7422clRRKrw8knqhNmQ9CTgyiO5IGfD188NBsRJXJB8MOmKegipj7c3YJmQiD_7zbuc/s1600-h/iago.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyGevwvewG3e4R3VVxYdxAX0liOJKb2SpLuU1_ek5u-MdtaL3YO_U6u_PxD5CLEdoVv6OIZag7422clRRKrw8knqhNmQ9CTgyiO5IGfD188NBsRJXJB8MOmKegipj7c3YJmQiD_7zbuc/s400/iago.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277203173098999090" /></a><br />S: During our stay in Adventureland, we also went on Pirates of the Caribbean.<br /><br />S: I liked the sleeping pig.<br /><br />K: Why?<br /><br />S: It was funny.<br /><br />K: And what about the rest of the ride?<br /><br />S: It was interesting. I like pirates. Apparently I don't have a lot to say, huh?<br /><br />K: Nope. (Laughs) Adventureland was fun, though. I bought a little treasure chest full of six-sided dice (over 70!), made you try on a pirate hat, we did the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, and I got a Dole Whip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUC_WDc7T_lZXw0Ljxt7lmMz-h0Z96b2k_kKKqte8F9mUc5SUrfTFmvFCIs2Os5jQD7UF5Baztx_4FExBTXI3LfSlh5iB4Z1fFSYA86FXF0jhOqI4Mbt-jvcUUdJNSp33ucd-WnoZzuk/s1600-h/dole.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUC_WDc7T_lZXw0Ljxt7lmMz-h0Z96b2k_kKKqte8F9mUc5SUrfTFmvFCIs2Os5jQD7UF5Baztx_4FExBTXI3LfSlh5iB4Z1fFSYA86FXF0jhOqI4Mbt-jvcUUdJNSp33ucd-WnoZzuk/s400/dole.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277206879864460786" /></a><br />S: How was it?<br /><br />K: Delicious! What else was there? Splash Mountain, we already talked about that.<br /><br />S: Yep, I remember.<br /><br />K: And Mickey's PhilharMagic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9aAg6z13HnNYs-vjXM6LCidHWjlsDBqVmE8Ffpqw196PdnpZnjQmfjlRGJeeW2VBUtHfRvzg7B-YnJV-cpPWoL_NuUvflygSuaYhu-CIUfBe1sAd2fIgQVitkp6bZApWuRipU2WyvTI/s1600-h/philharmagic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9aAg6z13HnNYs-vjXM6LCidHWjlsDBqVmE8Ffpqw196PdnpZnjQmfjlRGJeeW2VBUtHfRvzg7B-YnJV-cpPWoL_NuUvflygSuaYhu-CIUfBe1sAd2fIgQVitkp6bZApWuRipU2WyvTI/s400/philharmagic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277203472126196530" /></a><br />S: Which you loved.<br /><br />K: Yes, I did love it! It's cute and funny, and I wanted to hold Ariel's hand and I waved to Aladdin and Jasmine. Lynn told us to go on it a thousand times. I wouldn't go that far, but it's a really fun 3-D movie. What'd you think of it?<br /><br />S: Uh... It was good for kids. I don't know, nothing much. I learned a lot about Donald.<br /><br />K: Like what?<br /><br />S: Just that he's kind of, I don't know, I just didn't know anything about his personality. I didn't realize he was such a curmudgeon.<br /><br />K: He's a bit of a dickhead. But he loves dessert! Remember when that kid sat next to me the second time, and kept talking the entire time?<br /><br />S: That was cute.<br /><br />K: He said, "Goofy's such a weirdo."<br /><br />S: And he is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38NWVy-rfKAE53jJze3TMfbHsJfBbz472ZkToelYJRkw71JY7hjLamXizHvBTboslCs7QEnuZpIOZVVzXaZEJ_ISveEHRvBGeR64Mb_HMQvb7rRcBHQy4f_r5xbo5NwFzNqLXPZsX6AQ/s1600-h/jarjar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38NWVy-rfKAE53jJze3TMfbHsJfBbz472ZkToelYJRkw71JY7hjLamXizHvBTboslCs7QEnuZpIOZVVzXaZEJ_ISveEHRvBGeR64Mb_HMQvb7rRcBHQy4f_r5xbo5NwFzNqLXPZsX6AQ/s400/jarjar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277204616934974082" /></a><br />K: Overall, I don't think you enjoyed the Magic Kingdom very much.<br /><br />S: Yeah, it was my least favorite park. And my worst experience was there.<br /><br />K: Which was?<br /><br />S: Splash Mountain.<br /><br />K: Oh, I thought you were gonna say when you kept getting diarrhea.<br /><br />S: Second worst, then.<br /><br />K: Should I keep that in there?<br /><br />S: If you want.<br /><br />K: Done!<br /><br />S: Wait... Are people gonna think you're serious?<br /><br />K: I don't know.<br /><br />On that note, we'll call it a day. Just one more park, Animal Kingdom, which, if you'll pardon a spoiler, was a really good time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-63721421830018888372008-12-03T08:35:00.003-05:002008-12-03T08:46:32.981-05:00Grandma and the F*ck Yous: Last Show Ever!Tonight is the LAST SHOW EVER by the awesomest riot grrl band to ever come out of Elizabeth College, Grandma and the F*ck Yous. Come see it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtg12z-qMn3HaH7dFENZi7xGj7ptjwo3sk7Bm9CH41gr5NjO5862qnTrg5HBrfHhK9Z0Eu1ZKOGx8glB7Z_86kds3pDeTH797iye0yBhX_GeCLb4-z1i_QyhkduMVf5Tgo51VMpL9f4g/s1600-h/gatfy550.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtg12z-qMn3HaH7dFENZi7xGj7ptjwo3sk7Bm9CH41gr5NjO5862qnTrg5HBrfHhK9Z0Eu1ZKOGx8glB7Z_86kds3pDeTH797iye0yBhX_GeCLb4-z1i_QyhkduMVf5Tgo51VMpL9f4g/s400/gatfy550.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275557814378272930" /></a><br /><DIV ALIGN=CENTER><span style="font-weight:bold;">Grandma and the F*ck Yous: Last Show Ever!</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A timeless tale of Riot Grrrls, Punk Rock, Love, Violence, Queer Action, Betrayal, Activism, & Hair Dye.</span><br />December 3rd, 9:30 PM<br /> $5<br /><br />WRITTEN BY: Lynn Bixenspan & Betsy Todd<br />DIRECTED BY: Kirk Damato<br />FEATURING: Bob Acevedo, Eric Bernat, Lynn Bixenspan, Stan Laikowski, Sarah Nowak, Betsy Todd<br />LOCATION: UCB Theatre 307 W. 26th Street (@ 8th Ave.)<br />Call 212-366-9176 or <a href="http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/reservations/create/13262">click here</a> for reservations.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-58737053715380860672008-12-02T17:27:00.003-05:002008-12-02T18:07:40.107-05:00I Don't Heart HeroesOf the many things I said Yes to this year, trying out new TV shows was one of them, even though I knew it'd be a super-slow process (for example, it's December, and I've only watched two shows). <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Lost</span> was a huge hit, and I'm super psyched for January 21st, when the new season starts, but the second show... well, as you can guess from the title of this post, I'm not that into it.<br /><br />And as you can also guess from the title, I'm talking about <span style="font-style:italic;">Heroes</span>. I finally finished the first season, and the fact that it took me so long to watch 23 episodes is a good indicator that it failed to get me sufficiently psyched. <br /><br />Which is surprising, really, it's a show about super powers, I should be interested. I loved the premise, actually, but the terrible writing just totally turned me off. Especially Mohinder and his ridiculously pretentious monologues, I wish that guy would shut up. Or die.<br /><br />(BTW, I guess I should mention there might be spoilers in this entry, so if you haven't watched the first season of <span style="font-style:italic;">Heroes</span> but might want to one day, stop reading.)<br /><br />Also, and this is another slam against the writers, there were a lot of holes in the plot and in the reality of the universe. I write and edit scripts and stories and role-playing games, and if someone handed me some of these episodes, I'd be like, "Are you out of your mind?"<br /><br />For instance, in Episode 2F09 when Itchy plays Scratchy's skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib twice in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we to believe, that this is some sort of a magic xylophone or something? Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.<br /><br />The other thing, and this is the only one I can remember since I watched this over the course of about three months, is that the cop is telepathic. That's his power. Yet characters get the drop on him all the time. What's up? His powers don't always work? Did they explain that at some point and I forgot it? Or does he have to be concentrating to find someone? Because if someone is sneaking around trying to kill him, he'd probably use his telepathic powers to find them first (and don't tell me he can't use his powers to find someone - his first instance of telepathy happens when he finds Molly Walker). Or do they just fail when it's convenient for the plot?<br /><br />I persevered through the season, because I was told by several sources that it ends well. BUT IT DOESN'T. Parkman gets shot several times, but I know he lives... So unless he's wearing a bulletproof vest, WTF? <br /><br />Also, Skylar got away? Like, no one noticed that he disappeared? Everyone is like, "Wow, we killed him! But no need to look over at the body, even though it's in plain eyesight, let's all go home." Really?<br /><br />And before you defend me by saying it's a time-honored tradition for the villain's body to disappear, I say humbug. It's a cliche. And if you're gonna rely on every single one of these characters to not notice, I don't feel you're writing them to the top of their intelligence or potential.<br /><br />So I will not continue with <span style="font-style:italic;">Heroes</span>, which is fine, I've heard horror stories about the second and third season, and even if there are a few good episodes, I can just read about them on Wikipedia or something.<br /><br />The next show I'm going for is <span style="font-style:italic;">Mad Men</span>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-14502842661082999832008-12-01T22:15:00.021-05:002008-12-02T00:28:48.337-05:00Post-Disney Interview with Sarah (Part II)<Div Align=Center><span style="font-style:italic;">Where many were, how few remain<br /> Of old familiar things;<br />But seeing them, to mind again<br /> The lost and absent brings.<br /><br />The friends I left that parting day,<br /> How changed, as time has sped!<br />Young childhood grown, strong manhood gray,<br /> And half of all are dead.</span><br />-from "My Childhood's Home I See Again," <br />by Abraham Lincoln</div><br />I no longer call it EPCOT Center. It's now just EPCOT. I hit this weird place during our vacation, when I realized it isn't my favorite park anymore. <br /><br />The park I loved, EPCOT Center, no longer exists. Out of all the old rides from Future World, only one remains (I don't count Living With the Land since they got rid of the song). The World of Motion, Horizons, the <span style="font-style:italic;">real</span> Journey Into Imagination, they're all gone. EPCOT Center is gone. There's only EPCOT now.<br /><br />What did it for me was seeing a bunch of nostalgic vintage replica EPCOT Center shirts they made for the 25th Anniversary, and oh, that pissed me off. Because I was wearing an authentic version of one of the shirts they were selling. Ouch. So it goes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJx_L0gPUelcEUzCYrE8XKNQpTWbHSk7r2-V90eS9QX284cA6LEDgbUd4rT04rTrjx9zK80RrqyTEzoPJSWsjSi_ptNLfqy8fDejTCJNjH84MYoQqUxIbw4rn57TeKc1aUUGgA5duw8o/s1600-h/shirt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJx_L0gPUelcEUzCYrE8XKNQpTWbHSk7r2-V90eS9QX284cA6LEDgbUd4rT04rTrjx9zK80RrqyTEzoPJSWsjSi_ptNLfqy8fDejTCJNjH84MYoQqUxIbw4rn57TeKc1aUUGgA5duw8o/s320/shirt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275048624207727554" /></a><br />But enough about me, let's see Sarah's take on EPCOT Center. I mean EPCOT.<br /><br />K: So what'd you think of EPCOT? We went twice!<br /><br />S: Are you interviewing me?<br /><br />K: Yeah.<br /><br />S: I thought it was interesting. It had different stuff that wasn't very Disney. The other parks had a lot of cartoon mice and ducks.<br /><br />K: But the Mexico ride [now called El Gran Fiesta Starring The Three Caballeros] had crap like that. Too much Donald Duck, nothing about Mexico. It's more tourist-y than ever, since Donald plays the role of a ridiculous and embarrassing tourist.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtHUFFEQTWekOteiZU9-aUDo4U8EvUZ8jALifu8Uo7YlW4Lomch0y-apPBSxdUyyoHHNq-H1YAxGJO-lCw9fOnv8Wfzc2bPK23jW39j-ORUKw_ns5Zt0WIa96VISigobyEqv3iHlowF0/s1600-h/duck.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtHUFFEQTWekOteiZU9-aUDo4U8EvUZ8jALifu8Uo7YlW4Lomch0y-apPBSxdUyyoHHNq-H1YAxGJO-lCw9fOnv8Wfzc2bPK23jW39j-ORUKw_ns5Zt0WIa96VISigobyEqv3iHlowF0/s320/duck.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275049128148315826" /></a><br />S: Yeah, I could kind of see the shadow that you described to me of what it used to look like.<br /><br />K: Let's go back to the front of the park. Did you like Spaceship Earth? We went on it twice. [And it's still good! I like the changes they made, and Dame Judi Dench can really tell a story about human communication. And they make stuff like this:]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO9ieDoBqcdbq57RdU7yiDal20wlxKUhdvKKD_g9TIas57WNBEiuuZ6n8Y88LeEHbE3OGzowIJHRNv1yVqhjx744aR2lBnlDzfajIdLXuJ2xa7IKpNbS0GLl9ych9KLdSnd_DRQjCark/s1600-h/epcot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO9ieDoBqcdbq57RdU7yiDal20wlxKUhdvKKD_g9TIas57WNBEiuuZ6n8Y88LeEHbE3OGzowIJHRNv1yVqhjx744aR2lBnlDzfajIdLXuJ2xa7IKpNbS0GLl9ych9KLdSnd_DRQjCark/s320/epcot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275048210972644546" /></a><br />S: It was kind of relaxing.<br /><br />K: That's what most of the rides at EPCOT Center used to be like. Did you enjoy Soarin' [which, by the way, is pretty fun, but very short. My reaction here is <span style="font-style:italic;">way</span> exaggerated. Also, note that authentic shirt.]?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVNvRakoqnTFEAMdD-5490iic2dv_rsuX-K6Vk-a95iXPU0GAPnM77BgKCz77Z3WnONpktcEASSpWAoVCOFZADKazSvOXDYlpJ7yIz4Dej3qSSc57_TILYqRX19dLHAPp8R9SpBkBXyY/s1600-h/soarin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVNvRakoqnTFEAMdD-5490iic2dv_rsuX-K6Vk-a95iXPU0GAPnM77BgKCz77Z3WnONpktcEASSpWAoVCOFZADKazSvOXDYlpJ7yIz4Dej3qSSc57_TILYqRX19dLHAPp8R9SpBkBXyY/s320/soarin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275049641832838402" /></a><br />S: Mm-hmm, because it's something I don't ever get to do. It's like an experience I never get to have, yet not scary and doesn't make me want to throw up.<br /><br />K: What about the Imagination ride?<br /><br />S: I don't think I liked that.<br /><br />K: Me neither.<br /><br />S: I didn't actually learn anything. What were they trying to say, what was the message there? I know they were trying to teach about imagination, but it was very vague.<br /><br />K: And half-assed. I wish you could've seen the old ride.<br /><br />S: Plus, Figment was kind of a weirdo.<br /><br />K: Well, he's different. He's no longer voiced by Billy Barty.<br /><br />S: Yeah, he's a little too puckish for my taste. And forceful. He was trying to order me around.<br /><br />K: You didn't see the real Figment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJZXFzhdJxj3TngF5E439Z-JmJT0ka4EiOomexsRFCDbNYGxDe7AEP4atskzUIhekb0HLY4l1oSUhZIN7axhgd961A4gQAWC9ydvx2AfTM_4eKIprW5cqXPem7M7dBFHiPUL4tuevbwY/s1600-h/figment.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJZXFzhdJxj3TngF5E439Z-JmJT0ka4EiOomexsRFCDbNYGxDe7AEP4atskzUIhekb0HLY4l1oSUhZIN7axhgd961A4gQAWC9ydvx2AfTM_4eKIprW5cqXPem7M7dBFHiPUL4tuevbwY/s320/figment.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275050541847782210" /></a><br />K: The real Figment was created by the Dreamfinder, not by Dr. Nigel Channing of the Imagination Institute. He used to have a dash of childish delight, not be a loose cannon. Also, let me add that the above pin pisses me off. Don't have merchandise for rides you've DESTROYED FOREVER. Anyway. What else did we do, did you like Living with the Land?<br /><br />S: Yep, because it's in a boat and it was relaxing and there are dragonfruits. And there was a little boy who said, "Mom, look, a stone alligator!" And it had nothing to do with the ride, it was just a long stone. And he was looking at the fish instead of the alligators.<br /><br />[Sarah enjoys people-watching more than actual rides.]<br /><br />K: You seemed to enjoy Club Cool, the place where they give samples of foreign sodas.<br /><br />S: That was fun, that was a highlight. I don't like or drink soda, but again, it was an experience I don't normally get to have. And it was nice of them to give me something for free, and I really wish this country had watermelon or apple or lemon soda, 'cause those were good.<br /><br />K: I did like the lemon soda a lot. I drank so much soda!<br /><br />S: And I didn't mind the disgusting one, it wasn't the worst.<br /><br />K: Ugh, the Italian aperitif. It has a cologne-like aftertaste! But I drank it in honor of the father of one of my students (it was his favorite drink). Club Cool used to be "cooler" when there was snow and a caveman, but I do like that place. Test Track!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WtiojnqEr5ASc1neCpgleVB2WlSNiGNUSB1h9t2qy4XiTbPOI-j_zSpueYSWtLt2e41E3cGDIwXcZZyWNgTSuw-zB573DR2L9Aoc8_cJuhEhoj7DY_jU-qxgLs-dcEtM7x-PRxfu99M/s1600-h/testtrack.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WtiojnqEr5ASc1neCpgleVB2WlSNiGNUSB1h9t2qy4XiTbPOI-j_zSpueYSWtLt2e41E3cGDIwXcZZyWNgTSuw-zB573DR2L9Aoc8_cJuhEhoj7DY_jU-qxgLs-dcEtM7x-PRxfu99M/s320/testtrack.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275051489653030034" /></a><br />S: That was the sickest I got on a ride. If there had been one more turn, I would've felt ill.<br /><br />K: You're a baby. How about Mission: Space?<br /><br />S: That was a bit funny because we went on it with a little kid.<br /><br />K: And that kid sucked! He didn't help out at all with our VERY IMPORTANT mission to space.<br /><br />S: We would've been goners if he had been on our crew. I felt very unsafe with him as our Navigator.<br /><br />K: Yeah, what a stupid kid. But otherwise, I was sorely disappointed. It's boring! (Though we <span style="font-style:italic;">did</span> go on the weak-ass version.)<br /><br />S: Yeah, and I'm glad we did. Lynn said they didn't have the two versions when she went to EPCOT, they only had the orange level.<br /><br />K: Someone died, that's why they changed it. I think that covers it for Future World. Let's move on to the World Showcase. Did you like the Norway ride?<br /><br />S: Yeah, it was kind of mild, though.<br /><br />K: But they had trolls! And Vikings!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcl_HV8_ltknScRLgG2uivGICiDWy1QwPYTUkbl5ZAvhUXCj4UAvQvq7X3FHADyICuHay93SKgHZhFFUBBpWvILWrEHOJE7MZJ0Ja4FqpeV-meD50zg-xNJKh_IuM3UyAElgfX3JFNKUo/s1600-h/viking.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcl_HV8_ltknScRLgG2uivGICiDWy1QwPYTUkbl5ZAvhUXCj4UAvQvq7X3FHADyICuHay93SKgHZhFFUBBpWvILWrEHOJE7MZJ0Ja4FqpeV-meD50zg-xNJKh_IuM3UyAElgfX3JFNKUo/s320/viking.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275052294761121250" /></a><br />S: There wasn't actually a lot to it.<br /><br />K: You're right. Just Vikings to trolls to polar bears to, like, oil rig, and then the movie. There's no story to it. Speaking of stories, you didn't like the American Adventure.<br /><br />S: (Shakes her head.) I didn't. (pause) I didn't hate it.<br /><br />K: Why didn't you like it?<br /><br />S: I guess 'cause I don't like history. Or cheesy music.<br /><br />K: Wait, you didn't like when they did the Civil War segment, with the two brothers on their way, one wore blue and one wore gray?<br /><br />S: Yeah, I did, but you'd told me about that already.<br /><br />K: Crap. (Pause.) And then at the end they added Run-DMC and, like, who else...<br /><br />S: Tony Hawk. That was a little odd.<br /><br />K: ...yeah, to the roll call of 20th century American heroes. And that was about all we did in the World Showcase, other than <span style="font-style:italic;">Reflections of China</span>, the Circle-Vision 360 movie.<br /><br />S: Which was awesome. <br /><br />K: Why?<br /><br />S: Another new thing [it's a movie theatre in the round], and it was really beautiful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RWZlmBGrve3j55eoonorkD6GHWheWanWiFSEPXmllK1Gd1wuclPgHIcUB0xK6_1fqy2VstZPISZsY7D_BHc6azQ2DrI22vj7sGEYCgkvRFfUqkCaXwH_F_H5rvS0oq-Tn_1QbK8oLnY/s1600-h/china.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RWZlmBGrve3j55eoonorkD6GHWheWanWiFSEPXmllK1Gd1wuclPgHIcUB0xK6_1fqy2VstZPISZsY7D_BHc6azQ2DrI22vj7sGEYCgkvRFfUqkCaXwH_F_H5rvS0oq-Tn_1QbK8oLnY/s320/china.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275052930466561810" /></a><br />K: And you love China. Though I did think it was weird that they computer-generated a beard over the narrator's mouth so they could change the opening lines.<br /><br />S: I would like to see it again to see what you're talking about.<br /><br />K: It's too bad we didn't see the new Canadian Circle-Vision 360 movie. The old one made no sense. Now it's hosted by Martin Short. Oh, we saw Miyuki, the Japanese candy artist.<br /><br />S: I liked that, it was fun to watch, but the things she was saying were a bit bizarre.<br /><br />K: "Is candy, yum-yum, treat for you. One minute after." That's their patter, though. I saw her seven years ago (psst, it was a different Miyuki) and she spoke the same way. And what about the Japanese shop?<br /><br />S: I actually liked the Japanese and Chinese shops. I wonder if that's just because I've lived in Asia and I've studied the languages and whatnot. All the stores were, like, Americanized version for tourists, but there was something about the aesthetic, and also, they were bigger.<br /><br />K: And they didn't have, like, Mickey Mouse and pins and crap like that.<br /><br />S: Yeah, I guess not.<br /><br />K: We bought of stuff there. A lamp... A really great mug... Some Darumas... Snacks... Um, that's probably it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qyhbCDbw8srYlXCtAhbsX9ijx44lryy5ZHZ4tkNWzDYRBwicjI7u7ckZf05Bt426cwKNfReYi0-H1bdOtsYUs6Ybp97vjMFki6iPgdlDV7Tsg1X1fcgbnn-ORkWo6wKzlhOdGin1Vto/s1600-h/1201082335.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qyhbCDbw8srYlXCtAhbsX9ijx44lryy5ZHZ4tkNWzDYRBwicjI7u7ckZf05Bt426cwKNfReYi0-H1bdOtsYUs6Ybp97vjMFki6iPgdlDV7Tsg1X1fcgbnn-ORkWo6wKzlhOdGin1Vto/s320/1201082335.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275047855136483874" /></a><br />S: I actually liked the World Showcase, because it's foreign, new. Plus, the best meal I had the whole trip was in Morocco.<br /><br />K: Yeah, that's one of my favorite places to eat. And we got to listen to that Moroccan fusion band. And took this pretty picture...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CAmPtyItg0gCapm0ietANQfTkW6fmjxaMp7a-ROBhelipztrwH6tP5C-yCnxTQt9MWVMcnmcCyGMgvPL5VZjXK3W3ONJIs6cqhg0xl_Ximh-yoQbAZZ7W6DbYEwPAJjauGQ7sBW8skk/s1600-h/morocco.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CAmPtyItg0gCapm0ietANQfTkW6fmjxaMp7a-ROBhelipztrwH6tP5C-yCnxTQt9MWVMcnmcCyGMgvPL5VZjXK3W3ONJIs6cqhg0xl_Ximh-yoQbAZZ7W6DbYEwPAJjauGQ7sBW8skk/s320/morocco.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275053612651578338" /></a><br />S: Oh, also, I saw a manatee. <br /><br />K: That's true! We forgot to talk about The Seas with Nemo and Friends!<br /><br />S: Yeah, that's when you became six years old. When we were waiting in line for the Nemo ride, you said "Nemo, Nemo" repeatedly, I would say maybe 100 times.<br /><br />K: It's very fun to say. I don't even like that movie, but I love saying his name. And they had Nemos there! Real Nemos!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlzlvg_L-HpA4iHA7tXzqhXAYWmplnF6JEu54cxbpX2xaD6WVtiMHGXno-NO6oBXDvTBkfmtEijH6gaAOctEYL4m-430gvirG35xSoHSoOOOk2orBGJBIXqCLEjDI3cGIB5K07jlwQ4s/s1600-h/nemo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlzlvg_L-HpA4iHA7tXzqhXAYWmplnF6JEu54cxbpX2xaD6WVtiMHGXno-NO6oBXDvTBkfmtEijH6gaAOctEYL4m-430gvirG35xSoHSoOOOk2orBGJBIXqCLEjDI3cGIB5K07jlwQ4s/s320/nemo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275053884621828962" /></a><br />S: And then after we got inside, you kept saying, "Sharks! Sharks! Sharks! Sharks!"<br /><br />K: Well, they had sharks there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ2uM9L04BkY5Fj7VP0Lamsj9x-tw-s0d6Kq54BGJn1vLweCncqtoJhnyG7gVQOP2YGFZuaRPAhGNOTwkt43O7S3AY2BDa8iZ2oufv9Ql5iR0YMKji7CkGir2UmsE6qZeyCK6mgXxprg/s1600-h/shark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ2uM9L04BkY5Fj7VP0Lamsj9x-tw-s0d6Kq54BGJn1vLweCncqtoJhnyG7gVQOP2YGFZuaRPAhGNOTwkt43O7S3AY2BDa8iZ2oufv9Ql5iR0YMKji7CkGir2UmsE6qZeyCK6mgXxprg/s320/shark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275054136367165506" /></a><br />S: You were also excited about the dolphins. They were cool.<br /><br />K: Yeah, that was really exciting. I shouted, "Ooh, dolphins!" in a ridiculous-but-genuine voice. They had real dolphins swimming around. They're really big!<br /><br />Sadly, I couldn't get a picture of the dolphins, they swim too fast. And no manatee pics, either - they look like majestic turds, and I couldn't get a good pic of their faces.<br /><br />Going into this interview, I was kind of depressed (Lincoln's poetry does that to me), but by the end, I was accepting. "The Future World is born today," after all, and change comes to everything... even the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.<br /><br />Next time: The Magic Kingdom!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-86300782301054843512008-11-30T17:39:00.013-05:002008-11-30T18:58:02.385-05:00Post-Disney Interview with Sarah (Part I)We're back! And we're sick (cough, cough)... but not sick of Disney! <br /><br />You can probably guess my thoughts about the vacation, but since it was Sarah's first time experiencing the magic, I thought it'd be fun to interview her.<br /><br />K: How do you think we got sick?<br /><br />S: Some little kid.<br /><br />K: I thought it might be the water from Splash Mountain. Speaking of which, what'd you think of that ride?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzbMrcnrQpaEl0uaXRitxCj6auwH15ADE9UUiXRgu9W8BPfLepVk_XeQEWlsJEAnudUqmyNfGHA80MMh7qD803_GEx6xE7gzvSdukmQqF92jkaFI9iLF54HPvgAASdv73uwVI9L127y4/s1600-h/P1010516.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzbMrcnrQpaEl0uaXRitxCj6auwH15ADE9UUiXRgu9W8BPfLepVk_XeQEWlsJEAnudUqmyNfGHA80MMh7qD803_GEx6xE7gzvSdukmQqF92jkaFI9iLF54HPvgAASdv73uwVI9L127y4/s320/P1010516.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274596197527888754" /></a><br />[BTW, all pics are mine.]<br /><br />S: I didn't like it. It was too scary. I don't like being put into situations where I feel as if I'm possibly not going to survive.<br /><br />K: But you seemed happy afterward.<br /><br />S: Because I lived.<br /><br />K: OK. <br /><br />S: I would not do it again.<br /><br />K: OK. What'd you think of MGM [actually now called Disney's Hollywood Studios]? That's where we went on the first day.<br /><br />S: It was all right. I think it had a lot of potential.<br /><br />K: What do you mean?<br /><br />S: It could've been cool, they could've done a lot more cool stuff. They copped out. Like the place we ate at [the ABC Commissary]. The names of the dishes had to do with shows on ABC. That's kind of a cop-out. You were telling me earlier that even when you're on your way from one place to another, you still feel like you're in the park. [MGM] wasn't like that. There's not a lot of atmosphere.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7uT-xdWNOk9O7dnYSVluegMMGWfe1RolRNXH1t6bsjXDnfrPb-JjGVd8vBi9j2cOYm1NWVo0iy4k2_un8minWm270a-BK_Mg7oIhy0ZyZJJslAfZ5Xe8YYSMwHnJdY3zqDeovglyPu8/s1600-h/P1010158.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7uT-xdWNOk9O7dnYSVluegMMGWfe1RolRNXH1t6bsjXDnfrPb-JjGVd8vBi9j2cOYm1NWVo0iy4k2_un8minWm270a-BK_Mg7oIhy0ZyZJJslAfZ5Xe8YYSMwHnJdY3zqDeovglyPu8/s320/P1010158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274597157103837490" /></a><br />K: No, it's really the most ghetto of the WDW theme parks. I think a park atmosphere set up to look like a studio lot is gonna disappoint - they're all just big, empty buildings. Anyway, what did you like there?<br /><br />S: Tower of Terror. Not because I enjoyed it...<br /><br />K: Uh-huh? But why?<br /><br />S: Because it's got an interesting story. It's the thing that I saw over the weekend, I think, that had the best, most cohesive story.<br /><br />K: And what was that story?<br /><br />S: Well, just when you walk into the park, there's ads for the hotel, they're old and faded. Then when you see the hotel, it doesn't look like the pictures, it's old and decrepit. And then you hear the story of what happened to the people. And then even on the ride, they're telling a story.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjHBAkv0xbk2MrvfCi61ABmgbdsj5Q6GCFuHMkBXKBPtvBFWS9wICqq7jRK2YXEXZXAKPE_3AlXzGUaPW5iw-kLaVNGtJEGGqeGlBcXEppdSM0N-dQqVZlff0NR6DWiz6izZcn-qK0Qs/s1600-h/P1010239.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjHBAkv0xbk2MrvfCi61ABmgbdsj5Q6GCFuHMkBXKBPtvBFWS9wICqq7jRK2YXEXZXAKPE_3AlXzGUaPW5iw-kLaVNGtJEGGqeGlBcXEppdSM0N-dQqVZlff0NR6DWiz6izZcn-qK0Qs/s320/P1010239.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274600525026384114" /></a><br />K: So it's not like The Great Movie Ride, which is a collection of unrelated scenes, or Star Tours, which makes no friggin' sense - why are you showing up in the middle of a battle against the Death Star, anyway? But back to the Tower of Terror - what about the drop?<br /><br />S: (pause) Um... It's kind of interesting.<br /><br />K: Did you think you were going to die?<br /><br />S: I didn't think I really would, 'cause I kept on seeing all the little kids in line and remembering that however many hundreds of people do this every day, you know, I didn't really think I was going to, but I felt fear. I don't want to do something that could result in feeling like I'm going to die, but while I was doing it, no, it wasn't scary. I'd ride it again. <br /><br />K: Why?<br /><br />S: Because I didn't notice a lot of things, I was too busy being scared.<br /><br />K: And you wouldn't be scared next time?<br /><br />S: No, I'll be a little scared.<br /><br />K: What about Toy Story Mania [a new ride, and the most awesome thing at MGM - I loved it! We both did. It's like a game that you ride, but miles better than the Buzz Lightyear ride at the Magic Kingdom. I love it so much!]?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnGF7kHt45H0Piedkqn3kH0caqbnx0jdEqD3trW2RqaD1c6ETEwKC07X5tgMGaFpaFhlpHZSQEfK6PVK7iXfRKVyjhP3kdyxBViarPl_BHLdOvqx260TKGPBoS1HdK7kZcbPt3Hu_WRM/s1600-h/P1010230.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnGF7kHt45H0Piedkqn3kH0caqbnx0jdEqD3trW2RqaD1c6ETEwKC07X5tgMGaFpaFhlpHZSQEfK6PVK7iXfRKVyjhP3kdyxBViarPl_BHLdOvqx260TKGPBoS1HdK7kZcbPt3Hu_WRM/s320/P1010230.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274601852537720290" /></a><br />S: That was fun, and everybody coming out of it was happy. Every type of person enjoyed it, no one was crying. Except it was the longest wait we had.<br /><br />K: Yeah, we gotta FastPass that next time. What did you think about Fantasmic?<br /><br />S: The light show? I didn't care for it.<br /><br />K: Why not?<br /><br />S: It made no sense, it had no story, it didn't feel like Disney, it felt like that weird light show from Singapore.<br /><br />K: Yeah, I really don't like Fantasmic. It makes no sense.<br /><br />S: It was, like, I don't know, written by three-year-olds or something? No, it was just really weird.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfMBhM_Y2JIk5Ea0mNVCcmJYJu-S3ZLnyu6fID6WtckLZEjuVl9iuyBtEmuyb5vmV2eFvYSAQJ3EP4mBa0F77-B_3AuVKnBv_f_IDdANMWzjii5EUaAneFGVBh9S1Bn1kLQeiomJJZWE/s1600-h/P1010253.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfMBhM_Y2JIk5Ea0mNVCcmJYJu-S3ZLnyu6fID6WtckLZEjuVl9iuyBtEmuyb5vmV2eFvYSAQJ3EP4mBa0F77-B_3AuVKnBv_f_IDdANMWzjii5EUaAneFGVBh9S1Bn1kLQeiomJJZWE/s320/P1010253.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274597906894804914" /></a><br />K: Yeah, Disney villains take over Mickey's imagination... Jafar turns into a giant snake and chases Mickey Mouse... Pocahontas is in it and fights the English, it's just random.<br /><br />S: Not a fan.<br /><br />K: Me neither. Any final thoughts on MGM?<br /><br />S: No.<br /><br />K: That's funny.<br /><br />S: Why? It's all a blur, I don't have any over-arching things to say, I just have small things. Except, actually, I think that was the park with the worst hats. I would say, like, three-quarters of the people there had ridiculous hats on.<br /><br />K: Like me. [I had on my mouse ears.]<br /><br />S: Oh, and you were about 12 years old that day, because when we first got there, you were leading me around by the hand, and I had to catch up to you and tell you to wait. And you started getting really excited when the Mr. Potato Head broke [at Toy Story Mania]. I think you jumped up and down.<br /><br />K: I did! It broke! That was great! That was SO funny. He just shut down and stood still for, like, 15 minutes. (Laughs)<br /><br />S: At first it said the same things twice.<br /><br />K: Oh, right! That's when I knew it would break! And it did! Stupid Mr. Potato Head!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0-WiefPnu6KYdpXUIgXD-6-alGHi45o0Q1uBcY3beq56irZrwMpSvPj4-iWJvvzqC4RuU3yh_4cPsEgq6aMAH63wDIueekCxVSED2hUSOmTkFVkFqWobPuJdZ0fgoMNdIPHdu5MuCHQ/s1600-h/P1010222.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0-WiefPnu6KYdpXUIgXD-6-alGHi45o0Q1uBcY3beq56irZrwMpSvPj4-iWJvvzqC4RuU3yh_4cPsEgq6aMAH63wDIueekCxVSED2hUSOmTkFVkFqWobPuJdZ0fgoMNdIPHdu5MuCHQ/s320/P1010222.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274598943251480402" /></a><br />In the park's defense, we didn't go on a lot of the tours or shows, and really only did about half the things they offer. But I still maintain that it's a little bit lame-ass.<br /><br />Next time: EPCOT Center, and why I can no longer call it my favorite park (this breaks my heart to write).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-43802189492194316642008-11-21T12:37:00.003-05:002008-11-21T13:13:38.486-05:00There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1E29EKMI3ejQeH7dplHgpc8QRNfnUk7ZDl9xWhdKuLN3_KEeWhpIZkboLsl4WmOnBnMpYT2hAUTJ3XNDMxjBpo_KPf_z2wVcEQg0753itHHN5qj_3WUcxx0yNvwhtmlgmWjbYAF08Xc/s1600-h/Carousel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1E29EKMI3ejQeH7dplHgpc8QRNfnUk7ZDl9xWhdKuLN3_KEeWhpIZkboLsl4WmOnBnMpYT2hAUTJ3XNDMxjBpo_KPf_z2wVcEQg0753itHHN5qj_3WUcxx0yNvwhtmlgmWjbYAF08Xc/s320/Carousel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271166412264775554" /></a><br />I was stuck on what to write about for the final Disney post, because it's a big, big decision. This is my #1 (which, really, belongs to the Haunted Mansion, but I was too psyched to wait), after all. <br /><br />Eventually, I asked my friends for suggestions. Lynn, who's only been to the park once but loved it, said the Maelstrom because she doesn't read my blog closely enough. Sarah said a deer, because she was hoping there'd be deers in the parks ("There aren't," I said. "Damn it," was her reply.). And Julie, who's gone there with me more times than we can count, immediately said "Carousel of Progress," and she is right. <br /><br />(To Lynn's credit, her second suggestion was also Carousel of Progress, but screw her.)<br /><br />So either they both know my Disney tastes very, very well - which is obviously true for Julie, not so much for Lynn - or this is just such a great ride that it's an easy choice.<br /><br />I LOVE the Carousel of Progress, and you know who else did? Walt Disney! They say it in the pre-show. I'm sure he loved all his rides, but I think this was his favorite, and it shows in the wit and humor and good-natured spirit of it all. <br /><br />Time to get psyched!<br /><br />- It's so old and creaky. It's shut down a lot of the time (I think they close it at dusk), little kids have no patience for it because it's a show with no thrills, I mean, they made it in 1964! But it's one of those nostalgia rides, which are more important than a lot of people realize, it's for the many people who come here again and again and again and never get tired of it. People like me and my family - when I was a kid, that song would often get randomly sung by my grandparents, aunts and uncles, we all love this song.<br />- And what a song it is! When I was little, it was "The Best Time of Your Life," but now it's back to the original, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow." (Incidentally, this is the only ride where you can hear Walt Disney himself singing.) I would call these the greatest songs in the entire Disney library. Yeah, you heard me. It's so much fun, and I shouldn't sell it any more because it's only gonna be a letdown for Sarah. My favorite part is during the Jazz Age, when the flapper gals sing back-up and go "Whee!" All songs need girls with heavy New York accents. All songs.<br />- GE used to be the sponsor, you can tell by the line about people who are "bringing good things to life," but they pulled their sponsorship. Yet I love that they still sort of mention them, and I think (though I'm not sure) you can still see their logo on all the old appliances.<br />- Their vision of the future, even now that it's been updated and is no longer 70s-riffic, is pretty silly, but I guess it should be, since it's a great big beautiful tomorrow.<br /><br />TOMORROW! <br /><br />I can't believe I'm going back there. <br /><br />I don't often show people my naturally ridiculous state (which usually includes rolling around on the floor making animal noises, then jumping up and down frantically, then falling asleep), but it's like... wow, get ready for this hokeyness, but I feel like I'm finally going home.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-67028856983354741012008-11-20T14:25:00.007-05:002008-11-20T16:05:23.587-05:002 Frakkin' Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxZhYxcY5HigfItZSC_GrjPhoE9lmL64BXTDeU72-NXVQw9YocaeYt9dJpGMlK1Ps0ZfwAOGykOsO2dLcSzjL9DTFtkavIYQ9hBXD56DP2i_WVNjftFX9gbXmg8bBfR0cY2vTI2R_w0M/s1600-h/skeleton1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxZhYxcY5HigfItZSC_GrjPhoE9lmL64BXTDeU72-NXVQw9YocaeYt9dJpGMlK1Ps0ZfwAOGykOsO2dLcSzjL9DTFtkavIYQ9hBXD56DP2i_WVNjftFX9gbXmg8bBfR0cY2vTI2R_w0M/s320/skeleton1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270826010766593394" /></a><br />I'm freaking out! Two days?!?! I'm busy looking at park hours, figuring out which one to visit on which day (and thinking MGM might be good for Saturday, after all), printing up stuff about vegetarian and vegan choices, and packing my invisible dog leash.<br /><br />But eff all that, look at those happy skeletons! Honestly, with just two days left, it's really hard picking just ONE thing to be psyched about (I think I could do a post a day for a whole year), but when deciding if today should be about the American Adventure (the amazing and heartfelt and beautiful show about America) or whatever they now call El Rio del Tiempo (the Mexico ride at EPCOT Center), well, viva Mexico!<br /><br />This ride is amazing. It's never crowded, it's slow and peaceful and relaxing, the scenery is beautiful, I think it's probably kind of offensive to Mexicans, and it's got naked people in it. <br /><br />Unfortunately, all the stuff I'm psyched about might not exist anymore, because they've added the Three Caballeros to the ride in an effort to Disney it up. I don't think I approve of this, and I've kept purposefully ignorant of all the changes. Assuming nothing has been removed, though, these are the reasons why I'm so psyched to take another lazy trip down the River of Time.<br /><br />- The inside of the Mexico pavilion, I'll say, is the most beautiful of the World Showcase. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about, if you haven't, look it up on Flickr or I'll post something when I get back (don't wanna spoil it for Sarah).<br />- The ride begins with videos made in the early 80s of half-naked Aztecs dancing. No explanation, no "These were the native people of Mexico," you're just drifting through an ancient temple and - surprise! Lots of random ass-flashes - those loin cloths aren't very protective when you're jumping around.<br />- Those singing skeletons! I'm sure they didn't mess that much with the most fun part of the ride, which is a colorful town with no adults but lots of Mexican children (who look like piƱatas) playing with fireworks, pretending to be bulls and doing all sorts of things that look dangerous and fun, and those skeletons sing that catchy-ass and totally inaccurate song, "Welcome <span style="font-style:italic;">mis amigos</span> to friendly Mexico, to the land of fiestas, they're everywhere you go." Everywhere!<br />- I highly doubt the videos of the stereotypical Mexican merchants made the cut, but God, I love 'em. They'd follow your boat and try to sell you stuff - two men, two women. They never give up!<br />- Then there's random videos of cliff-divers and people lounging in jacuzzis. It's like, this isn't representative of Mexican culture at all, it's like b-roll for some resort commercial. I love it, none of those people are Mexicans, they're American tourists. So this ride teaches me that a big part of Mexican history and culture is that... tourists come to a place that has a bar in a swimming pool?<br />- Back in the day, I'd always leave a couple coins hidden on the ride (you can reach out and touch the scenery if you are not afraid to break the rules). I highly doubt any of my coins have remained untouched for eight years... but I want to find out. If I find one, I'm hoping it will be full of power from the River of Time.<br />- The ride ends with something that, to this day, I have no idea what it's supposed to be. They're life-sized puppets or mannequins, but they aren't made to look like real people. And they're in this carousel that goes around and around. Are they dancing? Is that what it's supposed to be? Because even back then, they could've made realistic audio-animatronics that don't look like corpses on ropes. Is this what they do in Mexico?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyosheJ6UWcjw1jcOTWBUhYrc4jcCO4VgoGWjc5rAoD6VaVoBn9FoUFeuYAZxGkLFP7H3bEkkDP2wh4GM98eEPeXjOXAERqgpBPsG4G0uWHVB8dz_8ScGGx55LjXann3fdylecuP4b-js/s1600-h/mexico.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyosheJ6UWcjw1jcOTWBUhYrc4jcCO4VgoGWjc5rAoD6VaVoBn9FoUFeuYAZxGkLFP7H3bEkkDP2wh4GM98eEPeXjOXAERqgpBPsG4G0uWHVB8dz_8ScGGx55LjXann3fdylecuP4b-js/s320/mexico.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270830973272092514" /></a><br />It's blurry, but it's the only pic I could find.<br /><br />TWO DAYS!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-59712392177296563482008-11-19T14:22:00.002-05:002008-11-19T14:45:02.440-05:003 Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCtfy4QqREAllfmeatHgIxGNFOvbZljDeRFqm_6UBPvItCSzc57HwgsRnvdqLdf8sMB667yodqFYD04r8QEiTDrMR8RxeXsRPziUzgIi1vQ-zqdeZ-FXoDXnrEVZtZwEYuy4l2IcpdPI/s1600-h/MGM.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCtfy4QqREAllfmeatHgIxGNFOvbZljDeRFqm_6UBPvItCSzc57HwgsRnvdqLdf8sMB667yodqFYD04r8QEiTDrMR8RxeXsRPziUzgIi1vQ-zqdeZ-FXoDXnrEVZtZwEYuy4l2IcpdPI/s320/MGM.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270451320011867906" /></a><br />Someone asked me last night when I was gonna post about the Disney-MGM Studios (although I guess now it's called the Disney Hollywood Studios).<br /><br />Well, here's the thing... I'm not. I'm just not psyched about that particular park, and there's a chance that we might skip it entirely. Here's why (and if you disagree or I'm forgetting something, please comment)...<br /><br />- <span style="font-style:italic;">The Great Movie Ride</span>. Boring! I guess it has a few good moments (mostly when you're onboard the <span style="font-style:italic;">Nostromo</span> - I won't go into details because Sarah is reading this), but it's pretty meh.<br /><br />- <span style="font-style:italic;">Star Tours</span>. No, I don't like Star Tours. "If they should bar tours, let them bar Star Tours," as Bill Murray might have sang. It's just a motion simulator ride with pretty dated technology. And I know all the merch will be prequel and Clone Wars specific, so it will suck. The only good thing about Star Tours is waiting in line, which, I'll admit, is really awesome.<br /><br />- They got rid of <span style="font-style:italic;">Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Play It!</span> When I used to live in Florida, I would go to MGM every 30 days and play this over and over until I got put into the hot seat. Then I'd win some pins and a hat, maybe a shirt if I was lucky, and sell it on eBay. That's partly how I made a living. Now that it's gone, eff it! (Though I should wear that shirt some time during the trip.)<br /><br />- They got rid of <span style="font-style:italic;">Disney's Doug Live!</span> The absolute best stage show ever made ever. I have most of the songs memorized and have it on audiocassette somewhere. It was so good and sweet, I miss it. And I would've played Porkchop if they hadn't shut it down, and yeah, I'm still bitter about that.<br /><br />- What else is there in this craphole? Oh, yeah, you know my feelings about the <span style="font-style:italic;">Rock'n'Roller Coaster</span>, and the <span style="font-style:italic;">Twilight Zone Tower of Terror</span> never did it for me. It's just a freefall ride, all gussied up. My favorite part (again, no spoilers) is really cool, but way too brief. They need more of that [spoiler] and fewer drops! Also, it TOTALLY kills the suspension of disbelief when you look out over Florida instead of 1930s California.<br /><br />- <span style="font-style:italic;">Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular</span>? No, thanks! When, oh, when will they put in <span style="font-style:italic;">Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye</span>? That Disneyland ride is SO amazing! Seriously, the #2 Ride in the World, I'd say (after the Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure).<br /><br />- <span style="font-style:italic;">Fantasmic</span>. I've heard it's amazing in Disneyland, but here... you have to cram into a huge amphitheatre, like, two hours before and it's a show that's... well, I'd rather have fireworks. This is just a lot of dancing characters and video shown on fountains of water and Jafar uttering the ridiculous line, "Now I am the ruler of all Mickey's imagination!" It takes a LOT for Disney to do something that makes me go, "Well, that just doesn't make any sense whatsoever," but Fantasmic does that to me.<br /><br />- And the rest. While I enjoy <span style="font-style:italic;">Voyage of the Little Mermaid</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Magic of Disney Animation</span> and even the <span style="font-style:italic;">Backlot Studio Tour</span> (please, oh, please tell me they still have that creepy-ass, faded painted wagon from <span style="font-style:italic;">Dumbo's Circus</span>), I dunno if Sarah would enjoy them that much. Maybe she would, she likes intellectual things.<br /><br />- Oh, crap. I forgot about <span style="font-style:italic;">Muppet*Vision 3D</span>. Crap! OK, I guess we're going to MGM.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9AnjpRdQYuhyjfjrDy557jKI1PMEEPS1v4r5aaS9ORmZIo6Fya1pAhhEp24LyoWCq-g0L2E4rz2HnSX3MWrdFgzdaK_vswN7Cv7nkAybwTwEzgWcgXXhVVTNjI7sbuJuy0swxTU3Mj0/s1600-h/3D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9AnjpRdQYuhyjfjrDy557jKI1PMEEPS1v4r5aaS9ORmZIo6Fya1pAhhEp24LyoWCq-g0L2E4rz2HnSX3MWrdFgzdaK_vswN7Cv7nkAybwTwEzgWcgXXhVVTNjI7sbuJuy0swxTU3Mj0/s320/3D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270456897775504626" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-73921262935608908322008-11-18T14:36:00.002-05:002008-11-18T14:53:10.502-05:004 Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySuYgL5CLmDtFrK1yZrHV0zYGgvtujLCjxtmcBx7ufFYQF_ROOeboMK6p8mUl3986AqxpoQ0nEXDwFeuANyKv5XqWE_nDCgPEnKGYtGVYcM8YU238Or8I_KRCBDL7Af5qHbvZ0YJE-Ck/s1600-h/dole.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySuYgL5CLmDtFrK1yZrHV0zYGgvtujLCjxtmcBx7ufFYQF_ROOeboMK6p8mUl3986AqxpoQ0nEXDwFeuANyKv5XqWE_nDCgPEnKGYtGVYcM8YU238Or8I_KRCBDL7Af5qHbvZ0YJE-Ck/s320/dole.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270083808918117170" /></a><br />As Liz commented on in the last entry, I gotta throw a shout-out to Aloha Isle Refreshments (sponsored by Dole), conveniently located in Adventureland.<br /><br />For most of my life, I'd never eaten one of these. I'd heard stories, but since most of my trips were on a shoestring budget, I wouldn't buy any food.<br /><br />Then, last year during a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to <span style="font-style:italic;">The Price is Right</span>, my brother and I also visited Disneyland and got one of these, and you know what? It really hit the spot. That's one of the memories I have from my very memorable first visit to Disneyland, sitting on a bench eating ice cream with my brother.<br /><br />Like they say, it's the little things.<br /><br />- Delicious pineapple-themed snacks, what more do you need? Ice cream, probably skewers, juice, and all sorts of crazy combinations thereof. There are a ton of refreshment stands throughout the parks, but this is one of the most famous... for good reason. In fact, the only other one I can think of off the top of my head is that goddamned McDonald's French Fries wagon near the Frontierland/Adventureland border.<br />- I imagine pineapples are vegan, so there'll be something on the menu for Sarah. She loves snacks, too!<br />- Those benches are in the primo people-watching area of Main Street USA and Adventureland. I LOVE watching people on vacation, they're either absolutely wonderful or horribly grotesque. I remember sitting at that bench in Disneyland, watching kids crying for ice cream, parents denying them in nice ways and awful ways, people sitting and enjoying the park and people sitting and having a terrible time. I'm always amazed at how unhappy people can get over stupid, little things, especially at a place like Disney World. I wish I could say Dole Whips fix everything, but some people just can't be fixed.<br />- It's right by the Enchanted Tiki Room, and though I won't visit the Florida version (I disagree with its New Management), there are terrific pictures of parrots drinking pineapple juice, which I find delightfully absurd. Birds can't drink pineapple juice!<br /><br />Liz, you wanna chime in on this?<br /><br />(And I know the pic is from Disneyland, it's still the best thing I could find.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-26607994285001679112008-11-18T11:50:00.004-05:002008-11-18T11:59:07.451-05:00The Apiary Made Me a Winner!(They told me to say that in my blog, so I did.)<br /><br />Wait, Kirk, hold up a minute... What's going on?<br /><br />OK, let me start over. I just won two tickets to see Rhys Darby (the manager on <span style="font-style:italic;">Flight of the Conchords</span>) do stand-up, courtesy of <a href="http://www.theapiary.org/">the Apiary</a>.<br /><br />Now I don't enter a lot of contests, but they give stuff away almost every Friday, and Sarah's a fan of the show, and they have my email address already, so I figured Year of Yes, and now I won!<br /><br />Whoo hoo! I love winning! <br /><br />The Apiary asked that I mention the contest in my blog, so I'm fulfilling my end of the bargain, and now tomorrow I'll be enjoying this guy over at <a href="http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?category=92Tri+92YTribeca+Comedy888&productid=T-MM5CM08">92YTribeca</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircbRaAin4O2XwxRYyyDBFOdCKJDl8vpyzUeCQTkzSaUfjgUfpah0UqtrJAcD3Epnp1CPw6JFpMR5WZI6e5KOC4FSVQfwI2zZM7LmGjUeUhi6tbE-EGcpXVTm7McbJRmNzuS_nxTIRrEM/s1600-h/Rhys.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircbRaAin4O2XwxRYyyDBFOdCKJDl8vpyzUeCQTkzSaUfjgUfpah0UqtrJAcD3Epnp1CPw6JFpMR5WZI6e5KOC4FSVQfwI2zZM7LmGjUeUhi6tbE-EGcpXVTm7McbJRmNzuS_nxTIRrEM/s320/Rhys.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270041384803920690" /></a><br />Nice!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-42853001352533497302008-11-17T12:25:00.003-05:002008-11-17T13:01:22.092-05:005 Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQcP6J0QmJXJvow-cP_rDG5tKjxRG0PbsnK_3XGYMSmY9hCVjLK7Qx0AyRxKZDPko8_CaNv9o1O1Hbyk-RXQSYn6wK5Ew427KvYNNXkM1Pk5uWjoaXD80QnfcppjOaMK-525rcSGYAl4/s1600-h/Spectro1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQcP6J0QmJXJvow-cP_rDG5tKjxRG0PbsnK_3XGYMSmY9hCVjLK7Qx0AyRxKZDPko8_CaNv9o1O1Hbyk-RXQSYn6wK5Ew427KvYNNXkM1Pk5uWjoaXD80QnfcppjOaMK-525rcSGYAl4/s320/Spectro1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269687000726897218" /></a><br />Holy crap, SpectroMagic is back! <br /><br />By now it shouldn't come as any surprise that I'm the type of person who <span style="font-style:italic;">loves</span> a parade. On paper, they sound lame, because it's sitting on a street corner watching people walk by, but in practice, whoo boy, they're so much fun! <br /><br />I feel bad that Sarah won't get to experience the now-retired Main Street Electrical Parade, because I can't imagine a life lived without seeing and hearing it at least once, but SpectroMagic is absolutely nutz. Nothing gets me more psyched than a parade that can simultaneously creep me out and, as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDvlalPW8QE">Mitchell</a> would say, "turn my legs to putty."<br /><br />- The whole concept is so bizarre. It's like a late 70s/early 80s revamp of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Everyone wears white futuristic-y outfits with lights in them. It's just so retro, who came up with this idea, who approved it, and why did they bring it back?!<br />- There are all these weird, white-masked people. They don't exist in any Disney movie or film, but they're all over this parade, grinning with frozen, hollow faces. I hope that one day, when the demons come and kill us all, they look like these things.<br />- Disney princesses! I think they're delightful and a little bit dreamy. I used to know a bunch of them (one even reads this blog), and even though my friends have long since retired, it's fun to see the new princesses... if only to go, "Really? They cast HER? With those cheekbones?"<br />- I'm like a baby, I find it very satisfying to wave at people. Usually the people on the floats are just waving generically into the crowd, sometimes at kids, but when someone waves back and you make eye contact, it's this nice shared experience. I gain satisfaction from someone waving at me in the same way I feel good when I'm the last person applauding at a show. <br />- The music is really fantastic. I could say this about nearly every ride/show at the Walt Disney World Resort, actually. However, I think I've only seen SpectroMagic maybe once, but I still clearly remember the tune and most of the lyrics, that's how catchy it is. Writing down the lyrics helps me understand the parade's theme a bit more: "On this magic night / A million stars will play beside us / Cast a spell of light / Glimmering, shimmering, carousel-ling." And there's even this weird children's chorus in it, always a plus.<br /><br />This has been a pretty creepy post, but I think that's fair, considering the subject.<br /><br />Five days!!! To misquote Mitchell, "if God could grant me one wish, it would be to spend more time at Walt Disney World."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-29013803632251575892008-11-16T10:10:00.002-05:002008-11-16T10:38:40.159-05:006 Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiaIfBoDPecBeN1FnKugwLSOBsTI7yQBXtKHJmckPKYXIZfuo-woNpOvBCv66F7Vj-BE6VxfOtNmGv0JTIE_pf358mdOlp7zNUXQVzGf9JgH-rTXL6F_eb4hq_6nYSCK8BXp8R6FTWeU/s1600-h/everest.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiaIfBoDPecBeN1FnKugwLSOBsTI7yQBXtKHJmckPKYXIZfuo-woNpOvBCv66F7Vj-BE6VxfOtNmGv0JTIE_pf358mdOlp7zNUXQVzGf9JgH-rTXL6F_eb4hq_6nYSCK8BXp8R6FTWeU/s320/everest.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269273325047305122" /></a><br />These Disney posts has been heavily skewed toward EPCOT Center, so I thought I'd give a a shout-out to Disney's Animal Kingdom... specifically, Expedition Everest!<br /><br />I've never been on this ride (it opened in 2006, so it's still pretty new), but hot damn am I psyched to go on it. In case you're not aware, it's a roller coaster, and I really do love roller coasters. <br /><br />A good one, a really good one, is about as close to flying as we can get in our human form, and that's one of my favorite feelings, and can reduce me to screaming things like "Hotchee motchee" (one of the catch phrases of Jay Sherman from <span style="font-style:italic;">The Critic</span>).<br /><br />Since I don't really know what's gonna happen on this ride, I don't have many specific things to write about, but...<br /><br />- Look at those train tracks! Someone destroyed them! And you know who it was? It was the Yeti, AKA the Abominable Snowman. I'm really psyched to see this audio-animatronic, and am a bit disappointed I saw a spoiler on Flickr (and that would've been the pic for this entry, but it's copy-protected). I was psyched about the Yetis over at Disneyland's Matterhorn, but they were really weak. The Yeti over at Expedition Festival is supposed to be terrifying.<br /><br />- Most of the Disney roller coasters, I admit, are kind of weak-ass. Space Mountain is fun, Big Thunder Mountain's interesting to look at, and Splash Mountain is a great dark ride with one big drop, but they don't get me screaming nonsense words (Space Mountain, I admit, is pretty fun, mostly because it's in the dark). And although Aerosmith's Rock 'n Roller Coaster is exciting and goes upside-down, the entire theme (you're in a limo traveling to an Aerosmith concert) isn't very Disney for me. I'm hoping that Expedition Everest tops all of 'em.<br /><br />An interesting/concerning note: Sarah dislikes fireworks and roller coasters (although I think she should ride the "Mountain" ones, since they're all tame. I'm fine skipping Aerosmith.), but she loves hotels, so I'm curious if this vacation will be a bust for her, as I wind up dragging her by the arm through the parks. Which I'm perfectly willing to do.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-31830047713339828492008-11-15T22:48:00.005-05:002008-11-15T23:28:20.729-05:007 Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXfbDkdjCXOFfAV2RLroUI7jr-sAznBuuZL5PC5eKL5pXKvjMD0Qk40AWSWYbSySnh5_oLpceUGJEJlaJmVBNkkwjDC0sA8wAJo17UGH_9SuqPMT96CdrPpwCMCNvkeh7_Nn7P7eOSgI/s1600-h/Reflections.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXfbDkdjCXOFfAV2RLroUI7jr-sAznBuuZL5PC5eKL5pXKvjMD0Qk40AWSWYbSySnh5_oLpceUGJEJlaJmVBNkkwjDC0sA8wAJo17UGH_9SuqPMT96CdrPpwCMCNvkeh7_Nn7P7eOSgI/s320/Reflections.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269099167549559186" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"We've gathered here tonight around the fire, as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousand of years before us: to share the light and to share a story. An amazing story, as old as time itself, but still being written. And though each of us has our own individual story to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one. <br /><br />I hope you enjoy our story tonight: Reflections of Earth."</span><br /><br />That's what's said by an aged narrator (who I think might be God or Father Time or a friendlier version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uatu">Uatu the Watcher</a>) at the beginning of the best fireworks show I've ever seen, EPCOT Center's <span style="font-style:italic;">Illuminations: Reflections of Earth</span>.<br /><br />I seriously love fireworks, they're like great big booming cannonball fights where, instead of people dying, the sky turns pretty, and seriously, I get so psyched over fireworks displays you'd think I'm John Lithgow. But <span style="font-style:italic;">Reflections of Earth</span> is the only one that can make me cry.<br /><br />- This show is just the perfect way to end a day at EPCOT Center. All day long you've experienced ideas of today giving birth to tomorrow (the over-arching theme of Future World, the front half of the park) and the ideas of global brotherhood (as shown in the World Showcase), and now you see these themes explode! As fireworks! In improv terms, it's the ultimate third beat!<br />- Surrounding the World Showcase Lagoon are all these giant torches, and when the narrator finishes his opening monologue, he blows them out, and whoosh, they're extinguished! I love that part.<br />- Not that I plan to do this, but leaving a theme park during a fireworks show is an amazing experience. Imagine walking through a sea of people, all of them facing one direction, all looking to the sky with a look of awe and wonder on their faces, as multi-colored lights and shadows dance across the populace. And you're the only person doing something different. Absolutely amazing. Incidentally, that's what inspired me to write my infamous (and unpublishable) role-playing game, <span style="font-style:italic;">Press Ne Presents: Chaos in Disney!</span>, as a chemical fallout from the fireworks turned everyone into a mind-controlled horde.<br />- The music, and I know I sound like a sap saying this, but it's really, really beautiful. At the end, this woman sings, "We go on to the joy and through the tears, we go on to discover new frontiers [like space!]."<br />- I guess there's something I like about shared experiences with huge groups of people. I find it very satisfying to be there with all these families from across the world, people of all ages, watching these fireworks together. Once the show is done, people are back to their own individual vacations, but for these 30 minutes (I think it's that long), we're all united. And there are always those people who decide to go on rides during <span style="font-style:italic;">Illuminations</span>, because the lines are much shorter, but what I love is that when they exit the ride, they look over to the lagoon, and there's always a look of longing and some regret at what they missed.<br />- Afterwards, while all those suckers exit through the front of the park, I'll be one of the few who take the secret back route near France. Enjoy the long lines, suckers! Sarah and I will be taking an empty bus to Downtown Disney (unless we're really tired).<br /><br />I can't believe I'll be there in less than a week! By this time next week, I'll be on that empty bus (assuming we go to EPCOT Center on the first day, and further assuming we're not really tired).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-36117003178068105712008-11-14T13:44:00.004-05:002008-11-14T14:17:53.316-05:008 Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lfKLF5JSEJkM2_but_BinDUh-NK6GbXlNxPIkjZzlg0BgT3PEDKEbaROyTe4L60Sce3vU3x2BhOrFmKXyueK9I90yC6dxa1xH4tZTvr_cGDUzfMzNmKc720lsCXMnJu_yGaKYvUA1Og/s1600-h/pORToRLEANS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lfKLF5JSEJkM2_but_BinDUh-NK6GbXlNxPIkjZzlg0BgT3PEDKEbaROyTe4L60Sce3vU3x2BhOrFmKXyueK9I90yC6dxa1xH4tZTvr_cGDUzfMzNmKc720lsCXMnJu_yGaKYvUA1Og/s320/pORToRLEANS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268586089286763666" /></a><br />Don't be fooled by this picture of scenic Southern tranquility. This is actually the Riverside Mill, the food court at <a href="http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortLanding?id=PortOrleansRiversideResortLandingPage&bhcp=1">Port Orleans: Riverside</a> (the hotel where we'll be staying).<br /><br />I love hotels! I love everything about 'em - room service, weird towels, different bed, crazy air conditioners, key cards, they're great. I love 'em so much that they make me want to pull a John Waters and start doing the pony.<br /><br />And Port Orleans: Riverside (or, as I still call it, Dixie Landings), is by far my favorite of Disney's Moderate hotels. It's got so much more character than its twin hotel, Port Orleans: French Quarter (or, as it used to be called, just Port Orleans), which has a Mardis Gras theme.<br /><br />I only have moments to blog about what gets me psyched before the urge to dance will take over, so this'll be quick.<br /><br />- Seeing if Ahn still works at the Riverside Mill. He was a cashier there almost a decade ago, but a very nice man who pronounced cream cheese as "cream chee" and once gave us a small cup, free of charge, "for water," he said with a wink. (You usually have to pay for a cup to use the soda fountain. I believe Ahn kindly gave us the little one, fully expecting us to fill it with free soda.)<br />- That Japanese channel! I once stayed up all night watching some marathon of a soap opera or drama... and I'm still not sure what it was about.<br />- The channel that's all about Disney park info! I'm sure they've revamped it since 2001, but I do hope they still sing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, tip for today." Most of those tips are for n00bs ("Have a good time! Stay together") but it's the de facto background channel.<br />- Having two double beds! One gets all your luggage and crap, and the other is for relaxing and jumping on and breaking.<br />- The ridiculous water pressure in their showers! Nothing is better than coming back after a day in the park, being very tired, sweaty and dirty and sore from a day of walking, throwing your clothes into the dirty clothes bag, and taking a kick-ass shower.<br />- The statues of Huey, Dewey and Louie in the gift shop. There's something that makes me laugh/cringe when I see Disney characters dressed up in faux Southern nostalgic outfits. Like, I just want to ask, "But what about slavery?" Then I like to imagine, say, Goofy dressed up as Abraham Lincoln (I choose Goofy only because he's the tallest), and then getting assassinated by Donald Duck as John Wilkes Booth.<br /><br />OK, that image pushed me over the edge, I gotta dance. <br /><br />Eight days!!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652169218124742631.post-11097026375847905042008-11-13T12:19:00.003-05:002008-11-13T13:11:02.312-05:009 Days Till Disney!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYG1mCz8LjlM44A7uhtDX78fiyanuqhKd3fDVZ1jKkLyBPPH2hCGGVQVNu0FDfLzwNhB9WCHFTHVBTsW3UZD3B56nbETfAQT51fXtWQPbBOwrO2T6abyHR59lUSKLkwEHeHzBgaDjSWA/s1600-h/SpaceshipEarth.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYG1mCz8LjlM44A7uhtDX78fiyanuqhKd3fDVZ1jKkLyBPPH2hCGGVQVNu0FDfLzwNhB9WCHFTHVBTsW3UZD3B56nbETfAQT51fXtWQPbBOwrO2T6abyHR59lUSKLkwEHeHzBgaDjSWA/s320/SpaceshipEarth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268193164488365298" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our earth has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers."</span><br /><br />So begins one of the finest rides of all time, Spaceship Earth. For those who don't know, Spaceship Earth is the big ball at EPCOT Center (I'll be damned if I'll just call it EPCOT), and it tells the history of communication, from cave drawings to the printing press to the near future.<br /><br />Above is the mural right outside the entrance. I love it. It's my laptop's wallpaper.<br /><br />There's so many things I love about Spaceship Earth! Writing them down might overload the Psych-odometer, but Dr. Latham assures me that one can never get too psyched, so let's go.<br /><br />- New narration! Even though I loved Jeremy Irons' soothing voice, I'm excited to see what changes they've brought to the script, and (possibly) to the scenes set in the near future. I think the new narrator is Dame Judy Dench, but I'm not sure, and I'm avoiding reading about it so everything will be a surprise for me.<br />- The smell of burning Rome. One of Julie's favorite smells, she always says they should put a restaurant up there.<br />- That creepy kid selling newspapers.<br />- Remembering the old song "Tomorrow's Child," which has been gone for years and years. This was how they used to depict the future, with weird silhouettes of children and one of the most inspiring lyrics ever, "The future world is born today." It makes me want to run around and do something for humanity, even if it's just making videos about a talking cake from outer space. "We're alive!" it makes me want to scream. "We're alive and even if things are sucky right now, eff it, we're alive and we can do something with our lives! We're all in this together! Yes, we can! Year of Yes!"<br />- Siemens is now the sponsor for Spaceship Earth (taking over from AT&T), so I'm interested to see what the new post-ride exhibit will be. I was never that in love with AT&T's Global Village, though Julie and I used to make crank calls with their giant weird phone that made animal noises.<br />- When the narrator says, "The theatre was born."<br />- When the future teacher says, "Try a dragonfly." I bet this part is gone, because it was always weird and never made sense. It was some weird classroom where they were designing a spaceship that's similar to a bug, and they try bees and then the teacher suggests the dragonfly, and it loops forever, and that's where the ride always stops when I'm on it so I go through the loop 18 times.<br />- The absolute money shot of the ride, which I won't spoil for Sarah, but it's when you reach the apex of the ball. I hope the script hasn't changed, and I'm sure the music has, and I hope it still has the same power as it used to.<br /><br />Nine days!!!!!!!!!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0