TheRapidsBlog: Theme Parks and Entertainment

Thanks For a Great Run

2011-04-05T03:42:00.003-05:00

Dear All, It's been great adventure and learning experience running this blog the last 2.5 years, but the time has come for me to put my creative energy and enthusiasm into other things. As of today, TheRapidsBlog draws to a close. Twitter, Flickr, and email links have been removed and the associated email accounts will be deleted in time. It's been my pleasure to write about my travels and experiences here and I'm so glad many of you were able to share in them. Big thank you's to all who supported this endeavor and the stories told. I am very grateful. :) Best to all, and my thanks, as always, for reading. Michael :)

Cross Roads

2011-03-07T17:49:00.003-06:00

Recently, I've gotten back into something I used to love and live for in high school, namely music. It's yet another creative passion in a long list of mediums I've played in throughout the years. Writing, photography, and graphics are naturally some of the others, yet they're on a different creative and spiritual level. Not better or worse, just different.

Frankly, I'm at a cross roads with how or even if I want to continue the blog. While it does cover one fellow's wacky journey through theme parks and entertainment, in addition to tourism and restaurants, the blog may have plateaued. To compete and reach the next level in the theme park world, a media entity really needs to be consistent and mingle more with park industry folks. While I love the park industry and have had light passing meetings or good exchanges with those in different circles, reporting industry news is not the direction TheRapidsBlog was meant to go. There are podcasts and blogs out there who do this and do it very well. Coaster 101 and In The Loop are prime examples of this.

Part of me is seriously considering putting the same creative energy, zeal, and fun back into music vs. the blog. How all that will transpire and what happens to this almost three year creative endeavor, I'm not sure yet. Like anything in life, there are a few options and you have to carefully consider the after effects.

Whatever does happen, this blog has been a truckload of good experiences and a very good teacher. It's been a motivational doorway to a lot of VERY good people as well. (Laughing) It's also been a creative nightmare from time to time. ;) Yes, very much a labor of love too. Make no mistake.

Oh, and why the title Cross Roads? It fits not only the blog's status, but it's a good movie with a Steve Vai cameo too. Clever, eh?

I'll keep you all posted on things. My thanks, as always, for reading. :)

Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News

2011-02-23T14:09:00.004-06:00

I looked up today and realized I hadn't done one of these in a while. Time to fix that. Join me?

Job hunt rambles on. There was a bright spot of interest not too long ago at a company back in Huntsville, Alabama. While it didn't quite work out (for now) it did make me feel good and that I still had something of a fighting chance for being a working tech professional. My thanks to them and glad to keep in touch. :)
In last couple months I've started seeing an old flame again...music. Didn't realize how much I missed, especially as yet another artistic medium. Researching the latest and greatest software and gear has been mind bending. It's been 16 years since anything MIDI and keys, and about 5 years anything with guitar. Needless to say, much has changed. Both exciting and daunting. In short, lots to learn all over again. Thankfully, Sam Ash Music (10 minutes away from the pad) is my friend. Oh, and Roland's AX-Synth really makes me miss my Yamaha KX-5. I so should've kept that keytar. S'ok. I WILL own similar one day with fat swirling sounds that'll shake the rafters.
The wings love continues as I start to explore more places in Orlando. Recently tried Hooters Wings and enjoyed them. Wing House is next on the list along with yet unnamed local places. Yep, this is gonna be fun. :)
The days are getting warmer with beautiful skys. I've really enjoyed the Friday afternoon jaunts over to Downtown Disney. Lord knows I NEED the walking to keep in shape. It's also a great time for photo documenting and creativity. Still REALLY thrilled about last week's Disney Polynesian Resort shot.

With all the craziness in the world lately, keep your chins up and hang in there. As in times past, amidst chaos, there is certainty of better times to follow. Keep hope in your pocket.

And, my thanks for reading. :)

Downtown Disney: The Latest

2011-02-19T00:31:00.003-06:00

Fridays have become an enjoyable new tradition here at the blog. They usually start with a meal at CiCi's, Buffalo Wild Wings, or the new favorite, Hooters, and then a good walk over at Downtown Disney. Sometimes this is followed by more walking at the Disney Resorts or CityWalk to burn off the whatever buffalo somethingerruther I've had for lunch. It's also a great time to get artsy with the photography, which is what I did yesterday on my weekly visit.

Destructionwise, the jack hammers were going next to Sosa, likely tearing up the what's left of the concrete foundation for grading. Yep, just dirt and concrete blocks.
There's a new construction wall up around some of the planters to the left of the stage near World of Disney, which has narrowed the walkway a good bit. No idea what that one's about.
Over at D Street, the Vinylmation Nerd series is out, in clear boxes, so you can choose your favorite. Have to admit, Donald was kinda cool. The Fantasia 9 inch and Tree of Life 9 inch are out. The latter was so tempting, but I'm trying to keep a lid on my Disney swag lust. Also saw Minnie as Boush Star Wars figure which looked new. So if Mickey ever did 4-Lom, does that mean they could be Boush and Lom? Get it? Do you see where I'm heading with this? (crickets) Ok, moving on...
The Mickey Spring Break 2011 limited edition pins are out over at Pin Traders. Took a little birthday cash and got a St. Paddy's lanyard, pin, and the spring break, to kick start my annual pin and lanyard tradition. Also looks like a dog tag auto-engraving machine has been moved into the building from somewhere else.
Since it was a beautiful sunny day of 78, I headed over to the monorail resorts for more walking, ambling, strolling, sauntering (but not swaggering) etc. Got a couple really good shots of the Polynesian and Grand Floridian with the new camera. Also tested out the video. While it says I have 28 minutes of record time, it's more like 5 on 3 AAA batteries. Even so, the vid quality is decent.
The Poly is always such a soothing place to go, between the atmosphere, and the mellow music. There are parts of it that play on the same sensibilities that the atriums at Gaylord Opryland Hotel did. Just a very peaceful and relaxing place to wander. Poly, of course, has the upper hand, thanks to in-house Dole Whip. ;)
Stopped into the Contemporary Resort after a short monorail trip. More of the 2011 swag is out, including new sackpacks, Kooki pens, and 40th anni mouse ears. On a side note, I've found the sackpacks and Kooki pens to be very handy around the apartment and would recommend them as souvenirs.

All in all, another good visit, and the time property put me in a great mood for the weekend. Hope you all have a good weekend too, and thanks for reading. :)

Thoughts on Traditional Media vs. Digital Media

2011-02-17T12:58:00.009-06:00

I read recently that Border's Books is filing Chapter 11 and very likely to close. One of the reasons given was that the company didn't do enough with the emerging ebook download trend that's caught on in the last couple years, and that is catching up it's movie and music brethren.

In 2009, my girlfriend at the time (an avid reader, author etc.) and I would go to Border's a couple times a week just to see what was new. I enjoyed these trips, especially for the game guide section and all the goodies related to World of Warcraft (which I was just getting addicted, er...in to). We'd peruse the magazines, have a cookie and coffee, maybe even pick up some Pocky, but there was always a feeling of wide open possibility at Border's. Why? Because there were thousands of books you could reach out and grab, on any subject. They were all just a short car ride away.

Then we'd pass by whatever ebook system Border's carried. She and I would look at each other with the same thought, "Convenient, yes, but it lacks the warmth and color of a seasoned book shelf." Many of our mutual author and creative friends agreed. It just wasn't the same as holding a real book in your hand, whether you enjoyed reading or did it merely to learn about something.

Years ago, I asked my Mom why she never wanted one of the cookbook collections on CD-ROM (yes, this was some time ago). She said she liked being able to look at the books on the shelf and hold them in her hands.

On another occasion, I went to a friend's house who was an avid music collector. He had several shelves, floor to ceiling, lined with thousands of CDs. It was a colorful and varied archive that sported everything from The Beach Boys to MegaDeth.

Even more recently, I visited a theme park friend when I moved to Orlando the first time. He was an avid movie collector and had several racks of DVDs. Everything from Disney to wrestling was accounted for. He let me borrow Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Terminator 3 so I could catch up. His movie collection was most impressive. Dare I say Legendary?

More recently, I've started buying CD's again. Yes, they get ripped into iTunes to have on my pc and iPod, but I've come to enjoy having both the digital as well as the traditional on a shelf to look at. There's just something aesthetically pleasing and soothing about all that media, at arms length.

In an odd way, it's a reminder how valuable and fascinating old libraries, book stores, and archives can be. The books are both time capsules and history that can be touched and even smelled. You feel a deeper connection to the past, to tradition, to different times and ways. While digital reproductions are wonderful tools, there just isn't the some level of connection. It's like seeing one of Musashi's paintings on the Internet vs, standing five feet away from it at the Smithsonian. The time, the person, the heritage, are all the more real, especially since you know he put his hands on that same canvas hundreds of years ago.

Put another way, I know a few theme park enthusiasts who dearly love to collect old maps, press releases, and the like. Sometimes it can be a real treat to hold a map to a park that no longer exists (like Six Flags Ohio) or to see how much a park has changed by what the map tells.

Suffice to say, digital media is here to stay and it's terribly convenient. We should, however, continue to value and cherish traditional media that can still be held in the hand. We should also still value those real world places who provide access to and sell such media. Otherwise, what is the point of being excited over things like The Dead Sea Scrolls or ancient libraries unearthed around the globe? Because they are valuable connections to our past.

My thanks for your time and reading. :)

Thoughts on Cloud Computing

2011-02-15T13:15:00.007-06:00

Uh-oh...there's that word again...thoughts. For the regular blog readers, that means I'm analyzing a topic. Why? Because I like to observe, think, and learn.

There's a lot of talk about Cloud Computing lately. What is it? Imagine all your music, files, movies, games, etc that are on your computer, not on your computer. You log in to a huge data bank of servers somewhere else to access your digital life. We're not just talking about a blog or photo account here, but EVERYTHING. All you have is a stripped down computer or device to access your digital property of sorts. Sounds so convenient and Utopian right? Even a little Star Trek LCARS? What could be the harm? Think again.

Now let's think carefully about this, shall we? A person or company's everything is stored out on the web. What if the connection goes down? You can't work. You can't post. You can't call for help in an emergency. Nothing. Granted, we're all used to this with work network outages, but you can still get some work done on a proposal because your word processor is still on your machine, or you can keep editing those promo pics or movies, because the software is on your machine. With current networks, some, but not all are incapacitated. With Cloud Computing, everybody is incapacitated.

Remember that sensitive secret company data that competitors would just love to get their hands on, you know everything from latest projects to earnings reports? That's now on the Cloud, verses under company lock and key in an internal network...and somebody else (the Cloud provider) controls the access to it. In an age of shamelessly selling personal information to the highest bidder, what's to stop the provider from doing the same? A threatening lawsuit? The provider has your company by the mahbals, and even worse, can cozy up to a competitor if the price is right and allow them access to your secrets. If you're a business, that means potentially devastating losses, from projects, to customers, to contracts, to money. If you're the average person, it's another way someone can get into your financial info, etc, and exploit it.

Have you ever had iTunes go haywire and lock you out of your own music that's sitting, paid for, on your machine? What happens if the Cloud provider has a major glitch or mass failure? There is no way to back up the data or access it if HAL 9000 won't open the pod bay doors. You lose everything from pictures of the kids to wills in the digital equivalent of a house fire. Also, think about how troublesome it is to correct simple data in a personal account, like your cell phone, when someone has entered something in the wrong text field.

On the political front, if any country's enemy is technically savvy, they can cripple a country who is using Cloud Computing very easily. This in turn can play havoc with national defenses, communications systems, power and water systems, and even other secret projects that the general populace of a country doesn't know about.

Simply put, these are some serious trades that companies are pushing for and that we as individuals are eyeing in the name of convenience. We're negotiating and gambling yet more control and privacy here. These trades may save cash in the short term, but there is a great risk of bigger costs down the road due to potentially lost productivity or compromised sensitive info. And this goes from the individual all the way up to government.

Above anything else (and the true point of this article) we need to think carefully and act wisely in this latest exciting creative surge of technical possibility, lest we step into misfortune.

And, of course, my thanks for your time here. :)

Downtown Disney: The Latest

2011-02-12T17:02:00.004-06:00

This week at Downtown Disney, I give you...more dirt and less rubble. Yes, not too much different from last week, even the sunny day. No changes to the other PI clubs just up the walk (behind camera view). The usual dance music was playing and the winged bronze lady/human statue was out. She always draws a crowd when gracefully posing for pictures.

Pin traders has the limited edition Valentine's Day and St. Paddy's pins out, along with the 40th anni Vinylmations. Meanwhile at D-Street, what's this, both Jack Skillington and The Pumpkin King were in good supply. Glad to see that along with the special edition Vinylmation ice cube trays/figure pack. Also saw the 9 inch Beast from Beauty and the Beast. There was also what looked like a Pete's Dragon with tac tac toe across his chest, packaged with a a 3 inch Vinyl that's probably Pete.

Over at Art of Disney, Larry Dotson was on hand selling work and possibly autographing it. I can't be sure. There was also a new Vinylmation lanyard showing the many different figures. Fellow collectors, you have your targets. ;)

Pooh's Corner and Disney $10 are still dark and closed, as is the Lego store for it's expansion. The temp Lego store is still going strong near Earl of Sandwich. Too bad it has to listen to the constant beeping from the Tonka trunks over the toy store's entrance.

There had to be a dance team or cheerleading competition recently, since there were hoards of teenage girls. If you see matching sackpacks, jeans, and sandals in large numbers, take cover. They're easily spooked and will stampede. ;)

Myself and another lady got tickled at a group of women who let out a loud gasp at the site of candy apples in the window of the candy store on West Side. They ran excitedly over to the window as the lady and I passed. We just laughed. Well, what can you say? Disney does have this magical power to revert any grown adult back to 8 years old or a teenager...not that I'd know...(doop doop de doo.....)

If you're traveling to Orlando in the next few weeks, you might want to make plans for Mardi Gras over at Universal, MegaCon sci-fi convention in March, or Epcot's annual Flower Garden Festival, which is already being set up.

Cheers to you all and my thanks, as always, for reading. :)

Downtown Disney: The Latest: Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club Demolition

2011-02-05T01:35:00.007-06:00

Since some of my esteemed Internet colleagues are also using "Downtown Disney Update", it seemed like a good idea to switch titles to avoid confusion, etc. And now the latest from Downtown Disney:

Rock 'n' Roll beach club got it's foundations shook and is a pile of scrap like Motion. Gotta say, it's so weird to see such a big gaping hole next to Sosa.
The Winnie the Pooh store and Disney $10 are closed and walled up for refurbishment. Nope, I didn't see that one coming either.
The Tigger and Piglet photo op is now outside Guest Services.
The temporary Lego Imagination tent is up and running, with the original store walled up and starting it's expansion.
There are new Tron Mickey ears out, with a blue and orange ring on the ears. Personally, I think it gives the R2-D2 ears a run for their money in the sci-fi fun catagory.
On a random note, you can get Tron dog tags made at the Walmart auto engraver machine at the Super Center on 50. Yep, did it.
The Cutesters Too Vinylmation series is out at D Street for those into that series. Also, the 9 inch Valentines Cupid is out for the Holiday 2 series. Anybody else think he looks like a blindfolded Baby Herman from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Saw what looked like new Marathon Vinyls in the same cardboard platform style boxes as the special edition Holiday Vinylmations (aka Osbourne Lights Mickey, Toy Soldier, and Choir Tree).
Today's pictures are courtesy of the new digital camera from the birthday last week. 7 megapixels, and loving the crispness and color in the photos. Mr. Vivitar point and shoot, you rock!

That's it for this round. My thanks, as always for your eyeballs and time. Cheers!

Alabama Birthday Adventure

2011-02-02T19:47:00.002-06:00

I just got back yesterday from Alabama and boy are my arms tired (and that is so not the way to deliver that classic joke or punchline). Even so, I spent a good week visiting family and friends where I used to live in Huntsville.

While the drive is pretty long (about 13-15 hours including food and rest stops), it goes by pretty quick...unless you're behind a cow trailer. On the ride up I was stuck in traffic, diagonal from a cow being visited by Aunt Flow. These were bloody gushing bodily pyrotechnics the likes of which I've never seen and they will certainly haunt my dreams until the end of time. Why? Because I was surrounded, front and sides, by other drivers, and could not get away for several miles.

Vehicular hijinks continued as I went to have my oil changed about a day later. As recounted in a previous post, I was narrow almost compressed between a left lane flatbed truck and a right hand guardrail. Rain spray kept the truck from seeing me, but somehow, at the last minute before I would've been drug along for a few hundred feet, the truck moved back in his lane. Thankfully, I found a good plate of wings while waiting on the car to easy my addled state. Yikes!

It was good to see Huntsville again, even though I only left last September. Got to meet up with old friends from the Steampunk days at The Nook, as well as meet new friends of theirs. The folks from The Gearheart podcast were quite cool and we all hit it off grandly. So well, in fact, that I would later see the top secret Gearheart HQ, complete with cheesy poofs and HIGHLY ADDICTING snicker doodle cookies.

Also continued the standing 501st Alabama Garrison tradition of meeting at Ding How II and talking shop over Chinese. Great fun to see the crew I volunteered with/for this past summer at the US Space and Rocket Center. Even got to meet up with the famed Trouble Twins at Buffalo Wild Wings and at Royal Buffet later in the visit. Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band were played...vigorously. And, most importantly, now we know why I don't sing...ever. Seriously. Sticking with guitar and keytar, thank you very much. ;)

Birthday day was spent sleeping late, being lazy, stuffing my face with pretzel Flipsides and Easy cheese, and having a nice dinner with the folks at one of our favorites, Longhorn steak house. Gifts included a much needed new digital camera and a water filter pitcher, so I can keep drinking water and not bomb my kidneys with caf free soda as much. My cake was a key lime pie (I don't do traditional cakes anymore because they're just too sweet for me), and good pie it was. Key lime is an all time fave. Between this and the well wishes on Twitter and Facebook (especially from the sweet and awesome Chase Masterson and the also sweet and awesome Cali Lewis of Geekbeat.TV after I shamelessly asked), it was a grand and humorous day.

Didn't have time for Ave Mario Grotto this trip, but it will happen on future travel. The detail on the miniature cities and places is supposed to be incredible. The rosaries in the online gift shop looked really cool too.

In all, a good and busy birthday week. Didn't get around to everyone as I'd hoped, but will catch up with you all on the next trip, whenever that is. Thanks to the folks and to everyone who could get together and for juggling schedules. It really was appreciated and a lot of fun. :)

Yep, thanks to you all for reading too. :)

RapidsBlog Flickr Updates and Org

2011-01-29T10:05:00.002-06:00

Hey all, just wanted to pass the word on the last few rounds of Flickr updates. I've uploaded several new pics and have organized them by tags: adventures, defunct, people, views. Here's how they work for your browsing pleasure:

adventures covers some of the neat things I've done on various travels or activities participated in.
defunct is a collection of various attractions no longer with us.
people covers all the fun people, characters, and celebs I've met during outings.
views is a combination of pretty scenery and still Point of View (PoV) shots from various places.

I've wanted to use many of these pictures and organize them into a proper chronicle for some time. Hopefully this not only entertains, but serves as a useful archive for the historical among us. Bottom line, hopefully you all enjoy these pictures as much as I have taking them.

As always, my thanks for reading. :)

The End Zone Bar and Restaurant

2011-01-27T05:55:00.003-06:00

While I firmly believe there are no accidents, there are some very close calls, especially when it comes to finding new places to eat. Case in point, The End Zone in Huntsville, Alabama.

While on the way to get my car worked on, I almost became a flatbed sandwich, as in my little car sandwiched between a right hand guard rail and a left side flatbed truck that was changing lanes. At a hair raising last second, in pouring rain, and inches from the guard rail, truck realized somebody was in line with his trailer hitch and and got back in his lane with only his mudflap tapping my front bumper. I was awake after that and never so happy to see the mechanic in my life. And after the bill later, he was glad to see me too. ;)

To calm the nerves and have lunch, I opted for the next door pizza place, which was closed. A little walking revealed a chain restaurant and a sports bar with a sign for wings. Welcome to The End Zone. Ding, we have a winner.

There was a good vibe in this place amongst the wall of dart boards, wall mounted TVs, and pool tables. The locals were friendly and were happy to suggest menu items. One, Lexus Matthews, (who wound up being an old high school mate) suggested the wings while another guy suggested the house Uncle Jessie Style BBQ sauce. The mild sauce (which is always a good place to start) was tangy and had just a little kick. The Uncle Jessie (which makes me think Dukes of Hazzard) was a very smooth smokey flavor with a bit more kick than the mild. There's really no other way to describe it. Both just had good flavors that were balanced, pleasing, and not haphazardly overpowering. In talking with one of the cooks, it was good to find out they value flavor with heat instead of just heat for bragging rights sake. Heartily agreed there.

Had a great time talking with folks, eating wings, and passing time on a rainy afternoon.

Thanks to Amber for taking good care of me, Lexus Matthews and company for the good suggestions, and to The End Zone for one of the best plates of wings I've had in some time. Glad to stop by whenever I'm in town. Cheers all! :)

The End Zone
1909 University Drive
Huntsville, Alabama 35816
256-536-2234 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 256-536-2234 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Disney Revamps Fantasyland Expansion and Hyperion Wharf Thoughts

2011-01-19T07:11:00.006-06:00

With construction in full swing, Walt Disney World has updated it's Fantasyland expansion (full Orlando Sentinal article here). In short, no pixie dust for Pixie Hollow, the Cindrella, and the Aurora areas. That magic will instead go into a Seven Dwarves themed mine train, a Goofy Barnstormer coaster retheme, expanded Dumbos, and other such changes.

Yep commentary time. These changes to the originally proposed Fantasyland expansion seem to better balance with different members of it's park goers and audience. While capitalising the the princesses is a natural, the revamp slanted heavily towards little girls, more than anyone else. This left many of us guys and non princess fans out in the cold. Yes, we would've enjoyed the themeing and the detail would be great, but the enjoyment would only go so far. To be fair, one could argue this counter perspective "There's the whole rest of the park that varies in theme and is not princess and fairy heavy. What's your beef? Go to those other parts." Translation: It's all subjective, but my opinion that Disney made a better balanced move here, stands.

The new coaster in the works is a pleasent surprise. Always glad to see a new coaster, and surely the hardcore enthusiasts are pitched and ready for a new credit. There are probably a few vibes or correlations to Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain as well. As for the Barnstormer retheme, it sounds like a pretty light mod to fit it in with the rest of the circus. Since fairs and circuses are similar forms of entertainment, this isn't a big stretch.

In an odd way, I was looking forward to Pixie Hollow. Keep in mind this is coming from the themeing and RPG/WoW side of me that loves exploring fanciful worlds, ancient ruins, etc. I pictured large twisting trees with hollows in almost a Honey I Shrunk the Kids way. Whatever Disney had in mind, this would've been neat to see. The only thing that's odd is why the faeries are being moved to Hollywood Studios. The short term reasons are obvious: you need a place to put them during building. Hopefully, after the expansion is done, they move back to Magic Kingdom, simply because Tinkerbell, thanks to marketing, is associated strongly with Cinderella's Castle. Tink being permanently stationed at studios just sounds odd, since that feels more like Star Tours and Pixars turf.

I'm curious to see how the Belle's restaurant, Gaston's tavern, and the new gift shop come out. The medieval style of the village could be fun take in as you try the adjusting dinner options. From the artwork, it almost seems like a modified Ratatouille dining experience with Lumiere instead.

Now we come to the first work on Pleasure Island. I've heard time and again that part of the reason the clubs were closed down, was because they weren't family friendly. While this may true, it's odd not to have a club district for 20-somethings and above, since the vast majority of property is geared to families/little kids anyway. Yes, the resorts have bars, and the restaurants serve alcohol, but it's not the same as having a dedicated area for some reasonable adult fun. Now, one could argue "Just go to Universal CityWalk, that's what it's there for." True, but why send people off property, into a competitor's arms, when Disney mantra states otherwise? (Keep them on the property) Myself and others greatly enjoyed Pleasure Island. Granted, I was a teenager and could only go to the Adventurers Club, but I still had a great time. Suffice to say, closing PI a few years ago, seems an imbalanced move that estranged the adult party crowd that loves Disney just as much as the little kids dressed up like pirates and princesses.

All that said, PI needs the update, however, are boutiques and more restaurants really the answer to fill in the lost party section? In some ways, it might depend on the type of said restaurants. I can agree with a few more mid-priced options or even a lower option or two. That would be nice to have. The boutiques, however, mainly cater to women, leaving guys and kids, many of which don't like to shop, out in the cold. Boutiques also tend to be high end and expensive, which may not fly well in a still ailing economy. Plus there's Boardwalk just up the street with a couple functioning clubs. Yay for progress, but this just feels off, even with a positive attitude.

To be fair here, I'm a frequent guest and park enthusiast. I'm not a corporate executive, park owner, park expert, nor claim to be any of those. I want to see you guys (parks, etc) succeed, not tear you apart for ego's sake or 15 minutes of fame. These observations come straight from my gut, and they're tempered with honest questions and thinking, not ill will. Obviously, the powers that be are privy to more info than I, and they're juggling many social, resource, and political aspects among others.

Well there you have it in a rambling nut shell. Now we sit back and wait for these new things to open and cast our final opinions.

Downtown Disney Update: Motion Demolition

2011-01-18T01:34:00.004-06:00

Got over to Downtown Disney yesterday for a walk after a good catch up lunch with a friend. The former club Motion is coming down quick with Malibu Beach Club (white building at right) up next in the coming weeks. Needless to say, it's a big gaping hole in the skyline.

In other DTD news, I took my first water taxi ride on this cool and rainy day. Rather enjoyed that as we made our way over to the Market Place end of the complex. While there, one of the stores had a cool stylized Ursula display with velvet tentacles and a slim figure. Pin Traders had Chinese New Year Mickey Rabbit pins and Tinkerbell + old style Monorail Art 40th anni pins in the limited section. Might pick those up along with a 40th anni coin to go with my 15th anni coin from years ago. And whatever Ragland Road was cooking, smelled absolutely heavenly. Seriously.

There's now Nightmare Before Christmas merch at D Street and the Star Wars Vinylmations are out and going fast. Yes, Boba Fett does have a jet pack, which is a nice detail. In the Nightmare Vinyls, I've yet to see Pumpkin King or Jack Skellington anywhere in all my park, resort and DTD visits. There are plenty of the other Nightmare characters, but not those two.

Also got out to a couple Orlando music stores to check out gear. Randomly, there was a DeLorean displayed outside of George's Music on I-Drive (pic in the Flickr stream).

Definitely a good day out despite the rain. Cheers and thanks for reading. :)

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

2011-01-17T07:43:00.005-06:00

In 2009 during my first trip to Memphis, I visited the Lorraine Hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in 1964. That was a profound and sobering experience, particularly since my girlfriend at the time was African American. That fact that she and I could have a relationship at all and go wherever we wished, without fear for our lives, really brought home the magnitude of Dr. King's work and legacy. In short, he has my thanks, my gratitude, and my deepest respect.

Huntsville's Last Honor Flight Costumers

2011-01-15T17:39:00.003-06:00

I meant to do this last summer and got side tracked. Wanted to share a couple pictures of the local costume group who was part of Huntsville, Alabama's last Honor Flight. These kids were around 17-20 and dressed in authentic World War 2 garb, much of which was handed down from relatives. Thought they did a great job as part of the Honor Flight ceremonies. It was very cool to meet Rosie the Riveter face to face too.

Keep up the good work. :)

Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News_January Edition

2011-01-04T13:55:00.006-06:00

Time once again for the idiosyncracies and randomness that make up my charmed life. Here we go:

* Enjoyed the holidays with the folks in town. We toured, we ate, we exhausted ourselves...and we ate plenty of crab legs. ;)

* New Years Eve was spent quietly training and mediating instead of going out to the insanely packed clubs and parks. The intent was to start the new year off right. Well, it almost worked. I wound up fighting sinus sick ever since. So much for good intentions.

* After clam chowder at Cape May Cafe and Fulton's, I'm absolutely hooked on the stuff. Never liked it up until a month ago when I got some at the store. As Fruits Magazine would say "Latest Obsession: Clam Chowder".

* My other latest guilty pleasure is hitting Pizza Hut Express in Target, then grocery shopping. Since there's a mix of the original size Targets and the super centers here in town, you can still catch that awesome Target Popcorn Smell from time to time.

* It seems Blogspot as taken away my bullet lists. As you can see, that's been worked around. ;)

* I'm letting the hair grow out again, shooting for one of those Euro or Emo chopped up styles. Just time for a change after a year of shaved head. If it fails, it's back to shave. We'll see how this goes.

* Most of the major blog updates are done. There are a few things to reconnect, and double check linkwise. I'm happy with the update, especially since it let's me show more of the photography. The Flickr account was a big help and I really like it's placement. It's also nice to have photos more centralized with less linking and way better labeling. Yep, organizational nerd, why do you ask? ;)

* Still chasing random leads with job hunt and still working away on Java. Saw several books at Barnes & Noble that would be good to pick up in time. iPad, iPhone, and Android guides all looked interesting, once I get through my current round of Java, HTML 5, and XML. Nice to have those on the Ipod Touch while I'm out having lunch or whereever. Kudos to O'Reilly for those apps/books.

* Saw some different solar chargers on Think Geek last night. I'm always interested in alternative solar power combined with modern tech lighting options like LED.

* Still hanging in and looking forward to many water parks this summer. More than ready to ride the ProSlide Tantrums at Aquatica as well check out the other Orlando water parks. I'm also ready for some beach/day trips to places like Coco Beach (Hello Jeanie and Major Nelson), and Daytona.

Hope everyone had a good start to 2011, here's hoping for brighter futures and better economy for all of us. And, naturally, my thanks for reading. :)

2010-12-31T22:59:00.001-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Opryland USA and Opry Mills Mall: The Saga Continues

2010-12-29T15:46:00.007-06:00

I read today just how extensive this summer's Nashville flood damage was, particularly around Opryland Hotel, etc. It was saddening and unfortunate. We lost more of the few remaining pieces of Opryland USA themepark as well as many jobs provided by the questionably liked mall.

Being a theme park enthusiast, Opryland fan, and park archivist, it was sad to see that the Gaslight Theatre was so badly damaged it had to be demolished. It was also tough to hear that the remaining Opryland plaza buildings were either heavily damaged or destroyed in the flood. Granted, some of the other buildings that have been shuffled around are still in good shape and there's still some retaining wall and railroad bed left from the park, maybe even some of the Grizzly River Rampage course, but it's still a blow.

While Opry Mills Mall was not an acceptable replacement for the theme park, my heart goes out to it's former workers. They, unfortunately, were thrown into a tail-spinning economy with the rest of us out of work and seeking. That's a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Now, where does this leave us? The park is gone and missed. The mall is likely gone between flood damage and insurance difficulties. Whether the mall is missed varies depending on who you ask. Ever since Opry Mills took shape, many have said "Can we have the park back instead?" It was even dubbed "Shopryland". End result is a flood-prone plot of land with limited growth and limited capacity to recapture the magic of it's original park. (You better believe it pains me to say that.)

There are a couple things I see here. In a round about way, many of us did get our wish for the possibility of a another park. (To be clear, the rumors are still flying, other projects are in various states, and nothing has been said or put forth officially, post flood.) I say another because replacing the unique feel and vibe of Opryland is impossible. IF there were serious consideration of another park to be re-attached in name or otherwise to the Opryland Hotel, it would be a good idea NOT to rebuild on site. Why? The original park flooded, the mall flooded, the hotel flooded, and all on property will flood again. Remember, the Cumberland River crested 40-51 feet in places due to heavy rains.

The other thing I see here is what if Opryland USA, in it's struggling state, had not been taken down in 1997? How long would it have survived? Would the present brutal economy have closed the park if something else hadn't gotten to it first? Would the summer 2010 flood have done the park in? My gut says either of these is a likely demise for Opryland USA if the mall had not come into being. Need proof? Look at so many other smaller parks that have closed in recent years due to economy. Also, when the bigger parks and chains are tightening their belts and drastically changing things, that's not a good sign for the the smaller parks. In this alternate scenario, I would not have wanted Opryland USA to close, but it's very likely the park would've.

We've all lost a lot since 1997. Whether it's the original park, it's few remains, the jobs provided by Opry Mills, it's a hole in the heart. More than anything, I'd like to see that hole filled in again, especially for Nashville's sake. That city was good to me in my college years and I have fond memories of Opryland, both park and hotel. It's safe to say I speak for many in wanting another park to play in. Hopefully the current economic woes can be outlasted and lessons from the past learned, yet not repeated. Despite these dark and uncertain times, there is still hope.

Birthday Road Trip in January

2010-12-27T22:14:00.002-06:00

I'm headed back to Huntsville, Alabama to spend my birthday week (24th-29th). Delighted to meet up with my brother and sister 501st, Twitter, and other friends in the area. Also glad to catch up with my proud Kilt wearing laddies and lasses in Birmingham.

Best to all of you and looking forward to whomever can make it out. :)

It's Been An Epic Christmas Charlie Brown

2010-12-26T21:24:00.002-06:00

Naturally the holidays are a busy time, but the past few days with the folks visiting Orlando have been a whole lotta fun.

One of the first days in town, the folks and I hit the Disney monorail resorts to see the Christmas decorations. If you've ever get the chance during a holiday trip, the different gingerbread creations are fun to hunt. The big gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian is a sight (and smell) to behold. We ended up having the seafood buffet at Cape May at the Beach resort. Some very good food (especially the clam chowder, something I've taken a shine to of late). Mussels in clam chowder are also very tasty if you've never tried it. Dad came up with that good idea. Yep, I had snow crab too. :)
Christmas Eve day we went to the Magic Kingdom, teeming with people. We enjoyed an Angus Bacon Cheeseburger near Tomorrowland, road the Disney train, People Mover, Haunted Mansion, Small World, and saw Christmas parade and the Hall of Presidents. About 8 pm (after getting to the park about 2) we were most tired, and skipped the Christmas fireworks. Instead, we got a late dinner and Dole Whip at the Polynesian. It was Mom's first time having Dole Whip.
Christmas day, were were all still dragging, but managed to make church about 10:30, and then have Christmas lunch at Black Angus. Second time in that place, and still great service and food. Yep, I had snow crab too. Afterward we opened gifts. Got Iron Man 2, a 500 gig hard drive for R4, Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark, Axe shampoo etc gift pack, a Mickey flip book animation ornament, and Ocean Water Yankee candles for the apartment. Hey, I could not have asked for better...except a nap. We were all dragging bad, so we called an early day to sleep. I watch Iron Man 2 back at the apartment and dozed the rest of the night.
Sunday we went to Downtown Disney AMC Theatres in the dropping temps and heavy going home/sale traffic to see Tron Legacy. There are not enough words in all the known languages to convey the awesome of this movie, especially in 3D. Loved it is an understatement. OMFG man, OMFG. (But did they HAVE to kill the grey Siren with the top bun and platform shoes? Yowza.) We followed up with an equally excellent dinner at Fulton's Crab House. More clam chowder, more snow crab, and I even tried Scotch for the first time. Oh did we all enjoy that meal!
Monday's plan is for Dad and I to see Kennedy Space Center while Mom has a wind down day, then all of us go to Joe's Crab Shack for, what else, MORE CRAB. (If you haven't guessed it by now, we're a family of seafood lovers with mad, ninja skills when it comes to crab cracking. Just saying...) I'm looking forward to the guy's day out tomorrow, since Dad and I both enjoy aerospace and tech, plus it'll be fun to compare and contrast Kennedy Space Center with the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Yes indeed, this has been an exciting and fast paced Christmas, on par with previous family Disney trips, and our 2008 Dollywood/Gatlinburg trip. Out of all the things I've enjoyed, the most has been being able to share with Mom and Dad all the neat things to do and see here in Orlando. Many times I've said on the phone "I wish you guys were here to share this with me. You'd love it." Well, now they've been twice, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yeah, without a doubt, this is one of the best Christmases on record for me.

I hope it's been a good Christmas and Holiday time for all of you as well. Thanks for reading :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T22:03:00.002-06:00

Just a wish for good times with loved ones for you all during this time of giving. Also hopes for brighter futures and inner peace for many of us seeking.

My best and thanks to you and yours. :)

State of the Blog

2010-12-22T13:13:00.002-06:00

As 2010 draws to a close, that little creative voice has been whispering ideas for updates. Over the next few weeks, I'll be transitioning a few things away from RapidsNerd and to RapidsBlog, mainly just to make things feel more cohesive. The new blog banner and the name change on Twitter to RapidsBlog are just the start.

I've just noticed in talking with people that when I introduce myself as The Rapids Nerd, I tend to cringe. Not sure why, but when something makes you uncomfortable, you change things so you are comfortable again.

Have I left my Nerd roots? Hardly. I am and always will be a big Nerd who likes geeky, techie stuff. It's ingrained in the nature. And yes, considering the whole looming "Nerd is Cool" pop culture trend, the timing is odd. You'd think I'd revel in it verses change anything.

Bottom line, just going with my gut. All the same stuff will be discussed here (adventures, parks, WoW, restaurants, etc), only the names will change to protect the dorky...sort of. ;)

2010-12-22T11:42:00.001-06:00

=^.^=

Busch Gardens Tampa

2010-12-18T21:49:00.007-06:00

Earlier today I set off on yet another adventure to both a new city and a new theme park. I took my first Florida road trip to Busch Gardens Tampa, about an hour away from Orlando. Though the rain got heavy at times, it didn't dampen my spirits on seeing the park or hanging out once again with fellow enthusiast James Kegler. And awaaaaaaay, we go...

First the BAD news. Congo River Rapids (sister Intamin ride and layout to Opryland's Grizzly River Rampage) was down for rehab. (Deep breath)NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (You get the idea here.)
BGT has some of the best fries and chicken strips I've had at any themepark. They tasted good. The cranes walking around covered area where we ate thought so too.
Quote of the day by the Meerkats: "Guy: Are those chinchillas? Girl: No! Good one. Those are Meekrats." Yes there was much comedy over this one during the rainy afternoon. ;)
Rode Rhino Rally, sans water part, and enjoyed the running comedy and bad jokes. The one-liners made this ride a new fave and a must do from now on. Shout out to our driver Rizzo (not kidding) for keeping us laughing the whole time. She did a great job.
James and I ooo'd and ahh'd over dirt piles and footers that will link up with Cheetah Hunt, BGT's new Intamin triple launch coaster. The figure 8 hill/drop and columns make it one of the coolest looking coasters I've seen. When people comment on the bamboo style supports more than the track, you know you have something. Can't wait to see this beauty run.
Wikileaks reveals a secret government plot to cover up the existence of lesser assertive rodents, also known as Meekrats.
Had a good time photographing Kumba as it roared by again and again.
As the afternoon wore on, it darkened up and rained progressively harder, especially while we visited Sesame Street Safari of Fun. Got pics with The Count and Abby Cadabby. Both liked my Kavu Chillba hat that looks like a Chinese coolie hat. Their assistants suggested I see Cookie Monster and his similar hat. Also got to meet Big Bird and Egyptian Elmo. Needless to say, I was tickled. ;)
The Tigers were out and napping in the cool air as we toured Jungala. Cool to see them, but missed seeing the Python Arrow Corkscrew in that area. Seeing the little section of train in a display area just wasn't the same. Even so, Jungala was a nice area and the Tigers were gorgeous.
Of all the merch and souvenirs, the Mexican style woven hoodies and sack-packs were probably the neatest. May pick up both on a future visit. And it seems BG has jumped into the pin trade game as well. Noticed that the pins said just Busch Gardens, and did not specify Tampa.
Was very surprised how compact a park BGT really is. It's lush and pretty, but smaller than you'd think. Also, Sheikra is most compact on footprint. Kudos to the designers for getting that dive machine into a really small area. Impressive stuff, particularly the head chopper off the first immelman. And no, I did not mock the water spray as I did Griffon in 2007. Yes, lesson learned and drenching avoided. ;)
Got to see King Tut's tomb near Montu. Enjoyable walk-through.
In the Wacky Souvenir category: Busch Gardens denim booty shorts that look like something VERY small you'd see in Second Life. We're talking a little bigger than a girl's bikini bottom here. Nothing wrong with this, but it was just odd to see it at a park verses Target. To BGT's credit, they were not overpriced at a mere $15. (I'll let you all come up with the innuendo and one-liners on this one. On a side note, has anyone else noticed how REALLY short shorts have gotten in the last year? Like cheeks hanging out, groin level short?)
At about 5:30 (4 hours after I arrived) we called it a day due to the rains. Even so, it was a good day out with Mr. Kegler and I'd go back to Busch Gardens on a sunny (and rapids operating) day to have another go.

Does the day end here? Nope. I stopped into CityWalk on the way home for some Bubba Gump Shrimp dinner. Met the very tall mascot. Yep, got a blurry pic with him before another tasty meal and a quick spin around the complex. Indeed, a tasteful end to a rainy but fun day.

Hope you all enjoyed and thanks for reading. :)

Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News_December Edition

2010-12-15T13:39:00.004-06:00

With the business of the holidays upon us, it's time for a random life update from your brother park enthusiast and rapids fan. So here goes...

It's been quite cold here in Orlando the past few days, including temps down around 23 and wind chills at 17. Now I realize this is all relative and our more northern US friends are saying "Oh shut up!", but for Florida, that's bloody cold. On a side note, you'll notice my posts about the weather here are carefully tendered not to rub it in when the weather is better. Well, there's no point in being an arse now is there? ;)
I've gotten out to Disney more of late and I've seen more shows and the like. Finding Nemo the Musical was outstanding, from acting, to costumes, to sets. The details and illusions created were simply stunning. Just jaw dropping wow...
Saw Toy Story Block Party Bash one last time and will miss it. While not a parade guy, this one is really fun, especially with Slim from A Bug's Life. Very good parade. The Citizens of Hollywood before hand were also treat. I've always enjoyed comedic street theatre, and these folks were a lot of fun. If you're ever at Disney Hollywood Studios, they're worth the time and will remind you fondly of the equally wacky and lovable souls of the Adventurers Club.
Saw Fantasmic for the first time and enjoyed it. Same for Animal Kingdom's parade. (The tiger float with earmuffs and sock boots was a hoot.)
While Christmas shopping at Downtown Disney, work is in full swing behind Sosa on Motion and Rock 'n' Roll Beach club. The mountains on Motion's front are coming down quick. During that morning time, I had a good chance to document much of the remaining Pleasure Island signs, club signs, and the areas in general. Gonna miss those clubs, but I'm glad to see PI get a new lease on life, even if in a different form.
There's still more footer and column pouring going on over at what used to be Racerock. Still no clue on what's going in, but you'd think they would've removed the RR sign by now.
Universal Citywalk was a ghost town last night, but they did something really nice for those of us crazies out and about. The few clubs that were open were no cover and handing out wristbands. Since many stores were closed and the Party Pass booths were closed too, this was really appreciated and it made the cold night out fun. Oh, and you haven't lived until you've heard dueling piano players at Pat O'Brians playing The Timewarp and Baby It's Cold Outside. Also hats off to the nice folks at the Universal Studio Store who gave us a fun and detailed impromptu presentation on all the Harry Potter Merch. Loved the detailed character wands and learned much about that whole mythos. Great fun!
If you get a chance, go around to the different Disney resorts to see the holiday gingerbread displays. The Yacht and Beach Clubs, Grand Floridian, and several others have fun and good smelling displays, some even with model trains circling about, that are worth a look during an evening walk.
On a personal note, my Christmas shopping is done, presents will soon be wrapped, and the folks will be in town again soon. Glad to see them and spend the time, especially after the fun had during Thanksgiving. :)

(I don't think I said fun NEARLY enough during this update. Do you? Time for new adjectives, Robin!)

Out of all the possible Christmas presents, just being here in Orlando and sharing it with family and good friends, is the best present I could have. This area brings me a lot of joy, and in some ways, I'm finding myself, even growing in new directions. Truly, every day here is a gift.

As always, my thanks for reading and my best to you and your loved ones during this time of giving. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all. :)

Regarding WikiLeaks

2010-12-09T02:17:00.002-06:00

While this blog steers clear of political and other hot-button topics, and remains focused on theme parks and entertainment, something needs to be said.

I have not and will not read anything published by WikiLeaks or spread by others from them. That's classified information, and we're crystal clear on that. What WikiLeaks is doing is wrong and ultimately detrimental to the United States.

We now return to our regularly scheduled fun and ramblings. ;)

Role Playing Games and Why I like Them

2010-12-07T22:41:00.003-06:00

An exchange on Twitter today got me thinking about my favorite video games, namely RPG's. Out of the countless games I've played over the years, Role Playing Games dominate my list, with First Person Shooters and Scrolling Shooters coming in second and third. Why? What makes me latch onto this category more verses the others? We're about to find out.

It started with a combination of paper and dice games (D&D, TMNT, Heros Unlimited), and the Nintendo Entertainment System (Legend of Zelda, Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, Dragon Warrior, Ultima Exodus). If you're even remotely creative, there's a ton of elbow room for problem solving, inventing, etc. It's fertile creative ground garnished with good friends and sessions running all night or even all weekend. I remember weekend sleepovers in Virginia with my friends Kelly, Craig, and Marchant, as we quested, and argued, and laughed at the randomness Craig put us through in D&D and TMNT. Marchant's "Aren't we going to get run over if we're standing out in the middle of the street?" during a D&D game still draws a chuckle. The response? "Yeah, we don't ride horses, we drive Porsches...stick the lance out the window..." Craig quipped.

On the video side of things, Zelda and similar offered chances to collect stuff (I love treasure and gear hunting) and exploration. Finding secret passages or treading into a new area was a huge thrill. What secrets and goodies are here? What new monsters will I find? Will I need a refill on the warm Dr. Pepper and Cheetos? Will my aching bladder wait just five more minutes for a quick look around? Oh God! It's 3am and 8 o'clock seems like a half hour ago. (Don't even get me started on the ENTIRE OFF DAY from work that vanished playing D&D Dark Sun on my Acer Aspire PC).

Years later (in Virginia yet again), my work buddy Scott, got me into a paper and dice group of much wackiness. Paul, Greg, Cordell, John, George, and Scott always had me laughing to crying during our weekend Warhammer sessions. They even picked me up and tossed me out the front door of Greg's apartment, in the rain, for too many of my bad jokes once. Far and away, Paul was a superior Dungeon Master that ran with some pretty crazy ideas and raised a few eyebrows from time to time. Later I would find out Paul was not only a fellow creative, but a kindred spirit with an equally unique take on the world around him. And to this day, also a dear friend.

Now let's build on that hallowed foundation, shall we? Insert huge graphical and Artificial Intelligence advances in PC/Xbox gaming, hybrid genre games, and massive virtual worlds. Yes, the kicker for me was First Person Shooters merged with RPG's elements in games like Morrowind and Oblivion. It wasn't so much the storylines that captured me as the countless caves, ruins, tombs, and ship wrecks. I spent days in these beautiful worlds as a biped feline carrying a huge war hammer...and a whopping can of gleeful beat-down. The looting and commerce enthralled me. Figuring out how to get my hairy butt and broken tail out of yet another bad ambush was also a near stroke producing thrill.

I'd be in deep trouble if Star Wars Knights of The Old Republic wasn't mentioned here. If ever there was a suck-you-in game, this was it. It was also one of the few where I did get into the storyline, verses gear collecting. Mainly, it was Star Wars and you got to play with light sabers. Yippee! (Never did play KOTOR 2 or Galaxies, but yes I'm chomping at my Taun Taun bit for Star Wars The Old Republic.)

While Second Life isn't an RPG or a game, it does have many of the same elements I find appealing. Granted, it's a chat room of sorts, but there are all kinds of themes and areas to explore along with picking up detailed clothing and gear for your avi...with real money converted to the in-world Lindens. The upshot here was that Second Life was my first brush with other players, if you will, in a massive virtual environment. I met some really fun people in-world, a few of which are considered dear friends, though we've never met in Real Life. This was also a good learning experience, in that it taught me about different sci-fi con groups like Furries, Nekos, Steampunks, etc.

Now we come to Massively Multi-player Online (MMO) games like World of Warcraft. Even more of the above...but with other players and equal inventive comic randomness. I'll be honest, I wasn't cool on paying a fee each month when I was used to a one-time cost for a game and maybe paying for an expansion or two. HOWEVER, 10 minutes into the world on my girlfriend's character at the time, and it was all over. All the old collect, commerce, explore skills lit up like the National Christmas tree. Even better, I could take on a profession and MAKE cool stuff for my character (as apposed to the usual turn over the dead bodies of enemies or old tomb residents for gear). Finding like-minded souls in guilds turned into a big plus, not only for advancement and questing, but also some new friends. Some of my favorite quests were with total strangers as well, both of us laughing at the "what did we get ourselves into NOW?!" craziness that ensued.

To sum up, I love a good RPG for exploring, for commerce, for creativity, and as time has worn on, the better social aspects. Some of the creative and managing skills learned in the gaming world have proven quite useful in the real world too. No, I don't carry around a +2 mace (bless you Gary Gygax) nor think of myself as an Orc trapped in a Human body. I'm a Nerd. I like fanciful things. I like to write and play RPGs on occasion. And that's just fine with me.

Hope you all enjoyed and my thanks for reading. Special thanks to @FoxB and @Jenni_Harvey on Twitter for the inspiration from thier on-going adventures (and antics) in Dragon Age. :)

Downtown Disney Update

2010-12-04T16:24:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had my usual weekly wander of Downtown Disney (soon to be Hyperion Wharf) to see what was new and changing. Crowds were medium on this cool and breezy day, and the churros were inviting.

Construction walls have sprung up around Sosa, completely sealing off what used to be the Rock and Roll Beach Club and Motion plaza.
Construction walls are still up near Fulton's Crab House on the new round cement pad and directly opposite as you take the walkway in past Ragland Road and Cooke's. Just a guess, but these sound like a small stage and lighting trusses respectively.
There was an artist signing work at Art of Disney, but I didn't catch his name. The line of people qued through three switchbacks suggested he was pretty popular.
Some of the Vinylmation artists were on hand to autograph figures or whatever you had on hand. Luckily I had a couple vinyls with me for possible trades. Got them signed and chatted with the artists who were having a lot of fun creating, as well as marvelling at the fan following Vinylmation figures have gained.
Holiday 2 Series officially released this day along with the Vinyl and Watch combo sets. The Steampunk Vinyl and matched pocket watch limited edition was even more impressive in person. Saw a Jack Skellington pocket watch near the back registers that was also enticing.
The Duncan Yo-Yo Professionals were outside World of Disney showing off random, smooth as butta, tricks to passers by. Got to meet the 2005 yo-yo champ and talked with he and his top whirling counterpart for a bit. The letter fellow gave me a short lesson on the origins of battling tops. Years ago, kids would take wooding tops and drive nails through them, then sharpen the nails on the ground. The tops were then let loose inside an overturned Frisbee. Whoever won, stayed in the Frisbee, while the looser had another chance to knock over the winner or break the still spinning top. Sometimes, as told by the Duncan pro, those wooden tops would split in two. I'd never heard of this before and found it very interesting.
Caught a quick glimpse of the new multi-flavor Coke and Fanta machines in AMC Theatre's recently revamped lobby. Did not go in this time, but will hit a movie there in the coming weeks to see these machines do their thing.
Stopped into Ride Makerz and noticed they had several car assembly workstations with pull-down mini screw drivers that resembled air wrenches. Never realized just how many detailed options can be put on those custom radio controlled cars. Grills, pipes, NASCAR, everything. Had a good time talking with the staff, and though I'm bad with names, hello to you all if you're reading this.
Lunch and dinner saw a double dose of Buffalo Wild Wings. Cross Pointe (Apopka Vineland) and International Drive both delivered the usual great service. Oh, do I ever LOVE wings!
One last thing, slightly unrelated, but I noticed new cement pillar rebar forms being made at the former Race Rock Cafe site. Don't know what they're building, but it's always good to note such things.

Hope everyone is doing well and recovered from Black (and blue) Friday. My thanks, as always for your time in reading this blog. :)

My First Thanksgiving in Orlando

2010-11-27T05:39:00.004-06:00

My family came down to visit this week to celebrate Thanksgiving and to see how I was getting on. To say I was glad to see them was an understatement, even after staying with them this summer and it only being a couple months since the move.

Prior to their trip, we checked into TG buffets and dinners around the area, as well as some fun things to go do. While the latter was a plethora of options (and yes I do know what a plethora is and have seen that movie too), the former was a little tricky. We'd thought of TG at a Disney resort restaurant, but all I could find was an event at either the Swan or Dolphin hotel...and, it was booked solid. The rest of the resorts seemed to run standard menus and nothing special for the holiday. This wasn't a bad thing, but it was surprising.

After a couple conversations upon their arrival, we opted for The Black Angus on Apopka Vineland. It was close to the folk's hotel, had traditional holiday food, and had a varied regular menu. (While I am a picky eater and have expanded the palette in the past few years, there's this perception I don't like traditional TG food. For the record, turkey, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and even stuffing are all winners.) This ended up being a low crowd, good service, relaxed meal. The folks enjoyed their traditional dinners and I, my crab legs (smirk).

To avoid food coma, we toured the artist formerly known as Downtown Disney and poked around in the shops for a while. With the sunny day, the crowds were in the parks. The folks got to see the Vinylmations at D Street, decaying undead pirates at World of Disney, taste free peppermint bark at Ghirardelli, ooh and ahh over the Christmas store. We notably skipped Pin Traders. Why? For me, it's like waving a donut in front of a dieter. Too much temptation. ;)

Next up was seeing the minimalist/mid-century mod/beach-condo-in-training, aka my studio apartment that looked like a camping display at Bass Pro. (No really. REI would be proud here.) Amazingly, my parents had fit the remainder of my worldly possessions in the SUV for the trip and I was able to take majority the first night they were in town. And now they saw the fruits of 2 am quick decorating. Yes friends, they beheld the wonder of LED rope lighting, thrilled to the compact awesome of my George Foreman grill, and witnessed the pure creative bed making, known lovingly as, '"The Cannoli". Dad also laughed during his experience in "The Micro Cabana".

To cap the day, we had a late dinner at CiCi's near Apopka Vineland. Yes friends, now they too know the power of the buffet and buffalo chicken pizza. I even got a Spanish lesson from a lady who works there (I'm a bit of a regular).

This Thanksgiving was definitely a good one, fitting in well with many good times had during travels. I'm glad the parents could come down and see the reasons Orlando, as a city, brings me so much joy. They had a good time and said they'd be back at Christmas...for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Oh, and golf too. Yep, they're hooked (snicker). ;)

I hope all of you had good Thanksgivings with family, friends, or loved ones. And, as always, thank you for reading. Cheers!

Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News_November 2010

2010-11-22T11:30:00.003-06:00

Life has been both interesting and adaptive the past couple months, with more than a few changes. Like many others, I'm going back to basics on many things, picking what's really important to focus on, and, just doing more with less.

Over a year later and I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with the technical universe that is Java. Finally got R4 (my laptop/virtual Star Wars Astromech) loaded with Eclipse and Netbeans. Getting familiar with those environments along with reading up on how to create basic projects and code. If you can get past the short ton of...well...everything, it's easy to see why the language is powerful.
Met a fellow Twitter person and coder at Barnes & Noble last week who suggested some local user groups to check out. Sounds like good learning opportunities for this student. Thanks @scifisamurai!
Job hunt? (laughs hysterically...)
Recently started working with Vista's built in speech recognition (something I totally missed when I bought the laptop last year). Having used Apple's version on their multi-media Macs circa 1994 and Acer's Aspire computers in 95-97, I was happy to test and train. Verdict? It works best as an accessory, verses being a primary control. Background noise, even with a headset, still confuses the system. Even so, I was impressed with the accuracy and the help section. You'll have to adjust your web bookmarks and naming conventions some, once you figure out it's way of doing things, but it's worth it. Being able to tell the computer to wake up from screen saver or shut down, is quite fun. Web surfing is also very intuitive. Speech recognition is a tough, tough technology to refine, even with the best training and silent rooms, but Microsoft really has done a good job here.
After the recent high speed rail event, the simulator side kicked in. I have an itch to try out Microsoft Train Simulator for the TGV, Velaro, Acela, and similar passenger trains. As the magazine Fruits says: Latest Obsession - High Speed Trains
Been training martial arts and writing Haiku more in the spare time. These are things I've wanted to improve, but have always been so easily distracted from. Might even take up Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) again when I need more decor.
The quest for minimalism continues. While the studio apartment may look like a camping display, it's simplicity and clean feel are great. When the folks bring down more of my things this week, it will be time for another round of sort 'n' toss.
I started spinning glow sticks again for some additional exercise. Another small, fun, and low cost skill I'll keep up with. Have also been smacked in the melon more times than I can count. Need more practice, especially for the con raves (well, what few I get to anyway). ;)
In the early part of November I left Facebook after they randomly made the font small and hard to read. To keep things clean here, that was the last straw in many things I just didn't care for. Like any sensible carbon life form, when you don't like a product or service, you stop using the company and take your business elsewhere. Granted, this is a two edge sword. You lose contact with a lot of people, including business ins, etc, but you also gain a lot of time and feel freer. Don't worry, alternate contact info for the FB folks will be gotten. My departure is not a middle finger to anyone I've come to know through the site either. Far from it. Curiously, there was a person whole veiledly insulted me earlier this year by saying "If someone spends that much time on Facebook, they don't have much of a life." Solely in my case, this person was right. Why? Because I was living vicariously and not living. Well, as you can see, that has changed. :)
Still can't wrap my head around warm Florida weather. Seems like it should get freezing cold by now, but it's 70's-80's during the day, and 50's-60's at night. Oh, I'm not complaining in the slightest. Trust me. :)
With Internet being spotty and limited, I've gone back to some of the Star Wars PC games, like Battlefront and Knights of the Old Republic. Been enjoying those much. FPS+Star Wars = win. In better times, I'd like to get another computer and network it for Battlefront 1&2, Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy, and Republic Commando. On a related note, myself and a few others would LOVE to see an updated X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter flight sim or something there of. HINT HINT...

I've tried to be more positive of late and reflect that in my media posts. Also tried to appreciate the simpler things more. While life has been tough, half the humbling lesson is finding joy in the midst of chaos. I'm finding that little by little, which leads to tranquility within. This in turn ripples outward and becomes a more natural habit and state. Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) once said "Find balance, Daniel san." He was right.

Hope all of you are doing well and my thanks for reading. :)

Goodbye Pleasure Island, Hello Hyperion Wharf

2010-11-18T10:47:00.011-06:00

Effective immediately, Pleasure Island is changing over to a new wharf motif in order to revitalize by 2013. The full Orlando Sentinel story is here.

Just a few thoughts on this:

I'd wondered why the big round planter in front Fulton's Crab House had been just ripped out and replaced with more lights and a flat cement pad. It just seemed random.
On my last trip to PI, I noticed the bridge near Fulton's was widened quite a bit, and more lights/light pylons were installed. Some of those new lights the bridge decorative style were noticeably different from their surroundings.
There have been plenty of rumors flying about BET Soundstage and The Adventurers Club getting demolished in favor of a new club or something of the sort.
I'd remarked to a friend that night on the phone that this could be a quiet and un-official start to the redo. Seems my Spidey-sense was right on this one. Well, you get lucky on these guesses now and then. ;)

Overall, I'm glad to see the start of change and better times for the area. The Pleasure Island corridor definitely needs it. I'll miss the original clubs and Mr. Dancing Party Moon Guy, but the improvements will be worth it.

Ok my brother and sister historical (and hysterical) archivists, that's our cue. Let's start documenting! ;)

CoCo Key Water Resort

2010-11-15T18:12:00.016-06:00

For the record, I am a water park fan. Naturally, when I heard yet another water park was coming to Orlando this year, I was a happy clam. Enter Coco Key Water Resort and it's first surprising move: Remodeling an existing hotel vs. starting from scratch. As I found out this past week, this was not the only surprise in store at the resort. (Photo courtesy of CoCo Key Orlando)

Richard Jackson, Director of Sales and Marketing, was kind enough to take me on a guided tour of the property, showcasing it's amenities. While the main event is the water park (geared toward younger children), there are perks for tweens, teens, and adults as well. We'll start with the lobbies. Yes, plural.

The main lobby opens into contemporary modular sofas and seating in bright colors, with a flat screen TV on the center divider wall. On the opposite side is hand painted treasure map mural showing CoCo Key's proximity to Orlando area attractions, major roads, etc. In the afternoon, fresh cookies are baked and available to hotel guests as they watch another TV in a nearby room, check Facebook on one of the business center computers, or buy theme park tickets at the convenient ticket counter. There are also shuttles to Universal, Disney, and SeaWorld (Universal and Sea World are free while Disney there is a fee). Meanwhile, the side lobby, designed for large groups, offers staging and storage along with flat screen entertainment to keep folks occupied during check in. It also doubles as a meeting area and has a Driver's Lounge with wi-fi for bus drivers.

Walking out to the pool area, guests are greeted with a notably mouse ear shaped pool surrounded by traditional deck lounge chairs and circular, more contemporary outdoor seating. The latter is in the molded wicker style that's all the rage, and sits quite comfortably. To the right, before the pool, is a long narrow contemporary fire pit for evenings. Rooms facing this area are color coded for easy reference by child or adult. Mr. Jackson mentioned this was more a quiet area for adults.

Next up was the fitness room with tread mills, exercise bikes, free weights, and plenty of flat screens to plug into for keeping one motivated. If the screens didn't do it, the morning sun and pleasant view of the lush greenery just might. And no, this is not the typical cramped closet of a fitness room. It's really quite open and spacious. Not far away were for meeting rooms that could be rented for business functions.

On the way to the water park we passed the Gator Grab & Go convenience store as well as a party room. All manner of travel necessities and snacks are available, along with park souvenirs. Need a bag, towel, or something cold to drink? It's right here, and with tables just outside, it's easy to have a quick snack or breakfast. The party room, as Mr. Jackson mentioned, is also a great place for birthday packages CoCo Key offers. Remember Chuck E. Cheese or Showbiz Pizza parties? Similar idea, but with water park time instead of robot music show, and pizza time with CoCo, the red parrot mascot. Oh yes, definitely arcade time in there as well.

As we moved into the water park area, Mr. Jackson made me aware of yet another perk for Florida residents. During the off-season (essentially right now), day passes to the water park can be bought, without the need to stay at the hotel. While prices may vary, this week it was $9.95. Yes, you read that right. Conversely, I know family entertainment centers that have four water slides and two pools, that charge $15.00, not offering nearly as much. In short, that's a good deal for locals.

Speaking of the rooms, get ready for a tropical meets contempo styling. Serta Perfect Sleepers and flat screen TVs are standard fair, along with the usual features one would expect. The Family suites rooms were designed to use a joined bathroom as the pass through, giving kids one room, and tired parents another. Combine with sleek tansu style cabinetry and tubular light fixtures, and this is not your average hotel. Yes, free wi-fi as well.

And now we come to the water park, split into two areas: the canopy covered section with pool, and small slides, and the outdoor section featuring Parrot Perch water fortress, and an additional slide tower. Grand total is 54,000 square feet, 14 water slides of varying sizes, zero depth entry toddler pool, teen pool and interactive play area. There is indeed a tipping bucket that drenches guests regularly. Again, while the park is mainly geared for young ones, tweens and teens can have fun on the taller slides like Boomerango, a half-pipe style slide. Meanwhile, parents can keep a careful eye from the ample viewing areas around the pools and fortress. There are also several life guards about to keep everyone safe.

Naturally, there are lockers for valuables, showers, and changing areas available. CoCo Key also has a wrist band system that can be loaded up like a gift card or linked to a checking account or credit card. The wrist band can be used all over the resort and spending can be limited if parents so choose. You just scan your wrist band to purchase an item and that's it. No need to carry a wallet.

With so much to do, it's a given you'll work up an appetite. Expecting a weak snack bar right? Think again. CoCo Key offers Tradewinds, a full service restaurant with buffets and karaoke from time to time. There's also Callaloo Grill and a Pizza Hut Express along with typical (and very reasonably priced) burgers, etc. There are also healthy options like fruit cups, water, milk, and more.

Next door is the arcade with everything from pool, to air hockey, to bowling. When bad weather looms, the water park is closed down for safety and guests are moved into a large nearby room, just down the hall from the arcade, for various activities and games.

Don't worry parents, you haven't been forgotten. The Wet Rooster bar has drinks to unwind with and there are plenty of places to sit and relax.

All that said, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more CoCo Key Water Resort offers than just water park.

For more information on Coco Key Orlando (or any of the other resorts), please see http://www.cocokeywaterresort.com/?gclid=CLniicSNpKUCFYNl7AodEW_YGg

Their Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/cckorlando)

Or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/CoCo_Key_Orl)

Special thanks to Richard Jackson for taking time to meet with me and show me around the property. Definitely a fun time and good learning experience. My best wishes and continued success to you all!

SIEMENS High Speed Rail Event

2010-11-10T10:19:00.017-06:00

Yesterday I took my first trip down to Orlando's Orange County Convention Center for Siemens High Speed Rail event. Yes, the very same venue that hosted Stars Wars Celebration V earlier this year. While there weren't any AT-AT's in the front hall this time, there was a transport of a different sort in a hall not far away. While the sleek Velaro train mock-up would easily blend into the cityscape of Coruscant, however, it's starting with the city of Orlando.

After check in, I was given my info folder and casually wandered through the display rooms. One gave a general history of railroad, complete with memorabilia, like a conductor hat in a central glass case. Another room presented different areas around the globe where Velaro trains served, along with their routes, and videos on flat screens to watch. This was the lead up to the main event: the full size Velaro front car mock-up.

The silver and blue Velaro dominated the large room, ripping the eye away from the other three walls, Espresso bar, and even the finger food. Thankfully, about 2000 people had visited the day before, so there was much more time and room for pictures and wiping drool off one's chin. Yes, with a big grin and fond memories of my childhood model railroad, I walked up the ramp to enter.

After a short wait, our group of 2 or 3 walked in. To the right was the conference room, directly behind the pilot's chair. To the left was a small European styled lavatory with stainless steel and light wood. Beyond it was the first class area with high back and well padded leather chairs. The first rows had light wood tables that butterflied out for meetings, meals, etc. These double rows were on the right side of the cabin as you entered. The single row equivalent was on the left. Also on the left were fact placards where the windows would be. We all sat down and took about a 2 minute virtual train ride via the right side windows used as screens. Thought this was a clever way to present things. With no questions to follow, we were turned loose for a bit to take pictures.

Upon exiting the presentation, I was fortunate enough to speak with Siemens Keith Turner about the project. Mr. Turner was glad to answer questions from this novice blogger/journalist, which I really appreciated. He also yielded a rather interesting fact: the high-tech, ultra modern Velaro on display...was 10 years old. That's right, the already full featured could offer EVEN MORE if and when it comes into Florida service around 2015. Keep in mind, this is a train already offering contempo styling, green powering alternatives, wi-fi, power outlets for work, lavatories, on-ride entertainment via drop down ceiling LCDs, and a couple different levels of food service...at roughly 200 miles per hour.

The rest of the main display area consisted of more facts, tech break-downs, and comparisons along the wall opposite the mock-up. I grinned at the speed comparison chart that mentioned "The World's Fastest Roller Coaster" at 128 miles per hour (which has probably changed with Ferrari World's recent opening). There was also an HO scale full Velaro train model in a tube near the proposed stops along the future Orlando to Tampa route. That route goes from Orlando International Airport, to Orange County Convention Center, to Walt Disney World, to Lakeland, and on to Tampa. The trains would travel the majority of the way in Interstate 4's median, with some modifications to a portion of the highway and some of the bridges and over passes. Mr. Turner noted that some of Florida's highways were built with high speed rail in mind, making implementation that much easier and cost effective.

On to the last couple display rooms. The next showcased some of the partner groups working to build, run, develop, etc, the Florida Rail Ventures project. Veolia Transportation would operate the rail line, Siemens would build the train, and FCC/GlobalVia and Skanska would build the infrastructure.

The last room was a Siemens showcase of green concepts, including a wind turbine model and and electric car charging station, that could become common place in the next several years. At the center was a "magic table" that changed colors and presentation info at the wave of a hand. There were also a couple kiosks that gave attendees a "Postcard from the Future". In short, the display allowed you to choose a background, take your picture, and email it to you. A neat idea, and amazingly, I hadn't aged a bit in 5 years. ;)

For more information about Florida Rail Ventures and Velaro, check out Siemens website at: http://www.usa.siemens.com/entry/en/index.htm?stc=27

All in all, this was a good learning opportunity for anyone interested in rail travel and future transportation technologies. I'd like to thank Siemens for an enjoyable time, along with Keith Turner for taking time to answer questions.

And Mr. Turner, you were right. The magic table room was the best. ;)

2010 Mickey's A Very Merry Christmas Party

2010-11-09T06:40:00.007-06:00

Last night I was invited to see Mickey's A Very Merry Christmas by fellow park enthusiast James Kegler. This would be the first night of the Disney Christmas time event and barely a couple weeks after Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. We loaded cameras, dressed warm, and were awed by Disney magic once again.

The Magic Kingdom transformation from Halloween to Christmas was just eerily fast. Plenty of garlands, toy soldiers, and mouse-ear shaped wreaths adorned Main Street along with snow falling against the white building lights later in the evening. Yes, snow.
Just barely caught the castle lighting show after a wrong time and mad crowd dash. To see it transform from regular castle to gleaming icicle castle with magical waves was most impressive. Just awesome and a must see. Neither words nor even video do the spectacle justice.
Right after the castle lighting, James and I dashed back to Main Street Emporium for the event pin releases. Both us got Very Merry Christmas Party pins to mark the occasion. Also noticed one of the holiday Vinylmations was out, namely the toy soldier (which also looks like a nut cracker or vice versa). No sign of Osbourne Lights Mickey or the caroling tree just yet. Also, the collector tins have been ditched this year in favor of a display stand in the bottom of the package.
Free hot chocolate and sugar cookies are available during the event, and they definitely hit the spot on a cool night in the park. Be prepared for a busy crowd getting these items and be kind to the INSANELY hard working folks behind the counters. I enjoyed this treat during the evening.
Got in a few rides during the night: It's s Small World (with new backwards que wackyness), Carousel of Progress, Mickey's Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, and Cinderella. All walk-ons.
Got to see both showings of Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade. While not a parade guy, I did enjoy this one. Lots of interesting performers between the floats, including ginger bread men, rollerblading ice dancers, dancing reindeer, and the way cool toy soldiers. The floats were fun, and notably, even had scents to go with them. Chip and Dale's snowball fight had pine, Goofy's candy contraption jetted peppermint, and a kitchen float wafted gingerbread. Oh yes, it'll make you hungry. And you thought Philhar-pie was something? Performers, etc did well and had fun with the crowd in various ways. They weren't just going through the motions or putting on false happiness or energy, they really seemed to enjoy themselves. That realness and heart I do applaud. :)
After the parade, and a solid crowd clear out, it was back to the hub for the holiday version of wishes. Cool and festive variation on the regular Wishes fireworks show with another magical castle decorating in the finale. Traditional holiday music takes on a whole new meaning when coupled with fireworks. Exciting, entertaining, and definitely got you into the festive holiday mood.
Over all, the big crowd was very cordial and respectful when slight bumps happened now and then. The most folks were on Main Street and around the hub near the castle. Side walkways and alternate routes are a good idea to circumvent some of the slowdown.
Wristband check was in full force, sometimes happening as often 3 times in 5 seconds. In short, they mean it.
While James was in a pin trading shop around Frontier Land, I sat outside and finished a welcome hot pretzel and warm cheese dip. One of the Country Bears came up and said hi, which gave me a smile. Immediately after, 3 teenage girls walked by. One of them said "Who's that?" Another said "That's one of the Country Bears...and he's drunk." I howled with laughter. (And for the record, no, Country Bear was not substituting moonshine for holiday cheer.) Meanwhile, another of the bears sat down in a rocker next to a sleeping toddler in a stroller for a very cute pic. Dad had a Cheshire grin a mile wide.
James managed to find some leftover Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party pins in the afore mentioned store. Cha-ching!
Didn't see anything new with the Fantasy Land construction. Night time will do that to you. ;)
I have to say it again. The castle all lit up is just awesome to behold!

All in all, a very fun and festive time. Mickey, thanks for a great time and you have absolutely decked my halls. ;)

Downtown Disney Update

2010-11-06T05:27:00.004-05:00

After several days of cabin fever, I had to get out, still coughing or not, for much needed fresh air and exercise. Got over to Downtown Disney yesterday, but wouldn't you know it, I wound up in the middle of the police circus regarding the nearby 7-11 robbery and deputy stabbing. A leisurely lunch at CiCi's Pizza was just the thing to wait out the heavy traffic, etc. Cheers for buffalo chicken pizza. :)

While at DTD I checked up on a few things and got in a good walk. Here's what all I saw:

Remember the big round planter that USED to be in front of Fulton's Crab House? Exactly. It's been torn out and replaced with a flat concrete pad and 4 pole lights, with only a small portion still covered. I'm curious as to what will be displayed there other than the Viennese Trio who play revamped classical music. Thought the planter was a nice feature and will miss it.
Yes, Vinylmation Park Series 5 is out, and yes it's $12.95 a pop. There's also a special Fantasia Mickey (with the removable hat, the big trend this year by the way) and blind box bundle for $24.95. From $9.95 to $12.95 is a pretty big jump considering the Epcot Flower and Garden Vinyls are now down to around $7.95 with tin. Also, there's a still a big supply of Nightmare Before Christmas, Holiday Series 1, and the Sport Series. The latter, while around $12-$15 does included a blind boxed Vinylmation Junior companion figure. Park 5 looks great, however, considering the random chance of getting the figure you really want, roughly $10 is a little easier to gamble than $13. As a result, I've gone to the "If I can't pick 'em, I don't get 'em" rule. It's also worth noting that Disney Pins DROPPED a couple bucks across the board in the last couple months. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Speaking of Disney Pins, the limited edition 2010 Thanksgiving pins are out for $8.95. If you're an event/holiday/seasonal collector like me, go get 'em, because they go fast and will be long gone by event's end.
Got some pictures of BET Soundstage and The Adventurers Club, since there are possibilities of both venues being demolished in the coming months for either a new club or some other project. Along that same line, there was talk at one time of an Aquarium restaurant coming to Downtown Disney. After enjoying the former Nashville location last year, this would be a fun add to the area and would fit right in with the other Landry's properties, namely Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex.
I was reminded to enjoy the simple pleasures in life as I strolled about yesterday. The cool breeze, the smell of fresh popcorn, the heavenly aromas from the different restaurants, etc.
The Christmas store was busy with early holiday shopping as well as selling a few leftover halloween decorations. TONS of Disney ornaments to choose from. Saw a Christmas Village style Cinderella's Castle for $85 that had some really nice detail and blue lighting. Also noticed a couple train packages and monorail packages ready to go for an under the Christmas tree display. Not this year, but that's something I'd really like to do in the next few years. Besides, monorail + Star Wars and Star Trek ornaments = just plain fun. :)
There are still some Star Tours Starspeeder 3000 toys at the $10 Disney Store near Rainforest Cafe. In contrast, save a couple Storm Troopers, the Star Wars Kooky Kollectable pens were gone at Magnetron over on West Side. But don't worry, there are still PLENTY of fake (and VERY tasty looking) donut magnets still available. Anybody for Dunkin Donuts? ;)

That's all for now, but there are a some new adventures brewing next week. Stay tuned and cheers! :)

Hollwood Rip Ride Rockit IS Running!

2010-10-28T10:53:00.006-05:00

See? And Rockit, you made me so happy, I bought a lanyard in your honor. :)

2010 Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights XX

2010-10-28T01:03:00.007-05:00

In yet another surprise outing, I got to check the premiere Halloween haunt event on the planet, namely Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. Simply put, I knew it would be good, but, as Dean Martin once said in Cannon Ball Run, it "blew my G** D*** doors off"! From houses, to scare zones to scaracters, I saw the high quality first hand. I came face to face with Fear and his many demented minions as well as The Usher, Jack, The Caretaker, and even The Director. And yes, as with all my adventures, there were several memorable moments:

Before we go any further, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was running. Got several great pics of it and happy to see that coaster going again. (Applause!)
After getting to Universal around 3:30 I upgraded to a Stay and Scream pass so James and I could get right in and hit some of the houses early. (Credit to Eric Yates for a good suggestion). This worked well and allowed us nearly walk in wait times on all but two houses later in the night. Believe me when I say, get there early. The time saved is well worth it.
Loved Hallow'd Past and Catacombs. Orfanage ZombieGeddon were fun. Hades was the one that gave me the biggest jumps. PsychoScareapy and Legendary Truth had cool entrances and were also a good time. Did not see Havoc, since the theme didn't sound interesting.
In Legendary Truth, according to James I was attacked by a chair. I saw what looked like a typical high back red Victorian chair to my left and then was blinded by a strobe light. Meanwhile, some red thing zipped in and out of my lower peripheral vision in about a second. Apparently, the chair lunged at me and I never caught it. Then James says something like "Oh my God! That chair just attacked you!" In a real horror movie, I so would've been toast.
In Catacombs, an air jet blasted me square in the crotch. Well, it was...refreshing? Yes, make your own perv joke here. There are many to choose from. ;)
In the HHN scare zone, I got spooked by a gashed up pigtailed cheer leader whom I had to get a pic with. Told her she was my best scare of the night. This gave her not only a smile, but incentive for a couple more startle attempts on our way out. Oh I did enjoy that. :)
Was super thrilled to meet HHN icons The Usher, Jack, The Director, and The Caretaker and get pics with all. Even met the tall and creepy 13 and a very fetching stilt walking devil woman. (Yes I LOVE stilt walkers if you didn't already know).
Got a great pic with Alice who was exceptionally cordial, but just ruthless in scaring and chasing down the poor souls she locked onto. Alice at one point herded a VERY scared lady smack into the devil woman and 13, all of whom surrounded the woman. The poor lady sunk to the ground as Alice shrieked "Why are you so scared?!" Alice was also hoot as she skipped and pranced merrily around the zone, only to stop and point while taunting "HA HA! You got scared!" I hear she's a stickler for manners and proper grammar too. Great job to that lady.
In one of the houses James had been walking beside a very blind me (my eyes adjust very slowly in dark so it's very tough to see). Something didn't feel right and so I looked over to the right and there was big guy looking down at me walking alongside. It took about 3 seconds of delayed computing/reaction to realize this was not my partner in crime and then I jumped. Good bet that scareacter had a good story to tell about me.
While milling about the HHN scare zone, a Universal film crew was weaving in and out of the crowd and followed me for a good minute or two. Came to find out later, this was part of a live Internet feed and I got some face time. Sadly, no way to get copies of the video, but cool just the same.
Felt a little leery about eating at Mel's Die In (Mel's Drive In), but after missing lunch and running on a couple Powerades on a muggy afternoon, that burger was most tasty.
I liked the theme of the Saws and Steam ally scare zone. It was like heavy metal music meets Steampunk engineers with glowing goggles and/or chainsaws. Also saw Steampunk Frankenstein wandering the HHN scare zone.
Esqueleto Muerte was (and forgive me if I butcher this) El Dia De Los Muertos meets black light. More of a lightly creepy festive vibe and the Spanish inspired stilt walkers were quite cool. When I asked for pic with Senora stilt walker, she only glared then communicated with hand gestures. She motioned me to follow her away from the TON of smoke while her barely 4 foot robed minion was uncomfortably close. Then I had to get down on my knees. Then she patted my head like a good dog when I stood up. Unnerving, but are you going to argue with a nine foot tall Spanish dead lady? Creo que no, senor. Creo que no.
We saw the famous Rat lady in her acrylic case with her fuzzy little rat friends scurrying about. Occasionally she'd jolt and bang the glass to make folks jump. The rats were just cute and part of me wanted to be in the case. Hey, it looked like fun!
Earlier in the day we stopped for a drink in an ice cream shop. On the back wall was an autographed picture of Lucille Ball made out to...me (my name is Michael). This was curious because the very first time I went to Universal Studios Orlando (circa 1992), Lucille Ball had died not long before, and I saw a Lucy actress walking along the waterfront. The timing was eerie, and so was this picture. Rod Serling, your thoughts?
To kill some time (rim shot) before the Bill & Ted show, James and I rode The Simpsons (formerly Back to the Future: The Ride). Definitely a fun redo with a couple fun odes to the former attraction. Also a hell of a lot more jostling than the chase to stop Biff Tannen. Had a good ride but came off dizzy and feeling like a bad Martini.
Bill & Ted's show nailed several pop culture news makers and threw in a few surprises. Oh yes, Lohan and Gaga were prime (get it?) targets, but then Dr. Who showed up and raved with his blue light scanner device. Everybody about fell over when Sesame Street's count stole the heart of Twilight girl, forcing Team Jacob and Team Edward into a sparkly embrace. The Count's make out session with the girl and his burn on the two leftovers had everyone roaring. Meanwhile Avatar The Last Airbender showed off his righteous martial art skills with graceful flips and rolls...then he farted. Yep, Snooki and Situation showed up in all their washboard abs and sucker punch glory. At one point drunk and staggering Lohan passed out faced down on Situation's situation while he sat back with a smile. Oh yeah, lotsa cussing and suggestive stuff, but plenty of fair warning to those who dislike such things. Great show with more goodness than can be imparted in this space. Loved it!
There was booze, beer or those Jello blood bag shots nearly every 10 feet with very pretty nurses right along side, holding poles with rotating lights. After about 11, you could tell who'd had one emergency transfusion too many. Since I was driving home, no suds for me. With the mugginess, Powerade and water were better bets. Besides, my get hammered party days are long gone. ;)
Good safety, security, and crowd control throughout the event. Plenty of folks in the scare houses to keep guests moving and safe. Was for this, especially being half blind, in the lead, and not knowing which direction to go sometimes. Thank you good people with flashlights. :)
So just how was Fear, aka the culmination of twenty years of HHN history? Tall, demonic, and sporting horns growing sideways out of his back that acted like banner poles, only with what looked like sheets of skin. His sneaky black swirling minions with no features and glowing cyclic faces were also a sight to behold, when they weren't silently behind you waiting for you to turn around.

This was my second ever haunt event and outstanding one at that. Halloween Horror Nights deserves all the praise and accolades it's received and this first-timer had a frightfully good time. I also REALLY want to be a scareacter and/or stilt walker here. It just looked like so much fun!

If you love haunts, haunted houses, etc, you really need to check out Halloween Horror Nights at least once in your life. It's well worth it.

Universal, thank you for a great time and see you next year! :)

Thoughts on the updated WDW Haunted Mansion

2010-10-23T15:18:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine on Facebook (Thanks Jason) asked how I liked the new rooms on the updated Disney World Haunted Mansion. Since I noticed several things this most recent trip, this was worthy of another blog post...so here we go. (For the record, I'm going from order of memories, not ride sequence events. Just a friendly heads up.)

The Stretching Room: The multi-directional audio in the Stretching Room was a noticeable improvement and the striped wallpaper really pops out more. Didn't realize the Ghost Host was Master Gracey. Thought it was just some random ghost, kind of like the random game show announcer vs. the show host, all these years. Also, while chilling, all the lights out, loud noises, and atmosphere were well balanced. Not a single toddler was scared or started to cry. Not even the 2 year old in his mother's arms next to me.
The Hallway: Noticed a lot more small, ghoulish pictures of the residents on the walls. I remember a couple pictures here and there, but mainly blank walls and doors. The main pictures to see were the transforming lightning portraits just after you get on the Doom Buggys. Seeing the residents was eerie and a good add to further cement the story.
Madam Leota's Seance: While an older improvement (but still noteworthy) Leota's crystal ball floats and bobs vs. sitting on the table. Where the room was pretty much empty from what I remember, there seemed more floating instruments added as carry-overs from the HM movie. The hologram was noticeably sharper and vibrant as well.
The Escher Stairs room: The stairs with glowing footprints were a big improvement over the bouncy spiders.
The Attic: It seemed like they really expanded the attic/bride scene and story. I remember that being a short and random pass through before. The husband pictures with the disappearing heads along with the materializing axe on the bride at the end of the section were cool effects. This section made a lot more sense.
The Downstairs Party: The holograms in the downstairs dance scene looked sharper and not as distant blue as I remember. They were also more of a wet clay tone. Seems like they added a couple as well. There was a lady in a high back chair I don't remember being there. They also put ovals around some of the furniture which I didn't understand. That took away a little bit.
The Graveyard: Looks like they added a lot more spooks and scenes in the graveyard, some of which likely inspired by the Eddie Murphy Haunted Mansion movie. Noticed a trio of cats that didn't seem to be there on previous rides, and all the ghosts were more of the starry blue tone much like the HM movie. The singing busts were redone larger and a bit more cartoonish. Like the originals better. Would LOVE to see WDW do the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.

Seems like Disney added quite a lot more than I remembered. Was originally worried about this refurbish, but majority adds and updates were winners. Disney did well.

2010 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

2010-10-23T00:57:00.008-05:00

Just when I think I've struck out horribly, life threw me a curve ball of pure awesome today. For the fourth time this year, a kind soul treated me to an exceptional day at Walt Disney World. This time around, I got to hang out with fellow park enthusiast James Kegler, collect candy, and even do a few more firsts for Disney. And now, on with the highlights:

There was a full moon out tonight for my first ever Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party AND my first ever haunt event at a theme park. Loved the erie sounds, creepy lights, and huge ghost and spider projections on the various Main Street buildings and Space Mountain.
Got my first set of mouse ears, the just released R2-D2 set, which NOBODY else was wearing. Got quite a few compliments on them too.
Everything but Haunted Mansion was a walk on. This included Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Stitch's Great Escape, Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor (MILF), Hall of Presidents, Winnie The Pooh, and Splash Mountain that James hit twice in a row.
I heard Rock You Like a Hurricane coming from the Enchanted Tiki Room and Thuderstruck in the Pirates of the Caribbean gift shop. Also cracked up a cashier at Pirates when she asked what I was supposed to be and I said in Ben Stein deadpan "I'm a robot. Bloop bleep." Made matters worse by buying a toy hook so I could be....wait for it....ARRRR 2-D2. (Yes I'm really a 35 year old man. Seriously. I mean it.)
Saw some great costumes, but the sexy black cat lady in the corset and platform heels as well as an EXCELLENT Mad Hatter were the best of the night. There were some female Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meets Robin's outfit variants that were very conworthy as well.
Haunted Mansion was extra fun during a Halloween time and I said "it's good to see you" to the Ghost Lady sitting out front, who said "It's good to see you too." She then went from dead silent (yes I went there) to complimenting a guy on his legs and telling bad pirate jokes. All the gravestones near the entrance had been removed and put on a float for the Boo To You parade. Meanwhile inside I saw the hidden Donald Duck in the chair back (early part of the ride on the right near the hallway) along with the hidden Mickey in one of the tombs on the right near the end of the ride. James and I both agree that Haunted Mansion is just an all time fave and it would be incredible to see the thing with lights on. What a great dark ride that never disappoints, especially when the normally creepy maids and butlers are zombie painted to look even more creepy! And Ghost Lady, you rock! :)
I'd missed The Hall of Presidents earlier this year, and being a robotics fan, had to see it this trip. We walked right in and sat through the lead up movie, which was extra poignant because Hallowishes was thundering outside, almost in time to the music and movie. Most impressive. Then it came time for the main event...all the presidents. I was so impressed with the fluid movements and subtleties during this part. Whether they faced a speaking fellow president or shifted their weight back and forth as they talked, or just moved a hand now and then, it really seemed like actors, not animatronics, were on stage. RObama was equally impressive and reminded me of Jack Sparrow in the newly remodeled Pirates of the Caribbean during our 2006 Disneyland jaunt. To Disney and all the robotics folks, I applaud you!
While James road Splash Mountain, I loaded up on Sweet Tarts, Twix, and Nerds (is that last own considered cannibalism?)...and all that sugar hit an already giddy 35 year old guy turned 8 again, like a freight train. At the end of the night, there was a bag full of candy, half of which I'd never eat. Gave the lot to a young family and bid them enjoy. Besides, I'd had plenty!
Cast member to visitor wearing an M&M costume. "I just gave you M&Ms. Wait, isn't that cannibalism?"
First time doing Monster's Inc Laugh Floor and what used to be Alien Encounter, now Stitch's Great Escape. Hey, I enjoyed both and got a few laughs, plus seeing Astro Orbiter at night all lit up is pretty impressive.
Caught the Boo To You parade and got to see the precision Grave Diggers. Good thing they were close buy, because James almost dug his own by thinking out loud. Luckily, those who could've taken issue were just out of ear shot and busy watching the parade.
Lastly, the weather was a perfect 70's and not too hot or cool. No jacket required.
**The Fantasyland construction is moving fast. Building for The Little Mermaid dark ride is up and another steel building frame has gone vertical. Couldn't see very much more in the dark, but the area behind the wall seems massive. Still miss 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. That and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride will always be a couple of my all time faves.

All in all, good adventure and good company, and though the event is geared for little kids (though Disney's nice enough to include us big kids too) I'd go back again. There's just something weirdly cool (as my buddy Paul would say) about Trick or Treating at Magic Kingdom. Crowded, but so worth it. Yeah, I love Disney. :)

Happy 25th Anni Nintendo Entertainment System

2010-10-19T07:33:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe 25 years ago today, the Nintendo Entertainment System, a console that would lead a gaming revolution, was launched. And it's also damn scary to think in increments of 20's and 25's when you're used to 5's and 10's. Ack! That aside, here are some of my NES memories.

After much car washing, allowance saving, and calculating, I bought my NES Basic System (Console, 2 Controllers, Super Mario Brothers) and Donkey Kong Jr. from Toys R Us in Springfield, Virginia. Yup, the same one not far from Springfield Mall. To go there with friends or as a surprise trip was electrifying, especially THAT one isle of new video games. If I went, I invited my neighborhood buds, and vice versa. It was also on said trips that while other parents went straight home, my Dad would think of 1000 different stops to make to prolong the agony before the joy of playing. Drove me crazy then, but I laugh now. Yeah, that first night, my babysitter (my friend's older sister) had the easiest job in the world while I played the "monkey with the diaper game." What? I loved the arcade games and lived for nights at Showbiz Pizza.

Any sleepover turned into an all night game and movie fest. We'd take turns working on Kid Icarus or playing simul on Ikari Warriors until almost passing out. Either that or we'd make Sprite Floats with marble ice cream (don't cringe, it's good stuff) and head to the basement and play pc games like King's Quest at my friend Kelly's house. For all the times we stayed over, played D&D, video gamed, watched movies, etc, Kelly's Mom was such a saint.

When we had one of a few cross country trips to visit relatives, I poured over my Legend of Zelda map, plotting, scheming, theorizing, so that when we got back, I could solve all the little questions (and pent up gaming want) my heart desired. Portable video games like GameBoy were many years away, so time away from the console was rough. REALLY rough.

Out of all the games, RPGs and shooters were my hands down faves. Ultima Exodus, Dragon Warrior, 1942 Gradius, Life Force, and Stinger were on regular rotation. LOVED the hours of blasting Maui Stone heads on Gradius as well as the crazy weaponry and coop in the sequal, Life Force. Sure, there was plenty of action time for Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, Bionic Commando, Metroid, and Zelda 1 and 2, but I grew to love a good shooter and good RPG. Dragon Warrior is still one of my all time faves. Didn't play Final Fantasy until it was reissued for GameBoy Advance many years later (and will likely download it for my iPod Touch).

While I never got R.O.B, the video robot, I had the Zapper light gun (Duck Hunt and Gumshoe), the NES Advantage arcade joystick, the NES Max controller with it's slider D pad, Arkanoid with it's paddle controller, and the NES Satellite 4 player adapter/wireless system. As a matter of fact, I acquired that last one when I went to the dentist and had to have wisdom teeth pulled. I was in a lot of pain and Mom felt bad for me, so she got me the Satellite. I looked like a mutant chip monk, but damned if that wireless system didn't work better than aspirin. ;) (Thanks Mom, I love you for that one, among many other reasons.)

My freshman year of high school we moved from Washington DC to Huntsville, Alabama and sadly, my interest in gaming got left behind with my friends in our nation's capital. Not long after the move, MTV took over my interest and my Nintendo started gathering dust. Sacrilege, I know. Not long after, I sold it all to kid during one of our garage sales who was more than thrilled to get it. In the end, the gear went to a good home. Even so, I still kick myself for not hanging onto my NES and games, along with my Star Wars figures from the 70's and 80's. (facepalm).

There are more memories of the gaming days, but these are the standouts and worthy of sharing. The Nintendo Entertainment System was (and still is) just an awesome game console. It brought my friends and I countless slack-jawed, zombiefied, glazed eye hours of gaming fun. And boy do I miss it! :)

MORE Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News

2010-10-19T03:18:00.004-05:00

More tid bits of my world, adventures, and observations:

While at Downtown Disney tonight (World of Disney store) I noticed the R2-D2 mouse ears were out along with the new toy Starspeeder for the upcoming Star Tours 2. Looking at the box showed that the vehicle could be opened showing what looked like seats and a screen inside. On the screen was a Pod race scene. While there have been rumors floating already about probable Pod racing, among other destinations, I thought this was an interesting and possible affirmation. As Artie Johnson on Laugh In would say "Veeeeeery interesting..."
The construction walls near Fulton's Crab House have expanded and narrowed the walkway. Also Pollo Campero (formerly McDonald's) has signage up and looks much closer to completion.
Dominic Gaudious wowed the crowd of on-lookers tonight in front of the former comedy club at Pleasure Island with his effortless guitar playing, big grin, and walking around amongst the crowd. Truly a talented showman who enjoys what he does, and does it well. Plus, you gotta love a wacky guy with eyeballs velcroed to his guitar. Seriously.
There was a trio of Venetian musicians that played interesting renditions of classical music tonight over in front of Wetzel's Pretzels. Enjoyed listening to them but did not catch the name. Their Viennese costumes, complete with powdered wigs, and musicianship should be seen if you're ever at Downtown Disney. And like Mr. Gaudious, a fun and entertaining show.
It seems Disney has dropped pin prices by roughly a couple bucks across the board. Good for us pin collectors gearing up for more holiday releases. Halloween and some of this year's Christmas pins are already out.
More Nightmare Before Christmas Vinylmations are out over at D Street. Saw more of Sally and The Mayor (Rest in Peace Glen Shaddix, aka The Mayor's voice and Otho from Beetleguese). Park 5 series is on display with release set for Friday, October 22nd. I want Buzz Lightyear's SpaceRanger Spin car and The Helmsman from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Finally had a Cheeseburger in Paradise at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Verdict? Good burger and fun atmosphere! And I thought Grateful Dead concerts and college football tailgate parties were something. Yikes!
Took photo of a couple at CityWalk in front of the Universal rotating globe that ended up really great. They were happy and I was too. Love having a small part in making a happy memory like that.
There's a bit more Harry Potter merch at the Universal Studios Store, namely various wands that didn't appear to be there on my last visit. You have NO idea how hard it was not to shell out $28 for Harry's and Dumbledore's wands. Loved the detail on each. Good display pieces for the hardcore Potter fans or an RPG lover. And yes, I would pay $200-300 for the replica brooms if I had both job and cash. What? I play WoW and like magic stuff.
Didn't realize this until a couple visits ago, but Pat O'Brien's sells collector pins. Pin fiends, Irish fiends, drinkers, you have your target...
Hard Rock Cafe has this year's Halloween pins that are limited edition (300 pins in each respective run) and unique to the Orlando location. Kinda dig the Vampira meets Zombie girl...

That's all from this round. Hope you all enjoyed and found the info useful. Cheers!

Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News

2010-10-14T10:55:00.006-05:00

Bits of theme park and tourism randomness this week (and a good excuse to write again.)

Dad sent me an email mentioning a conversation he had with one of the people repairing flood damage at Opry Mills. According to this person, it's unlikely the mall will reopen due to the damage costing well over the original insurance. The mall building is repaired and standing, but the inside is gutted, save a recently reopened Bass Pro. After a few jokes about "well, now that the mall is hosed, can we have the park back?" around the net, there is talk of rebuilding Opryland USA on site. While that would be great, there's been talk for YEARS about building a replacement park since Opryland's demise. The couple of attempts in some carnival rides and later the Old South concept, didn't pan out for various reasons. While I'd LOVE to see a good park in Nashville, it will simply never duplicate the indescribable charm and warmth unique to Opryland USA. Also, it's unfortunate that the Aquarium Restaurant and Rainforest Cafe at Opry Mills were lost. I really enjoyed my visit to both last year. Would love to see Aquarium rebuilt.
Noticed on my past couple trips to Universal that Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is closed. Granted, Halloween Horror Nights is going on, and Harry Potter is raking them in, but having an attraction like that down for a long time is a rough and costly thing. It's an extra whammy when it's a hugely visible attraction. Hopefully, Universal can get the extended maintenance done as well as the means needed to fix the "potential safety flaw" in the train couplings. While it's had a lot of delays and problems, I'd like to see this coaster back on it's feet. The energy and eye draw it brings, like it's counterpart Hollywood Dream at Universal Japan, is a good thing. Plus high tech light show is just fun to watch as it goes by.
Orlando's Race Rock Restaurant was torn down recently. While I'm not big on racing, I do enjoy theme restaurants and I'm bummed to have missed out on this attraction. Curiously and unknowingly, I did experience it at Fun Spot earlier this year when I took a picture in one of Big Feet's (Big Foot minus the rights) wheels.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, there's talk of building yet another theme park in Orlando. The extreme thrill park would be located on a plot of land near practically empty Festival Bay mall on International Drive. The article mentions some coasters including 425 foot tall tophat. Having driven by the area last night, they'll definitely need to rethink/widen roads to accommodate increased traffic if this goes forward. Also, these folks could score a big hit with a B&M Hyper coaster and/or Intamin Megalite, neither of which are in Florida. This will be and interesting story to watch over the next couple years despite the obvious competition.
Lots of construction walls are up over at Downtown Disney. Granted, this is old news, but much of the area around Fulton's Crab House is getting work along with the slow transform of McDonald's to the new chicken place. Sadly, Pleasure Island is still a shuttered hallway between West Side and Market Place. While the outdoor concerts and living statues are nice (the gold lady with wings is VERY cool), all those closed clubs are a bummer, especially The Adventurers Club. Hopefully the mouse can revitalize that corridor in the near future.

Just some stuff that caught my eye and hope you all enjoyed. Cheers! :)

Practical Creativity with LED Rope

2010-10-11T15:01:00.002-05:00

"Necessity is the mother of invention," and out-of-nowhere creativity is in there somewhere too. Early this year I went to Fun Spot and got the largest Yard O Ale cups I'd ever seen. Had to have it. Then came the question, "Now that you have it, what are you going to DO with it, because you sure as hades ain't drinkin' out of it!" The answer? Build a lamp or use it a obscure living room sculpture. Ok, both. Sold.

Before we go further there's very good reason why I opted for these projects. After looking at the way I did things in the past, a host of small house and apartment living sources, and thinking some about the environment, using new tech in a creative and efficient way seemed like a perfect match for my life direction and "less is more" goals. Energy efficient, packable, smart lighting was both desirable and practical...and different. It would take a little refining, but it would be worth it in lower energy consumption, lower cost, and creative challenge.

The roughly 4 foot tall size cup lent well to a floor lamp and I'd had notions of automated lighting and tinkering with rope lights. When I returned to Huntsville, it was off to Target for some outdoor rope light ($10 for about 14 feet). Throw in some glass beads to weight the bottom, drape rope light until it balanced, and viola, modern art sculpture thingy that puts out low light for about $25. AND it's packable and cheap to replace.

While I was happy with the initial build, the light output wasn't enough and I'd wanted to use LED (Light Emitting Diode) rope. LED runs cooler, lights brighter, and is high tech cool anyway. Problem was, there was none to be found over the summer. Fast forward to September's move back to Orlando and what what do I spy at Target? LED rope in 9 foot sections, just in time for Christmas, AND timers. Perfect. Rope light out, LED on, timer set to come on in the evenings and strategically in the morning to wake me up, then shut off at sun up. Gadzooks it really worked! It even helped my chronic insomnia some.

During many trips to Walmart and Target I'd seen these pop-up canopies for camping, parties, etc. Some were pictured with rope light strung around the top for night use. The proverbial gears in my melon turned again. What if I mounted LED rope, on one of those canopy camp chairs and put the whole thing on a timer like the Yard O Ale lamp? This could work, and it did.

After some hunting I found a canopy chair (to match my oh SO chic, majority green camp gear in the bedroom) at Sports Authority. Green, spare pockets, TWO cup holders, and on sale. Oh, does somebody like me! Carefully wrapped and mounted the rope up the sides, then wrapped the extra around the bottom. Plugged in and set the timer, and it worked. I now had a micro-cabana/light in the bedroom to enjoy surfing the net. Happy happy joy joy!

Keep in mind both LED and traditional rope light both run cool, so you can use them near outdoor textiles without a fire risk. I recommend LED simply because it runs cooler than rope light and has better specs.

Hope you all enjoyed these fun little projects and try them for yourselves. Until next time.

A Fresh Start

2010-10-06T12:51:00.002-05:00

Well gang, the first couple weeks in Orlando were pretty rocky, but things seem to be settling down some. I start work this coming Friday (finally!) and can start working on and fixing all the things I've wanted to since the craziness of July 2009. This means money back in savings, paying down the credit card, student loans, etc.

I'm living in east Orlando near University of Central Florida in a new studio flat that's a little smaller than my old flat, but after living on couches and in a single room for the last year, it feels huge. Looking forward to decorating it Beach Condo style with a slice of Contemporary/Minimalism/Retro 70's. Speaking of minimalism, it's almost a necessity with this new place. Smaller scale and multifunction furniture are big considerations, as well as not having so much extra in storage and a lot of junk sitting out. Don't worry, I'm not going for the avant garde "big open room with a chair and a vase" routine, but something much less cluttered and easy to take care of. Yes there will be some warmth and color in there as well. White, blue, and green are the main palette. This is a sanctuary and a place of rest and calm after all.

Finding my way around is getting easier and there's a wealth of my fave stores about 10 minutes away. Work is within 15 minutes. Hey, the less time on the toll roads, the better. Save the parks, I don't have to leave this end of town. Oh, and there's a Blimpie/Godfather's Pizza/Dunkin Donuts in the Hess gas station down the street. Total win! :)

In the spare time, I'm still working out and working on Java. Recently found a ton of O'Reilly media books in the Apple App Store. For those that don't know, O'Reilly is good stuff for tech and programming references, and to be able to carry them on an iPod is awesome. This MAY be a good excuse to get an iPad once the important things are settled.

Park wise, it'll be a while before I can get annual passes to Universal and Disney, but they will happen. Those are pretty steep, but the eventual Florida resident discount will help.

The main thing I wish to do for now is RELAX and slow down. Too much of the past year has been constant worry, frustration and duress. It's going to take me some time to switch out of that mode since it's so automatic, but I'll throttle back and actually start to enjoy things. Believe me, the calmer seas are greatly needed and most welcome at this point in my life.

More adventures to come. :)

2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

2010-10-04T19:14:00.005-05:00

If there was one thing I REALLY wanted to do when I moved to Orlando, it was the annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival. After seeing other's pictures and reading their stories, this event really looked like some nice, layed back fun. Oh, and I like to eat too. ;)

During the Epcot birthday visit in January, I didn't get to see and do a few things that got picked up this time around. I had 5 minute walk on/waits for The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Imagination, and Captain EO.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends was a fun ride although quite loud in places. Since I can't remember what the original Living Seas ride cars looked like or any of that portion of the pavilion, the clam shells were a neat theme. Also well done on the scenes near the end that seamlessly meshed the animated characters with the aquarium. It looked very much like Nemo was in the tank with the real fish. This was the high point as I exited to the former Sea Base Alpha, which was painted blue and pretty barren. Not nearly the wealth of hands-on displays and the Jim diving suit and it's training stations were long gone. Seas still had the diver feeds the fish show, but it just didn't have the same oomph.

Imagination was ok...I guess...I've only seen pictures of the original incarnations of Journey to Imagination, but never rode any of them. This was my first ride and unless it's improved, likely my last. Sorry guys, but it really felt lacking without Dreamfinder.

Enjoyed the updated Captain EO with it's It's Tough to be a Bug treatment. We all cheered and applauded when Michael Jackson made his Iron Chef style entrance. While I'd seen it as a kid many years ago, I'd completely forgotten the storyline, so it' was like a whole new experience...with a bit of cheese too. Even so, seeing Angelica Houston turn out to be the Supreme Ruler was a great perk. I like her as an actress and still think she made an awesome Morticia Adams. Needless to say, seeing this comeback show was a treat.

Next up was the former Wonders of Life pavilion that's only open during Food and Wine Festival. It was cool and sad to set foot inside the building, and though there were lots of cooking demos and plenty of foodie kitchen stuff to buy, I REALLY wanted to ride Body Wars. You can still make out the hallway to it if you look carefully. Outside, the dome isn't ageing well and is discolored in places. It's also a little sad to see one of the festival signs in place of the quirky sign or genome helix that greeted guests. On the way out, I kept expecting to see Horizons instead of Mission Space and World of Motion instead of Test Track. Good pavilions both, but just not as cool as what I remember in Epcot Center's heyday.

All that said and done, I'd worked up an appetite. Time to eat around the world. Seriously. There had to be at least 15+ sampling stalls as you walked the World Showcase loop. And they all smelled heavenly. Singapore was my first stop on this Taste Journey (yes Todd Lee, I owe you a quarter) with a Shrimp Cake. Basically spicy big shrimp on a stick along with some cold noodles. Next was Germany for Sausage in Pretzel Bread. If you've ever had the German buffet, you know how good the Pretzel bread is. Now by this point, I was filling up fast, even with the small looking portions. They're bigger than you think and the prices per sampling average about $6 with a bottle of water. More with wine or beer. Yes, my brother and sister munchers, it adds up fast.

Thankfully walking, smelling, and gawking at the beautiful countries does burn calories. If that doesn't do it, the rockin' Scots of Off Kelter sure will. This was a rowdy fun show of kilt wearin' lads with guitars and bagpipes. I will never be the same after hearing the Mickey Mouse song played in an 80's rock style...with bagpipes. Ever. And I will go back and gladly see these talented folks again. On a side note, I failed my Irish and Scot heritage by not having a single beer or Bailey's during the night. Yes, I hang my head in shame.

Also discovered more than Hockey comes out of Canada. Choup (Cheddar Cheese Soup) is a popular must do among theme park and Disney fans, and it was available during the fest. I had to get a bowl. Verdict? It's a cheddared out clam chowder or potato soup concoction and most tasty. Glad I had it. Also wish there had been room for a Lobster Roll (America) and Ravioli (Italy). Was just too full and eating was getting pricey.

Lastly, being a pin collector, I picked up a 15th Food and Wine Festival anni pin for achievement. I love pins, and the ones that name a park, ride, or event are a great way to mark the occasion. This one had a chef Mickey using Space Ship Earth as a dome covering a cake slice. SSE even swings up to reveal the cake.

Over all, it was a good day out at Epcot, filled with both happy and sad memories of attractions gone by as well as great food. The relaxing festival was a joy and I'd highly recommend it to any Disney fan, foodie, etc. Oh, and next time, I'm having Bailey's in Ireland. ;)

Sporadic Internet The Next Couple Months

2010-09-20T14:41:00.003-05:00

Starting Wednesday, September 22, 2010, my internet will be sketchy at best for updates, emails, Facebook, etc. There will be delays in responses while I get settled into the new digs. Responses will be whenever I can get to a wi-fi point to check all these, so bear with me. Otherwise, I'll have txt posting to Twitter which also updates here and on my Facebook page.

For the latest, please check my Twitter Feed over there ------->

Thanks all for the patience. :)

501st Costuming: Decisions Decisions

2010-09-18T16:22:00.005-05:00

After spending most of the summer handling for the great folks of The 501st Legion during Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, it was only a question of time before I got the bug. No, not the after-DragonCon "Con Crud", but the desire to put together a Star Wars costume...and maybe a droid...oh, and a couple blasters...and a Force Pike...you get the idea.

If you thought it was tough as a kid to go to the toy section of some store and pic ONE figure as a prize, it's even harder and more expensive as an adult. I say that with love, because I still cringe the same way my father did at the site of an AT-AT toy's price tag. Even so, choosing a persona to really dedicate to and finance is a tough thing. And there are MANY options out in the universe that is Star Wars.

I started off doing the typical "I wanna do that, and that, and that, and that. Ooooo! And THAT TOO!" My original costume intent was (and is now my namesake on Alabama Garrison and Florida Garrison boards) an AT-AT Driver, also comically referred to as an Imperial Bobble Head (The helmet is HUUUUUGGGE! Heh, and I sound like the Orlando Fun Spot Guy here.) From there I remembered how much I liked Return of the Jedi Biker Scouts, so that was locked in as an alternate. Next up, by way of a need in Alabama Garrison, was Return of the Jedi Emperor Palpatine. The more I thought about it, the more I liked that face character, and his mannerisms and speaking tamber could be easily learned. It was also a simpler and less expensive costume. The downside was the potential several hours spirit-gumming latex face parts. I may be 35, but I'm not old, crusty, or Force Lightning jacked. Well, not yet.

Another set of factors in choosing a character were the cool props to build. If I did any kind of trooper, I wanted a BIG gun, like the Cloners. Some of those Clone Troopers just look awesome with their huge guns...but they aren't Empire...well, not yet. It turns out Biker Scouts can get away with using a sniper blaster rifle (still learning the name on that one). Another point in the win column for Biker.

On top of all this, (yes there's more because I like to learn stuff), I've been exploring R2/Astromech building. This is another very different arena with it's own potentially huge costs and wicked costume coolness. Were I to have time and funds, I'd build one of the droids you don't see as often, vs. the usual (and still very cool) R2-D2. Keep in mind, as the movies have progressed, R2 gets more neat gadgets to add on after you build the basic unit.

So here's the balancing act: Screen accurate character of some sort + screen accurate droid with cool gadgets + screen accurate props that can be used at different events. Now, how to get that all to work together, make it transportable, and keep the cost down. Obviously you work on things a little at a time. Rough numbers, Storm Trooper (aka TK) armor will run about $1000-1500 +. R2's can run $600-$10,000. In both cases, cost depends on what parts, materials, and suppliers you use. Ack!

Yep, trooping and/or droid building is an expensive hobby to jump into, so choosing wisely is important. Right now I'm at the early stages of this stuff, asking questions and gathering resources. I'm finding there are a lot of crafty, creative, and resourceful people out there who have much experience and they're willing to help out a lot. Whenever it's time to pick a character and jump in, the massive pools of sage wisdom and experience are most welcome. It's a great time to learn a lot, especially about the tech and imagination behind Star Wars.

Will keep you all posted as I learn more. Right now, it's down to Biker Scout (TB) with sniper blaster, or Emperor Palpatine with possible Astromech tinkering down the line. (A friendly beep and whistle to RT-KT and R2-D2, both of whom I worked with this summer.)

And Pops, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! ;)

Expedition Orlando 2: When Reality Hits

2010-09-18T01:37:00.003-05:00

With any move there is a sheer ton of things going on, not to mention minor chaos to boot. For the past couple weeks, I've been hacking through my to do list like a lone Sith through Clone Troopers. It wasn't until a quiet dinner at one of my fave Asian buffets, that I had a moment of Zen...and a chance to breathe.

I sat there in a tranquil, peaceful state, mind nowhere in particular, eating snow crab legs, when it started sinking in, I really am leaving Alabama next week to follow my big dream. Something I really wanted with my heart's desire, and it was actually happening, and soon. There was a serenity and warmth I'd not felt in a very long time. There was also awe and wonder. Oh, and the crab was delicious too.

Now, this might not sound like that big of a deal, but until you experience wanting something with every ounce of your being, then actually getting it, it's difficult to relate. This is a dream shot, a clean slate, and so many more indescribable things, particularly spiritual and next level. It's the beginning of realizing and living up to potential felt for so very long inside, but always held just out of reach. The gravity of each choice is immense. It's an exciting and scary time in some ways. It's also a welcome time to slow down and grow gracefully, not so much under duress, as has been the norm all these years. Yes, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, I'm feeling quite a lot.

I vowed to improve myself, to make better choices, and to exceed my potential, and finally put to rest some of the things that have weighed on me for many years. Now I have the tools, mindset, and battle experience to do so. This summer, particularly all the wonderful people I met, old and new, helped give me better tools, mindset, etc, through some unique opportunities. I'm very grateful to them for their time, encouragement, support, humor, teaching, wisdom, and guidance. I'll miss many of them very much and will keep up the bonds and good will forged during the summer.

To those, and many others, whose shoulders I've stood upon, my deepest thanks for helping me grow. You've given a great gift. Thank you. :)

Expedition Orlando: Take 2

2010-09-09T13:29:00.002-05:00

A funny thing happened while getting my oil changed...

While waiting on my car to get done and having a leisurely lunch, I checked the usual job posts on Career Builder. There were four urgent opens for a call center something-er-ruther in Orlando. So, I decided to throw a resume at them for the hell of it. Later that night, about 11 pm, I got an email response that would lead to a flurry of emails, online tests, etc over the next few days. The end result was an interview. Blink. Blink. Whaaaaa?!?!? Interview?!?!

Bring on the weekend scramble to set up a quick trip to Orlando for said interview (and impromptu Labor Day weekend stay). By Monday, and completing a round of last minute paperwork, I left for Orlando at 7:15 pm, arriving in Macon, GA, about 2 am. Finally got to Orlando Tuesday evening about 5 pm. First stop, Downtown Disney for decompression and to see the D Street Vinylmation store. :)

After a minor reschedule, my interview was Thursday morning, 9 am. Nailed it. Could not have gone better, and was very thankful. In short, good hours, good pay, good chances for advancement. Thursday afternoon was time for "Did that just happen?!" and chill...for about 10 seconds. Yep, the noisy, crazy Labor Day crowds arrived, slamming hotel doors and doing cartwheels in the hotel hallway. Oh, and I had to start over with the apartment hunt, sorting through tons of listings to get to a short list to drive to and see. Finally got to a short list Sunday after a ton of research. Meanwhile, Saturday night I celebrated the job with dinner at Hard Rock Cafe (most tasty grilled shrimp salad, btw) and clubbing at CityWalk. Groove was a good time. So good in fact, that I broke my hematite ring and my tiger eye ring. Oh well. Felt great to dance off a ton of stress with some fun people. And this time, I didn't get splashed with beer during a cat fight.

Exhausted, I piled back in the car Monday morning, only to get to Lake City before needing much sleep. Passed out all afternoon and most of the night. Was back on the road at 9:30 the next day and back in to Huntsville by 8 pm. Very long drive day which was prolonged by construction in several places. Thankfully, BK chicken fries are a good travel meal, and McDonald's, Ruby Tuesday, and some other place I can't remember had free wi-fi for checking email, etc.

As Ron Harris, my former high school drama teacher said often, "Saying all that to say this." The craziness is far from over. Delighted to be working again, but budget will be tight while I rebuild finances, my career, and start over. Very very glad to be in a town that has called to me for many years, but it's going to be a long, slow climb back into stability after the previous year. Despite all the play options and parks, this is a time to work, grow, and forge. I'm 35 and long for peace and stability. I've had some wonderful adventures over the past year, but I'm so ready for my own place again along with the quiet dignity of being able to take care of my day to day responsibilities. Relief is really the best description here.

The next several weeks will be busy during the move and settling in to job and apartment. Will keep you all posted. Keep good thoughts. :)

Stepping Away...for Now

2010-08-19T12:38:00.002-05:00

Dear All,
I'd really hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but due to being out of work over a year, I have to attend to the rags and tatters that are my personal life and career. As you've probably noticed, my adventures, save recent weekends at CrisisCon and the 501st, have ground to a halt. Yep, there's only so much you can do on little or no budget. Translation: what is supposed to be an entertainment blog about one man's journey through life, is languishing.

Barring a miracle, it'll be pretty quiet around here while I continue putting my life back together and trying once again to find life, work, and ultimately peace, in Orlando, Florida.

Until then, a deep thank you to all those who have supported me, encouraged me, and opened up some wonderful opportunities. I really have had fun meeting and talking with so many good folks and writing about the subjects dear to my heart. Hopefully, in time, I can do that again. Regardless, thank you for the warmth and kindness you all have shown to me.

Here's hoping for better tomorrows for all of us and good vibes and juju to everyone.

Best, Michael - TheRapidsNerd

iPod App Roundup

2010-08-18T08:21:00.004-05:00

Tinkering and surfing as always, I find curiousities a plenty. Here are a few notable iPod/iPhone apps that stood out and are worth a look:

Flickr's app is a very simple, clean, and solid access to your Flickr photo account. Considering I had to modify the blog recently to use Flickr, being able to check my account along with eventually being able to post pics from an iPhone is a good thing.
Regions Bank has an app to access your bank accounts on the go. This one is also clean, simple, and solid and once it's set up, it picks right up on account particulars. Just being able to check my balance quickly is a big help.
Both this years Comic-Con and Star Wars Celebration V apps did well for making those of us who couldn't make either event, feel more connected. Sure, you could go to the websites and get all the same panel, picture, etc. info, but the mobile editions were nice to have. They also gave me a good idea of what I'd check out on future visits. (Note: Just like before this year's Comic-Con, the app is back in countdown mode for the 2011 event. Just a heads up if you want to download it.) The CV app has a ton of articles and still has the event schedules available for the curious.
Star Wars: Battle for Hoth is a realtime strategy game where you play as the Rebel Alliance, staving off Imperial attacks. While a very slight bummer that you can't play the Imperials, the game is very intuitive and really fun if you like RTS play or tower defense type games. As you level, you gain greater access to heavy gunners, turrets, Snow Speeders, and X-Wings. Make sure the generators powering these things are well defended or the AT-STs (Scout Walkers, ala Return of the Jedi) will take your defenses down fast.

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of randomness!

2010 CrisisCon

2010-08-10T11:56:00.009-05:00

This past weekend I "worked" at CrisisCon in Huntsville, Alabama. Crisis 2008 was my very first con ever and it was where I met and talked with some of the 501st Legion for the first time as well. Two years later, back again and this time supporting the great charity work done by the legion. Yep, I was a booth dude and a schmoozer...and loved every minute of it! Here's a recap:

The 501st booth had a reproduced IG-88 assassin droid head head and 100+ year old Tuskan Raider Gaffi Stick on display. How can that be, considering Star Wars was released in the 70's? The Gaffi is modeled after a fighting stick from either Africa or South America, and the wood used on this particular one is 100+ years old and wonderfully carved. Very cool (and VERY careful) to hold this item. There was also a mini face cast of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the Ep. 5.
Got to shoot candids and documentary pics of the 501st armor panel. Yep, I love shooting promo stuff! (Pics are owned by Fetthunter and taken with his camera during the event.) http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u99/Fetthunter/CrisisCon%202010/
Hung out and talked the HamaCon coordinators. You can see my article on that 1st year con here if you so desire. They're putting on a minicon November 13. More info here: http://www.hama-con.com/. Glad to see you all again! :)
Got more interested in Happy Hardcore and J-Pop music after watching some truly wacked-out, screwed up, and just plain weird Anime music videos. I need more Pocky...Oh, and hide your wife, hide your kids...;)
BittersweetBoo had some cool recycled bottle cap art with a range of pop culture subjects. Necklaces, braclets, and button were available and very creative. Thought these were pretty cool, so check them out out http://www.bittersweetboo.etsy.com/
Pukey-Chan's Studio was another vender I enjoyed talking with. Some cool custom art that catered mostly to the Lolita set, but with some punk and anime roots. Nice folks both, and the guy looked like a young Sid Vicious! Check them out at Pukey-Chan.deviantart.com.
Saturday night, I was starved after a long day. Met a few friends at Bridge Street and experienced the awesome hospitality (especially so late at night) of Tommy's Pizza. Man that was a good and flavorful pie! Even met Tommy! Go see him. http://www.tommysnypizza.com/. Big thanks Tommy and crew!
Had my first Random Battle (Pokemon style?) on Sunday. I used the gentle power of a stuffed happy daisy and armpit con funk to crush my first opponant. Opponant 2 put me in a hurt locker fast with machine gun fire and a sub-orbital nuke strike. Ouch! (At this point you're probably scratching your head thinking "huh?!" Game is played with two people and a ref of sorts flipping a quarter. You call the side. If you call heads and heads lands, you attack and score points. Whoever get's to 15-20 first wins. If the opposite side lands, your opponant attacks. Basically heads or tails with comedic acting, and it's a good time if you have a sense of humor like me.)
Hit the Rave on Saturday night and enjoyed some good trance, techno, and hardcore. Taught a Gothic Lolita gal some basic Liquid and hammed it up dancing with an LED lantern. Oh yes, there WILL be glow sticks for future events and more Salacious Crumb cackles. :) Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2sE9XMUhTM. (Thanks Josh with 501st for this vid.)
Costume-wise, saw some well detailed Halo ODST troopers, Steampunk Pyramid Head from Silent Hill, 2 or 3 Gothic Lolitas, and a couple State Alchemists from the Full Metal Achemist series. Had met Colonal Mustang at HamaCon earlier this year and he was back again with the librarian this time. And, of course the always high quality and very detailed 501st had Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, a custom Mandelorian, a Rebel Pilot, and those wacky dancing Tuskan Raiders (http://www.youtube.com/user/jcr0308#p/a/u/1/h-wAjSPvl0A).

All toll, a very good time! Special thanks to Leslie, Randy, and the rest of CrisisCon for the quality hospitality and support. Thanks to Rachel for teaching me about the Gothic Lolita style and trend (I didn't have a clue.) Thanks to Jamey and the rest of the 501st Alabama Garrison (and beyond) for putting up with my subtle and low-key personality all weekend. Always a pleasure and see you all again soon!

Technology: Where We're Headed and Where We've Been

2010-07-28T12:08:00.004-05:00

I was listening to a Java podcast this morning while pulling weeds and got to thinking about how much day to day technology has evolved in the last couple decades.

It seems smartphone apps are the new CD-ROMS. Yes CD (not DVD or Blu-Ray). Remember those? You weren't anyone in the tech world if you didn't have a CD-ROM, whether it had clickable buttons and transitions or not. Yes, handing out stacks of platters for training or convention swag was the way. If it included wallpapers, or movies clips to keep, all the better. I still remember Billy Idol's Cyberpunk Album that did things like this on a 3.5 floppy disk. Pretty radical stuff for the time.

Now we have Apps, which essentially do the same thing and act in some instances as a hybrid website. Granted, you can get most of the same function from a simple bookmark to a website, but just like on a home PC, smartphones now have their own shortcuts of sorts.

Now don't get me wrong, there are stand-alone applications that have nothing to do with website mirroring or pointing, but, just as I have had to make this distinction, so much is the line blurred between the two. Translation: An App can be an app or a shortcut, depending on it's intent. Curious, no?

Speaking of blurring lines, the TV/PC convergence is gathering steam, particularly with ever-evolving chips and software for the menus. Java tech can and will be showing up more in this arena in the next few years, essentially turning the old 42-inch flat panel into a hybrid computer, especially with the current set top boxes whirring away beside it. Throw in touch screens, which are getting better via the smartphone market, and OLED displays and whatever 3D advances, and we'll all have something like Tony Stark's computer to geek out over. I can already see the glass cleaner market grinning over wipe sales, can't you?

Naturally, with any tech boom, there's a shake out time for what's truly useful and what's gimmicky at best. With all these advances happening, along with being mindful and careful of current limited resources, I think we'll see more efficient use of not only power, but materials and coding. Less bloated code means less compute time, means less energy used, means less horsepower needed, etc. Kind of alleviating the "drive a thumb tack with a sledge hammer" mentality. Ideally, simplified interfaces, devoid of multi-step profiles is just one of many answers. If you can do something in a couple steps, why spend extra energy and time to do the same thing in 6? Sound familiar? It should. This is how things were done and done smartly in the "old school" days. I see a trend returning to this, but, as with anything else, presented with a new buzz word and treated as a totally radical new concept. Kind of an Environmental Awareness getting re branded as Going Green thing. ;)

Just some observations from a tech enthusiast and admitted nerd. :)

Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News

2010-07-23T13:11:00.006-05:00

It's not quite dead folks! That's right, BB&NN is back with...well...more random stuff I found interesting...........well off we go then.

Comic Con is going on this week, and a new Haunted Mansion movie is in the works with Guillermo Del Toro. I'm excited to see this because he did a great job with visuals and creature effects in Hellboy 2. Yes, spot already reserved next to Tron Legacy in the video collection.
Jane Wiedlin and Bill Morrison are on hand at Comic Con this weekend to promote their new Lady Robotika comic. There will also be a big debut party in LA this coming Monday to continue the cyber-gras festivities, so if you're in the area, like comics, think Jane is awesome, or all of the above, go check it out. Good vibes and juju to Jane and company from TheRapidsBlog. :)
Seems the notorious Westboro Baptist Church is getting more press than they wanted after announcing a protest at Comic Con. Three WBC protesters were outgunned, out signed, and outwitted by a couple hundred of my brother and sister nerds and geeks. While this is a GOLDEN opportunity to quote Bible verses and make all kinds of VERY TEMPTING remarks, I'll quote the great Lewis Skolnick instead. "I have a message for the beautiful people. There are a lot more of us than there are of you..."
Been trying out a few more apps on the iPod Touch lately. Comic Con, G4, and Free People were all interesting, had good content, and good ease of use. Nice work folks!
Got yet another phishing spam email trying to get my WoW account info. Yep, it was the usual "we're going to shut you down for cheating unless you click our link, etc...". Obviously, the good folks at Blizzard didn't send this, because, if there was a real problem, they'd contact you another way, they don't use links, and they can spell. To my brother and sister WoW players, heads up and be ready.
Speaking of World of Warcraft, I'm enjoying time on the Horde side and being a part of a guild. Never done this before and the folks running it have been uber nice offering to help me level. We've also shared a few laughs in random chat. Since WoW is my first MMO, this is a new adventure within yet another adventure for me.
Both the upcoming Lego Universe and Star Wars Old Republic MMOs look really good. Even MagiQuest's online version of it's RL wand adventure game looks like fun. Man! Just not enough time for all these.
Second Life time has been sparse at best the last few months. Just not much time with all the other things in my life going on.
Enjoying the volunteer handler time with The 501st Alabama Garrison. It's really helped sharpen my people and pr skills along with getting me plenty of exercise. Dodging kiddies, staying out of shots, and snapping pics takes ninja reflexes. Since I don't have those, I just do the best I can and try to show people a good time. ;)
Getting into costuming a bit more with some varied leather working and jewelry making. Have seen lots of neat things to try online and have even made a scrap leather belt, headband and gloves for a couple upcoming projects. Much like cooking, there's a satisfaction in the independence. You see something or get an idea, and you make it. It's great! Also really puts me in the mood for a good ren faire. :)
Job hunt continues, namely throwing yet more applications and resumes into a black hole. Been getting plenty of pyramid schemes and ads to go back to school for training. Been there, done that, have the student loan bills to prove it. This is why I do so much on the blog and volunteer. I'm improving my general business skills, building a better rep, and can point to all of it if asked "what have you done in the year you've been unemployed?" It has to amount to something and somebody has to look at this somewhere and say "Look what this guy can do? We NEED to hire him before somebody else gets him. Sure, we'll have to make him switch to decaf and maybe consider him for a game show host or something, but let's get ahold of this guy." At almost a year, I hold out hope for this kind of miracle so that I too can live out my dreams. Honestly, I don't need very much in this world, but I do want to be able to live comfortably, take care of the day to day things, and look after my family. Rich doesn't matter. Self-sufficiency and not struggling does. All I need is the opportunity folks.
When October rolls around, it's cell phone upgrade time. Since Blackberry Curve is on it's last digits, I'm thinking iPhone 4. Since I've been on the Apple system for years, this is a natural step. While there are better deals and phones out there, my years of built-up content are a major factor in this. Really, had I the resources, it would be an iPhone 4 in white today.
With all the BPA hullabaloo, I've been switching over to metals for my camp eating gear. So far it's Klean Kanteens, Snow Peak Titanium Sporks, and my Disney Vacation Club "toothpick holders". Thinking a Snow Peak Titanium mug or two and possibly a cook set in future.

Well, that's it from my world. Ever thinking. Ever evolving. Ever growing. That's my adventurous life. Until next time. :)

Top O' The River

2010-07-07T10:50:00.016-05:00

Lately, I've been REALLY craving catfish. It's hazy whether or not I've ever eaten it in 35 years on the planet, but I wanted some just the same. Dad, in his wisdom, suggested Top O' The River at Lake Guntersville. It was indeed a good suggestion, especially on a less busy Tuesday night.

Top O' The River is just simple, good, country and seafood cooking...and we'll start with the cornbread. I'm not a cornbread guy. Corny? Yes. Corn bread? No. Even so, the butter and jalapenos made it tasty...and made me a convert. Washed down with sweet tea, and we're already on an upswing. Less than 5 minutes after ordering, the folks got their combos and I got The River Boat Special of fried catfish and extras. The modified Tartar sauce really blended well with the breading and taste of the fish. Breading was subtle and tasty, without being over-powering. Also tried a curious mix of pineapple and horse radish suggested by our server Aaron. As wacky as it sounds, the two flavors really do work in an unexpected way. Fruity with a twinge is the only way to describe it. You just have to try that mix and judge for yourself.

Atmosphere feels like fishing cabin meets family cookout. Simple and layed back. We sat in some high back varnished wood booths that were surprisingly comfortable. You're given tin plates for cornbread, cold slaw, and pickled onions to start. The meal comes out on ordinary white oblong plates that fit the theme very well. Yep, baked potatoes come in tin foil too. During dinner we were treated to a pretty view of Lake Guntersville reflecting the evening sun. Was cool to see people pull up to the boat dock and come in off the lake for dinner too.

Service was excellent. Aaron took good care of us...and he gets bonus cool points for looking like a red-haired Shaggy from Scooby Doo. He was a good balance of attentive without hovering or being pushy. Aaron, you'll remember, made the suggestion about the pineapple dipping sauce for the catfish. Did I mention only 5 minute wait on our dinner order? He was also genuinely happy and smiling. In short, good attitude, especially when being a server can be a very tough job some days. We also were able to completely finish the meal before even the mention or bringing of the check. It really was nice not to be rushed, and it reminded me of how restaurants used to be. Needless to say, he got a good tip and our gratitude for a job well done.

Was my catfish craving satisfied? With gusto. And to Mr. Phil Woodall, you were correct sir. ;)

Hungry yet? You can catch even more country goodness here - http://www.topotheriverrestaurant.com/

As you can see, Top O' The River does several things right, from food quality, to theme, to service. Thank you to those folks for a really good meal! We'll be back.

Book Signing at Davis Kidd, Memphis, Tennessee

2010-07-06T14:17:00.008-05:00

Several Imagicopter, SamsDotPublishing and Kerlak Publishing authors will be on hand July 5-9 to sign their latest literary creations at the famous Memphis bookstore this week. These include:

H David Blalock (Ascendant, Dragons Composed)
Herika R. Raymer (Dragons Composed, WTF Mystery, Trouble with Trulks)
M. R. Williamson (Pragmore, Krypendorf)
Windsong Levitch (Lighter Side of Dark, Dragons Composed)
And many more!

For those that don't know, Davis Kidd was where the rising star author Kimberly Richardson had her first and very successful book signing. It's definitely worth your time, whether you like books or not, to come and out support these good folks.

Want more? Be sure to check out the following for more information, books, and inspired creativity!

* Imagicopter - http://sites.google.com/site/imagicopter/

* SamsDotPublishing - http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/

* Kerlak Publishing - http://www.kerlakpublishing.com/index.html

Good wishes and tidings for a successful event from TheRapidsBlog! :)

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination

2010-06-27T20:17:00.023-05:00

This past weekend I had yet another incredible adventure. I walked among aliens, royalty, and robots and lived in a world that, until recently, had only been of pure imagination. That world was Star Wars, and my gateways were the 501st Legion Alabama Garrison and the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. To be among these cultural icons was truly awe inspiring.

My interstellar journey began a few weeks ago with Free Comic Day with the 501st and Dixie Derby Girls where I saw the 501st Legion for the first time. Recently, I joined as a handler, because I loved the charity work they do through their appearances and the sheer joy they bring to a crowd. I'm also one hell of a big Nerd and Star Wars fan. Big shock right?

Well, this past weekend the 501st Legion was on hand to open Star Wars:WSMI, a project they've been involved with for well over a year. Troopers from all over the US (and beyond) transported to Huntsville, Alabama to appear with their brother and sister Jedi's, Wookies, Storm Troopers, Sith Lords, and bounty hunters. They, like the throngs of visitors they entertained, also got a chance to see the various props and displays from the wildly popular Star Wars films.

So what did I really do during all of this? As a handler, it was my job to help folks like the Storm Troopers, etc. navigate places, get them food and water, and make sure they had what they needed to keep doing the great job they did. I also helped encourage guests and visitors to take pictures with characters and just smiled and joked with them. Gotta tell you, it's a trick to help, yet stay out of camera shots and not draw focus from those you're supporting. Yes friends, background support work is tough, but a lot of fun. And, I had some really fun comical people to support during this time. Many of us got along famously and will remain in touch for a very long time.

Now for the exhibit. I enjoyed the Millenium Falcon Theatre, which is about a 15 minute simulator ride for 4 in a reconstructed cockpit of the famous ship. Narrated by Anthony Daniels, the movie discusses some space exploration history with fun visuals. Was great to see this at 7 on Friday when the crowds were gone. Had the whole ship to myself, so I settled into the Solo seat and let the navi-computer take over. :)

Next up was the main exhibit. All guests have to sit through about a 10 minute pre-show of do's and don'ts from a Star Wars holographic style, Space Camp flight-suiter. Upon conclusion, guests are let into the main exhibit area to oooh, ahh, and drool over scale models, costumes, and more. Being a droid fan, seeing Destroyer Droids, FX-7, and an Episode 1 Battle Droid made my day. Curiously, the Episode 4 Land Speeder was much smaller than I thought it would be. Oh, and they had an AT-AT model too. JOY!

Scattered among the above were various interactive exhibits showcasing modern medical bionics, and current robotic sensing, as well as artificial intelligence. Folks, we really are only a few short steps away from 3Po and R2, and that's an exciting prospect. You could also build your own robot, kind of like the Lego Mindstorm Kits, or create a city kind of like the Sim City series of PC games.

In talking with one of the Space Center cast members, I learned that while setting up the exhibit, each artifact was handled with one set of gloves. Those gloves could not touch any other artifact. If this happened, the gloves were jettisoned, and new gloves were used. Fascinating and understandable, considering many of these pieces are priceless parts of cinematic history.

Once you've throughly geeked out over all the Star Wars goodness, you are, just like in most theme parks, directed out through the gift shop. Remember Yogurt's Cave in Spaceballs? It's about like that. EVERYTHING Star Wars. T-shirts, lunch boxes, but sadly, no flame throwers. Pity. Even so, you could buy USB Storm Trooper flash drives, or a USB LED lightsaber lamp for your computer. The collectable pens with the rubber fuzzy tops were very popular, particularly R2-D2 and Slave Lea. What made the swag time even better was shopping with Count Dooku. The weekend was filled with surreal moments like this and I absolutely loved it!

Of course, with so many fans, creatives, etc, comedy can, will, and did ensue. Chewbacca choked out a few Biker Scouts. Imperial Officers snuck up on Rebel Pilots. Tuskan Raiders danced behind picture-taking dads. And many fans got the photo bunny ears thanks to wry Clone Troopers carrying HUGE guns. I jumped a couple times because I'd turn around and there would be a couple Storm Troopers right behind me. Believe it or not, it can be unnerving and it's a good bet they planned it. There were also the lucky souls who got to take pictures with the various Princess Leas. Fans blushed and grinned with a certain glee. Yep, you know the one. It was hilarious to hear wives and girlfriends cutting off their other half's request to take a picture with Slave Lea. A couple times I broke off in mid sentence out of laughter, hearing the exchange as they passed by. It got even more amusing when your morning routine included saying hello to R2-D2 about as naturally as having a cup of coffee. Same for a meaningful conversation with R2-KT while younglings looked on, slack-jawed.

Suffice to say, there were smiles all around. Friendships were forged, visitors were entertained, and all involved were not only a part of history, but they were treated to a truly exceptional time and space. Yes, there really was that much good during the weekend.

You too can step into history and imagination with these stellar folks:

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center - http://www.spacecamp.com/museum/
The 501st Alabama Garrison - http://empirestrikesbama.com/main/
The 501st Legion - http://www.501st.com/

This truly was a remarkable event in my life and it was an honor to be part of it and The 501st Alabama Garrison. Thanks to so many for a just plain "holy crap! hold on to your blast doors!" good time. :)

Happy 2nd Anni!

2010-06-23T01:42:00.009-05:00

TheRapidsBlog turns two today and what a crazy couple years it's been! What started out as a blog strictly about theme park rapids rides, has blossomed into travel, restaurant reviews, and nerdly beyond. This time also marks two years of web master, journalism, and photography experience in what seems to be a curious secondary career. And it keeps getting better!

To celebrate, I picked out a special video for the next in the summer RCT3 Sim series. The Arrow Pipeline Coaster Prototype was modeled after Arrow Dynamics' (now S&S Arrow) test stand at it's facilities in Clearfield, Utah. If memory serves, only one or two pipeline coasters ever existed, one of those being an indoor ride. I saw pictures or video some years back and want to say the pipeline coaster (of similar design but not Arrow) was at a hotel, possibly in Saudi Arabia, and was tire driven. I'm sketchy on housing and the coaster's location, so if anyone can confirm details or offer insight, by all means.

This model is special because it gives people a chance to ride not just a unique coaster, but the original test stand. The Pipeline Coaster is a rare part of roller coaster history AND the history of a company who was a driving force in the amusement park world during the 1980's and 90's. Enjoy!

Sneak Peak at New Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination Exhibit

2010-06-22T17:48:00.004-05:00

Cool video of the much anticipated Star Wars summer exhibit and the U.S Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, by way of AL.com. The exhibit opens this week and is expected to draw thousands of tourists and fans to the area during it's run. (Thanks to Jamey Ethridge of the 501st Alabama Garrison for the heads up.)

http://blog.al.com/nightlife/2010/06/star_wars_at_space_and_rocket.html

They had me at the Battle Droid, Darth Maul's Light Saber, FX-7 Medical Droid, and the Droideka. ;)

TheRapidsBlog Mentioned Around The Net

2010-06-21T11:58:00.006-05:00

Seems my writings are making the rounds, with several links popping up in different places.

During a random Google search on this blog, I found a reference in a furry fandom site in Samoa. Apparently, news stories are submitted by international users and then voted upon. Those with the most votes then make the front page. Thought this was pretty cool and wanted to share here. Thanks to those who submitted and voted. I really appreciate it. You can see the article link page here: http://furryne.ws/index.php?category=Conventions.

Further searching also found this mention on flayrah.com:
http://www.flayrah.com/aggregator/sources/11

And Yiffi.mobi:
http://yiffy.mobi/news_3.php

There was also this reference to my brief CoCo Key waterpark resort mention: http://www.toorlandoflorida.com/therapidsblog-theme-parks-and-entertainment-coco-key-indoor.html

Hey, this really great to see and it makes me smile! :)

New Comic: Lady Robotika Coming Soon

2010-06-19T14:27:00.002-05:00

Hey gang! I know there are more than a few comic fans and music fans out there who'd be interested in Jane Wiedlin's new comic, Lady Robotika. That's right the very same Jane Wiedlin of the 80's band The Go Go's and a sister sci-fi fan.

In the new comic, Jane is abducted by aliens, goes all heavy metal, and leads a slave rebellion among other things. And that's just the first issue! Sounds pretty promising, right? Well, the publisher is threatening to pull the plug on Jane's cyber implants before it even goes to press. Unless they get a bunch of orders before hand, the world may never see the true bionic heroic story-telling potential. Exactly. Boooooo!

Since this has been a three year labor of love for Ms. Wiedlin and company, and it seems like it would be a really fun read, check it out at http://www.ladyrobotika.com/blog/2010/06/19/now-its-even-easier-to-order-lady-robotika/.

There's 5 days left on the deadline as of this post date, so if you intend to order, do it soon. Hey, us con fans have to stick together and Jane is definitely on our own here. Keep good thoughts and hope this potentially cool series gets off the ground.

Keeping Good Thoughts

2010-06-15T21:32:00.002-05:00

Wanted to send out Good Luck and early Get Well wishes to Jane Wiedlin of the Go Go's who has knee surgery tomorrow, June 16th. This is also the start of a long recovery road for her. Speedy recovery to you, Jane, and thanks for all your kindness of late. Much appreciated! Hang in there.

Also wanted to pass along my heartfelt sympathies and support to Holiday World theme park after the death of Will Koch this past weekend. Since Paul Werne was one of my first friends on Facebook and the folks at Holiday World are just all around good souls, this was a must. My heart goes out to you all during this very difficult time. Hang in there.

State of the Blog

2010-06-15T11:48:00.004-05:00

Hey all! I know things have been a bit dull, not to mention few and far between. Since funds are limited (still hunting work after almost a year unemployed), so are the tourist trips. You can imagine how much the recent cons (RCFM and HAMA) were such a breath of fresh air. Even so, I'm gonna try to work in a restaurant review or two and hopefully a park trip of some kind. Expect to hear a bit more about my World of Warcraft adventures as well as some new stuff being lined up for the summer and possibly beyond.

What's really happening in my life is a gradual focusing of priorities and refinements. Hopefully this results in better and more efficient ways of doing things vs. the hap-hazard ways of the past. Let's face it, even with the economy on a supposed rebound, we still have to make every choice count and use what resources we do have to the utmost efficiency. Tough lessons to learn when you're used to more leeway.

I can say this, despite the lack of work, this really is a lucky year of the Tiger in Chinese Zodiac. Amazingly, I keep getting financial boosts or extra help at just the right time to fulfill my needs. Grateful? You bet!

It's been an up and down time lately. It's also been a curious time of transition with even more curious spiritual signals to brighter futures. If what I've read is correct, some VERY good and happy things are in store for my life.

Keep good thoughts and hang in there with me. Thanks!

2010 HAMACON

2010-06-06T19:25:00.009-05:00

Had a chance to check out another Con this past weekend, namely, the brand new HAMACON. Much like CrisisCon in 2008, this one's a start-up, but geared to all things Anime and Japan.

Ok, my first brushes with Anime included the 80's Transformers show, some weird thing about Steaming Hot Rice, and Hamtaro. (If you listen carefully, you'll hear thousands of faceplams going off 'round the net over that last statement.) In the last few years I was introduced to Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha, and Ghost in the Shell. (Now you'll hear a "ok, we'll forgive him" murmur.) Translation: I had a respectable reference frame going in, but an expert, I'm clearly not. Thankfully, both the pleasant staff and kind con-goers were my teachers.

Anime runs the topic gamut. If you can imagine it, there's a series about it and plenty of merch to go along with it. No surprise, con costumes ran the gamut. I saw more pigtails in practically every rainbow color than I have ever seen anywhere. The reason? Said hair-dos were often just a small part of the VERY detailed costumes meant to mimic particular characters. Things like cell phones, platform shoes, etc, were very carefully selected props. Many costumes were hand sewn. Yes, there were several maid and school girl outfits pertaining to particular shows. Those that didn't have a set costume, often went with Neko ears and tails or similar to join in the fun. Saw some very cool kimonos and geta as well as video game characters like the Kingdom Hearts person pictured above. (Do I get Anime points for knowing that? Maybe?)

Now, with all this running around, and Anime being a mainly younger crowd, safety and security is a must. I was glad to see several visible adults keeping eyes and ears open. During a conversation with staff, I was informed that there was at least one low profile security person keeping tabs on potential creepy people. You know what I mean here. In short, this was a thought-out and safe place to enjoy.

While my time was limited, the Okinawa Festival Drums and N. Alabama Seibukan Karate School demos were enjoyable. There was a Maid & Butler Cafe themed meal with gourmet snacks and drinks. (Wish I could've gotten to that one.) Naturally there were a ton costuming panels, discussing everything from cell phone bling to body types, to Cosplay makeup, to Steampunk, to plushie sewing. Anime screening rooms were also set up for folks who wanted a break . Same for gaming rooms.

The Dealer's Room and Artist Alley were each respectable. If you wanted custom made buttons, sketches, Pocky (and who doesn't love that HIGHLY addicting stuff?) or collectibles, there was a decent amount of all.

For first year con, this was a good showing, considering the enthusiastic crowd and wide variety of offerings. The admission discount if you showed your Rocket City FurMeet badge from the previous week's Con was a nice extra.

Like Japan? Anime? Both? Then head on over to http://hama-con.com/ for more info.

Thanks to HAMACON and staff for the warm hospitality and my second press credit. All greatly appreciated. :)

Welcome Amusement Authority

2010-06-02T11:35:00.005-05:00

Here's a new theme park blog that's worth a look, particularly if you enjoy fun facts, CAD, and a different take on topics we all enjoy.

http://amusementauthority.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the party! :)

World of Warcraft Review: Celestial Steed Mount

2010-06-01T03:22:00.008-05:00

Since my tax money finally came in this week, I decided to get a little virtual treat for my World of Warcraft account, namely, the new Celestial Steed mount. Yes the same one that costs twenty five very real dollars and made headlines throughout the blogsphere.

Before we go further, the non-WoW fans might be a bit lost, so bear with me as I try to make this a relateable and enjoyable read for all. :)

World of Warcraft, as most have heard by now, is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMO for short) that will delightfully suck your spare time away. In said black hole of fantasy awesome, players have rideable creatures called mounts to get them from place to place much faster than hoofing it. Depending on your experience level, some mounts are faster than others or they're special rewards for real world promos or quests in WoW.

Blizzard, the company behind WoW, offers several paid digital services along with extras that can be bought in the game, much like the micro payment systems of Second Life or Xbox Live. You spend real cash for a digital somethingeruther for your character/avatar (Celestial Steed in this case).

The Celestial Steed is a glowing Pegasus constellation (horse model variant) your WoW character can ride, but with a few twists. This mount speeds up and flies at higher levels. Up to now, you'd have to switch mounts as you progressed or went to flying areas. Now, you have a simpler option. Also, when you buy the steed, you pay once per Warcraft account. So, if you have, say four characters on one account (like me) everybody gets the mount verses paying $25 per character. In short it works like the special edition pets that WoW puts out now and then. Every character on the same account gets one.

One of my characters is a particular race called Draenei (Dran Eye), or as I like to call them, Romanian Space Demons. They basically look like rockin' purple Satrs with awesome accents. There's only one problem. I just don't care for Draenei native mounts, aka Elekks. Elekks are really just modified Real Life elephants, and they're bulky. Considering Night Elves ride the equivalent to sabre tooth tigers, old Romanian Space Jumbo just isn't for me. Sorry pal, but no peanut love for you. Back to the space circus.

Since I've been counting down the points until I get exalted status with ANY other race, and dying for ANY other kind of mount, this was a good opportunity to check out the Celestial Steed. Was it worth it? As a dedicated (or is that committed?) WoW player and fan, yes, the capabilities you get out of the model in the game were worth the price tag. It was a welcome change for my Alliance Priest, and it added a nice equestrian alternative for my Horde Warlock. The latter, incidentally, already stables a skeletal horse and a flaming horse ala Carter Slade in Ghost Rider.

All things considered, Blizzard did a good job with the model and gave a good value for the money. Bottom line, I will enjoy my Celestial Steed for a long time.

2010 Rocket City FurMeet

2010-05-29T23:35:00.011-05:00

Well gang, I had a couple firsts recently. I got my first official press/media credentials ...and I got them at my first Furry fandom convention, The Rocket City FurMeet. Couldn't have happened at a nicer place! Seriously.

RCFM was my fourth con since getting into the scene in 2008 with Crisis Con (then in it's first year). From then to now, I've met and gotten familiar with the Steampunks, Brown Coats (Firefly), Gothic Lolita set, Anime fans, and the 501st Star Wars folks. Even met a Neko or two. One group I still had no clue about was Furries, even after hanging out with a few on Second Life. Rocket City FurMeet was the perfect place to go learn about this enthusiast group. In short, I was pleasently surprised.

First off, since this was my first press credit, Alexander Katz, head of security, was kind enough to give me a guided tour and offer some insight into Furry fandom. Not only did I get to meet the polite and pleasant security, but I was introduced to several of the artists and vendors in the Dealer's Den. Had a great time talking with folks on everything from digitrade (back-swept Satyr type legs) to the new Worgen player models soon to be in World of Warcraft. (oh you bet there were some WoW players in the house.) Even met a fellow who was a former Battle Bots roboteer, and had battled Grant Imahara (of Mythbusters). Not only did he have some great stories to tell about one of my all-time favorite shows, but SOLion had some absolutely wicked high tech adapted into his fur suits for sale. Enhanced hearing, night vision, and a facial expression tracking systems that worked similarly to the robot arms on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. He also designed an air cooling rig that worked on the same ideal as a cool suit for a NASA space suit. Turns out, there are soldiers in Afghanistan using a modified version of his design. This tech was originally designed to keep a fur suiter from over-heating.

Speaking of which, any costumer, be they Ren Faire to Anime, needs a place to sit down and cool off other than a hotel room. The next stop on the tour was "The Headless Room" for con goers. This along with a well stocked con suite were nice touches. The latter was set up make sure people were decently hydrated and fed, because, as we all know, it's easy to forget to eat. Ah, but RCFM took things a step further by having a free pizza night. As many slices as you want, in addition to the great selection of free snacks and drinks. Thought this was a welcome plus on several levels.

Next stop was an auction to raise money for a local animal rescue charity. Yes! These folks do charity work! Various bits of art among other things were auctioned. Alexander also clued me in on a fun tradition called "The Wheel of Blame" as well as taking a random guest and making them a surprise Guest of Honor of sorts. Guests of Honor get a few extra perks to enjoy during their time at the con. Thought this was a great idea and a really fun touch.

After the auction, my guide had to make the rounds, so it was time to wander. Now, at this point I'm sure you're wondering what it was really like to walk around amongst the Furries. Ever been to a theme park and took a picture with a mascot? Same thing. Pleasant, friendly, comical, and respectful. Sorry folks, no seething perverse orgies of public lust here. For the record, I was treated well and never once groped or propositioned inappropriately (I didn't expect to be in the first place). While there was a small quantity of adult artwork, it was quite clear that things were in place to keep minors away from it. Otherwise, this really was a family friendly event. No kidding. Parents and children staying in the hotel, and not part of the con, were happily taking pictures with suited con goers. Even a wedding party took a group picture with one of the Furries. I think that says a lot, don't you?

During the wander time, I bumped into a few friends from some of the previous cons mentioned above. Turns out some of them do a version of the mermaid suit thing...that actually functions in water! I had to see this thing called Monotail, so after some break time, we met at the hotel pool for an impromptu demo. It's basically a single diver fin with two slots for feet and a spandex sheath that goes from waist to ankles, or over the fin. Just like with the exceptional detail and creativity of other costumes seen in the day, I was fascinated. There's a lot of themeing possibilities with this kind of costume, and it was just plain cool to watch these folks swim. Heh, now I can say I hung out with mermaids too. ;)

From start to finish, Rocket City FurMeet was a joy. As an enthusiast of a different sort, I really connected with the zest for details, masterful artistry, and fun. Just like I LOVE my themeparks, Furries love their costumes and they strike as very similar to Ren Faire folks. There's a similar playfulness and good spirit that even this year's featured convention artist, XianJaguar, exemplifies. (Her work graces the RCFM website and more can be seen at http://www.xianjaguar.com/)

Think you might want to channel your inner animal? Then check out: http://www.rcfm.net/ for more info.

Big thanks to Alexander Katz and company at Rocket City FurMeet for excellent hospitality and for being my teachers this day.

Soul Burger Cafe Returns!

2010-05-22T12:54:00.009-05:00

In April of 2009, I went out to lunch with the guys at my old work. We stopped at a Mom & Pop place called Soul Burger that we'd heard really good things about. The burgers were phenomenal! And then it closed. Needless to say, I was bummed. Seriously bummed. For those interested, you can read about that day here.

It gives me great pleasure to share that Cathy Briggs and Soul Burger are BACK! Thanks to a tip from a friend (props to you Barry), Soul Burger Cafe has found a new home at the Huntsville Athletic Club on Leeman Ferry road, and the burgers are just as tasty as ever.

Ms. Briggs was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule and share a little history about Soul Burger. She told me about when she and her family would go to a certain hamburger place that had just wonderful food. She wanted to come close to that same level of greatness. Ms. Briggs said it took a while to get things just right, (especially The Love), but whenever she cooked, the neighborhood children would come running and line up once they caught the heavenly smell. All it took was a whiff. The idea was simple: bring back the good ole days. Needless to say, with a Huntsville cult following and a growing fan list by the hour, she succeed.

In the time I was at the cafe Friday night, a steady stream of folks came in for burgers, including a couple first timers. Oh yes, The Virgin Bell rang out yet again for a little kid trying his first Soul Burger. Another gentleman I spoke with said with a big smile, "I've heard a lot about this. I'm fired up!"

I was fired up too. Many times I've mentioned what a great burger I had and how much I missed it. Yes, they're just as good as ever and in my top two. (A Mr. Tom Diaso's bachelor party burgers hold the other top spot). The Soul Sauce is also back and WOW did it have a kick! Truly, a little dab will do you, whether you're an experienced buffalo wings fan or not. I think I saw Elvis...

Ms. Briggs was just as sweet and friendly as ever, often calling folks "Cutey Patootie" with a warm grin and boundless energy. Yes folks, still very much the soul of Soul Burger. Also a shining example of customer service.

To Cathy Briggs and Soul Burger, a warm and heartfelt welcome back! :)

Also a special hello to the two enthusiastic ladies I met at the cafe. Hope you all enjoyed. :)

Do YOU want to experience "The Love"? Check out http://www.soulburgercafe.com/ for more tender, juicy info.

App-centric

2010-05-20T17:05:00.006-05:00

In the last few weeks I've had a chance to scour the multitude of apps for iPhone/Touch. Great googly moogly there's a ton of them! On EVERYTHING. That said, I thought it would be fun to share what I carry around and just some general observations. So here ya go:

WDW Park Hours - Free and very helpful for planning time with the mouse. There is a paid version, sans ads and this is one of a suite by the same maker.
WDW Wait Times - Free and most helpful for plotting your credit run in or before you hit the Disney Parks. There is a paid version, sans ads and this is one of a suite by the same maker.
Six Flags Fun Finder - A handy way to call up maps to all the Six Flags parks along with hours and events. Also free.
Toy Story Mania - A fun adaptation of the the Toy Story Mania rides and good collection of mini games. If you like the ride, Disney, or both, you'll enjoy this one and think it's well worth the $4.99.
AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) - Free chat along with centralizing posts from Facebook, Twitter, etc. Some ads, but nothing that gets in the way terribly.
Skype - Solid adaptation of the program and works well on iPhone/Touch. Very good sound quality. Would like to see integrated push chat for sending links during voice conversations. Could we see video chat if/when the iPhone 4g with rumored front camera comes to pass? Also free.
Mapquest - I've used these folks for years to plan trips and having the same directions on a mobile is a big help. Can't wait to try this with iPhone's GPS functions. Free.
Google Earth - Just like the regular version with a neat little twist to rotate function as well and the pinch and stretch features. Very responsive. Free.
Career Builder Jobs - This has been helpful in my job hunt and made applying very very easy...almost fun? (looks around). Free.
Starbucks - Being able to find Starbucks locations and see the food and coffee menus has been really handy. A must if you're a coffee or Starbuck's fan. Free.
Starbucks Mobile Card - If you have a Starbuck's gift card, this app let's you carry that info with you and swipe your iPhone/Touch at many locations. Would LOVE to see other restaurants, etc. do this with their gift cards. Great idea! Free.
Citysearch - Really handy for finding restaurants, clubs, and entertainment in an unfamiliar city. Free.
Twitter - Since I use Twitter a bunch, this was a must although, there doesn't seem to be any advantage to the app verses a site bookmark. Even so, Twitter needed direct representation in the app world. Free.
Facebook - This is another one I use a bunch. While it takes a little bit to get where everything is, it's a solid tool. Free.
U.S. NEXRAD - A very good and simple radar for keeping up on storms. This one has been really handy of late. (Matter of fact, I'm using right now as I type this.)Well worth the 99 cents.
Star Wars FX - I like Star Wars (big shock there) and this was just random fun for 99 cents. Would love to see a Droids or R2-D2 soundboard for us robot fans. Hint hint...
Darth Vader Soundboard - This was just another random fun Star Wars impulse. Makes me want a TomTom GPS for the Vader voice. Also want to use this on the next telemarketer who calls (insert eeeevil laugh here). 99 cents.
Spice Dice from Durex - The virtual version of those adult love dice party games you see in some stores. Puts the accelerometer to good use for rolling the dice (and yes it looks wrong in just the way you're thinking). Also offers product links and romantic tips. Basically it's a Durex ad. Yep, definitely not for kids. Free.

Suffice to say, all the above have been put to good use and merit a positive mention. Hey, with only 8 gig on the Touch, I have to be picky about what stays on it.

Hope these musings have been both entertaining and helpful. I've had a good time writing about them. Cheers! :)

A Good Sign

2010-05-17T23:40:00.001-05:00

$10 inspiration from out of the blue tonight. Jackpot! :)

Java ME SDK 3.0

2010-05-17T11:08:00.011-05:00

Danger Will Robinson! Danger Will Robinson! Techno geek speak and more acronyms than a week at Space Camp ahead.

As you can tell, things have slowed down quite a bit since I got back from Florida. There's a couple reasons for this. Really, there's just not much going on in my world as the job hunt plods forward. I'm also spinning up on some new tech to refocus my career. The new tech is Java ME.

Just like with Orlando, I recently quit talking and started doing. And, just like Orlando, learning Java ME is a big challenge with no idea how it will come out. Regardless, I'm really choosing something interesting verses picking something out of desperation for financial stability. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy 3D modeling and had several good experiences with it, but hind-sight being what it is, I should've gone web or programming instead. My last few weeks at my old job were spent training on ActionScript and Flash. While those specific languages aren't my favorites, the fact that it was programming, was very enjoyable.

That said, Java Micro Edition Software Development Kit 3.0 has been it's own adventure in a very different wrapper. Where I'm used to a typical language like C or C++ with code, some libraries, and a compiler, Java ME, though based on C++, etc, has a more complicated way. Java ME uses the "virtual machine" to be able to run on any computer, beit PC, Mac, or HAL 9000. (Just seeing if you were paying attention.) It also uses a few different "platforms" (in this case, emulated cell phones) to write and test software. Java ME, by the way, is one of several languages being used on mobile devices and may find it's way into smart appliances, TV OS's, etc. Aaaand, there are several different variations for certain jobs, and they all link up with each other. It's like saying you want to learn how to use a hammer, and someone hands you ten of them and they're all slightly different. You know you want the hammer to drive a nail, but sorting out which hammer drives it the best way is the trick. This hammer's blue. That hammer doesn't have a claw on the back. This hammer is a cleverly disguised +2 mace and let's you sprout multiple tentacles at will. You get the idea. This is exactly what I'm going through while learning. Well, minus the tentacle part.

Now, to make things MORE complicated, each platform supports particular connection standards and not every platform supports the same ones. Again, this is goes back to the hammer analogy but with multiple Beta verses VHS standards. Heh, I'm showing my age here. Try HD DVD verses BluRay. (Now the light bulbs come on.) Remember, over the past 12 years I've worked with C, C++, Visual C++, Visual Basic, VBScript, AppleScript, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, XML, ActionScript/Flash, HyperCard, and Unix. Even with all those reference points, Java ME is STILL bewildering! I still like the potential in the language and see several directions to go with it. Oh, it's going to royally kick my ass, but I'll learn quite a bit between aneurysms. ;)

The goal here is simple: Take what I've learned from using Blackberry, iPod Touch, and Java ME, and program for mobile devices. Games? Possibly. Social apps? Could be. Artificial Intelligence coupled with voice recognition or other robotic influences? Maybe so.

Now that there are some entrenched standards and the foundation to the mobile arena has been layed, it's a good time to jump in. There's a ton of potential and likely some radical technical shifts in how we do things day to day. Blackberrys, iPhones, and Droids, are just the beginning. To a gadget hound like me, it's worth learning and growing in these new directions, even at the cost of re-training and almost starting from scratch.

One last bit of food for thought here. In the past year and a half, this blog has served not only as a creative/artistic expression, but as a test area and learning tool with some of the above in mind. It's a perfect excuse to learn as well as keep the media skills sharp. Yes friends, there's method to my madness. Whether or not I'll sprout tentacles, remains to be seen. ;)

Well Wishes

2010-05-09T07:11:00.001-05:00

First, Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mom's out there. You're still very much needed and loved and all the things you've done thoughout the years really are appreciated. Hope it's a happy day for you all and your families.

Second, congratulations and a special shout out to all the Clarion folks in Orlando Florida this weekend. Knock 'em dead when you all perform at Downtown Disney today! With you all in spirit. Have a wonderful time.

Third, to the Orlando folks, miss you all a bunch. You have no idea. Hope to join the iPhone club in a few months. :)

Free Comic Day with the 501st and Dixie Derby Girls

2010-05-01T15:38:00.006-05:00

So what do you get when you combine free comics, Star Wars, and roller derby? You get a memorable and fun time at a local Huntsville comic shop with some really stellar people. Plus you know it's gonna be a good time when you pass a couple Ghostbusters on the way in.

I'd been looking forward to meeting the 501st Alabama Garrison troopers after a couple of brushes with other members of the group at cons this past year. Throw in the mix that a high school buddy of mine I hadn't seen in years, joined recently, and there was even more excitement. Naturally, the Alabama Garrison folks were all too happy to discuss the creativity behind their outfits and props. They even let me handle a blaster or two, while pointing out some of the details. Meanwhile little kids and their equally excited Dads walked up to get pictures with the Imperial detachment. I remember that same giddy look from when I was a kid and got Darth Vader's autograph. And that's only a small part of the magic the 501st generates with it's various public and charity appearences. Oh, and they absolutely enjoy what they do.

Also had the opportunity to meet the Dixie Derby Girls. For those who don't know, the sport of roller derby that was popular in the 70's and 80's is making a comeback in a new flat track format. Asian Invasion, was kind enough answer questions about the sport and how it works. Turns out, the idea is to get the Jammer (sort of the girl with the ball if you will) to pass the other team's blockers to score points. The more you pass 'em, the more points your team gets. Keep in mind, the other side has the same idea here, hence all the contact. The difference between 70's banked track and today's flat track is that much of the beat down and railing tossing is taken out. But don't kid yourself. There may not be bodies flying (yet), but it does get intense, and these ladies (who come from all different professions, educations and walks of life) WILL dish the pain. Asian Invasion, Nookie Monster (best name ever!), Zan Axe (of the blank shirt), and Missy B. Haven, amongst others, were great fun to talk with. Thank you all, not only for a hilarious group photo, but for being my teachers this day.

Meanwhile, inside The Deep, there were plenty of comics, collectable figures, and the like to be had. Saw several networked pc's for various games...like...oh....say.....World of Warcraft or the like. If that's not your gig, there were tables for card battle games in amongst the Dixie Derby Girls doing face painting. Outside was some side walk chalk drawing for the little kids.

Of course there was the costumed group shot in front of the store that erupted into laughter when one of the Storm Troopers said "Hold on, I think I blinked...".

Definitely good times with these two groups and would come visit this annual event again. Thanks to everyone for their good cheer and hospitality!

Are these really the droids you're looking for? Does the Dark Side REALLY have cookies (that have possibly been stolen by the Light Side)? Peruse these links, you should. Answer your questions, they will. Yes. Hmm...:

501st Legion Alabama Garrison - http://www.al501st.com/
Dixie Derby Girls Roller Derby League - http://www.dixiederbygirls.com/
The Deep Comics - http://www.deepcomics.com/news.php

2010 Magic City Art Connection

2010-04-28T11:53:00.010-05:00

Got a surprise extra while in Birmingham, Alabama this past weekend. Before hitting the Irish music jam session at Sypsey Tavern, I joined up with my buddy Raymond, his wife Paris, and a new friend, Hannah to check out Magic City Art Connection. This is a free art fest similar to Huntsville, Alabama's Panoply Arts Festival, which I attended this time last year and met the Geico Gecko. Creativity and good vibes were everywhere on a pleasant and sunny Saturday afternoon.

First stop was to see Molly Hand and Alabama Academy of Irish Dance perform. Impressive job by some young dancers and cool to see the whole group in their outfits. At the end of their show, they brought anyone interested up on stage for a quick lesson. For some reason, I had no guts this time around. Not to worry. Raymond proudly, kilt and all, took the stage and did quite well.

As you can imagine there was a lot of art covering various mediums. Textured oil paintings to metal sculpture to even tin can airplanes were around for all to enjoy. Here are a handful of notables:

MJ Villanueva had some very clever textured oil paintings on stretched canvas in a Contemporary style. From owls to fish, to even Picasso influenced guitars this is someone to consider if you're into anything Mod.
Bart Webb Studios 2010 Abstract Series had some very interesting Industrial/Steampunk metal sculptures with gears, gauges, and tiki-esque wall lamp that looked like something out of Robot Wars.
Bill Boyett had an interesting style of smooth meets rough/natural carved wood items with a pleasing warmth. The boxes especially were uniquely shaped and textured to make the grain really pop. Think artsy petrified wood and you're close to this style.

And what else is great about festivals? Yep, the food. Our group went for the smoked sausages with green peppers and onions. Joke all you want (don't worry, we did too), but sausages were most tasty as was the lemonade. Naturally there was funnel cake, chicken on a stick, Greek offerings, hot dogs, and the usual festival food fair if the above wasn't your thing. Oh, the wonderful smells as you got near the food court. Wow!

With full stomachs and more than a few laughs, we bid Magic City Art Connection adieu. Time for shenanigans, pool, and more at Sypsey Tavern. While waiting for the instrumentalists to arrive we were treated to...more sausage! Free smoked and Conecuh was thrown on the grill for all to enjoy. It was just a random and really fun treat. Also, I'd never heard of Conecuh sausage, which is unique to Evergreen, Alabama. Good stuff, and on the spicy side. Of course, we all had to wait a bit before sampling, since eating at the art festival not long before.

The Irish musicians for the night included one of the members of Jasper Cole, Bagpiper Ryan Morrison, and a bevy of others. Very layed back and fun atmosphere. Perfect for catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones too. Or getting your clock cleaned by your cohorts during a VERY memorable and titillating game of pool. ;)

Some local Jazz musicians followed the Irish folks for a jam session that included Joplin style vocals, wailing sax, and one of the best covers of Come Together I've ever heard. Throw in some Hammond B3/Leslie tones and you had one hell of a good groove session. Great job folks!

Good times? Definitely! Will I be back to Birmingham soon? Definitely! Will my jokes get any better? Definitely not! ;)

Big thanks to everybody for food, drink, and hospitality, and see you again soon.

For more information, check out these good folks:

Magic City Art Connection (http://www.magiccityart.com/)
MJ Villanueva, Contemporary Mixed-Media Artist (http://www.newvillageartworks.com/)
Bart Webb Studios (http://www.bartwebbstudios.com/)
Bill Boyett Fine Woodworks (boyettw@bellsouth.com)
Sypsey Tavern (http://www.sipseytavern.com/)
Conecuh Sausage (http://www.conecuhsausage.com/default.aspx)

Beware of Death Bunnies

2010-04-24T21:08:00.003-05:00

Tonight in World of Warcraft was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. My lvl 26 Draenei Priest is standing near the transporter to Darnassas when this little white bunny comes up and challenges for a duel. Turns out to be a masked lvl 54 Death Knight. Since I don't like duels and this was seemingly a slaughter (aka MINE) I declined. You see, when somebody that high challenges somebody way low to duel, it's usually shameless ego or they want honor points for gear. Mostly the former.

"Are you serious? Just right click the icon at the top of the screen and you can get out of the spell," I said. Peter Cottendeath apparently wasn't aware of this and thought a duel was the only way out of his fuzzy predicament. To be fair, it took me a while to figure that out after getting wammyed with transformation spells on several occasions.

Once back to normal, we had a good laugh and talked for a bit. Think I made a friend too. Really was glad to help and not have to duel. Besides, as I told him, it would END me! I'm a Priest with cloth armor for heaven sakes! ;)

Putting Your Life Online

2010-04-23T16:38:00.002-05:00

As the days go by, it's more and more common for our lives to flash across the many digital billboards in cyberspace. Whether it be the average "day in the life" or the truly exceptional cross planet jaunt, the blogasphere has you covered.

Don't worry, while there is great wisdom in carefully selecting what and how much you advertise to your digital global neighbors, this isn't a diatribe. Far from it. It's a free form observation of almost two years in the public online scene by a self described "nobody with a blog".

Joining Facebook and Blogging were both scary things for me. Yes, be glad you're sitting down for the revelation that seems to highly contradict my very, ahem, "energetic" nature. Putting more of myself, personal life, info, pictures, movies, etc out to the world at large was a very exposing thing. While I've since gotten used to the notion and barely give it a second thought, the first couple weeks made my skin crawl. Was I doing the right thing? Was too much personal stuff going out? Can any of this be used against me later? All those questions flashed through my grey matter. It was then that I came up with some limits born out of good sense.

While I have griped once in a great while, the majority of what I post, both on the blog, and other mediums is positive. Whether a well wish to a friend or "atta boy" to a company with a great product or service, people can't fault you for saying good things, especially in ways that help them "save face", i.e., the Japanese method. Seeing my random words from random times in Google searches much later cemented this idea. Plus, as the old Southern saying goes, "You get more with honey than you do with vinegar." People and companies remember.

As far as articles for other sites and photos, I try to keep them comical and fun. Same for my personal travels and random experiences. This is entertainment, i.e., a voluntary service after all. Not EVERYTHING I ever do, say, think, feel, or ponder, will wind up here. It would be a combo of too much information, boring, or just plain uncomforatable to others looking for an entertaining escape. Plus, we ALL have skeletons, and while privacy is dwindling, some things, I just don't need to know about others, mainly so I can rest peacefully at night. Anyone reading this will likely concur. Besides, would you REALLY want to know everything about what goes on in your next door neighbors home? No. Translation: Censure, pacing, and hilights are my friends. :)

Since my face is on video and pictures, it's easier to identify me. Or stalk. Or whatever, especially if someone has a beef or an odd fascination. This is risk, even though it's more common and now socially accepted. Since only celebs dealt with this sort of thing years ago, it's a new experience for the everyman/everywoman like you and I. I'm still getting used to this one. Feels kinda itchy, you know?

Occasionally you will have trolls or people who won't hesitate to brutally tell you what they think of you. Why they single you out to unleash their pent up hostilities and insecurities is a mystery, but if you put your life out on the interweb for others to see, this is par for the course. I used to have a YouTube account and closed it because, for whatever reason, folks didn't like my videos. That's fine, I listened to what folks said learned from it. Still stung too.

Conversely, and more often the case here, a lot of very nice people have come out of the woodwork to say some exceptionally nice things about my life and blog. Even my own parents who read regularly. As you guess, to hear the good things really brighten your day and really keep you going. It also tells you that the countless hours of passion you've poured into a particular artform/self expression, have been totally worth it. It also makes you stagger at the countless hours of therapy they'll need after reading your opus. ;)

Like any situation in life, good and bad goes hand in hand. Sometimes there's a whole belt pouch with more of one or the other, waiting to spring out. Putting your life, photos, writings, etc online for the world to see has been a scary, yet over all rewarding experience. Granted, it's a learning thing, but the opportunities doing so has provided, have enriched my life. It's also let me reconnect with dear old friends, classmates, and meet even more interesting people. It's also made me more active and forced me to learn more about tourism, the hospitality industry, and the off shoots of the amusement industry. Learning and growth are very good things.

Well, now you have my perspective from a few mile markers in the public journey. Hopefully, this helps you in some way. :)

Tribble and Tweet Anatomy

2010-04-20T10:23:00.004-05:00

Saw these fascinating links on Twitter the past couple days and had to repost. These finds are courtesy of tech gurus Veronica Belmont and Cali Lewis. Enjoy!

Veronica Good morning! Here's what the inside of a Tribble looks like, in case you were wondering: http://bit.ly/a3A8Ht

CaliLewis I love this - http://bit.ly/cbOSA3 What the backend of a tweet looks like.

Blogging Buffet & Nerdly News April 2010

2010-04-19T13:05:00.005-05:00

And now the randomness that is my life...now in bite-sized, nugget style chunklets.

I've been back in Huntsville, Alabama a couple weeks now. In some ways, it feels the same, others, very different. Overall, kinda limbo-ish. Regardless, I'm VERY thankful for a stable roof over my head.
Got out to a Lee High (Huntsville) Alumni dinner not long ago. Sure, I was the youngest one there, but talking about the old high school with other grads from various years was a real treat. Special thanks to Lisa Fiske Schrimsher for organizing the meet and warm hospitality. Interested in the next dinner? Check out the Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1509275062&ref=profile#!/group.php?gid=91286417789.
Job hunt continues with friends checking on leads. Been out walking and talking quite a bit and may have one possibility. We'll see.
Reconnected with an old dinner group from a few years ago this past weekend. Great to see those folks still going strong and meet some interesting new people as well.
I'm working out more regularly and keeping up with the walking begat by CityWalk and Downtown Disney. Hiked a trail around Point Mallard water park in Decatur, Alabama this past Sunday with a friend who is an accomplished runner. After 2 hours and about 6 miles, this newbie's legs were Jello...and Heather was laughing at the wimp next to her. The Ruby Tuesday salad bar was deemed the fitting and healthy way to finish up the time. Humorously, I was craving ice cream and buffalo wings during the breezy, sunny, perfect day. Go figure, right?
Slowly getting better at typing on iPod Touch and considering an iPhone as a Blackberry replacement in the future. Blackberry will be 2 in October and has served me VERY well. I've just really taken to Touch convenience and the way I operate the blog has changed. Plus, I'm interested in iPhone's GPS capabilities and updated cameras, both front and back. And to the Coaster Crew and Disney folks there in Orlando with smug Cheshire Cat grins, yeah yeah, you told me so. ;)
Stopped by the US Space and Rocket Center not too long ago to see what was new. They're gearing up for the big Star Wars exhibit coming in June. I think this will be a big draw over the summer and be good for the local economy, especially since a similar exhibit at The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum years ago was jam packed.
Speaking of Star Wars, a high school buddy of mine recently joined the 501st Storm Troopers and suggested I check out a couple events in May. Oh no...not at all. Chris, great to get back in touch and delighted to come out. So, can I get a pic with Greedo and R2? That would be cool...huh huh uh...
On the Warcraft front, progress continues with the new Draenai Priest. Definitely more efficient and focused development...and the LAST time I start a new character! Seriously! While the newness is awesome, the spin up time is a grind. Draenai Priest and Forsaken Warlock will be the mains from here on.
The good folks at Imagicopter have a new and promising online magazine in development. If you follow their book tours and accomplished authors, Imagyro will be a welcome read. You might even find a random wacko park enthusiast in there somewhere. ;)
Do I miss Florida? Absolutely! (especially since all the new Vinylmations just came out). Cosmically speaking, however, I'm exactly where I need to be and doing what is necessary to grow. I get little reminders daily that Orlando is still very much a possibility for living and working and this quest is far from over. What happens in the interim or how long that will be is anyone's guess. Right now, I'm just going with the flow, refining my techniques, reducing my excess, and growing as much as possible, hopefully into a better and more capable person. I can say with gentle grin and content heart, I am close. That's a damn good feeling too. :)

2010 Clash of the Titans Review

2010-04-13T04:53:00.004-05:00

Recently I saw my first of the new gen 3D movies and a remake of a
childhood fave, Clash of the Titans. Upon originally hearing of this
update, my first thoughts were "Uh oh. Please don't let them taint
this movie the way the 80's He-Man cartoon was mocked for being
effiminate and how Rainbow Brite has mysteriously become a sex symbol
in her later years and further pushed the sales of leg warmers to a
whole new audience." Thankfully, this movie did not mock nor taint my
childhood. It, in fact, stood on it's own as an enjoyable retelling
of a classic tale...even with some thin spots.

We'll start with Perseus. Unlike the curly haired Harry Hamlin of the
days of yor, our updated hero has more of a Russle Crow in Gladiator
meets Transporter Jason Statham look. He also has a chip on his
shoulder because Hades decided to randomly fireball his adopted
family, drowning them in their own fishing boat. We'll call this "How
Perseus got his story back."

This time around, our hero winds up in Argos, instead of Joppa,
hanging out with Burgess Meredith and getting hooked up with
invisibility helm, shield, and magic sword (sword comes later in a
forest scene along with Pegasus). Perseus is brought to a very cheeky
royal gathering, that mocks the Gods and plays out the whole
"Andromeda must be sacrificed to the Kracken" set-up. This time Hades
is demanding justice for said cheekyness verses a goddess demanding
justice for her shamed son, Calibos. Oh, and now it's widely known
that Perseus is a demi-god.

Speaking of Calibos, since Perseus is the sneaky offspring of Zeus
(played by Liam Neeson aka Qui Gon Jinn) and a duped queen, the
enraged king becomes the monster. How does he get this way? Oh, a
lightening strike while tossing his murdered wife's and bastard son's
casket off a seaside cliff. It seems cursing the playful God's will
not only turn you ugly via supernatural electro bolt, but it will
also make you insanely agile and strong. Like Mr. Hyde in League of
Extrodinary Gentlemen agile and strong. Seriously, Cal 2.0 can dish
some mythic beat-down, even after his hand gets cut off. And no,
since it's a different person, there's no jealous love thing for
Andromeda like in the 80's film.

Speaking of love interests, instead of a watchful mechanical owl
keeping Perseus' back, there's a lovely and ageless demi goddess
instead. You'd THINK he'd be after the Andromeda hook-up, right?
Well, they left that in the trunk with the mechanical owl in Argos.
Also a great nod to the original Clash of the Titans that gave us a
laugh in the theatre.

We'll break for a moment to discuss the visuals and 3D. Both were
inspired and impressive. It was like watching the "in your face"
Mickey's Philharmagic with sweeping Lord of the Rings style locales.
Using things like real volcanic craters, etc, was a good way to set
up scenes that went to places in the underworld. One got a good sense
of size, scale, and awe at places like Mount Olympus and the seaside
city of Argos. Nicely done and loved the opening scenes with the
constellations especially.

Just like before, Perseus must seek the Stygian Witches to figure out
how to take down the Kraken (On a side note I'm REALLY fighting
impulses for an Ask A Ninja reference here. You know the one.)
Instead of a cave, the witches have new hand shaped digs at the top
of a creepy mountain. As my dad pointed out, it reminded one of "The
Awakening" statue near The Mall, in Washington DC. The updated
witches are bulbous, creepy, still blind, need a good dentist, and
ALARMINGLY fast and agile. Sorry old witches, but if I can out run
you, you have no power, nor does that crystal paper weight you call
The Eye. Yes, the new Eye is a big eyeball with optic nerve, ripped
out of who know's what. Altogether now: ewwwww.

Remember the giant scorpion scene where Calibos stabs the bag with
Medusa's severed head and the blood creates the monsters? Ok scratch that. When mutant king loses his hand, the dripping blood brings the scorps out of the dessert while he takes off. After some nausiating bug busting, we discover the scorpions are controlled by Ginn, aka bark-skinned Genies who are the arbor day answer to Chewbacca in this movie. We also discover that giant scorpions make some of the coolest riding mounts ever. Seriously, where can I get one of these beauties in World of Warcraft? Also, there's a very subtle ode to the giant Steampunk mech spider from Wild Wild West. Nice touch.

Now it's off to bribe The Ferryman on The River Styx to get to
Medusa's lair. (Yeah, we'll skip the band jokes too here.) I like
what they did with the new Ferryman. Imagine a very tall, lanky
skeletal figure mixed with a dead twisted tree, fused to a cross
between an Venetian gondola and a dingy from Pirate's of the
Caribbean's Flying Dutchman. Oh, and it's pulled by some very wet,
grey dead people. This isn't some hooded skeleton prop folks. This
will turn you white! If this ever came out as a detailed collector
piece, I'd buy it. Very cool concept and detail.

Time for the Medusa scene. She's still snakey, still wicked fast with
a bow, still strong enough to break stone with her tail, and still
turns guys to stone. But now, she's...pretty? Yes. And with a
slightly sexy and unnerving laugh that echos throughout her huge,
flame chasmed temple. Yes, she's pretty, until she pulls a Large
Marge when someone looks at her. Then, not so much. Even so, you feel sorry for her in a way, despite her impending fate via a modified reflective shield made from scorpion shell.

Remember Pegasus? Well, to make him (or is it her?) more edgy and
strong, Peg is now The Black Stallion...with wings. This is one
update that didn't really seem to make a difference but if you wanna
change colors on the horse, so be it. It flies. It whinnies. 'Nuff
said.

And now, the grand poobah, the Kracken, or the "Oh my God it's the
size of several city blocks, makes Godzilla look like a puppy, and
we're just plain screeeeeeeeewed!" monster. Truly, the size and scale of this beastie was cleverly coupled with the shear power and fear factor of recent weather disaster movies. It left one filled with dread and that there's nowhere to hide. Even the random hippie/zealot/Hades cultist who scalded his hand to inspire people, soiled his armor at the sight of this thing. In Southern terms, it's a big'un and a far cry from a merman with 4 arms and a long tail in the original.

To sum up, I liked this 2010 Clash of the Titans and think some of
the updates were very good. The original will always be a favorite
because I grew up with it, but the update is a worthy tale that
stands on it's own. It's also pretty impressive in 3D. Check it out
and see for yourself.

An Irish Night in Birmingham

2010-04-11T12:24:00.004-05:00

Last weekend on the way back to Huntsville, Alabama, I had a chance to stay with some dear friends in Birmingham. As part of the "Hey! How've you been!" we went out for a night at Still Water Pub. It was there I saw not only more good souls from my friends' wedding, but old high school mates. Met some great new friends too.

I'd heard Jasper Coal mentioned quite a few times over the past couple years, but never seen a show. Needless to say, these guys put out some spirited Irish music that made you want to toast, dance, drink and get rowdy. Are they talented? Definitely! They really enjoy what they do, and that carries over so well during the show. So much so, the curious from the next room would walk in and stay for a song. Then they'd realize they were in a room full of crazy Irish and Scots, kilts, Guiness and all. Hearty times and fine music indeed.

It gets better.

During the evening The Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band played some stirring and inspired marches. This band consisted of bagpipers (just a couple this night), a snare drummer, and a bass drummer (a Cleopatra-haired, enthusiastic gal named Boom Boom who is just plain cool across the board). I'm told there are several bagpipers accompanying Ryan Morrison, a very accomplished master in the state of Alabama. Like, Jasper Cole, these folks kept it fun and lively. They also put out a very moving rendition of Amazing Grace.

Oh wait, there's more.

During all this revelry, Molly Hand, of the Alabama Academy of Irish Dance, jumped up for some impromptu accompanying dance. Think River Dance and it's that style. Molly not only danced as entertainment at my friend's wedding a couple years ago, but she is a teacher at the Academy and master in her own right.

Toward the end of the night I bumped into a high school buddy of mine, local Birmingham musician Derek Nolin. Derek just recently formed an 80's cover band that sounds promising for those of us in the Keytar set. With Derek's theatre and music background, this should be a fun show. Congrats to him and will check out the show soon.

As you can see, this night was an Irish Hat Trick of just good old fun and entertainment. It was also a big treat. If you enjoy anything Celtic, Irish, Scottish, Ren Faire, or the like, check out all these good folks.

Big thanks to Jasper Coal, Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band, Molly Hand, and Still Water Pub for a great job and excellent hospitality!

Here's where to get your Irish eyes a smilin':
Jasper Coal - http://www.jaspercole.com/
Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band - http://ismpb.com/
Alabama Academy of Irish Dance - http://www.aaiddance.com/home.htm

Joe's Crab Shack

2010-03-31T22:09:00.006-05:00

One of my great joys in this life is talking about fun touristy places and eateries. It's also kick to see the deer-in-the-headlights looks when I drop the bomb about doing a food review. It's even more comical seeing the wave of relief that comes over the manager after the explanation.

I decided to stop in to Joe's Crab Shack on Apopka/Vineland in Orlando Florida for a snow crab treat. Figured I'd wind up my time here in Orlando with a bang. Joe's delivered with some unexpected twists. If you like layed back, beach shack meets hippie humor with some spice (aka innuendo), this place is for you.

First off, every 45 minutes, ALL the servers in the restaurant stop what they're doing and Hustle to Stayin' Alive with patrons encouraged to join in. Next, you're given a complimentary souvenir crab tool (pictured above, far right) and encouraged to steal it. (And I thought crab crackers painted red and shaped like crab claws were novel.) Next, if you order the restaurant's signature drink, the Shark Bite, it comes with a plastic toy shark to pour in the red grenadine. Since the drink is blue, it's blood in the water and several servers yell "Shark!" when they bring it out. Beats the daylights out of the canned Happy Birthday clap song at other restaurants, eh?

Service was definitely friendly, attentive, and I was well taken care of by Jes and company behind the bar (being a single rider/sitting at the bar has it's benefits). Wait time, during a packed restaurant was not bad at all. Not even the drunk and irritable patrons could phase these energetic and fun folks who handled them very well. Good show!

My basic steamed snow crab with drawn butter, red potatoes and corn on the cob, was perfect. Seriously. Tender, juicy, flavorful, perfect. I'd highly recommend the Old Bay boils or other seasonings on the menu if you love peel and eat shrimp and crab. The metal bucket the meal was served in was also a fun touch. Cost was about $25, but given the quality and attention to detail here, you get your money's worth.

The gift shop offered hats, shot glasses, and t-shirts with the coveted tie dye shirts being the most expensive. Got a chuckle out of a hoody that read "Joe's Crab Shack. Hot Legs & Great Tail. and the seafood's pretty good too!" Another of their classic lines on the menu read "Eat. Drink. Get crabs." You'll definitely appreciate all if you have a rye sense of humor.

Bottom line, the folks at Joe's Crab Shack do a lot of things right and I had a terrific time there. Big thanks to them for the hospitality!

For anyone else who wants to get crabby and hammered (ok I borrowed the second part from Jes's t-shirt), skitter on over to http://www.joescrabshack.com.

CityWalk Fusion Bistro Sushi and Coco Key Resort

2010-03-30T16:50:00.003-05:00

Last night during my roam round the resorts and a spin through CityWalk, I checked out the Fusion Bistro Sushi counter service restaurant that opened earlier this year.

My Volcano Rolls (essentially California Rolls with more avocado and spicy mayonaise on top, mixed with crab) were quite tasty. They also became a new favorite behind I Love Sushi's (Huntsville, Alabama) Viagra Rolls.

Service was pleasent and quick and while it was a different take on a typical outdoor stand, it was relaxing to watch CityWalk's main drag during the evening exodus. Meal was around $11 including 8 rolls and bottle of green tea. Food quality was fresh and on par with most Japanese Steakhouses. Definitely above buffet or supermarket spec (not that there's anything wrong with either of those). All in all, I enjoyed the meal and would go back. Could be a new favorite haunt during future CityWalk nights. Thanks folks! :)

Meanwhile, construction continues at Coco Key Resort on International Drive. From I-4, one can see yet more silver supports and slide parts staged. Looks like plumbing and cement pad are in place for the water fortress and there is an artist's rendering outside the front of the hotel. Always glad to see a new waterpark, expecially indoor, and hope this one does well.

Until next time...

RIDE MAKERZ Opens at Downtown Disney

2010-03-25T20:05:00.004-05:00

Once again, a seemingly ordinary day turned into an adventure. That, and I always meet such interesting people.

After a restaurant review that didn't quite pan out for lunch (hey, you win some, you lose some), I took a spin through Pleasure Island and West Side. Surprisingly, RIDE MAKERZ, the new build-yer-own car store (think Build a Bear for the grease monkey and car enthusaist set) was open in the former Virgin Mega Store. Associate/Cast Member Michael S. filled me on on what the store was about and all the combos avialable to the different kinds of car buffs. Beit Tuner, DUB, Muscle Car, or whatever, you can customize several different car models down to the rims and vinyls. You can also add radio control to your creation. There's also some fun custom builds to drool over, most notably a couple Corvettes and a wicked Mini Cooper (Hi MiniJay!). What makes it so wicked? How about a custom radio control speaker box that goes 80 miles an hour on it's own and sits in the back of the Mini? I shift you not my friends. ;)

The surprise of the day came when I bumped into car designer Fireball Tim. Admittedly, I've never heard of him, however, any guy who wears bright metallic red bowling shoes with a flame bowling shirt is my kind of character. Oh, and he was the one who built the above mentioned Mini Cooper. Had a good time talking with Fireball Tim about the build and he taught me a couple things too. BOTH cars have nos systems. In Tuner speak, that means speed boost and brings back great memories of Need for Speed Underground. ;) Nice!

A quick bit of other DTD news. Construction walls are down near T-REX and the result is...wider walkways sans the old planters. Guard shack by the bridge is also gone. Curiously, there were folks out taking marketing surveys, particularly where people were going and how much they were spending. Hmmm...wonder how this figures in to future plans. Time will tell there.

As you can see, an eventful and fun day. Thanks to Michael S. at RIDE MAKERZ for the info and hospitality. Special thanks to Fireball Tim and his group (including the nice lady who took our picture). Great to meet you all and my best to you! Rock on!

For more info and artistry, check out http://www.fireballtim.com/.

Until next time...

Downtown Disney Update

2010-03-24T07:37:00.002-05:00

While taking my customary stroll around Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island last night I noticed a couple things worth mentioning.

Some of the waterside construction walls have been expanded closer to T-REX Cafe, causing a bit of a bottle neck near the entrance. With rumors swirling about a night-time water show like the forthcoming DCA World of Color, coming to DTD, I'd believe it. Heard jack hammers and saw an excvator on a previous visit.

Art of Disney is now carrying the Epcot Flower and Garden Vinylmations, complete with collector tin. They're about $15 and a must if you're a VM fan. There's also a handful of Epcot Christmas Tree VM's still around if you missed them. On a side note, the few Gingerbread Man VM's over at Contemporary are all gone as of Monday night. Additionally, Holiday Series 1 is still in good supply most places, but once the new series hit soon, those and Park Series 3 might go poof. And yes, there's plenty of Muppets Series 1 still floating around.

Lastly, the big white Vinylmation display at Art of Disney has been replaced by a black figure with a white question mark. Lead up to VM store opening and/or next round of series due out? Your guess is as good as mine here.

The pirate dudes behind the bars over at World of Disney say hi as I close out this little update. Cheers mateys!

Blog Updates A Go-Go

2010-03-23T13:27:00.004-05:00

In the last few months, I've really wanted to take the blog in a more mobile direction. Let's face it, sometimes you can't always get to your laptop for uploads and updates. I've also wanted to do/post as much as possible from my Blackberry. Case in point, here's the latest round of changes:

Added Twitpic for some additional random graphics and photo archiving. This will replace the mobile uploads feature I used to use on Facebook.
The Adventures and Announcements header is done. Blog announcements will go out through the Twitter feed along with the usual random banter. Just look for the "RBA" prefix on tweets.
The Travel Magnet Collection will return as a periodic photo update to Twitpic in the future. Same for pin collection and Vinylmation.
The RapidsNerd History section is done. The blog IS a history (i.e. Web Log) and I'll gladly answer questions regarding it's origin.
Sadly, the HD camcorder (aka FailCam) died earlier this year, so the article pic/desktop wallpaper idea sank. Sorry folks.
Added a Google Analytics tracker to measure blog traffic, etc. and learn how that all works.

This all boils down to more fun size neat stuff to see and read during my adventures. It's also easier to maintain by remote. Hope you all enjoy, and, as always, I'll do my best to point out the good things and keep it fun. Thanks for reading...and not throwing rotten veges.

Tronorail

2010-03-22T22:12:00.001-05:00

Rode the Tronorail and took the loop around Epcot from the TTC. Cool train!

Ice Cream at Disney's Yacht and Beach

2010-03-20T11:27:00.002-05:00

Had a chance to meet up with Natalie Visage of Natatomic once again for something we'd talked about (and outright craved, humorously on exactly the same day), Beaches N Cream. BNC is a very popular ice cream shop over at Disney's Yacht and Beach Resort. It's also home to a monster sundae known as The Kitchen Sink. Just like Kooky Cannuck's Avalanche, it's a grab your friends and dive in affair with all the toppings. And it really is served in a metal sink.

Natalie opted for a Mud Slide sundae while I went for a Milky Way sundae. We both quickly found out that even those were big. She finished. I barely got passed the first third and I swear the thing grew back after every bite. Definitely tasty, but bring your appetite or someone to share with.

The comedy of the night came when our petite server came over. Natalie was done and I was struggling. Server pointed at me and laughed. Then Natalie told her, more or less to feed me out of pity. So our server put her arm around me, smiled sweetly, picked up the spoon, and attempted to feed me. I was a bit embarrassed, but it was really funny. When it was time to go, I gave the lady a well deserved hug and we both put in a good word at the hotel desk for excellent service. How could you not after that?

We walked off dessert by checking out the nearby Epcot entrance and boardwalk. Still a bit breezy and cool in the evenings, but definitely a fun time.

Thanks to Natalie for fun evening out!

Make sure you check out her blog at http://natatomic.blogspot.com.

Until next time, Cheers!

Job Hunt Update

2010-03-18T19:03:00.001-05:00

Wanted to pass along the latest in my ongoing quest for gainful employment and stability.

Today's double interview went well. Though not quite what I'd hoped for, there are possibilities for good hours and steady consistent work, which would allow me to stay in Orlando for at least the short term.

Up until Tuesday's call, I had planned on leaving for Huntsville Friday (tomorrow) morning and spend the weekend in Birmingham with some dear friends. Right now I'm in a holding pattern for results on today's interview.

Sincere appologies for the back and forth here, but thus is the nature and random timing of the search. Hopefully things will settle down soon with more continuity.

I really want to thank everybody on Facebook, Twitter, etc for the moral support and encouragement. Can't tell you all just how much that means, especially during all the ups and down's. You all really are the best! :)

Keep your fingers crossed we all have something to cheer about in the near future.

RAD Hat Visits Contemporary Resort

2010-03-17T07:08:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody! Had a terrific day yesterday touring the Disney resorts on the Monorail loop with a delightful new friend (thanks Jan!). Had a few firsts during this leisurely time out. Had lunch for the first time over at the Polynesian (yes I did make good on that promise to have salad after Monday's "All Stick" meal at Burger King). Rode the water taxi over to Wilderness Lodge and Magic Kingdom for the first time. Also hit four resorts (Contemporary, Poly, Grand Flo, and Wilderness) plus Downtown Disney all in a single day (another first!). Saw my first real hidden Mickey over at Wilderness Lodge too. Once again, my Dansko clogs easily tackled a ton of walking. (I'm so buying another pair later!)

So how does an already great day get even better? By getting a call on a job interview too. Will keep you all posted after Thursday's meet. With any luck I'll be starting my alternate cullinary career by week's end and will celebrate with a Chef Mickey pin if all goes well. If not, it's back to Huntsville, Alabama to regroup per the original plan this week.

All in all, I just could not have asked for a better day.

Special thanks to Matt "The Transporter" Grass for some great Disney insider tips and tricks that truly made the day fun.

RAD Hat Visits Fort Wilderness Resort

2010-03-14T12:40:00.002-05:00

Had gorgeous weather for another day of resort hopping. FWR is a tranquil setting with some really pretty views of Bay Lake and it's right next to the Contemporary resort. Definitely a good day hanging out with Matt Grass of Coaster Crew. Also raced Monorail Black on the way over.

Notice of Account Will Closure WoW Phishing Scam

2010-03-12T15:20:00.002-06:00

Just a friendly heads up to my brother and sister World of Warcraft players. There's a new email phishing scam circulating that basically says "we're shutting down your account for cheating and verify your info at these links...". Here are the bogus parts to look for:

Odd line breaks in mid sentence
The email originated from Yahoo, NOT the Blizzard address given
It asks you to click on a link and verify your info

As we all know, any worthy company has your info and will ask you to call them regarding accounts. Translation, this one is a very convincing fake if you're not paying attention. I've forwarded the email I recieved on to Blizzard's Accounts department and am waiting on verification.

Such a shame. The creativity, talent, and energy wasted on this trickery could've gone to building or improving something worthwhile for the good of humanity.

The WoW Report: Playing Both Sides

2010-03-10T10:41:00.002-06:00

While there's a lot of good-natured (and not so good-natured) competition between Alliance and Horde in World of Warcraft, what many players may not realize is that there are advantages to knowing thy enemy. There are even more to being thy enemy.

I play two characters. One is a level 38 Night Elf Priest. The other is a level 26 Forsaken Warlock. Translation: Elf "good guy" and Undead "bad guy" for the non-WoW among us. Both are growing steadily and I'm having a good time exploring the vast world of Azeroth. I've also noticed, depending on what side of the fence you're on, "enemy" is a relative term. There's a gray area when it comes to each side's goals. Both want to expand and grow, and those who don't follow such goals or threaten peaceful existance become "the enemy". Throw in various storyline political intrigue and the Alliance isn't as pure and noble, nor is the Horde as brutal and sinister. As Sean Connery once said in Rising Sun, "Deep, isn't it?"

By playing both, sides, you know the other group's culture, it's resources, it's landscape, it's strengths, and it's weaknessess. For example, my Priest recently put an Elven toe into the Barrens for the first time the other day. Since I'd spent much time questing in that area with my Forsaken Warlock, I knew where to go and what to avoid and accomplished my quest faster. On the flip side, when I started the Warlock, because I was familiar with how Stormwind (major Alliance city) was set up, it help me learn Ogrimmar (major Horde city) much faster. It also helped me set up and level faster through the lessons learned and mistakes made with the Priest. Be careful, however. It's very easy to stroll into the opposite faction's village out of habit and suddenly remember you're playing the wrong character. Oops.

There's also no end of awkward comedy that results from seeing players from the other major faction. Chances are, you're both thinking the same thing, "Oh crap! Are they about to give me the beat down?" Thankfully, most of the time it's no. In fact, one time while I was playing a Night Elf Druid (Alliance) in Cat Form, I wound up on a ship with a mounted and highly experienced Troll Warrior (Horde)...who reached down and petted me on the head. We both had a good laugh of it, but I didn't doddle getting off the ship either. On another occasion in the Barrens, my low-level Forsaken Warlock (Horde) was sitting, recovering from a fight. Off to the right appeared a high level Human Warrior (Alliance) who timidly waved, stood still for a moment, then went on his way. He was gone before I could wave back.

Another advantage to duality is that it's a break and different perspective from your main character. If you're stuck on a quest or just tired of an area, switching to the other side for a night can be refreshing, whether you accomplish anything or not. It also gives you a chance to quest and raid with a different set of brother and sister players. Yep, see the world, meet new people, rip some Trolls a new one.

Suffice to say, playing a character on each side of World of Warcraft can have great advantages and help one further appreciate the game. If you play, explore this option. I think you'll agree.

Sunday of Awesome Part 2

2010-03-08T11:53:00.003-06:00

Just to recap from the last article, I had a delightful breakast with the good folks of Shoney's, found my way to the Contemporary Resort, and signed a little boy's autograph book on the monorail. Next up, MORE joy in the day.

The Polynesian Resort was the next stop on a casual and liesurely Sunday of resort hopping. This was a chance to poke around gift shops, take pictures, get asked to take pictures of random tourist families, you know, the usual. It was also a sunny clear day outside, and warming up after the recent Florida cold snaps. Perfect time to see the outside portion of Poly.

Got some fun pictures walking around the boat docks while listening to Hawaiian music. Pretty soothing to make your way out to the water and pass the beaches with their hammocks. Ahhh bliss. Just watch out for the bird poop. (Yep, killed that perfectly good moment didn't I?)

On a side note, Joel aka FrikiTiki over at Coaster Crew, you were thought of. Cheers my friend!

Monorailed back over to Contemporary and explored it's pool area. Where the new Bay Lake Tower is, there used to be a smaller building like the one on the opposite side of the property. This is where our family stayed during out 1992 trip. Since then, BLT (now there's a great acronym!) waterslide, and mod water play area were new. All nicely done too.

I sat down on a nearby planter to call the folks. Was your typical what's new, how you been, yes I have on clean underwear, conversation (that last one is a family joke). What made my day (again!) was that they read my blog now and enjoy it. Wow! And now I really have to watch the language...;) Indeed, it was a good chat and it really made me feel good to know they're behind me on so many things in life, and now the blog. That's just awesome.

Time for lunch and recharge the Blackberry. Ice Cream was in order. What? I'm at Disney and 35. It's one of the perks of adulthood. It was also time to txt a friend and sister Disney fan who was working. Sent her some pics from the morning that she AND her friends at work enjoyed. Got a nice txt back from them and got called a big brother. Nice! See what the magic of ice cream for lunch can do?

Wound up my resort jount by meeting fellow Coaster Crew forum member and enthusaist James Kegler. Had a good time talking coasters and Haunted Mansion while having cokes over at Disney Transporation Center. It really was great to meet another person behind an internet profile. Since parks, etc, are a people business, face to face meetings are essential for good relations. You just don't get as much from texting, emails, or forum posts, despite their convenience.

James, there's a waterpark or two with our names on them this summer. :)

So how do you wind up a wiz bang Sunday with more good vibes than a Haight Ashbury street festival? By going out with friends to House of Blues over at Downtown Disney. Once again, Legend, Matt Grass, and I headed out for night of drinks, good music, and dancing. As expected, House of Blues was packed with mostly 20-somethings and majority cast members relaxing. And wow can some of them dance! There were regular break dance battles going on, head spins, flips, and all. Yes, break-dance. Like 80's Hip Hop break dance, but without the parachute pants or fingerless gloves. It was like watching Breakin' or Beat Street all over again. Yep, feeling kinda old at this point.

Well, old or not, it was time to hit the packed dance floor once the house and techno music flared up. We were drowned in a sea of bodies, high heels, and blinding LED arrays. This is where I had the pleasure of dancing with a gal who backed into me...and decided to stay there. The rest of the evening was some close dancing, a few one-liners, and really just light-hearted fun, even with my rusty moves. Regardless, Jan, it was fun to keep up and a pleasure to meet you. Thank you. :)

Truly, a Sunday of Awesome.

Sunday of Awesome Part 1

2010-03-08T10:47:00.009-06:00

You ever have just a really good day where a bunch of little stuff adds up to surprisingly fun time? Well did I ever yesterday!

The plan was to get out early...and eat. Other than that, I had no clue. So off I went for breakfast, getting a particular vibe while passing Shoney's. Though craving Steak n Shake and then Dunkin Donuts (I believe in healthy eating by the way) the fates brought me back Shoney's. The real treat here was not the tasty buffet, nor the Seafood Grits (which I'll get to in a moment), but the friendly and lighthearted staff. We're talking smiling, friendly, Southern Hospitality, like you just went over to someone's Mom's house and they're genuinely glad you're there. Even a lady a couple tables over from Virginia remarked about the good spirit.

Among the usual breakfast items was something I had to try: Seafood Grits! Typical grits with seasoned(?) shrimp and immitation crab meat (bet real Alaskin or King would be out of this world). Having lived in the South a good chunk of my life, grits are a dish I do enjoy now and again, and I enjoyed these too. Also chuckled while meeting a humerous minister at the buffet who said "Nike is Hebrew for just do it." Either he or his wife was wearing a Nike hoodie, hence the spiritual and motivational quip.

Truly, great job to the folks at Vineland/Apopka Shoney's and way to set a standard!

With stomach full and tourist coupon books and maps aquired, I set off to find Disney's Contemporary Resort...solo...sans GPS. You laugh, but this was a big step for a guy still learning his way around Orlando. In 10 short minutes, I was standing in awe of monorail goodness and Bay Lake Tower. And, no matter how many times you see them, the monorails trigger a giddyness and excitement that just won't let you sit still or quit smiling. Yes friends, it was time to ride. Yeeeeehaaaww!

On the way over to the Polynesian Resort, a little boy walked right up to me and said "Hi! What's your name?" He had a character autograph book in his hand and a shiney new Disney birthday button. His Mom smiled and said "He wants you to sign his autograph book." According to Mom, Mr. Haydon was hard core for his autographs. I grinned, talked with Mom, Dad, and birthday boy, and signed away. Hey, it was my first autograph as a theme park person, so it's tough to tell who was more thrilled, me or Haydon. Regardless, it made my day and he seemed happy too.

To Haydon's family, who will be reading this, it was a pleasure to meet you all. Aaaaaannnnddd...Happy Birthday Haydon! Hope everybody had a wonderful time and my best to you all. :)

More Sunday of Awesome to come!

The Growing Vinylmation Collection

2010-03-04T13:56:00.003-06:00

Since I've been talking a lot about these little guys, here's a pic of my collection to date...in a conga line...on a railing...with stucko. Yes, we're stretching the bounds of creativity and humor for the sake of mild entertainment here folks. Yay art?

Pictured here are:

Park Series 3 - Herbie the Love Bug, Monorail Blue
Urban Series 3 - Watermelon (Chaser)
Cutester Series - Apple (My very first Vinylmation, picked up while hanging out with Natalie Visage of Natatomic.)

World's Largest McDonald's

2010-03-03T10:55:00.008-06:00

Back in February I had a chance to play tourist for a day with Matt Grass (Coaster Crew) and Cassie B (That Theme Park Thespian). The mission was two-fold: Get out for the day and get my piddly butt familiar with International Drive's plethora of stuff to see and do. (And yes, I DO know what a plethora means, all you 3 Amigos fans.)

While going walkabout, we stopped into The World's Largest McDonald's for hot fudge sundaes. Yes, the very same restaurant that's been on networks like Travel Channel, etc.

Imagine, if the McDonald's we grew up with (not the new McCafe's) and Showbiz Pizza Place (remember those?) had a two-story McLovechild full of games, bowling, and very different food offerings. Oh, and throw in an aquarium and an animatronic for fun. Hold on to yer McLunch!

We'll start with the food offerings. All the usual McGoodness is there, but there are also some dishes you might not expect...like pizza. Yes! They really do serve pizza. There are also, turkey wraps, meatball sandwiches, pasta dishes, layer cakes, even Belgian waffles. Did I mention the taco salad or Bistro Gourmet Menu? No McKidding here!

Downstairs is where you order and get your food. There's several games along one wall and the main dining area is adorned with rope lights and Florida beach murals. In about the middle is an aquarium wall/bar (as in eating counter, not a place to get booze). Here you can sit and watch fishes or the nearby 42 inch tvs hanging from the ceiling. Toward the back of the dining room is a two lane mini bowling alley themed to Route 66, while off to the right is single animatronic moon man at a piano. Think Ray Charles meets the old Disney Pleasure Island mascot and you have Mac Tonight. Mac was an attempt to McOust Ronald for company mascot status years ago. While Mac was hip and cool in a Vegas Rat Pack sort of way, his 15 minutes of fame was up pretty fast. Even so, this animatronic is a neat and rare part of McDonald's history.

Upstairs is the main games area. It's mostly redemption games and simulators with some favorites like Skee Ball thrown in. There's also a Soft Play area with a tree house theme typical of most McDonald's restaurants. And when you've won a goodly amount of tickets from gaming, it's time to cash them in for McPrizes that are on par with places like Chuck E Cheese's, Incredible Pizza Company, and Tex Critter's Pizza Jamboree. Yep, from stuffed animals to sack packs, it's all there at Mickey D's Gift Shop.

Whether you're a big kid (like me) or a little kid, this place is definitely worth a stop during an Orlando trip. You might even meet Ronald, Grimace, or the rest of the McDonald's characters.

Where's Wally and the Brit Party Bus

2010-03-02T02:15:00.002-06:00

I've seen a lot of crazy things in 35 years, many of which were in the DC club scene. Tonight, however, was a new level of comedy that if I hadn't seen it, I really wouldn't have believed it.

Matt and I went to Murphy's Arms Pub here in Orlando to visit our buddy Gareth. We then went across the street to Buffalo Wild Wings. After some obligatory medium boneless wings and coke (thanks Katie for the great service, by the way), we headed back over to Murphy's. That's when the insanity started.

The almost empty bar we had left an hour prior was now filled with a bus load of 20-something Brits, mostly ladies, and all dressed like Where's Waldo. That's red and white stripes, black glasses, and all. There had to be 30-50 of them. Then they started singing Dolly Parton songs like 9 to 5 and Jolene. One gal sauntered up to Matt and I, offered me some of her beer and then said how she liked American men...then wandered off to kiss some random guy with white hair and a resemblence to Billy Idol. Yes sports fans, the lady in the pigtails was hammered, but at least she was cordial. I skipped the lady's beer offer in the name of Designated Driver tonight.

Needless to say, Matt and I sat in awe as the guys of the group watched the Futball (Soccer for the unaware) match, and screamed obscenities. A gal named Sammie later explained that every so often, this was a theme event and a way to blow off steam after a days work in the park industry. Hey, points for creativity.

Bonkers indeed, but had a good time with those folks and hope to see them again. Also a great story worth sharing. Yep, you just can't make this stuff up folks. ;)

Disney World Resort Hopping

2010-02-27T05:10:00.003-06:00

One of the neatest things I've ever done. The other night I checked out the Contemporary Resort, rode the Monorail, grabbed ice cream with Matt Grass of Coaster Crew, watched Wishes from the Contemporary balcony underneath the Monorail, then toured the Polynesian and Grand Floridian hotels. Also stopped into Citrico and Victoria Albert restuarants. We were treated to a surprise tour of both by a very sweet cast member from Arizona. Wish I could remember her name, but how nice of her! Yep, a really fun night and an excellent call by Mr. Grass.

WDW Vinylmation Store to open at Downtown Disney

2010-02-24T22:27:00.002-06:00

It's almost official. Downtown Disney is getting it's own Vinylmation store to replace one of the Planet Hollywood gift shops. Good news if you're a VM fan or just a Disney fan in general. Rumor has it, you'll find all the series plus a slew of new series ready to launch over this year. There's also rumor of a build your own section of the store. Since many stores sell the blanks, being able to customize a figure could be an even better way to remember your Disney trip.

Now just what is this Vinylmation thing that keeps popping up? It's a series of Mickey shaped 3 inch figures (also 9 inchers) painted in various designs or themes. There's everything from burgers to Monorails, but there's a catch. You pick the series (Parks, Urban, Holiday, etc), but the end result is totally random. In addition, there's a secret figure in every series that isn't revealed right away. Kind of a special edition. Bingo. Luck o' the draw here. And in an odd way, it's part of the fun.

I know what you're thinking. "What if I get a crappy one and I wasted ten bucks? Where's the fun in that?" Like any game of chance, there are some risks, and you assume them if you play the game. And, much like any chance game, there are some things that can sway the odds in your favor. Here are a few of my tricks:

Pick a series or 2 where at least half to 3/4 of the artwork is something you could enjoy. If there's only 1 or 2 figures you like in a series of 12, chances are low you'll get them and you'll probably be unhappy with what you do get.
Keep the so-so figures and trade them. Chances are, a sister or brother VM fan will be interested and you can get a better figure out of the deal. There are always the trade forums or eBay if nothing else.
If you collect pins, particularly VM pins, you double your chances for a couple bucks more than the cost of 1 figure. There's 2 pins per pack, and a pack goes for about $12 (a single figure is $10). If you don't like what you get out of the series after employing the above tips, save the pins for trade, OR talk with a cast member in the area. They carry other Disney pins and will trade what they have upon request. You might just find something better.
Since collecting this stuff can get expensive in a hurry, try setting aside loose change from other purchases. When you have about $12, pick up a box of VM pins, or a figure every so often. You get a prize now and then without breaking the bank. You also help out cast members who often NEED that loose change.

Really, you just have to have fun with the idea. I have 2 VM figures and 4 pins. Now I wasn't wild about my Cutester Series Apple or Urban Series 3 Watermelon (aka the Chaser or secret figure) at first, but they're growing on me. Thankfully, my Park Series 2 and 3 pins ended up pretty good (Castle, Winnie the Pooh, Fish Bowl, and Toy Story Green Guy), so no need to trade there. Oh, I still have my eye on the Urban Series 3 Burger and Diver and could be persuaded to trade. There are some others that might be worth a trade as well, but all in all, I've done well on the randomness table.

Hope this info is helpful to everyone. Drop me a line if you're in the Orlando area and wish to trade or just talk Pin Collecting or Vinylmation. As Carl Grisholm once said, "Maybe we can cut a deal." ;)

The Adventure of a Lifetime

2010-02-22T15:15:00.003-06:00

In July 2009, I was layed off...and terrified. Amidst some medical and financial problems I was trying to fix, my employer at that time cut me loose. Was I angry with them? Definitely. But honestly, though trained in 3D modeling and graphics, my heart just wasn't in it, and I was fighting a losing socio-political battle. My heart was in Orlando Florida, and my number came up.

Ultimately, I lost my apartment, most of my furniture, health insurance, some dignity and some self respect. All things I worked furiously to obtain through getting my 3D associates a few years prior. All that effort and fate sent me back to square one. Back to the struggle.

I say all this not to cultivate pity, but to set the stage for a very unique set of circumstances that would become my world. With majority camping gear and most of my goods in a couple frame packs, I moved to Memphis Tennessee to live with my girlfriend at that time. The reasoning was bigger city, better job prospects, and eventually move to Orlando Florida. During that time, though work was nill, a careful budget and help from her on occasion saw us traveling to conventions. There were book signings, tourist trips, and even some theme parks. But still no work.

By December 2009, I'd cashed my equal to retirement and had about 3 months to live on. If Orlando, which had been screaming at me all the while, was to happen, it had to be now. The girlfriend and I split, and I returned to Huntsville to be with my family for the holidays. That decision cost me a relationship, media work, a book cover, and plenty more. Even so, it was the right decision. My heart told me so.

The stars lined up in Orlando as the parents helped with some financial things while internet friends near Disney gave me a places to stay. Despite best efforts, still no work. Though worried and sleepless many many nights, it occurred that what I was experiencing was the sort of thing seen in a coming of age movie. The main character comes screaming close to rock bottom while meeting kindred spirits, but is never want for the essentials. He also learns and shares his gifts with those around him, ultimately benefitting or helping his companions. Finally, he refines himself and his desires for ultimate balance and focus, thereby achieving victory in the face of great odds.

This is my life friends. I'm a 35 year old man, in mid career crossroads, living out of a couple frame packs and staying on the couches of kind and generous people. It's both freeing and frightening. Despite the Aussie credo, I worry...a lot. I spend my days hunting for a career, not just a job, so that I can be content and get back to my own place. Oh, and keep my looming bills at bay too. I also live, explore, and cherish each day for making my choice to move down here.

As rough as all this sounds, this is a very rare and very special circumstance in which to find clarity of mind, body, and soul. You ask yourself what's truly important, and you cast off excess in favor of focus. You learn much about yourself because there's a lot of time to face some of the ugly truths. Particularly stuff inside you REALLY don't want to deal with. On one hand, you're happy to live for the day, yet on the other, you feel like a massive failure. Yet somehow, you cling to a shred of hope that the great powers have good things ahead for you, as long as you're aware and tenacious. You have to earn your rewards from the powers that be, they don't just hand out the blessings, even in the most dire of times.

It's all so crazy, but then my life is off the norm anyway. Always has been and always will be. There is comfort in finding other lively souls like me, as well as balance with the not so lively souls. Most seem to find something relatable and likeble amongst my many quirks. Relation builds friendship and support on some levels and is a gift. Even so, I take great pride in my oddities and turn them to my advantage as well as serve the greater good. This includes counseling and open ear to those brothers and sisters of unique nature.

Where this will lead, I have no idea. It's a journey of faith. All anyone can do is charge forward, plan carefully and hope. I am truly in fate's hands, and thus live the adventure of a lifetime.