Weird Thursdays

First, why is it so cold?  Rain, whatever.  We need the rain so I'm fine with that.  But why so cold?!? Seriously, it's way too cold for the last day of May.  I also find it's always a weird day when I have to yell more than once, "SIMON, JUST POOP!"  Rehearsal lost some of that great momentum we had earlier in the week, but we'll regroup and try again as the weekend goes.  We're down to 6 more rehearsals until we open!  It is close to ready for an audience, it just isn't quite where I want it to be, and it's hard to really fix things when we're missing half the cast every rehearsal.  Also a lot of pressure in terms of publicity and getting people to the show!

I wish after the show we had more time to take a break after Earnest, but we have to move straight into Caesar in order to have enough time to work it (especially given when we want it to go on).  We only have 7 weeks as it is, and we always lose time due to vacations, so  we need to have the time.  Though, last year we did Much Ado with only 30 rehearsals, and it went off really well.  We shall see. We shall see.

Wonderful!

I'm so excited because we had a wonderful rehearsal today!  Last week at this time I was really down on things.  I considered canceling the summer show, and just being done after this show.  But today went so well.  We got to rework some problem areas, people showed up after their commitments, and costumes came in for a few characters!  If we can keep this momentum up then we'll be in great shape!  We've got one week till we open! 

Rabble!

I am really grumpy today.  I don't know why but I just am.  I woke up grumpy, I've been grumpy all day.  I'm getting a lot of job hating again, for no real reason other than I remembered how much I hate my job (being busy makes one forget how much it sucks donkey teats.

So, rabble to the world.

Many Tasked Monday

First, Happy Memorial Day! 

Second, today was quite busy.  First we had to drive up to Milford to pick up some set pieces for Earnest.  It wasn't bad, though there was a detour due to a memorial day parade.  While driving up we go to see a few of the flyovers by a couple different groups of planes.  So that was fun!  Also got to visit a bit with Karen and Steve before heading back home.

After that, Earnest rehearsal.  It's really detrimental to not have a full cast so close to the show when we really need to run the thing to get a good feel for it.  Disjointed scenes give it a lack of continuity and build, which makes it hard.  Next week doesn't look much better in terms of attendance due to the known issues with graduation (though this we had planned for).

Then, I finally got my Peony plants in the ground!  I planted one earlier this week, but still had two left.  But, got them in today and the mulch finished in the area that they were being placed in!  That's very helpful, and that also means the front of the house is finished with the de-rocking project (with the exception of the side area in front of the library.  So, next project is to get those rocks out of here, and then mulch it.  After that it'll be the driveway area, and next to the garage, and our house will be rock free.

So, a busy extra day off!

Holiday Weekend

The three day weekend is the best of all weekends.  They really are wonderful!  First, you get two days where you don't have to worry about what is going on the next day!  That is delightful.  Saturday is nice, but you know that the next day you're going to have to do a ton of tasks and begin to prepare for the return of Monday.  But the three day weekend means that you get two days where you don't have to do all sorts of lame tasks!  HOORAY!

I vote for three day weekends every week! 

Birthday Party

Tonight is Becky's birthday party.  I must clean.  That is all.

Activate Troll Mode

Yesterday I posted a somewhat amusing commentary on pregnant women and their habit of holding their bellies in a way that indicated they were afraid it was going to fall off if a good wind caught it.  First, I think this is stupid, and don't like seeing it.  It's one of those weird things that bother me, like people who make a lot of grunting noises while having a poo, or people who spit into the urinals while they pee, or those Tarzan shirts that girls used to wear, or fake tans.  It just is one of those thinks.  I think it's usually because the people I tend to see doing it most often are people who a) shouldn't have kids and b) are morons and are in need of a boot to the eyehole.

So, making this amusing commentary released the expected reaction from the interwebs.  That reaction... that being a man I don't know what I'm talking about because I've never done it.  I love this reaction because it's bullshit.  It's so dismissive of the ability of others to comprehend, and their ability at empathy.  The simple fact is, a simple hand gesture is hardly something that can't be contained, or needs to be understood. 

It's really the same sort of reaction that I get when I criticize public breast feeding.  Though that one usually brings the "mommies" out and how they have the right to do whatever and it's natural.  Incidentally taking a dump is also natural, but I don't do it in the middle of a store.

Anyhow.  Trolled.

Conspiracy Morons

The Internet, while bringing us countless hours of entertainment and enjoyment has also unfortunately helped to nourish and support the crazies.  While crazies have always been in the world, before the internet they were local.  "Oh hey, that's crazy Jim, he says he say a bigfoot eating a chupacabra whilst riding a UFO."  But now, with the power of the internet, these people can broadcast their crazy 24/7 and reach a wider audience than ever before.

This wouldn't be troubling if we weren't all so freaking STUPID!  The inability of people to understand the concept of facts, reputable sources, and to think critically leads to "OMG I READ THIS ON THE INTERNET'-itis.  Suddenly you are a medical expert because you went to WebMD.  Screw that doctor, he only studied this and practices it every day.  Scientist-schmientist, I read this blog from a guy who read another blog and that makes far more sense because it supports my preconceived notions about the subject matter!

Then we end up with Truthers, Birthers, and MIBers.

Disappointment

Well, I never thought I could be so disappointed.

We have been working on Earnest since March, and we are now two weeks from our final rehearsal, and it turns out half the cast will pretty much not be here until we open.  I'm not disappointed at the conflicts, because we knew there would be some things to work around.  Rather, it's that the conflict is work and that the proper time wasn't taken to attend the vital final rehearsals.  In fact one cast member said they may not even be able to attend the performance.  Of course there was no choice but to replace.  With time being so short, and costume needs being time sensitive, we couldn't wait to find out, but had to make a final decision.  I feel bad for that, but at the same time angry.  Employment is not a problem, and having been a manager I know how to work with difficult schedules.  The problem was that work wasn't informed of a commitment and thus didn't schedule accordingly.

The issue is that this isn't some entertaining pass time that if it doesn't turn out is no big deal.  We need to be self sufficient and pay for our existence.  We can't just cancel, we can't just produce a sub par production.  It needs to be the best it can.  Being a hard ass is never fun, but at the same time, not honoring your commitments is not acceptable either.  So, today was a bad day.  Tomorrow we need to regroup and get back on track the best we can so we have a production we're proud of.

Scholarships

Tonight was our scholarship meeting.  Really, it's almost the last thing that has to be done before we close out the year.  It's always amusing to me when we get the apps because I enjoy the essays, but also to see if our guesses will be correct on who will get the top scholarships. 

All our scholarships are based off of points for the activities students do.  They have to submit grades, answer questions and write an essay, but really it's the roles students have had that are the deciding factor on scholarships.  So mentally we try to think who has held which roles, and try to guess who will apply, and what the ranking will be.  Turns out, only four applied this year (yet we can give away six scholarships).  Of them we thought there would be a tight race for the top, and there was, but it turned out as expected.

Anyhow, on to Drama Awards, the summer, and That.

Farewell

Well, yesterday ended Romeo and Juliet, however it also marked the last performance in our old auditorium.  For the entire existence of the current drama program, as well as going well back, that stage has been the home to theatre at Lincoln.  Last night actors took their final bows on the stage, and next year they will move to a new home. 

It is all at once greatly exciting to have the facility that they all deserve and have always dreamed of, but it is also like moving away from your home you grew up in.  It may not have been the best place, or even the place that you would want be, but it was still home.  It was still where you grew up, and hold so many memories, both good and bad.  I myself have many memories from that stage, and being able to come back is somewhat nice.  However, in a matter of days construction workers will begin changing the space to house our new back room, storage, and rehearsal areas for the performing arts.  It won't be the same, yet it is exciting.

So, farewell old home, while we are excited to move on, we will miss you.

The End

Another year ends!  Well almost.  We still have Drama Scholarships and then Drama Awards.  The show did ok, I expected higher ticket sales, but what can you do.  Concessions did well, the caterer sucked, and all in all there was more stress than necessary.  But we're off to the summer, and everyone can chill out and we'll get back to work next summer.  Now, to try and catch up on all the stuff I've been neglecting the past two weeks due to production and vacation, not to mention getting back to Earnest rehearsals.  Less than three weeks to go on that one.

Closing Night Part I?

Our third night, and the last show for one of our Juliets.  Still low crowds, and I wonder if the low publicity had something to do with it.  There were a number of things not done that usually are done, or that were done my a booster when it was discovered that it hadn't been completed yet.  Hm.  Perhaps it's that the show is nearly 4 hours (when you count the intermission).  Hard to say.  One day left.

Opening Night Part II

So, with double casting you kind of get two opening nights and two closing nights, because each night someone is either on for the first time, or on for the last time.  Tonight was the first night for our second Juliet.  She did a lovely job, and we had some higher ticket sales, though still kind of low.  I guess the upside is that we're still making a good deal on concessions, despite the lower crowds, which is good for scholarships, and Drama Day, and Mid-Michigan.

Two days left.

Opening Night!

A disappointingly low turn out for opening night.  Thursdays can be hard, but at the same time it is a long show.  Still, we should have had much higher audiences, especially when comparing to the last two Shakespeare shows we've done.  Perhaps crowds will pick up later in the weekend.

Second Dress

Alright, it's a show now.  Part of me wonders if it's just a show because if you don't' say it's a show then people freak out and lose morale.  And really this was the last possible time to call it.  There are some messy things that really annoy me because had my offers of assistance been accepted I could have helped more.  This irritates me beyond reason.  Oh well. 

Tomorrow the show opens.

First Dress

Ah, First Dress.  How busy you make me.  Took a ton of pictures tonight, and finally started to get the hang of using the light of god flash that I can attached to the camera.  That's good because it makes better pictures. 

Still hasn't called it a show...

So It Begins

Production week...

Today was the final tech rehearsal for LHS's production of Romeo and Juliet.  Production week is always hard because it's so much running around and so little time at home.  I swear our dogs must think we're on vacation again.  The show is... not yet a show, as per Jacobs.  With only two rehearsals left, that's cutting it really close.

Also, last show in the old auditorium!  New home next year!  Exciting and sad.

Becky's Busy Birthday

Today was Becky's birthday, however it was inconveniently timed to fall also on Mother's day, and on the day after returning from Florida.  So, boy was it busy!  First we got up and had to go get Ronan from Scott's.  After that it was off to Real Seafood for lunch with Michele and Sean for Becky's birthday.  It was quite tasty and enjoyable.  Then a quick stop to the grocery store, a fast mow of the law, a visit to the greenhouses to get flowers for the family and our house, and off again to visit my sister's house for a little bbq with my family!  It was a lot stuff!

If only I could sit down for a bit and catch up on my back tv shows... I miss you Game of Thrones!

On The Road Again

Drove home today.  Nothing eventful happened, unless you count the fact that we drove for around 25 miles without seeing a single care on the opposite side of the highway.  Apparently there was a landslide that made them close the south bound side for a bit.  Other than that, home again and tired!

Visit ALL The Parks!

In a whirlwind of activities we visited ALL the parks!  We started our day off in the Animal Kingdom.  we had to get here so we could go see the Nemo Musical because we missed it on our first day.  As we were getting on the bus a guy at the stop gave us fast passes to Expedition Everest.  Apparently they got them in much the same way we got our passes at Magic Kingdom, but they weren't going back so they couldn't use them.  I gladly took them and in exchange gave him our Magic Kingdom passes that we never used (I know we could have used them today, but it seemed like the good karma thing to do).  Turns out we got 6 passes for Everest, so we got to ride it twice after seeing the Nemo show.  Also got our pictures taken with the dog and boyscout from UP.

After that we headed over to Hollywood Studios to ride the Star Wars ride again, and to see about characters.  We probably could have ridden the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith coaster again, but we decided to move on so we could get to everything we wanted.  So we were off to the Swan/Dolphin/Boardwalk resorts by boat from Hollywood so we could catch a bus to Epcot.  Turns out, as we were passing the Boardwalk they were about to have a wedding in the pavilion that we got married in.  I kind of wanted to wait to see, but it was still half an hour away and we were on a schedule.

We made it to Epcot and headed China so we could see the acrobats.  Turns out, it wasn't all that impressive and that kind of sucked.  They did some neat stuff, but it wasn't as good as I had wanted it to be.  After that we headed back to Japan to see the drum show, which I always enjoy.  We also wanted to see the lady who makes things with candy, but she wasn't on today which was sad.  We popped in a few shops and then headed to the monorail to get over to the Magic Kingdom to see the light parade.

We actually had a little time before the parade, so we stopped off and got some food, nothing special just chicken fingers and fries.  And then found a good place for the parade.  We actually ended up on the other side of a bridge right near the castle heading into the frontier section.  I've always loved the light parade, so I was super excited to see it... however they changed it. Much like the Tiki Room it seems like they decided to go with an old version of it, with a lot of floats with lights on them.  They had some neat ones, but it just wasn't what the Spectromagic Parade was.  First the music was SUPER annoying.  It sounded kind of like a bad synthesizer and was extremely repetitive.  Also, the thing seemed far less impressive than the people with all the lighted costumes on.  Really it was a bit disappointing.

I will say the new show they added was pretty cool.  After the parade but before the fireworks they added this show where the project pictures onto the castle which was really neat!  The way the projections work it almost looks like the castle is coming apart brick by brick or even moving.  My favorite was when they made the tallest tower look as if it was a rocket taking off!  I really enjoyed it, and the fireworks were splendid as usual.

So, that's it on our trip.  Tomorrow we head back home... sad.  So long from Disney!

Around The World In One Day

Ahhh, Epcot.  Today we got to go around the world without ever leaving the park.  Or at least that's the idea.  Really Epcot is not my favorite park.  I enjoy Soarin' and Mission Space.  Test track is fun, but they had it closed for refurbishment, which sucks because it's one of the three rides they have here.  Really the good times of this park is walking and eating.  So of course we stopped in France to have delicious pastries.  We actually also decided to eat in France at the fabulously expensive French restaurant, but it was SO GOOD!  I got the prefixed meal, which means I got soup, entree, and dessert.  I was going to skip it because I wasn't sure I was all that interested in the soup offerings, but I'm glad I didn't because their lobster bisque was SO. FREAKING. GOOD.  The rest of the meal was delicious also, but that lobster bisque is what really sticks out for me.

The problem with Epcot is that there really are no rides or interesting attractions.  In each country you have some sort of really lame ride, or a movie to watch about the country, and then shopping.  We rode the Mexican boat ride, and then the Nordic boat ride.  We went in the shops of Germany, Italy, and Japan.  We watched a show in England that actually was quite funny and that Sean got some recognition at (the audience was named The Seans because of his enthusiastic involvement in the audience participation portions).

Overall it was a pretty quiet day.  We ended with the fireworks show, which is always impressive and fun.  Though we didn't get to see my America movie.  WHY DO WE ALWAYS MISS MY AMERICA MOVIE!?!  Anyhow, tomorrow we plan to see all the places and end with the light parade and fireworks in Magic Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Magic

Today was the day of Magic Kingdom!  I love Magic Kingdom, and it was the first place I ever went in Disney.  We didn't stay for the Fireworks tonight, but we plan to head back over on Friday to catch them.  I think it will be a nice ending to our trip seeing the fireworks here at Magic Kingdom.  Something about seeing the parade, then the fireworks over the castle seems like a good finale to a lovely trip.

Coming into the park we of course had to hit the normal attractions.  Though, I must say that for someone who hasn't seen The Swiss Family Robinson, the tree house was probably a little lackluster.  I mean, I saw that movie about 100 times as a kid since it was one of the only VHS tapes we had, so I knew the house, and thought it was awesome!  Sean, not so much.  I kind of wonder if someday they'll take it out because the lack of interest in it, and the fact that the link is growing weak since the movie is so old and probably not well watched anymore.  In related news, I NEED THIS MOVIE ON DVD!

After that we headed over to the Tiki Room.  I was a little surprised that they changed it up!  They got rid of Zazu and Iago which I wasn't really all that sad to see.  They seem to actually have reverted it back to what I would assume was the original Tiki Room, with the show and the music seeming very 1950s.  Something about that I really liked.  Though the new show is a little less "exciting" I really enjoyed it and love that kind of infatuation with Hawaii that  you get in old cartoons and movies.  It was fun.

After that we saw probably the most inappropriate show in all of Disney, the Country Bears!  Now, I have to admit that I never saw this show before, and so I was quite shocked at it.  First it's really a terrible show.  I'm not entirely sure why this one hasn't been updated, or even why it's still there.  Surely they could come up with something better for Frontier Land.  But second, the song lyrics were just bizarre.  They had this one bear singing about blood in the saddle and on the ground, it was kind of gruesome and I'm not sure I'd want to bring my kids to it.  Then they had this other bear singing, and I quote directly, "all the men who turn me on, turn me down."  WHAT?!  Seriously, I left this show thinking WTFingF???

We of course hit the haunted mansion, and then my favorite of all 3D shows, Mickey's Philharmagic.  While we were in the area we also got to see the expansion of Fantasy Land, which is totally under construction.  I'm sad it's not later in the year because the new area is supposed to open over the next few months and fully complete by next year.  The only down side we had we getting almost on Space Mountain but then having it shut down.  We did get fast passes for anything in the park as a "hey sorry about that" which we tried to use on the Peter Pan ride (though the guy said, keep your passes and just let us on).

Overall, a lovely day in the Magic Kingdom.  Tomorrow we're off to Epcot!

Moo.

Today we headed over to the Animal Kingdom, and decided to be sure to get up early and get out there when the park opens.  I have to say that was a great idea, because we got to get on the safari very quickly and all the animals were pretty active.  In fact we go to see the lions, which we've never seen more than just a tail poking out of a blind spot.  What was even better about that was we actually got to see the male lion, he was all "Hey guys, don't mind me, just taking a bath here."  It was better than expected!

Even more exciting we got to see the cheetahs.  In all the times we've gone, and all the times we've been on the safari, I have NEVER seen the cheetahs.  They're always asleep hiding somewhere, so it was really neat to get to see them up and about, walking around.  Though one had already decided that it was going to be nap time.  I will say that we didn't get to see the warthogs, but we did a very up close view of a giraffe who decided the tastiest leaves were the ones RIGHT NEXT TO THE ROAD!  I probably could have touched the thing, but I would be afraid that I'd get kicked out, or the giraffe would beat me with his head!  But I must say it was quite awesome to see them that close.

After that we went about the park to the normal attractions.  Our first stop was back in the Rafiki's Planet Watch section.  I've always wanted to go back there early in the morning because they have an observation lab where they bring the animals in for checkups and whatnot.  We never are able to get ourselves out of bed in time to do this, but this time we were early.  I'm kind of disappointed because all we got to see was a checkup on an arthritic duck that didn't feel like eating much.  So they injected him with something or other, and then tube fed him which was kind of gross.

We also got some fun pictures with characters, and in those little boards with cut outs for your face.  While in the Planet Watch section we ran into Rafiki, who is a butt face!  He was all "Hey! Give me five!"  So I was like, sure, sounds good but as I was about to give him the requested five, he pulled back.  So I was all, "Funny joke, bro." Then he did it again, and so I was like, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice..... ya can't get fooled again."  Then he finally convinced me to give him the highest of fives, and I did, and it was good.

We also ran into Baloo and King Louis quite by accident.  We were actually trying to get around a crowd of people who don't seem to understand that they were in the middle of a traffic lane.  They totally got me a mark on my theme park bingo card.  I also have to say that Baloo liked to F with people.  It was funny, and quite a good unexpected meeting, especially since it was us taking a "short cut" and there was no one down the lane we walked and it was sort of tucked away so I don't think many people realized they were up there.

Oh, one last thing.  The Lion King show was excellent.  That is all.  Enjoy a few more photos below.

Gotta Get Back To Hogwarts

Today we headed over to Universal Studios because we had to go and see their new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  This opened a few years back, but we haven't been able to go until now.  The pictures looked wonderful so I was super excited to go and see it.  They took out their "Ye Olde Tymey" area and replaced it with Harry Potter, which was probably a very good idea.  When we arrived we went straight to the Harry Potter area so we were sure to get to do and see everything we wanted since it was only a one day deal for this one.  This really worked out well since it only took us 30 minutes to wait for the ride in Hogwarts.  I think a major part of the wait was people stopping to take pictures of all the awesome things!  It was very well done, and all the details were great.  The ride was also a lot of fun.

I also really like walking up to Hogwarts!  It was really neat because if there weren't about a million other tourists, and it wasn't hot as balls, looking up at it, it seems pretty legit.  I wish they were open late enough to get to walk up to it all lit up as if you were about to go in, get sorted, and enjoy a great feast!  They also didn't have a great hall that you could go in, which was kind of sad.  I was also a little disturbed that my beloved Ravenclaw was LOSING!  WHAT?!!?  They totally lose realism points that.  I wanted to geek out more, but there were people everywhere, so I really didn't get to get any neat pictures in places that I wanted to take them.  Below is a picture just as you're going into the castle.  It was neat because you had this cave bit, then you end up in the green houses before heading into the actual castle!  Good times, good times.

After our time in the castle, and the obligatory gift shop at the end of the ride, we headed through Hogsmeade (though really we did walk through this first to get to Hogwarts).  Our first stop was at a little cart to get some Butterbeer.  They have two options, cold or frozen.  We decided to go with the cold version first.  It's kind of like a cream soda, but they put this butterscotch foam on the top which was delightful.  We tried the frozen option a bit later, and I think I liked the frozen type better.  I also got a bottle of pumpkin juice, which was sort of like drinking a pumpkin pie!  It was actually hard to drink a lot of at a single time! But it was fun!  We visited all the important stores: Zonkos, Honeydukes, Dervish and Bang's, and the Owl Post shop.  They had some neat stuff!  I finally got a Ravenclaw scarf, and since it was super sunny and my face was burning, I got a Ravenclaw hat!  It was great!  Honeydukes was really neat too, though they needed to be A LOT bigger.  I was also sad they didn't have crystalized pineapple.  They had some cubes, but it wasn't quite what we were looking for.  I got a nice jar of Sherbet Lemons!  They came in a glass jar that says Honeydukes on it! SQUEE!

I have to say that it was really neat, however, I wasn't in love with the place.  First, it was FAR too crowded.  The area is way too small for the number of people that are in the park, and really they should have known better when designing it.  It was nearly impossible to get into Dervish and Bangs.  We actually went in a back door that no one apparently noticed because there was a LINE to get in on the front side.  It was hard to look at anything because it was just wall to wall and you could barely move through the store.  This was the same at Zonko's and Honeydukes!  It reminded me of being in the Sistine Chapel.  It's neat, but hard to enjoy because of all the other people.  It was also WAY too hot.  It's hard to enjoy it when you're burning to death.

Perhaps if we came in January or something it would have been better.  I think they just needed to devote more space to it so that we could actually get into the place.  Surely Hogsmeade would have been larger as it's frequented by all the students.  Also, I don't know why they had to have it covered in snow.  It really serves no purpose.  Overall it was neat, but I'm not sure if it's worth $85 to get into the park to see it.  I don't enjoy Islands of Adventure, I think it's overpriced and fails to deliver.  So, overall I'm a bit disappointed, but glad I got to see it at least once.

Below are a few more pictures of our time there!  Tomorrow we are off to Animal Kingdom!

Hollywood!

Our First day in Disney we decided to go Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios).  Of course Hollywood Studios is the park that has all the Star Wars stuff.  I'm a little bummed because they do the Star Wars weekends in May, however they won't be doing that until later in the month.  Actually, it starts the day that we leave which is a total bummer.  The first thing we did for the day was to head over to the Star Tours ride.  They recently refurbished this ride, which is probably good because it was VERY dated.  It just screamed early 90s.  I have to say that I LOVED the new ride.  In fact, we rode it 3 times.  The story line on this ride is that Star Tours is a transportation company much like an airline.  The old thing was that we had a "new pilot" who was this annoying robot, and this noob got us into the most dreadful scrapes before we finally made it to our destination.  Well the new things is that C-3PO ends up in the captain's chair and some storm troopers show up and we have to make an escape.  The thing I like about it is that each time you ride you can visit other planets, because they randomize where your shuttle goes.  They also made this 3D, which I generally don't enjoy, but I have to say that this I didn't mind, and it was a lot of fun.

After that we hit the major shows, Indiana Jones, the driving show, then hit the rides.  It was pretty nice because the lines were pretty good, and the park didn't feel too crowded.  After that we found ourselves in the Art of Animation section, which has a LOT of characters.  In fact, I might say that this is one of the best places to see characters.  It's a little tucked away, the lines aren't bad, and it's almost like people don't know it's there.  Sean saw the Incredibles and decided he had to get a picture.  We had a good laugh about Mr. Incredible who seemed to have Derp Eyes (see for yourself below).  But he had a good time, and we decided that we were going to get pictures with all the characters.  Of all the times I've been to Disney, we've never done character pictures, so it was kind of fun.  We got to get a picture with Mickey, Pooh, Minnie and Pluto, and there was some silliness with Captain Hook.  See, we got in for the picture and Hook started looking at Becky who was originally in the center of the picture, well, apparently that wasn't ok and he made me move so he could stand next to Becky.  Then just gazed at her the entire time.  It was pretty funny actually.  

Anyhow, it was an enjoyable day.  We didn't get to see Fantasmic, but got to do pretty much everything and headed down to Planet Hollywood for dinner.  It was a nice day, and tomorrow we're off to Universal to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Enjoy the character pictures below.

18 Hours And 20 Minutes

Well, we have made it to Florida.  Actually the drive wasn't that bad, and we stopped for about an hour in Georgia to have dinner with Jeff and Sara.  So really, if we hadn't don that it would have been about 17 hours.  We made great time through Ohio, which was good, and the rest wasn't too bad either.  We did see quite the scene in Georgia though!

We stopped to get gas, and I finally decided that 13 hours of driving was enough for me, and turned it over to Becky.  [Side bar, as we were pulling in I noticed an old abandoned gas station across the street from this nice new modern gas station.  I recognized that we had stopped at the old abandoned one on our very first trip to Florida back in 2001.]  So the stretch of I-75 was under construction so they had those concrete barriers up along the right side of the highway, so when you entered there was pretty much no shoulder on that side and you had to yield to traffic until it was clear to zip out into the lane.  Well we get on the highway and start driving at a reasonable speed.  At the next exit this vehicle is entering, and is going at quite a good pace to try and zip in before the mini-van in front of us.  Well, it looks like strange things are afoot at the Circle K, and we slow down because this jackass in a hurry is darting out into traffic that he really should be yielding for.  Apparently he did not make the entrance properly because seconds later water shoots up in the air, the car in front of us starts breaking fast (as do we), and I lean over to see sparks flying everywhere from the car in front that was trying to enter the highway.  It would seem that first there were some of those barrels before the concrete barriers that are filled with water (you know, like you see on movies), and inpatient guy slammed into those and somehow caught the concrete barrier.  Mini-van in front of us zips over into the left lane, and we follow, and we see that the vehicle that was in such a rush has lost his wheel, and the sparks are flying from the metal where his wheel should be. Incidentally, his wheel was rolling along behind him as if nothing happened!  No one seemed to be hurry, but Mr. Rush was having a bad time.




We also got to see SUPER MOON!  Yes, the moon was closer than it has been all year tonight and it was a full moon!  Sean was very excited to see the Super Moon. In fact the quote of the day is Sean explaining how he expects it to be huge, saying, "if this super moon isn't bigger than the regular moon I'm going to be pissed. I'm not water, you can't affect me!"  We all laughed.  I tried to snap a few shots of the super moon, but it didn't work too well.  They are below.  My favorite is the one that has kind a whiteness over it.  As I was clicking the picture a truck drove in front of the moon, and that strange morph of the two things is the result.

Other than that the drive was uneventful.  Tomorrow will be MGM (Yeah I don't care if it's Hollywood, because it's always been MGM!)

WOO!

That's it!  No work for an entire week! WOOOOO! Guess I should probably pack though....

One Day More

Usually when I have a vacation coming, the further it gets into the week, the slower time seems to go.  This time that doesn't seem to be happening, and I'm kind of surprised.  We've got Thursday under our belt, and only Friday left to go.  Also had our last rehearsal for about two weeks for Earnest.  It's going fine, I just don't know what it's going to be like when we come back from two weeks of not rehearsing.  Other than that, the countdown to Florida continues!  SQUEEE!

MER!

Last week we discovered that the evil Canadian geese had little cute baby geese in the court yard behind my office.  They are so cute!  There are two evil geese and five little adorable babies walking around, jumping up and down the stairs! SO CUTE!

Well, it was a little worrisome because the courtyard is closed and so they can't get out of there.  I guess this is good for predators because they can't get in, but at the same time the babies can't get out and there isn't a water supply for them to drink from.  Well, today some guys came out and it sounded like they power washed the stone part of the courtyard.  Well after they left the grown goose started calling for all the babies.  Well, she's been doing it for the better part of an hour now, and only one baby has shown up.  This was actually the first time I had seen them this week.  I feel if she's still calling then she expects there to be other babies around, but they aren't coming out, so I'm wondering where they are.  And since they really can't go anywhere, I wonder if something happened to them.

It's making me sad.

Vacation Count Down

Vacation is a short three work days away!  OH HAPPY DAY!  It'll be nice to be out of the office for a whole week!  It's been a stressful winter, so a nice spring vacation is just what is necessary!  Other than that there isn't a whole lot going on.  I do have to say that I hate staying in Florida because they charge to connect to the internet! BOO TO THAT!  Yay for phones with internet!

Booster meeting tonight, went well it seems, hard to say it still seems like I'm not being provided with the information that I need.  That irritates me.