Everybody's Free to Have a Quiet Time

So, sometimes when I am looking for something blog and I know I have to not only be up in about 7 hours for work, meaning I'll need to be in bed in an hour or so... and so tonight, I found this little gem.  Well, to me its a gem, to you it might just be something to skim on your daily check of Clouds in My Coffee

...which I've noticed I'm getting alot of traffic daily, probably due to The Summer of Blogging--so... thank you so much...

...anyway, its the lyrics to a version of "Everyone's Free to Wear Sunscreen", done by Baz Luhrmann from 1999. 

It originated in 1997, when Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune wrote a column entitled "Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young".  She described it as "a commencement speech, were I asked to give one".   Over the years, it has been erroneously attributed to Kurt Vonnegat, though it became truly famous when, in 1999, Australian film director Baz Luhrmann used the entire essay in a spoken word song entitled "Wear Sunscreen". 

And by 2000, this song was everywhere.  So, on January 9th, 2001, I did my own version.  And I thought I'd give it to you...

"HAVE A QUIET TIME (EVERYBODY'S FREE)"

Ladies and gentlemen of The Deuce... read scripture.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, a daily quiet time would be it.  The long term benefits of The Word has been proven time after time by God and joy in your life that comes with Him, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice...

...now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of The Deuce.  Oh, never mind, you will never understand the power and beauty of The Deuce until it has disbanded.   But trust me, in twenty years, you will look back at photos of Deuce Christmas and an old DeuceFest shirt and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much fun you had and how fabulous the Deuce guys really looked.

They are not as lazy as you might think.

Don't worry about the future or worry, but know that worrying is as ineffective as McLeod trying to be entertained by watching Jason Takes Manhatten.  The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that has a Mercedes blindsiding your insuranceless car at 10:30pm on a random Tuesday.

Bring one new person to Common Ground, even if it scares you.

If you are Stephanie Campbell, sing.  Unless you are Rebecca Glassco.  Then act.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with Delta Zetas who are reckless with yours.

Use coasters.

Don't waste your time on jealousy... if she likes you, great, if she doesn't, being jealous will only turn her off of you even further.  The race is long and though you may never reach the end, enjoy the run.

Remember compliments Michael gives you, forget his insults.  If you succeed in doing this, you aren't Sarah Hasha.

Keep your old movie tickets.  Throw away any bills.

Slam.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 20 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 25 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of Hamburger Helper.

Be kind to the Nipp family... you'll miss Sunday lunch when its gone.

Maybe you'll get a date, maybe you won't.  Maybe you'll go out twice, maybe you won't.  Maybe you'll go stag at Deuce Date Party, maybe you'll eat cheese fries on your 2nd anniversary.

Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, dont berate yourself to much either.

God's will is going to happen, whether you like it or not.

Enjoy the Deuce.  Visit every chance you can, don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it.  It has some of the greatest fellowship you'll ever know.

Watch the History Channel at least once a week, even if there are others things on.

Don't worry about the directions, just shove them behind the DVDS.

Do not read Shawn's Better Homes and Gardens, it will only make you feel gay.

Get to know Factor 7's music.  You'll never know when they'll break up for good.

Be nice to your roommates.  They are the best link to paying rent on time, and the people most likely to stick with you when everyone else won't.

Understand that friends come and go, but a precious few you should hold on to. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and gender, for as the older you get, the more you'll need somewhere to go and just relax.

Visit Hunter Street once, but leave before it makes you hard.

Visit Brookhills once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Accept certain inaliable truths... Daniel will have his palm pilot,  and Ty Coffey will own Samford and Mike Williams will try to date Rebecca.  When you get older, you'll fantacize that when you young, Daniel used an ink pen, Mike was meeting girls at Ropers and Ty was merely a Senator.

Respect Wookiee, Sybil and Jimmy, for they are your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to pay your bills.

Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a loaded roommate, but you'll never know when either one will run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you are 40 you will look like you are a minister at Valleydale.

Be careful where you buy your used cds and movies, but be patient with those who supply them. 

Know that advice is a form of nostalgia.  Dispensing it is a way of sharing your opinions without seeming like you are telling the other person what to do.  Usually its recycled advice spoken for more than its worth.

But trust me on the quiet time.

The Summer of Blogging Day Forty One

Ranking Harry Potter

Tomorrow, at 1130am, I will be sitting in a Rave Motion Picture Theater awaiting the beginning of the commercials that will proceed the trailers that will proceed the movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2".  Its the end.  The last Harry Potter movie.  And much like the completion of the last book, which for me occurred about 18 hours after the 2007 summer midnight release, it will be a bittersweet occasion.



Both my darling wife and one of my best friends are Potter Fanatics, so
I really have no choice but to be the same. 

 I actually am seeing it twice this weekend... the original plan was to possibly see it at midnight--but because of The Lovely Steph Leann has a real job, she can't do it.  So, we are going to see it on Sunday afternoon.  However, my dear friend Melanie invited me to come with her, Special K and The Zack Attack to see it Friday morning... after about, oh 3 seconds of deliberation, I said "YES".  I could have gone at midnight or tomorrow alone, but this one is a film you want to see with people, with fellow Harry Potter enthusiasts. 

Its the end of the era.  I was working at Carmike Cinemas at the Summit when the first movie came out, back in 2001.  I had not read the books at the time, and didn't start reading them until 2003, when the fifth novel, Order of the Phoenix had come out.  I devoured all five books released at that time in a matter of a few weeks, and have seen every movie released on opening weekend.

I even attended a Potter Party Release for the last two books, getting them both at midnight at Barnes & Noble.   Yep, I'm a Potterphile.  I said it.

The movies themselves have been hit or miss... none of them are bad, and in fact, several are great adaptations--the problem is, the books continued to get longer and longer, and that forced screenwriter Steve Kloves, who wrote all eight screen adaptations, to cut more and more out of the movie to keep them from being 7 hours long each--though to be honest, I probably would have sat through 7 hours to see Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and especially The Half-Blood Prince to be done... well, for lack of a better word, better.

From first to last, this is how I rank the books:

1) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)... The creation of Dumbledore's Army is awesome, plus the intense Ministry of Magic battle makes for a great final 100 pages

2) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)... The linchpin in the book series.  This is where it goes from kid books to dark books.

3) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)... Perhaps the most underrated of the books, I really enjoy this one... the exposition is done, and its a quick read

4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)... I do miss time at Hogwarts, but the final battle is exhilarating and yet heartbreaking at the same time.  I do have issue with the fact that once its over, we don't see The Weasley's talking to Harry... it just kind of... well, ends.

5) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)... Its where it all begins, the introduction of characters, the opening of the world that JK Rowling created.

6) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)... The introduction of Sirius, but my main issue with this one is the fact that the whole bad turn at the end could have been avoided by either Lupin or Sirius saying, "Hey Harry, listen, this is what's going on..."

7) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)... The Lovely Steph Leann loves this book, perhaps more than any other, though I didn't like Harry being stupid at the beginning, plus all the back story part.  The Harry Kisses Ginny part really makes it worthy, though.

That's the books... as for the movies, here's how I rank the movies, from last to first.  Now, understand, like the books, just because its last doesn't mean I don't like it... its like ranking Pixar films... well, now that "Cars 2" is out, that might be a bad analogy...

...okay, its like ranking Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.  Cherry Garcia is my definite favorite, but if you offered me some Chunky Monkey or Phish Food, I'd take it and love it.  So just because its 7th, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it...

7) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)... there are a number of problems I have with this film, as spelled out in my letter to Steve Kloves.  The main issue, though, is the Harry/Ginny debacle--and the fact that that scene in the book is one of my two or three favorite scenes in all seven books, the way it was done can truly be described as a "debacle".   I also didn't like the Snape "I am the half blood prince" revelation towards the end... seriously?  He doesn't mention even being slightly suspicious of Harry's work the whole book and then he says it? 

Not my favorite of the movies, but it is
one of my favorite posters

6)  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)... This one would be more classified as a "Harry Potter Guilty Pleasure" film if anything.  Its remarkable how young the kids are, and the acting is a bit silly.  This is the last one Chris Columbus directed, and I'm cool with that.  Enjoyable, though, as Kenneth Branaugh's Gilderoy Lockhart is hilarious.  Also the first appearance of Dobby and Jason Isaac's brilliant Lucius Malfoy turn.

5)  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)... Everyone raves about Alfonso Cuaron's direction, and perhaps that's just because its different than the kiddie style that Chris Columbus took... it is better, I'll admit, but all the changes to the story are a little maddening.  David Thewlis is perfect as Professor Lupin, however, and is one of my favorite of the movie characters.  I still am bothered by the fact that at the end, when Ron, Hermione, Harry, Lupin and Sirius are all in the Shrieking Shack, all Lupin or Sirius has to even say is, "Okay, give me the rat, its an animangus, its actually Peter Pettigrew, I'm not going to kill Harry, I'm after Peter..." but he doesn't say that, it builds the suspense, Snape comes in, and all Ensley breaks loose.  Just seems like it could have been avoided, that's all. 

Plus... and maybe I'm in the minority here, but I liked Richard Harris' old Dumbledore over Michael Gambon's hippie Dumbledore.  Just sayin'.

4)  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)... This is where it all started.  Man, these kids look young--which, I guess they were.  Working the theater when this premiered was insane, as I had to hold back three hundred kids, moms and dads, and after the show, the theater was literally so trashed, I used a leaf blower on a backpack, started at the top and blew trash to the bottom so the lazy high school students could do their best and not work.  Great movie, though.

3)  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)... This movie is where it sets in that in order to tell the cinematic story, they have to remove half the book.  Granted, taking out Hermione's S.P.E.W. subplot, arguably the weakest in the entire series, was great, but still, it was tough when the movie started on what was around page 110 in the book.  It was a time thing, though, and the Triwizard Tourney was awesome.  It was also great seeing Robert Pattison as Cedric Diggory, not as some gay sparkly vampire with commitment issues. 

2)  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (2010)... Last year, I did a full recap of this movie on this here blog site, and discussed first a spoiler free, than a spoiler filled recap, though there is plenty of notice before the spoilers start.  The more I think about this addition to the series, the more I like it... here's what I wrote:

Essentially, the film version, at least Part I, of "The Deathly Hallows", is a little like a table of contents.  You see a live action snippet of each scene that is fully fleshed out in the book itself,  something is allowable because the 140 minutes of the movie covers only about 300 pages, not 500 pages.

1)  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)... My favorite book is my favorite Harry Potter movie.  Again, its not perfect, only due to lack of time, but I think it does the best job of making the necessary cuts to the book to fit the film.   It brings to the forefront Luna Lovegood, my favorite of the movie characters, and perhaps the only character I like in the movie over the book version, and of course, Ginny Weasley, one of my favorite characters overall. 

The Ministry of Magic battle happens and it looks brilliant, with Lucius Malfoy playing a key role.  And of course, the formation of Dumbledore's Army looks better than I imagined it when I read it in the book.  If it has any weaknesses at all, its the use of Professor Umbridge... one of the key moments in the book is when she tortures Harry by making him write with an evil pen, one that etches in the back the writer's hand as they write.  Harry makes it a point to not complain, even though there is scarring by the end.  In the movie, you see Umbridge making many of the students use such a pen, and it somewhat dilutes the torture given to Harry.  Just my own thoughts.  Anyway, my favorite of the movies.

But where will "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" rank among the other films?  I'll find out in about... 12 hours. 

Oh, if you missed a movie, or have forgotten what happens, here are The Fine Brothers on YouTube recapping all seven movies in seven minutes, in one take.   By the way, all the "We have no idea!" questions are legit questions if you have only seen the movies, but answered if you have read the books... for the most part, anyway...

  (there is a bleeped out F-bomb 3:22 in)

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Seven

My Caylee Anthony Opinion

Alright, so here are my thoughts on the whole Casey Anthony thing.

I don't really care.

I feel bad that a baby died, be it intentional or by accident, but babies die every day by both causes, and this just happened to be one that we focused on.  I won't play the race card and tell you that I was intrigued by an opinion piece that asked, "If Caylee Anthony was black, would we care?", because truly... I don't care.  Sorry. 

I know, this sounds harsh.  I guess I hate saying "I don't care", but I know so little about the case, its hard to form an opinion one way or the other.  Since 98% of Facebook got their law degrees on the same day of the acquittal (why else would everyone else have the right answer?), it would be easy to ascertain that Casey is guilty... though a few rogue opinions say its Grandpa.  Heck, I didn't even know the baby died in a pool until after the verdict was read.  So, instead of coming late to the baby party, I figured I would just... well, not pay attention to it.  Or for lack of a better term, not care.  That's just me.

So the other night, its all kind of raining, and The Lovely Steph Leann comes in from her weekend away with Mama Ruthless, and we are both pretty hungry.  What to do?  Order a pizza!

Hop onto Papa John's online and order our pizza... now, I'm easy when it comes to pizza.  The perfect pizza for me includes four things... first, pepperoni.  Not too much, don't kill it, but some is good.  Next is mushrooms.  Next, black olives.  And its all baked atop a thick layer of extra cheese. 

We typically go the Papa John's route because its more often than not cheaper than Pizza Hut, and neither one of us are fans of Dominos.  Little Caesar's is only a choice if you are desperate, broke or at church . Or all three.

Anyway, The Lovely Steph Leann makes it easier because she is very low maintenance--she just wants cheese on it.  She used to go pepperoni, but now its just cheese.  So when I order, I get extra cheese on the whole thing, pepperoni, black olives and mushrooms on one side.  That's it, that's all, order, click, submit, and wait for the pizza to get there.

Forty five minutes later, a ding at the door tells me it has arrived.  I tossed on an overly priced 2 liter of Coke... it was $2.29, when at CVS about 1/5th of a mile away, its $1.09, but that would require me to get up, and we can't have that, can we?

The bill was just over $16, I gave the guy a 20 and told him to keep it (if that doesn't seem like a big tip, please know that I could walk to the Papa John's in about 15 minutes--and I only mention the bill and tip because this parlays into the story a little later).  I immediately walked it into the kitchen, pulled out a couple of cups, iced them, poured in some refreshing crisp Co-Cola for myself, and some lame caffeine free Co-Cola for her, took the drinks and napkins into the living room, then went back to the kitchen for pizza.

The aroma of cheese filled the air, the heat from the box emanating and warming my hands even before I touched that sacred cardboard, that holder of dinner, that box that would soon bring forth, upon opening, a cornucopia, nay, a cavalcade of wonder, flavor, fat and taste... I opened the box and immediately took a whiff of the cheese, the pepperoni, the onions...

(cue record screeching sound)

...the onions?

I glanced on the right side, and its just cheese.  Doesn't look like extra cheese, just cheese.  But on the left side... there are onions.  And peppers?  Peppers!  Peppers!!  I don't do peppers!  Peppers!  Not only do peppers infect the entire pizza with their spicy destruction, the mere presence of onions signifies so much time spent rooting and pulling out onions...

I called Papa John's immediately, was put on hold, waiting about 90 seconds, hung up, called back and predictably was put on hold again.  Finally, they came back to me, and I told them, very nicely I might add, "So, I was delivered the wrong pizza.  Wanted to call you back and let you resolve it."

Was put on hold.  Again.  Finally, a dude that sounded as if he had a little more authority came back on.  He asked my address, and I answered.  He asked me what was actually on the box that was delivered, and I replied, "Martha Calen, 1124 Inverness Cove Lane.  Not me."  He told me they'd send another one out pretty quickly.

I knew The Lovely Steph Leann was hungry, so I cut her out a piece from the cheese side of the mistake pizza... she expressed concern, but my argument was simply that they delivered the wrong pizza--surely they weren't going to take it back.  I certainly wouldn't want any pizza that had been in someone else's house... I mean, I trust us, but I don't trust strangers in strange houses.

I brought her a plate with a few pieces of cheese pizza, and sat down, awaiting the other pizza, the right pizza, to arrive.  A few minutes later, I got a phone call... from the driver.  He asked me what the box he'd delivered had printed on its front.  I told him the Inverness Cove Lane address, and he said, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I only had two on this route, yours and theirs... and I must have just grabbed the wrong one.  You mind if I swing back by?"

"I hope you don't mean to pick up the other pizza, cause... well, eew," I replied.  He said, "Naw, I was just going to drop this one by."

Now, I know mistakes can be made, and certainly it is to be expected that anyone delivering a few dozen pizzas night after night is bound to make a mistake.  But at the same time, I did pay for my pizza, and I wanted it to be as hot as possible, and by this time, it had been at least 30 to 40 minutes since he'd dropped off the wrong pizza.  Meaning my pizza had been in his car for at least 50 minutes, maybe an hour.

"Well, that's fine, but I already called Papa John's and they are supposed to send us another pizza."  Got a "Oh" on the other end.

A little while later, our delivery guy showed up and rang the doorbell.  When I opened the door, he just kinda tossed it at me, said, "Here ya go, no charge," and walked off.  I actually cannot be positive it was the same guy, he was gone so fast.  I closed the door, and The Lovely Steph Leann looked up.

"I would sure hope its free," she remarked. 

So, dinner was finally here, and it was tasty. 

You may not care much about my pizza story, but I really didn't want to talk about Caylee Anthony.  Partly because I know so little about the case...

...and partly because... well, I don't care.  Does this make me a bad person?  Hope not.

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Six

Larry Crowne's Big Miss

This movie should be an awesome film.  Starring one guy who is almost a "Can't Miss", that being Tom Hanks (for anyone who has seen "The Ladykillers", you'll know that the "almost" in that statement is necessary), and at least until recently, a bankable leading actress, that being Julia Roberts (though since "Eat Pray Love" made about 9 dollars at the box office, that might not be true either.)

Mercy and Larry, discussing the GPS, which is voiced by Nia
Vardalos.

...or if you are a glutton for punishment, watch both in "Charlie Wilson's War", only made good by the presence of Philip Seymore Hoffman and Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with...

Anyway, "Larry Crowne"'s premise is promising... a guy who has been successful at a U-Mart, a big Costco-like store, gets fired because he doesn't have a college degree, and to better his life, he heads back to school.  To do what, I'm not sure, but he heads back there.

The co-stars also leads you to believe this might be a, excuse me Chazz Sheen, "winning" movie.  Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji Henson play comical neighbors without being too slapsticky, while Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wilmer Valderrama lead the group of college friends that Larry meets.  Bryan Cranston is the jerkweed hubby of Mercedes (Julia's character), and does a fine job being jerkweedy, and finally, George Takei almost steals the movie as the eccentric, somewhat creepy Dr. Matsutani, one of Larry's professors.

This looks like a made up pic of Takei... but this is him in the movie,
and he is one part weird and one part hilarious, and wholly
uncomfortable.

Finally, the fact that Tom Hanks directed it, though only his second directing effort, his first was "That Thing You Do!", one of The Lovely Steph Leann's favorites, and a good, good movie.  "Larry Crowne" was also co-written by Nia Vardalos, screenwriter of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", one of my 35 favorite films of all time, and star of another of my new favorites, "My Life in Ruins". 

But somehow, like a jigsaw puzzle piece that almost fits, that almost goes into the spot you think it should go into, but it still had to much wiggle room, or the knobby part is a little too big to go into the slot like it should, this movie doesn't quite fit, it doesn't quite get into that slot like you want it to.

I liked the movie well enough... it does have its funny moments, and I did find myself laughing out loud a few times.  Tom Hanks is the Tom Hanks we love, sort of goofy, never too serious, just lovable.  It doesn't make any sense that he wins the Employee of the Month for like, 8 months in a row, after spending years of high service in the Navy, and he's discarded for not having a college degree.  Heck, John Stossel himself tells us in a recent Washington Post article that college might not nearly be as necessary as we make it out to be.

Overlooking that, then there are the neighbors who make a living by having a 24/7 yard sale.  Then there is the scooter buddy who leases and opens a consignment shop.  Then there is the fact that Julia Roberts' character's name is "Mercedes".

Looking past all of that, however, there is one thing that kinda dulls the movie for me... and that's that Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts have no chemistry.  They just... well, they just don't.  The Lovely Steph Leann will disagree with me here, but there was just no spark between Tom and Julia, which made it hard to put forth a believable spark between Larry and Mercedes. 

Please understand, though, it sounds like I'm doing nothing but telling you the bad stuff about the movie, and maybe that's what I'm doing, but if you can get past all of this, then its not a bad movie at all.  Its entertaining, and even if it never hits the goal that the ambition strives for, its easy to laugh at the neighbors and their yard sale set-up, and its easy to like Larry's newfound hipster scooter friends, and watching Mercy kick out her hubby when he really stoops to new lows of scumbuckety is also great.

I would love to tell you that you should go see this, at least in a matinee, because Tom Hanks is one of those guys you just don't want to see fail, but really, I would have to tell you to Netflix or Redbox it.

If you want to see Julia Roberts with some real chemistry, though, then watch her and Clooney in "Ocean's Eleven", or her and Aaron Eckhart in "Erin Brockovich" or her and Hugh Grant in "Notting Hill", my 113th, 91st and 14th favorite films of all time, respectively...

As for Tom Hanks, watch he and Meg Ryan in the 90s.  They were like a modern day Hepburn and Tracy, and made wonderful movies together.  Oh, and he and Wilson in "Cast Away"... they had a ball together.     

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Three

American Patriotic Fuzzy Wuzzy Movies Part II

Aaaaaand... we're back...

Yes, yes, this was promised a few days ago, actually on July 4th, and as its July 7th when I am writing this, I'm a bit late.  But I've given you thirty posts in a little over 35 days, what more do you want from me?  Geez... needy bunch of readers, aren't you? 

Been a busy few days, forcing me to take a few days from blogging, but that's okay, we all need a little vacation from what we are doing every now and again, right?

The Lovely Steph Leann wanted me to point out to you that she wanted "Yankee Doodle Dandy" on this list, though she didn't fight for it.  However, she's appalled that "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" only made it as far as the Honorable Mentions...  that let to this exchange:

Her:  Why did you leave that off the list?  That movie is perfect!
Me:  Because I haven't seen it in forever, and I can't even talk about it knowingly...
Her:  Just because you haven't seen it in a long time doesn't make it any less awesome.  It should be on that list. 

Her bags were packed, though I talked her off the ledge. As it is, however, my decision stands.  You can read part 1 of this list by clicking here.

NUMBER FIVE... "AIR FORCE ONE"
"Get off my plane!"

That's the key line from Harrison Ford led movie, a movie that is so utterly ridiculous, yet so utterly entertaining its ridiculous how utterly ridiculous and utterly entertaining this movie is!   The President and his family are flying in Air Force One, when a terrorist group takes over, one that somehow got on the plane.

Vee have iz wife.  Iz dah-ter.  He veel negotiate.  Gary
Oldman rules.

The terrorists think that the President has been jettisoned via the escape pod on the bottom of Air Force One, which we know first, doesn't exist in real life, and second, when Harrison Ford is your President, you know he's going to kick some major Russkie butt. 

The cast is stellar, including That Guy Hall of Famers William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Capt. Jim Brass and Xander Berkely, as well as A-listers like Gary Oldman, Glenn Close and of course, Han Solo himself,   The action is nonstop, and the movie is one of those that can be watched again and again and again, and still be entertaining... my 46th favorite film of all time.

NUMBER FOUR ... "FIELD OF DREAMS" (1989)
This is not a movie I can watch over and over, because... well, I'll say it, it kinda bores me, at least a little.  But at the same time, parts of it are so riveting and moving, I can't turn away. 

Ray Kinsella thinks he's going crazy when he hears this random voice telling him, "If you build it, he will come", and of course, instead of getting his head examined, he builds it.  And he comes.

He builds it.  They show up, right out of the corn.

This is one of those films that hits you two ways--first, its entirely fantasy, and completely implausible... yet, its that unrealistic fantasy that carries the movie, that drive that Ray has to follow his heart despite what anyone and everyone tells him, that eagerness and curiosity that asks, "What if...?"

It might be something you haven't seen, or maybe something you haven't seen in a long, long time, and if so, I invite you to watch.  This is a beautiful movie all the way around, and even though I've often thought of Kevin Costner as somewhat of a mediocre actor, he definitely pulls his weight here.  James Earl Jones, Timothy Busfield (who, by way, was in a few scenes with legendary actor Burt Lancaster, who didn't know that Busfield was an actor and had him--Busfield--fetching coffee and running errands for him--Lancaster--until he realized they were in a scene together... Busfield happily did it anyway for a Hollywood Icon) and Amy Madigan lead a strong cast, but its the story, the idea that a dream, a vision, a voice can be so strong, so empowering that its life changing, that you have no choice but to follow it--that is what makes this movie what it is.

And yes, its about baseball, and yes, its really not "America's Pastime" anymore... that would be football now.  But baseball is true Americana, its truly an American invention, an American ideal, a creation of the American spirit.  This movie embodies that very imagination.  Its truly Americana. 

NUMBER THREE... "NATIONAL TREASURE" (2004)
If ever there was a movie that could have been called "Revisionist History", it is this movie.  That being said, there are few movies that I've had more fun with at the theater than Nic Cage's "National Treasure". 

Nic Cage plays Benjamin Gates, a historian who's spent the better part of his life looking for a treasure that many people tell him doesn't exist.  The treasure was supposedly left by the Founding Fathers of the United States, but he's never been able to get close...



Is it a declaration of independence.... or a declaration of love...?



...until a set of circumstances has him and his buddy Riley in possession of a hostage, played by Diane Kruger, but also the original Declaration of Independence, stolen from its D.C. home.  They also find themselves being chased by the FBI and Harvey Keitel, but also a former friend turned foe Ian (Sean Bean), who wants to find the treasure for himself and his own greedy team.

To properly enjoy this movie, you have to take "disbelief" and not only suspend it, but put it through the paper shredder--and not a standard one, I mean one that does cross cutting and will tear up CDs and credit cards--take the shreds and spread them all over the back yard.   Because when you see the liberty bell in Philadelphia, that might be the only thing about this movie that is believable.  However, this movie is completely fun, funny and has a great story behind it. 

The film follows one clue after another, incorporating our countries monuments and locales into the story line itself, wrapping them up with a plot involving what our Founding Fathers could have meant by what they wrote and said. 

I will say, though, that while "National Treasure" struck gold, "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets" tried the same thing and, in my own humble opinion, laid a dud egg. 

NUMBER TWO... "INDEPENDENCE DAY" (1996)



Good morning.

In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind.

Mankind. That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.

Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live. To exist.

And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:

We will not go quietly into the night!

We will not vanish without a fight!

We're going to live on!

We're going to survive!

Today we celebrate our Independence Day!

Dude.  I frakkin' love this movie.  U-S-A!  U-S-A! 

NUMBER ONE... "JOHN ADAMS" (2008)
Okay, so I cheated.  Unlike the other movies on this list, its not a theatrical release, and actually, its not even a movie... its a mini-series.

Paul Giamatti was lauded deservedly as Adams.  Another amazing
performance is that of Tom Wilkinson, who plays Benjamin Franklin
in a humorous, yet likable light.  Wilkinson also portrayed the
jerkface Cornwallis in "The Patriot", also a revolutionary war movie,
and number 7 on this list.

But its the best mini-series I've ever seen in my whole life.  Paul Giamatti stars as the title character, with Laura Linney (told you I dug her) as his beloved Abigail, and the seven part mini-series chronicles Adams' life from his mid-30s, and right around the time of the Boston Massacre, taking you through the disputes and disagreements of declaring independence from Britain, tours of Europe to ask for money and help during the revolution, the end of the war itself, his battles with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson alike, and finally, the end of his life.

Its based on the book by David McCollough, and it does deviate from the book a bit, thus deviating from facts, its still a riveting story from start to finish... even the slow parts are great, and even eye opening, like how much resistance there actually was to independence--so many states just wanted to keep the status quo, and some even enjoyed the British rule. 

I highly recommend you rent it or buy it, and spend some time on it.  You'll get a better appreciation for who we are and how hard it was to get where we are now.

So there ya go... your top ten Americana Patriotic Fuzzy Wuzzy Movies.  As its a few days past this year's Independence Day, perhaps this list will come in handy next year...

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty One

Phase 10 With God

Another long day, another late night and I dip into the computer archives to pull up a Random Email of Encouragement (I've still got about 80 of these never posted, so I might use one per week just to fill in).  I was actually going to post something I found kinda funny (I have about 30 email ha-ha things that can be used... again, maybe once every few weeks...), and in fact did cut and paste it here, then started to type the intro by saying, "Its late, just got in from playing Phase 10 with the family..."
 
And then I remembered this little gem that actually takes place around a game of Phase 10, a delightful card game that lasts hours and hours, and I can thank Julie Haynes in Troy for introducing me too... and I myself am responsible for it sweeping through parts of Virginia, lower Alabama and much of other parts of the country...
 
It should be noted that this ever so slightly lifts a concept from Leonard Pitts in the Miami Herald, but his game of choice was basketball... everything else has been changed. 
 
From March 19th, 2001...
 
Phase 10 with God
 
The following story is not true. But it could be.

So, the other night, Justin Glenn, The Lovely Steph Leann, Jennifer Pritchett, Sarah Hasha and myself were sitting around at The Deuce. We were about to play Phase 10, when God called. He said He was coming over, so we figured we would wait on Him to get there.

Finally, about 8:30, He comes in. He doesn't knock, but then, who really does?

“About time, Abba,” Sarah says, getting the cards off the coffee table and heading for the dining room.

“Sorry,” God replied. “I was attending to the prayers of the sick in New Delhi. That and they are doing construction on 65 again… quite annoying.”  (fyi--just as a quick aside, when I re-read this, the first thing I thought of, now that its 2011, was "some stuff never changes")

We all sat down at the table, and I begin to deal. Now, its not widely known, but God is practically unstoppable at cards. Its easier when you know what’s coming, I guess.  Justin gets his cards and grunts about how crappy his hand is, while Jennifer seems happier with hers. The Lovely Steph Leann comes out of the kitchen with her glass of water, picking up her cards as she sits.

God seemed happy with His hand. Yeah, the hand of God seemed pretty strong, I think.  So, as we are playing, I ask God what He thinks about this Indian guy that is in the newspaper. God, while laying down His phase immediately, replies He hadn’t seen the paper today. Before New Delhi, it seems He was healing a cancer in Omaha. Busy man, He is.

I reach to the counter and hand Him today’s paper, showing Him the story.  It seems this fellow named T. John, an official in the Indian province of Karnataka, was forced to resign his position over remarks he made in a speech to some students. Apparently he told them the recent earthquake was an act of revenge by God for attacks by Hindus on the country’s Christian minorities. The quake claimed about 12,000 lives.

“Wow, God,” Stephanie asked, laying down her first phase. “Is this true?”

God sighed, drawing the 7 card Steph just laid down. “Does T. John know anything about these 12,000 people, you think?” He put the 7 on his cards in front of Him, an 8 on Stephanie’s cards and went out. “Do you guys know? Can you tell me which ones persecuted Christians and which ones were Christians themselves? Or Muslims or Jews? Can you describe the ones who stole from the poor or mistreated children? Or can you describe the ones who gave bread to the hungry or read to the blind?”

“Of course not, God,” Jennifer replied, shuffling the cards. She turned to me, “Oh, I had 60 points.”

God replied, “I wouldn't expect you to, Jennifer. But I can. Those people didn't die for revenge.”

“They why…” I caught myself, remembering how hacked off he got with Job pestering Him with questions.

God just smiled. It was kind of neat, because when he did, a slight spring breeze came through the open window.

“I know, d$. You want a world without pain. A world without suffering and loss.”

“That would seem like a good idea, Father,” Justin replied.

“Tis true, Justin. A nice world that would be, but that would also be a world without healing, without joy and redemption. Each one gives meaning to the other.”

Jennifer began to deal the cards, as I announced that God and Stephanie were on phase 2, Justin, Jennifer, Sarah and I were on phase 1.

“So, teaching lessons isn't why you allow chaos and calamity to happen?” I asked.

“Now, I didn't say that, d$,” God picked up his cards. “I mean, I thought Chicago needed a shot of humility, so I gave them the Cubs.” He laid down His phase, three cards with the number 4 on them, and cards 7 through 11. “Adam Sandler movies are my way of saying ‘Support your local library’. I’m not above sending messages.”

“Well, if that’s the case,” Justin asked, picking up the 2 God discarded, “then why does this guy bother you so much?”

“See, its simple,” He said. “People like him irk Me because they are always quoting Me when I haven’t said anything to them. Always asserting their own petty motives to My name. They are forever putting My name on some moronic thing that has nothing to do with Me.”

The Lovely Steph Leann discarded a 3. God drew from the pile, placed a 9 on the phase Justin had laid down, and then went out.  It's like He knew. 

He continued, “It’s not just him, though. It’s the people who declare war claiming I told them to do it. Its that TV preacher who says send him money or I’ll kill him. It’s the crowd that says I sent AIDS as a judgement upon some of my children. It’s the ones who hate in My name.

“And the worst thing about it, is that the things I DO say, no one seems to pay attention. I tell you to take care of one another. I tell you to honor your parents. I tell you to stop stealing, killing and coveting. I tell you I love you.”

“But you said those things a long time ago. Maybe you need to say them again,” Sarah replied, dealing the cards.

“I say them everyday,” God smiled back. “I remind you every day. In sunrises and silences, in breezes and in smiles, , in your encouragement mails, d$, and in Justin’s praise and worship, in love and even in tears.

“What about Marilyn Manson?” The Lovely Steph Leann smiled. “Should you just get rid of him?”

“You’d be surprised, Steph,” God said as he picked up a card. “Just between us, I've got some plans for him. Don’t be surprised to see him in Heaven. Trust me.” He winked at The Lovely Steph Leann, who blushed.

“You know what the problem is?” He laid down phase three, then went out. “You people make so much noise, you hardly ever hear Me. You talk so much I can’t get a word in edgewise. You need to listen.”

I wrote down my 75 points. “What, God?”

“My point exactly,” He smiled back.

God won that night. He had five points, but that’s because Justin skipped Him and went out. Justin had a stomachache later that night.

The Summer of Blogging Day Fifteen

The Great Thing about Tiny Lister (and other random thoughts)

So, I read that "The Expendables" is possibly heading to a sequel.  Man, I hope so, cause that movie is the most craptacular spectacle that exists on His green Earth today.  Its a testosterone overload.  The movie, of course, was a rousing success, with Sly Stallone and Jason Stathem in the lead, and guys like Jet Li, Randy Couture, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dolph Lungren.

What's the plot?  Doesn't really matter... something about an arms dealer in a South American island, which is where they usually are. 

Anyway, I bring this up because I was reading on the movie's Wiki page about a possible Part 2, and those who might star in in... those names include:  Jean Claude Van-Damme, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T., Carl Weathers, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Charlie Sheen, Lorenzo Lamas, Chuck Norris and yes, it lists Ryan Seacrest (!).  Now, with the addition of Seacrusty to that list, one must assume this is a very tentative list, as the words "action star" and "Ryan Seacrust" go together like "Obama" and "concern for the American citizen", but there it is.  Wiki isn't known to be 100 percent accurate, but they are fairly close most of the time. 

Of course, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger shared screen time with Sly Stallone in a quick scene that was highly praised as "the three biggest 80s starts at the same time", and sources say that Bruce is hoping to reprise his role as "Mr. Church", possibly being the main villian.   Ahnold was also thought to be in a bigger role, but after his baby-daddy scandel the last few months, that might not happen.

Its targeting a August 2012 release date.  I'll be there.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

So, went to the doctor with The Lovely Steph Leann.  Why is it that there are fifty chick mags in the office, all lying around, like "Parenting" and "Women's Health" and "Good Housekeeping" and "Ebony Baby Mama", but for the men, you usually have two options... "Field and Stream" is always one of them.  My dad read that magazine when I was a kid, and I have a hard time believing it still exists.  The other is "Sports Illustrated", though its a rule that doctors offices cannot have any issues that are anywhere close to recent.

Go to the doc's office and find an SI, and you are likely to see something on the front cover like "Saints Win Super Bowl" or "Will LeBron Pick Cleveland?" or "Favre Becomes an NYJet".  To be fair, if you see a People Magazine, you'll also see something like "Elizabeth Smart Found!" or "Jesse and Sandra!  Happy Together!".

Can they not subscribe to Entertainment Weekly or Newsweek or something?  Seriously?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Being a Sunday afternoon, a lazy Sunday afternoon, we are just flipping channels and watching whatever is on.  "Ironman 2" was finishing, as The Lovely Steph Leann dozes and I type.  We both were awake at the end, though, when the Hammer Droids were all defeated, but rigged to blow up (hope I didn't spoil it for you... whoops).  Anyway, this little light starts blinking and goes, "Beep... ... ... ... beep ... ... ... ... beep ... ... ... beep ... ... beep ... beep ... beep .. beep . beep beep beepbeepbeepbeep", which simply led me to observe, "If we are standing around destroyed battle droids and a little red light starts blinking and starts beeping at a progressively increased rate, perhaps I would start to run."

The Lovely Steph Leann just says, "Yep."

Hasn't Gwyneth Paltrow seen "Predator"?  This is exactly what happens.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Speaking of "Iron Man 2", we were just chatting as the credits rolled, and I noticed something kinda funny... you know, like, at the end of movies when you see the American Humane Society logo, and it says "No animals were harmed in the making of this film"?  I've often wondered what happens if an animal is, in fact, injured, and that claim is no longer valid.

Well, the end of the credits, the American Humane Society logo pops up, and beside it simply reads, "Animals were monitored during filming".  Guess there's your answer

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Yeah, so I guess we'll have to baby proof The Cabana.  Kid coming and all.   Very weird feeling.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Judging by the flannel, I am assuming this is
Tiny Lister as Deebo in "Friday"

So, this post extended into Monday morning... and usually in the morning, there's not much on worth watching.  First World Problem and all... anyway, right now, there is an action movie currently on, called "Blast!" from 2004, and it's starring Eddie Griffin, Brecken Meyer and Vivica A. Fox. Those are actually the names along the top of the DVD box, along with action mega-star Vinnie Jones (and that, of course, is sarcasm).  

That's the first indication that the movie is a bit unknown, when anytime your DVD box sports those names as your title stars... the second is what I just found out--you have to actually put forth an effort to find this in Wikipedia and IMDB.  I mean, when you have to work to find the Wiki page, no bueno.  

Oh, lest I forget, someone who didn't make the DVD box, but is worth mentioning none the less, is Tommy "Tiny" Lister, the big, lazy eyed black dude from such Oscar winning films like Hulk Hogan's "No Holds Barred" and for winning a Golden Globe as Deebo in Ice Cube's "Friday" series.

(Can poke some fun at Tiny Lister, but can't knock him too much... on 1999, he gave his life to Christ when Benny Hinn prayed over him and told him that he could use his acting career for the Kingdom.  Lister is a member of The Light of the World Christian Church in California.  Word.)

Truth be told, its on right now because Samantha Brown's Walt Disney World doesn't start until 10 on the Travel Channel... and that's where I'm headed.  Samantha + Disney = me enthralled.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

And finally... so, I don't watch "Glee" all that much... The Lovely Steph Leann is giddy when its on and Gleek personified, but for me, its not a bad show, I just don't watch it.

However, NBC has a similiarly styled show next year called "Smash".  It won't take place at a high school, but will instead focus on the competitive nature of Broadway and those trying to make it.  And, it stars not only Katharine McPhee, but also Debra Messing. 

McPheever and Debra?  I'm in.

Unfortunately, its NBC, so it will probably get scheduled against American Idol.  Then they'll blame the show and its stars, they'll screw it up and cancel it.  Then replace it with something like "Law & Order:  Latta's Rule".  How do I know this?  Its NBC.

Summer of Blogging Day Fourteen

Cheery, Not Whiny

Summer of Blogging... day #5

Three awesome things from today...

Mama Ruthless, Sis in Law Angie and the childrens went to Walt Disney World last week.  Mama Ruthless brought me back this particular pin...

She rules.

Wendi Deckermiller commented on yesterday's blog that her boo Mike Deckermiller loves Star Wars pins... enjoy this.   (also, Wendi, I do have an Empire emblem pin--but its got Mickey ears on it...)

Oh, and there's this...

Also brought back from Disney World... three of them, as a matter of fact.  I usually get one of these when I go, so I'm pretty excited to dig into this.

And finally... The Lovely Steph Leann asked me to stop by Wal-Mart tonight to pick up a few things... and along the way, I found this...

Cheerwine, my all-time favorite beverage, ever, narrowly edging out Dr. Brown's Cherry Soda.  Cheerwine makes me happy.  Cheery, not whiny, you can say.

Anyway, there's my thoughts for tonight. 

The Love Is Magical Pin Event

The main reason we wanted to go to Disney World in February was that its now a tradition... not sure how many years have to go by before something becomes a "tradition", but this has been our third year, so we'll go with that.

Our time to go usually is right around the last few days of January into the first week of February, but this time around it was a little different.  There was... a pin event.  A Disney Pin Trading Event, which we had heard about but never been too. 

Okay, first, let me tell you about Disney Pins.  They are pins, not pens, and there are by now probably close to 100,000 different pins out there... all sizes, shapes, complexities, characters, and anything Disney related you can think of.  Long story short, you can trade them while you are there.  The Lovely Steph Leann and I choose to wear lanyards with pins adorning the left and right side, but some people carry small (and big) books, put them on hats, vests and any number of personal possessions.  Some people buy them just to trade them, others buy them as collectables only and still others do a combo of both, like us.

It started in Disneyland back in the late 90s, caught on at other parks, and because of Walt Disney World's size and sheer volume of guests every year, it exploded into this huge hobby and pasttime. 

My very first pin.  Its on one of our many bulletin boards,
and will never be traded.

The Lovely Steph Leann bought her first pin on a pre-marriage vacation she took with her mama and sister and family in the fall of 2003, and I purchased mine on our honeymoon in March of 2004.  I just asked her what her first pin was, and she said, "Oh... I dunno... probably a wedding pin or something..." referring to the several Mickey and Minnie bride and groom pins that she picked up.  I, however, know my first pin.  The abominable snowman from Monster's Inc, complete with yellow sno-cones.

Since then, she and I have spent hundreds... oh, who am I kidding, thousands of dollars on Disney Pins.  When I worked at The Happiest Place in the Mall, I got a huge discount at the park, which made buying pins even cheaper, which ended up costing us more money because we spent more than we would have otherwise.

For anyone who has visited The Cabana, they can tell you about our 6+ large boards full of pins, mostly grouped by character, or theme park, or whatever.  She loves classic pins like the princesses and the dwarfs and anything else she finds "cute!", while I have a huge collection of Tinkerbell pins, Incredibles pins and Hercules pins.

So, when I found out that they were doing a pin event on February 5th, I told The Lovely Steph Leann that we were going and our trip was going to be based around that day.  Well, we thought it would be good to go to the event early in the trip, especially since we had some friends coming down later that week, so we arrived on February 3rd (told in this post), and went to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios on Friday, the 4th (told in this post).

Saturday morning, we got our pins together, me in my "pin messenger bag" and she in her "pin backpack".  We could tell that there were a lot of other people there for the event because guests were arriving with suitcases and big boxes and crates literally rolled in on hand trucks and such.  She and I carried with us maybe 50, 75 pins each, these people had 100s of pins with them.

When the gates opened at 9a, I dashed on over and got Soarin' fast passes while The Lovely Steph Leann walked over to the old Wonders of Life Pavilion to get in line, which was good because we ended up being about 10th in line to get in, and the line got rather long behind us as 10am approached.

 

The theme to the event, featuring Duffy the Disney Bear, who I think is
kind of stupid.


 We go in, finally, handing over our passes--which, by the way, I feel like should more than an email confirmation... I mean, we paid like, $50 each to do this event, and we got a sheet of paper that essentiall said "Let 'em in."  Just like when you buy Annual Passes, I feel like they should be harder plastic, making it harder to mess them up, instead of the paper cards we got.  They dispatch four thousand plastic cards per day for room keys, can they not do something for people who pay $50 for tickets, or $495 for an annual pass?  Just sayin.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, we go in, and get in line immediately for our pre-purchased pins.  There were pins and pin sets you had to order ahead of time to ensure you got them, which we did, and we picked them up right off the bat. 

You know how you are planning for something, but because you don't know alot about it, you kind of have to feel your way around it and actually experience it to "get it"?  That was this event for us... we didn't know what to expect, so when we walked around the corner and saw the rows and rows of empty tables, we weren't sure exactly how to approach it.



Pin traders in action

 We did find a spot to put our stuff down, but again, we only brought a limited number of pins with us, so we weren't prepared to spread out and be real traders.   When you trade with a Cast Member, they have to take whatever you give them as long as the pin you are handing over is one they don't have, or its obviously a pin that isn't from Disney.  With these pin traders, these are pins that are from their own personal collections... so they aren't obliged to take anything you offer. 

There were sourpusses for sure, people that you try to talk to and they wanted to take advantage of you, asking for your best pins for something that you would be able to find elsewhere... and there were nice people to, people who had books of pins that were just their extras, and as long as they didnt have a bunch of the pin you would try to trade them, they were more than happy to help you finish a set.

Pin traders were only part of it, though.  As part of your ticket package, you got four coupons for pin boards, and the pin wheel. 

In the back of the room, they had several cute backgrounds set up with different Disney scenes, including one where several characters were coming out of a mine in a car.



The Tunnel of Love display.  Mickey and Minnie were in a nearby set up.

  

The Mine of Love, as its called.  This is right near one of the Pin Board lines


There were actually six lines to choose from, and five were just alike, so really it was a crapshoot.  Here's how this works... you get in line, and when you get up to the front, you get to trade two pins off of this big board sitting on an easel.  But the board is facing the other way, so you don't know what it looks like until you get up there... and they trade it out every 20 minutes or so, so its being refreshed with new pins.  The trick is trying to be someone who gets there right after they refresh it, because if you get there right before they bring a new board out, its usually pretty picked over.  Why not wait and take your time?  Because you only get 60 seconds behind the board to choose.

The sixth, though, was something a little different.  It was a pin wheel... we got in this line first, and because we lined up before the pin boards opened up, we were pretty quick to the front. 


Me, making the hard decisions


Its a wheel with 8 covered compartments.  You get there and stand on the X, and spin the wheel.  Whatever compartment comes to you when it stops, the panel opens and you choose out of those pins.  From what I remember, there wasn't much to choose from when I was at the wheel, but I think The Lovely Steph Leann found something cool, though she spun to a different section.

After the wheel, we got in the longer line for another board, this time a regular board. 




Time is ticking away, tick tick ticking away, as The Lovely Steph Leann tries
to choose wisely

This is what took much longer.  We decided to divide into two lines the second time around, and really, it didn't make much difference.   It took both of us forever to get to the front of each line we were in, so after that, we just stuck together. 


This is early in the pin board activity time... it got much busier





I hope you don't imagine all pin traders to look like big'un there in the blue... He is at the front of a long line, about to trade on the board--he should be more excited!  The Lovely Steph Leann, who is third in this line, is ready to sit down.


After the pin wheel and separating for a line, we just stayed together in the other two lines we went into... this part took up most of our afternoon, which is okay because it did start to rain. 

My only complaint was really that there wasn't a food place offered in the pavilion.  Being the old Wonders of Life, they had, even visible, a set up where they could serve food--but only offered desserts. 

For $50, you would think that they would give you a boxed lunch, but that's wrong... but I'd have been willing to pay Disney prices ($9 for a burger and fries) for lunch if it was offered in the buidling.  Instead, I had to leave the pavilion, walk all the way down to The Electric Umbrella, stand in line, get lunch and drinks, then walk all the way back... for those of you who are a little sketchy on what I'm talking about, imagine starting at Test Track--or behind it--then walking halfway to Soarin', getting food, then hurrying back.  No bueno.

Later, though, they did a great dessert buffet.

Don't mistake me.. the dessert was great, but it wasn't lunch

All in all, it was a lot of fun, something that I hope we can do again.  Like I said, some things have to be experienced to truly know what to do next time, and this was a perfect example.  Next time, we'll take more pins with us.  Next time, we'll know how to do the boards.  Next time, we'll be aware of the special pins available for purchase that we didnt even see...

Yeah, forgot that part.  So, off to the side of the big room they had a table set up, selling "mystery pins", or pins in a solid colored pouch for purchase.  There were two sets of pins, each with at least 12 pins in the set, and each set had a companion set that had a "Chaser" or a variation of that pin... hope that made sense.  Anyway, by the time we found out that they were for sale, most of the pins had sold out. 

I guess that is a good thing, though, because we also found out that each mystery pin was $15.95, and I can only imagine how many we would have purchased... because The Lovely Steph Leann found them to be so cute.  And when she thinks its cute, we usually end up going home with those pins.

About to enjoy a big plate of seafood and steak, surrounded by a
bajillion gallon tank (on my right, anyway)

We left the pin event in mid-evening, maybe 6ish, finally rode Soarin' and ended up eating dinner at The Coral Reef Restaurant, which was awesome. 

There is another pin event coming in September, though I'm not sure we are going to it... I would love it, because its called "The Florida Project", and its all about the 40 anniversary of Walt Disney World--but unfortunately, bills have to get paid.  And our AC went out--though it was an easy fix, it makes us remember that we need to have a little more money for emergencies, not pins.

All in all, a great first weekend to our trip, a trip that had an Africa Trek (Sunday), a lunch with an Imagineer (Monday), Melanie (Tuesday), Cirque de Soleil (Wednesday), Harry Potter (Friday) and a ride around Epcot on a Segway (Saturday). 

I'm glad this is the summer of blogging (day four!) because it might take me that long to get to all of it... and then, there's Disneyland to discuss! 

Keep reading!!!