Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Pix

Wow, alright. Famous friends in poses at theme parks. Snap, snap ... beautiful photos. Ok. I understand. Wonderful. But the sun still comes up tomorrow and there are still taxes to be paid and jobs to be done. Let's put things in perspective. And I don't mean the photo kind.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Spaceship Earth Rumors

A flutter of rumors are circulating over changes to Epcot's Spaceship Earth - y'know the iconic ball that greets you as you enter the park's main entrance. The one I've heard is that the outside of the sphere is going to be tranformed into a giant media screen (which a different ABC talk show will sponsor every month). So now when you enter the park, you can view the latest gossip about an overpaid celebrity who is going through rehab or a pop star who forgot its 2-year-old in a pub, etc. It will be quite the departure from what the sphere was originally designed to be - but ratings tell the chief muckity-mucks that the general population love celebrity mishaps. Afterall it seems that bad behavior gets rewarded these days - but does it have to influence Epcot?

Saturday, January 27, 2007

An Embarrassing Moment

Yesterday I went for an interview at a local hospital. The medical center is looking to fill their chief of surgery position. My interview started at 10:15 a.m. and sadly lasted only 10 minutes. After a few questions is was apparent to the staff that I had no business going for this position. I have no medical training! What was I thinking? I'm not really sure ... maybe I just needed someone to pay attention to me. Now that I look back at it - I guess I shouldn't have showed up for the interview. But the staff didn't have to be so mean to me! After a few questions they started to make little sarcastic comments about me. I think they called me a "time waster" and "someone who needs to find employment where a spatula is required." Man, it was humiliating! Was it my fault for showing up or was it their fault for being mean? I sure wish someone would send me to Disney World to help me cope with my grief.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Trash Cans

I'm thinking of designing really cool trash cans to be placed throughout the theme parks - sort of a "Year of a Million Trash Cans" theme. I'd like to shoot some photos of celebrities picking up after themselves and place these photos on big colorful cans. Now I'm not an acclaimed trash can desginer - so I'll probably have a tough time persuading the top wigs to go along with my idea. Trash cans may not keep "dreams alive," but they will prevent you from stepping in goo.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Bottle that Fragrance!

There is a pleasant fragrance I note when entering the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe it's from the fresh flowers scattered about the large lobby - or maybe it's from the cleaning fluid that is used to shine the floors - but I love it. I wish I could take it home. I want to bottle it, hold conventions and sell it. Okay, maybe I'd give it away - but I would hold a convention. Maybe we'd meet down at the Hess station and make our way to the GF and then breath in. Man, what a treat. Then we could take photos and gossip. At a later date we'd post the photos taken at our convention and start a forum. I could jibber jab about the fragrance all day & night. Maybe sell t-shirts. The possibilities are endless. I could write a book about fragrances at WDW! It would become a best-seller and I could quit my day jobs and move to Florida. I'd be a trivial expert on odors at theme parks. There's a position no one has. Maybe for a reason.

Monday, January 15, 2007

I'm a Stupid-head

For the second year in a row I have missed the WDW marathon because I arrived a week late. There should be some sort of award for that. Twice in a row? Just got back in yesterday morning. I'm feeling the pride right now.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

WDW Marathon

Well, this will be my last blog for a week. I'm leaving tomorrow morning to head down to Florida to take part in the 2007 Walt Disney World Marathon. It's the first time I'm running in it (although I have run through the parks before). I have been training and looking forward to this since last January when I mistakenly missed the event by a week. I was looking at the wrong calendar! To be honest, I'll be running in the Half Marathon because I'm out of shape. That's not to say that Half Marathon runners are not in shape ... I'm sure I will be the last contestant to cross the finish line or crawl over the finish line. If any of you see me - please say hello ... to the person next to you. Then have that person say hello to me and help me up on my feet!

New Site to See

Bob Iger, Disney CEO, gave the Keynote speech at CES last night. Man, CEO and CES makes it all official and warm sounding. Very important upper crustick kind of stuff. Is crustick a word? Where did that come from?
A new website was revealed in Vegas & I for one am interested in seeing it. I'm sure it's great. Too bad I couldn't have been there. But I am just a peasant in the world of blogs and maybe if I had a foreign sounding first name I could post more proudly. More proudly? Where did I go to school?

Newest additions

Just received some cool theme park pamphlets and books on animation from Ukraine. I'll try to scan them in.

Sunday, January 7, 2007

Hardware store blues

I recently went to a hardware chain establishment, let's call it mACE because I don't want to use the real name. I went to this mACE because I needed a new recycle bin. I recycle like a good little tax payer and I got rewarded for it by having my recycling bin destroyed. The town I live in doesn't give their tax-paying citizens recycling bins (like other towns do) so I needed to go out and purchase one. Of course this time of the year, it isn't easy to buy one because recycling bins are grouped in with trash cans and garden hoses and well who in there right mind would want to buy an item like that during the winter? That's plumb crazy.
So being plumb crazy I went to mACE because I could have sworn that in the recycle bin buying weather, mACE had like a million of them on display outside their fine establishment. When I arrived I could plainly see there weren't any bins outside - but why should there be, it's winter! So I went inside mACE and went down the trash can/garden hose aisle and low and behold I could not find any recycle bins. So although being a man I don't like to ask for help ... I asked for help in this matter. Now I've been in this particular mACE like 50 times over the last 4 years and probably spent close to $2000 in those 4 years - but they still look at me like I'm from Mars. Anyway, I was told mACE doesn't sell recycle bins. I acted surprised to this answer and so the "salesman" asked a fellow "salesman" about it & the second genius declared "we never carried recycle bins". I must be losing my mind - I thought to myself - I could have sworn mACE sold recycle bins.
Now I needed a recycle bin because Wednesday was coming up soon and by golly I have to recycle. So off I went to another chain which I'll refer to as Gnome Depot - and after much searching found two lousy (and dirty) recycle bins. "That's all we got" I was told. Of course, it's not recycle bin buying weather! What's wrong with me!? So I purchased one of the two very dirty bins for an unbelievable price of $30 and went home to fill it with bottles and cans. (Even the Gnome Depot cashier made me feel stupid as she was also shocked at the price and the fact that I was actually buying it!)
Long story short - fast forward to 2 weeks later and I'm speaking with my brother-in-law and we get on the topic of recycle bins. He tells me he bought his at mACE for a reasonable price. He said mACE had tons of them. Always have and probably always will (in season of course).
I love hardware stores almost as much as the employees who refuse to work in them.

Blog Alert

My friend Arang Arangigi turned me on to this cool blog/site:
http://2904109.blogspot.com/
It isn't theme park oriented per say, but it is worth a visit.

Mickey's The Birthday Party

Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon The Birthday Party was released on this day way back in the year 1931. I like posting stuff like this because it makes me feel like an expert. Like I was around in 1931 and actually went to the theater and saw it. Like I'm a professor when it comes to old cartoons. I'm sure somehwere out there someone is analyzing the cartoon to show its importance to the 20th century ... or something. Have a hot pocket and relax!

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Laughing

The new issue of Mad is out and man this mag gets better and better. While it may not deal with the kind of humour I am most interested in hearing about, it contains quite a few bits in each issue that make it worth its cost. I feel better now for have written this post.

Friday, January 5, 2007

Castle Facts

This just in from McLean Jefferson: Cinderella Castle is in Disney World and Sleeping Beauty Castle is in Disneyland. Seems I have negelected to mention that in my past posts.

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Today's Blog Sites

Two exceptional blogs today that I'd like to bring to the surface if I may -
this one: http://cpkmelissa.blogspot.com/
and this one: http://juridicoonline.blogspot.com/
Whatever you do, don't miss em!

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Idea for WDW

A drive-in theater. An honest to goodness old fashioned drive-in theater. Very 1950s vintage. Put one on property. Have a section where guests who don't have a car can enjoy the atmosphere too - maybe pre-parked cars. Show old Disney live-action flicks (anything with Fred MacMuraay would be ideal).

Fountain View Closed

Rupert Dowlings (our Florida newsman - currently living in Georgia) reports that Epcot's Fountain View Cafe is temporarily closed as of today. Yikes! Where will I be able to enjoy fresh baked good while sipping espresso at Epcot? The seating there is colorful and invigorating and of course you have a view of a fountain - what more can a guy (or gal) ask for!? It's a fabulous spot. Is there another cafe at Epcot? I can't think of another off the top of my head. I'm sure someone will come up with an alternate establishment. I wonder what's going on that the Fountain View is closed. Cleaning out the espresso machine maybe? I just realized .. there savory breakfast pocket is delicious and I can't imagine going a week without one. It's sort of like a Hot Pocket, but you don't have to run to a restroom 30 seconds after you've inhaled one.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

The Worm Turns today in '37

Elwood Lerk reminds me that Disney's Mickey Mouse film The Worm Turns was released today January 2 in the year 1937. Mr Lerk is a history enthusiast who seems to know just when to remind me of special events. How does he do it? I'm not sure as I've never actually met Elwood Lerk. The relationship he and I have was formed over the internet. I do know he is quite the Disney fan as he has visited Disneyland 37 times and Disney World 54. Can you imagine visiting those parks that many times?! He must have his own parking spot by now.

Monday, January 1, 2007

Epcot to Celebrate Anniversary?

No sooner had the year 2007 burst in than an email from Perez Del Flalo swished across my pc screen. For those who don't know Perez, he is one of my solid informers when it comes to anything Disney. Fans of his on again off again bi-monthly magazine Vision of Insistence know him for his short but informative articles. (Fans of the mag will be happy to know that issue 4 - the follow-up to the May 1999 issue 3 - will be printed sometime in 2008. Hang in there readers, he sort of means well.) Anyway, Perez has hinted that Epcot is set to offer a surprise celebration in honor of its 25th birthday. Details are few but it's going to "be a hum-dinger." Only time will tell. Fans of any Worlds Fair will undoubtedly be thrilled with the Epcot celebration. Or at least that's what they are told. Perez will keep me up-to-date so that I in turn can inform you, the reader. Right now Perez is tracking down details on Epcot's celebration while on a visit to Paris. Why Paris? Why not? He does some of his best tracking there - many Disney aficionados do. At least that's what I've read. Happy travels Perez Del Flalo, we'll be here waiting for the news.