Well, thanks to the Canadiens and Rangers and no thanks to the Bruins and Flyers, the Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night. Over the past couple of days I have started to think, why do I care? I guess I have been thinking more about the bigger picture, and question why I put energy into a sports team that always seems to find a way to dissappoint in the end.
Cheering on a sports team is something that gives one a great escape for a couple of hours, days, months, however you want to look at it, but, once again, the outcome is out of an individual fans control. Just because I drink out of my Panther coffee cup, or someone else has their lucky lunch, each individual can not effect the outcome of the game that night.
While thinking about the idea of a sports team, and how that is beyond my control, I of course stopped thinking about the idea of sports, and started again focusing on other issues that are occuring, or have occured that are either in or out of my control.
For instance, one huge thing occuring in my life right now is something that really bothers me that I have no control over. No number of lucky coffee cups, or lucky lunches will have an effect, the only thing I can do is hope and pray. My Mother-in-Law is currently battling Leukemia. She has already gone through two rounds of chemo, and is getting her counts back up over the next week or two before moving to Moffitt in Tampa. I am extremely concerned, but the only thing I can do is let Brenda spend as much time with her while I stay home and make sure the kids are taken care of. I feel terrible that I have not visited her yet, but once again, it's more important for Brenda to be there. I have also signed us up for the Light the Night walk, which occurs in October. If anybody would like to donate or join my team at the walk, please visit http://pages.lightthenight.org/pb/BocaRatn09/studyaid. I do appreciate the help and support we have received so far, the people at light the night said they would send Brenda information. Additionally, I just received and e-mail from Kathy putting us in contact with a friend of hers that has gone to Moffitt and come through with flying colors. I'm just glad that Barbara is such a fighter, so I'm hoping for a positive outcome.
Another thing that I realized was out of my control, was that I have a friend that was working through some things. The only thing I could do was be there and listen. I hope it helped, but aside from my control of listening, whatever they decided was their own decision. Right now, it seems like they made the correct one, and once again, I hope for the best.
I can't control the economy, but I can do my best to control what happens at my company. For instance, we are coming out with some great looking titles that cater more towards grades 5-8, and I like to think it's because we all agreed that this was a logical step for the company. By the same token, I didn't think that expanding with a new product in a new market that required deeper discounts was the best move for us right now, especially because the person requesting it could not show the research done, or the viability. I did agree to let them do a test as long as it didn't cost us too much money, but I still believe there are other places to expand without changing our business model.
Bringing this back to sports, the last thing that I realize I can control is learning how to skate and learning how to play hockey. I want to do this for me, and to also allow me to let my son teach me something. I went to the open skate at Incredible Ice on Wednesday evening, and found out that the public skate is $6, but for $10, I could receive a lesson during the public skate and get a free drink at the end. I think I may try that out so I can learn to skate properly. Glacier also offers an adult learn to skate program on Tuesday evenings, but I have to wait until Brenda's semester is over before doing that. Once I can get my skating down, I plan to learn to play.
I don't have anything else, I have to take a shower and go to the doctor who once again will tell me I'm too fat(even though I exercise every day), which is one other thing I can control.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Our Universal Spring Break Trip
Since I started with the whole Universal thing for an entry or two, I figured I might as well let you know how the trip went.
We started out by heading up to Orlando late Wednesday morning. After the 180 mile trek on the Turnpike with a stop for lunch, we first went to Downtown Disney, then went to the hotel. At DD, we bought Lizzie a new "Belle" doll, since she lost her other one. We also got the passholder pin, and saw a new store called "Tren-D." Tren-D is very similar to Vault 28 in DD in Anaheim. We saw the shirt that I got for Brenda in California, we also saw a dress that I told her I was considering getting for her, but didn't want to guess on the size. She tried it on and loved it, so we got it. When we got to the hotel, I could have sworn I specifically booked the Holiday Inn across the street from Universal so we could save on the parking expense. When we arrived at the hotel the desk clerk told me I was not booked there and I was booked at the Holiday Inn Express which was about 1/2 mile away. I was sort of upset but after re-looking at the confirmation, I realized I was incorrect.
We arrived at the Holiday Inn express about a minute or two later, and checked in without a problem. The room was nice enough, and big enough for the four of us. The room was a typical suite, two double beds, fold out couch, table, microwave, mini-fridge, and a coffee maker. The bathroom was kind of small, and the sink was out in the main room. One good thing was the wireless internet was free, so we were able to get on-line with Brenda's laptop.
I checked out the restaurants at City Place and made reservations at Pastamore, so we could have something to eat before going to see the Blue Man Group show. We got to the Universal parking attendant at 5:48, and saw that the rates were $3.00 after 6:00, but before 6:00 it was $12.00. When we pulled up, the attendant told us it was $12.00, we decided there was no way we were going to pay $12 for parking when it would be 1/4 of that in 12 minutes. So, Brenda told me to just valet. The valet rate was $20. I then proceeded to drop them off and just wait the extra 9 or so minutes to save the $9.00. I realized there were about 20 or so other cars waiting in line for the same thing. Once 6:00 rolled around, people started going through the gate. I didn't realize they were such sticklers for time at Universal.
I met up with Brenda and the kids at the restaurant. Brenda had already ordered some bruschetta and a glass of wine. Turns out, the bruschetta was the best part of the meal. Brenda got the pesto pasta with chicken (it was a very crappy creamy pesto sauce, and I'm not sure what kind of pasta it was), I got the Chicken Picatta (it looked like a very bad fried thin chicken breast with a little sauce on it and some pasta). The kids both got pizza. The portions were small, and they had no taste. I would not suggest going there if you have a choice when at City Walk. The bill with tip came to $81.50, it really wasn't close to being worth it.
We then went to the Blue Man Group show. There were some elements that were slightly different from their other permanent shows in Vegas and Chicago (I have not seen the NY show). The show overall did not disappoint, and the kids loved it, so if you have not seen them, you definitely need to go.
The first full day, we went to Islands of Adventure with express passes in hand. We first turned in our flyers that we received from the Super Bowl ads without a problem. We got our meal plan tickets as well. As an aside, the meal plan is only worth it if you purchase one adult plan, or one adult and one child. Since we purchased two adult and two childrens meal plans, we did not save any money. In addition, we paid extra for the refillable drinks. The meal plan allows you to go through the line as many times as you would like throughout the course of the day at one of three different restaurants. If you buy one for everyone in your party, you would need to eat at least three times during the day to make it worthwhile, unless you only buy one and the same person keeps going through the lines multiple times to get meals for everybody.
At Islands, we started by going to Spider-Man and stood in the regular (10 minute) line so we could use our express passes later. After Spider-Man, we went to the Pteredon flyers in Jurrasic park, because we thought the kids would like that. The problem with that ride, it has three "flyers" which are two seats each, and the entire ride lasts 1m10s. So, even at that early part of the day, there was still a 45 minute wait. From there, we went back to Dudley D0-Rights ripsaw falls, Shane loved it, but Lizzie was not quite tall enough. So, Shane went twice, once with Brenda then once with me. Since we were already wet, we then went on Popeye and Bluto. Once again, the comparable rides are better at Universal, you get much wetter at Popeye and Bluto then you do at Kali River Rapids. We then decided to have lunch. After lunch, we tried to get the kids on the Jurassic park river ride, since they like water rides, they just didn't want to do it, probably because of the fake dinosaurs, go figure. Brenda then went on Dueling Dragons, and took the kids to the Seuss area. When they left, I went on both sides of Deuling Dragons. I like "fire" a little better because you seem to get weightless, where "ice" has more twists and turns. Either way, they are both good. We went on the Cat in the Hat, and the train ride. Brenda took the kids to the Seuss playground, and I went on the Hulk, twice. When I got back, Brenda went. We then grabbed something else to eat just to try and make use of the meal plan, then went on Spider-Man again. From there it was back to the hotel to relax for a bit, grab a light dinner, then go to sleep.
Friday, we did not purchase the meal plan, but we did get express passes again. The day started out kind of rainy, but once we got in the park, it wasn't bad. We went to Universal, we started on Jimmy Neutron, which was actually a kind of cool ride. It is a "movie" ride, where you sit in seats in a car that bounces around and moves to the movie, kind of like Star Wars at MGM, or The Simpsons. After Jimmy Neutron, we went to Shrek, then Twister. From Twister, we started watching the Blues Brothers show, then I took off to ride the Mummy. When I was done, the show was too, so Brenda rode the Mummy. After that, Lizzie and I did the Disaster Movie ride. For some reason, Shane did not want to go, so he and Brenda stayed outside. We then rode Jaws and grabbed lunch. After lunch, Lizzie insisted on getting her picture taken with the shark, so we did that then rode Men In Black. Shane and I then rode the Simpsons, when he told Lizzie about it, she decided she wanted to go as well. So, Brenda took Shane to the Curious George water park, and Lizzie and I rode the Simpsons. When I met up with Brenda and Shane, Lizzie already had her bathing suit on, and they played around there for a while. We then got them dry and rode ET. After ET, we used our express passes to ride Jimmy Neutron and Shrek again, then went back to Islands to ride the Seuss rides again. Spider-Man had a 45 minute wait, so we decided to skip it. We had reservations at Margaritaville and had dinner there. After a couple of Margaritas, and a Cheeseburger in Paradise, we went back to the room.
We drove home Saturday to get Shane home in time for his hockey game. Overall, we had a great trip, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.
By the way, I had posted riddles Shane had to answer during spring break. I'm reposting the riddles with our answers and the correct answers. Shane came in 2nd in number of correct answers for the class.
What is green and sings?
Our answer: Michigan J. Frog
Correct answer: Elvis Parsley
What do you call a cow on a roller coaster?
Our answer: Milk Shake or Beef Jerky
Correct answer: Milk Shake
What did you use yesterday but made today?
Our answer: Time
Correct answer: your bed
What can go up the chimney down but not down the chimney up?
Our answer: umbrella
Correct answer: umbrella
What is more astounding than a counting horse?
Our answer: a spelling bee
Correct answer: a spelling bee
What goes up and down but stays in one place?
Our answer: Temperature
Correct answer: escalator or elevator
What keys are too big for your pocket?
Our answer: The Florida Keys
Correct answer: The Florida Keys
We started out by heading up to Orlando late Wednesday morning. After the 180 mile trek on the Turnpike with a stop for lunch, we first went to Downtown Disney, then went to the hotel. At DD, we bought Lizzie a new "Belle" doll, since she lost her other one. We also got the passholder pin, and saw a new store called "Tren-D." Tren-D is very similar to Vault 28 in DD in Anaheim. We saw the shirt that I got for Brenda in California, we also saw a dress that I told her I was considering getting for her, but didn't want to guess on the size. She tried it on and loved it, so we got it. When we got to the hotel, I could have sworn I specifically booked the Holiday Inn across the street from Universal so we could save on the parking expense. When we arrived at the hotel the desk clerk told me I was not booked there and I was booked at the Holiday Inn Express which was about 1/2 mile away. I was sort of upset but after re-looking at the confirmation, I realized I was incorrect.
We arrived at the Holiday Inn express about a minute or two later, and checked in without a problem. The room was nice enough, and big enough for the four of us. The room was a typical suite, two double beds, fold out couch, table, microwave, mini-fridge, and a coffee maker. The bathroom was kind of small, and the sink was out in the main room. One good thing was the wireless internet was free, so we were able to get on-line with Brenda's laptop.
I checked out the restaurants at City Place and made reservations at Pastamore, so we could have something to eat before going to see the Blue Man Group show. We got to the Universal parking attendant at 5:48, and saw that the rates were $3.00 after 6:00, but before 6:00 it was $12.00. When we pulled up, the attendant told us it was $12.00, we decided there was no way we were going to pay $12 for parking when it would be 1/4 of that in 12 minutes. So, Brenda told me to just valet. The valet rate was $20. I then proceeded to drop them off and just wait the extra 9 or so minutes to save the $9.00. I realized there were about 20 or so other cars waiting in line for the same thing. Once 6:00 rolled around, people started going through the gate. I didn't realize they were such sticklers for time at Universal.
I met up with Brenda and the kids at the restaurant. Brenda had already ordered some bruschetta and a glass of wine. Turns out, the bruschetta was the best part of the meal. Brenda got the pesto pasta with chicken (it was a very crappy creamy pesto sauce, and I'm not sure what kind of pasta it was), I got the Chicken Picatta (it looked like a very bad fried thin chicken breast with a little sauce on it and some pasta). The kids both got pizza. The portions were small, and they had no taste. I would not suggest going there if you have a choice when at City Walk. The bill with tip came to $81.50, it really wasn't close to being worth it.
We then went to the Blue Man Group show. There were some elements that were slightly different from their other permanent shows in Vegas and Chicago (I have not seen the NY show). The show overall did not disappoint, and the kids loved it, so if you have not seen them, you definitely need to go.
The first full day, we went to Islands of Adventure with express passes in hand. We first turned in our flyers that we received from the Super Bowl ads without a problem. We got our meal plan tickets as well. As an aside, the meal plan is only worth it if you purchase one adult plan, or one adult and one child. Since we purchased two adult and two childrens meal plans, we did not save any money. In addition, we paid extra for the refillable drinks. The meal plan allows you to go through the line as many times as you would like throughout the course of the day at one of three different restaurants. If you buy one for everyone in your party, you would need to eat at least three times during the day to make it worthwhile, unless you only buy one and the same person keeps going through the lines multiple times to get meals for everybody.
At Islands, we started by going to Spider-Man and stood in the regular (10 minute) line so we could use our express passes later. After Spider-Man, we went to the Pteredon flyers in Jurrasic park, because we thought the kids would like that. The problem with that ride, it has three "flyers" which are two seats each, and the entire ride lasts 1m10s. So, even at that early part of the day, there was still a 45 minute wait. From there, we went back to Dudley D0-Rights ripsaw falls, Shane loved it, but Lizzie was not quite tall enough. So, Shane went twice, once with Brenda then once with me. Since we were already wet, we then went on Popeye and Bluto. Once again, the comparable rides are better at Universal, you get much wetter at Popeye and Bluto then you do at Kali River Rapids. We then decided to have lunch. After lunch, we tried to get the kids on the Jurassic park river ride, since they like water rides, they just didn't want to do it, probably because of the fake dinosaurs, go figure. Brenda then went on Dueling Dragons, and took the kids to the Seuss area. When they left, I went on both sides of Deuling Dragons. I like "fire" a little better because you seem to get weightless, where "ice" has more twists and turns. Either way, they are both good. We went on the Cat in the Hat, and the train ride. Brenda took the kids to the Seuss playground, and I went on the Hulk, twice. When I got back, Brenda went. We then grabbed something else to eat just to try and make use of the meal plan, then went on Spider-Man again. From there it was back to the hotel to relax for a bit, grab a light dinner, then go to sleep.
Friday, we did not purchase the meal plan, but we did get express passes again. The day started out kind of rainy, but once we got in the park, it wasn't bad. We went to Universal, we started on Jimmy Neutron, which was actually a kind of cool ride. It is a "movie" ride, where you sit in seats in a car that bounces around and moves to the movie, kind of like Star Wars at MGM, or The Simpsons. After Jimmy Neutron, we went to Shrek, then Twister. From Twister, we started watching the Blues Brothers show, then I took off to ride the Mummy. When I was done, the show was too, so Brenda rode the Mummy. After that, Lizzie and I did the Disaster Movie ride. For some reason, Shane did not want to go, so he and Brenda stayed outside. We then rode Jaws and grabbed lunch. After lunch, Lizzie insisted on getting her picture taken with the shark, so we did that then rode Men In Black. Shane and I then rode the Simpsons, when he told Lizzie about it, she decided she wanted to go as well. So, Brenda took Shane to the Curious George water park, and Lizzie and I rode the Simpsons. When I met up with Brenda and Shane, Lizzie already had her bathing suit on, and they played around there for a while. We then got them dry and rode ET. After ET, we used our express passes to ride Jimmy Neutron and Shrek again, then went back to Islands to ride the Seuss rides again. Spider-Man had a 45 minute wait, so we decided to skip it. We had reservations at Margaritaville and had dinner there. After a couple of Margaritas, and a Cheeseburger in Paradise, we went back to the room.
We drove home Saturday to get Shane home in time for his hockey game. Overall, we had a great trip, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.
By the way, I had posted riddles Shane had to answer during spring break. I'm reposting the riddles with our answers and the correct answers. Shane came in 2nd in number of correct answers for the class.
What is green and sings?
Our answer: Michigan J. Frog
Correct answer: Elvis Parsley
What do you call a cow on a roller coaster?
Our answer: Milk Shake or Beef Jerky
Correct answer: Milk Shake
What did you use yesterday but made today?
Our answer: Time
Correct answer: your bed
What can go up the chimney down but not down the chimney up?
Our answer: umbrella
Correct answer: umbrella
What is more astounding than a counting horse?
Our answer: a spelling bee
Correct answer: a spelling bee
What goes up and down but stays in one place?
Our answer: Temperature
Correct answer: escalator or elevator
What keys are too big for your pocket?
Our answer: The Florida Keys
Correct answer: The Florida Keys
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Skating, Spring Break, Disney and birthday
If you read Eric's blog as well, you'll have a good idea how we spent our day today, 3/29/2009. After getting to bed late last night, we got up and had breakfast at the OPH. After we went skating on what Johnny described as late season pond hockey skating, because the entire ice was wet, with very large puddles on one end of the ice. Pines should have said something about the chillers not working before we paid to get in, but of course they didn't. Even if we checked out the ice first, we probably would have seen that it was wet and thought that for once they actually ran the Zamboni over it before the public skate. The slush was terrible, and I'm looking forward to trying out Glacier's public skating tomorrow.
Speaking of Glacier, Shane got to the locker room for his first game yesterday and found out he had been traded from the Panthers to the Lightning. He didn't mind, all he wanted to do was play a game. He ended up scoring a goal, and got a goal in the shoot-out. The final score was Lightning 12, Panthers 6. A shoot-out wasn't necessary, but they have one at the end of every game anyway. Brenda taped the game, and I'm going to try to put some "highlights" together and post up to YouTube. Unfortunately, Brenda realized too late that it would have been better to sit in the penalty box to get a better video. We'll try that next time. I didn't go to Shane's game because I took Lizzie to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.
I have this week off work because it is the kids' spring break. We are going skating tomorrow, then Shane has hockey practice. On Tuesday it is haircuts an oil change for Brenda's van, and the Panthers/Senators game (I don't know why I am putting myself in the situation of going, but I'll hope for the best). Wednesday we are heading up to Orlando and going to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. We'll see how the kids like those parks, it's something different for them, and Brenda and I will be able to ride the cooler roller coasters again. I'm still debating whether or not to take the kids to see Blue Man Group. This is something I haven't even suggested to anyone, but it may be a cool little show for them.
Speaking of Orlando, I think we are going to let our Disney season passes expire, then renew them (or get new ones) after the summer. We like being passholders, and we really enjoy going to the parks with the kids, we just have other things coming up that need to be paid for and we would be blacked out all summer anyway. So, we'll just change our anniversary date to make it more reasonable regarding the blackout dates, and when other things such as the Dolphins and Panthers are due.
I'm researching various trip ideas for Brenda's birthday, I've thought about Vegas (Venetian, Phantom), London, and Dublin, or a cruise for everyone. I'm just trying to get an idea of what she really wants to do, and the cost and time involved in each of the options. I am also holding off while we wait for Barbara to get better.
Speaking of which, please donate either money or join my team for the "Light the Night Walk" for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in October. Just in case you can't click on the above link, please go here: http://pages.lightthenight.org/pb/BocaRatn09/studyaid
Speaking of Glacier, Shane got to the locker room for his first game yesterday and found out he had been traded from the Panthers to the Lightning. He didn't mind, all he wanted to do was play a game. He ended up scoring a goal, and got a goal in the shoot-out. The final score was Lightning 12, Panthers 6. A shoot-out wasn't necessary, but they have one at the end of every game anyway. Brenda taped the game, and I'm going to try to put some "highlights" together and post up to YouTube. Unfortunately, Brenda realized too late that it would have been better to sit in the penalty box to get a better video. We'll try that next time. I didn't go to Shane's game because I took Lizzie to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.
I have this week off work because it is the kids' spring break. We are going skating tomorrow, then Shane has hockey practice. On Tuesday it is haircuts an oil change for Brenda's van, and the Panthers/Senators game (I don't know why I am putting myself in the situation of going, but I'll hope for the best). Wednesday we are heading up to Orlando and going to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. We'll see how the kids like those parks, it's something different for them, and Brenda and I will be able to ride the cooler roller coasters again. I'm still debating whether or not to take the kids to see Blue Man Group. This is something I haven't even suggested to anyone, but it may be a cool little show for them.
Speaking of Orlando, I think we are going to let our Disney season passes expire, then renew them (or get new ones) after the summer. We like being passholders, and we really enjoy going to the parks with the kids, we just have other things coming up that need to be paid for and we would be blacked out all summer anyway. So, we'll just change our anniversary date to make it more reasonable regarding the blackout dates, and when other things such as the Dolphins and Panthers are due.
I'm researching various trip ideas for Brenda's birthday, I've thought about Vegas (Venetian, Phantom), London, and Dublin, or a cruise for everyone. I'm just trying to get an idea of what she really wants to do, and the cost and time involved in each of the options. I am also holding off while we wait for Barbara to get better.
Speaking of which, please donate either money or join my team for the "Light the Night Walk" for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in October. Just in case you can't click on the above link, please go here: http://pages.lightthenight.org/pb/BocaRatn09/studyaid
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Skating, Good Books, Movies, and Spring Break
Today is Sunday, so that means ice skating with Eric and Johnny, or at least that's what it typically means, and today was no different. We started with the normal breakfast at The Original Pancake House, where Lizzie continued to do her best to make as much of a mess as possible. Even though the apple juice spilled, she was actually a bit cleaner than normal, especially with her chocolate chip pancakes.
After breakfast, we headed to Pines for the Sunday skate. I had a bit more difficult time both on and off the ice. Off the ice, I kept trying to keep an eye on both kids, after about an hour, Shane decided he wanted to skate, so I had to go out to the car to get his skates, then try to keep an eye on Lizzie while we were all skating. On the ice, I was starting to get aggravated because I should be a little bit better by now. Sure, I'm not expecting to speed around the ice, but, I thought I had my balance down a bit better. Yes, I can somewhat blame my two falls on the potholes in the ice, and the fact that Pines goes 3-4 hours in between cleanings, I just didn't feel as comfortable by the end, what with skating through all the snow and divots. If I get a chance, I may try to go to some weekday evening open skating times, depending on when a closer rink offers the time. My goal is to learn how to play and possibly join an over 40 league or a C2 league, depends on when I'm actually ready. I'm buying equipment piece by piece, and right now all I need is shin guards, elbow guards, socks, and a stick.
We saw 'Race to Witch Mountain' last night with the kids. I suppose for the kind of movie it is, it was acceptable. During the trailers, I realized I am really looking forward to seeing 'Up.' Also, judging by the comments of the Panther game last night, I think we made the correct decision to go to the movies, and not use one of the multiple options we had for free tickets. I hope the Panthers wake up out of whatever dream world they are in to maybe play a hockey game tomorrow.
I bought the book 'Under and Alone' in LAX for my flight home. This turned out to be a very good book. I tend to like the true life tales, especially when they are well written, much like 'Into Thin Air.' The book is about an undercover ATF agent who infiltrates a motorcycle gang, and ends up spending over 2 years under cover with them. The book hooks the reader from the beginning. I would definitely recommend this book for those that like true life stories.
Shane is at the tail end of his extensive ice time weekend. He started on Thursday with his lesson, then he had Mites practice Friday and Saturday. Today is the last Atoms session, then tomorrow he has Mites practice again. Saturday is his first Mites game. We are all looking forward to it. I just hope he doesn't get worn out. Due to the fact that the rink where he is dong Mites is still building their program, there are only a limited number of kids on each team, which means a lot of ice time for all of them.
We got our free 7-day passes for Universal in the mail, so we will probably go there for Shane's Spring Break. We still have to pay for the kids, and hope that a passport is a valid photo id, but, in the end we are saving $200, so that's good. Speaking of Shane's spring break, his homework over the break is to figure out some riddles. I think I have figured out the last two, but if anybody has the answers to any of the others, please feel free.
The riddles are:
After breakfast, we headed to Pines for the Sunday skate. I had a bit more difficult time both on and off the ice. Off the ice, I kept trying to keep an eye on both kids, after about an hour, Shane decided he wanted to skate, so I had to go out to the car to get his skates, then try to keep an eye on Lizzie while we were all skating. On the ice, I was starting to get aggravated because I should be a little bit better by now. Sure, I'm not expecting to speed around the ice, but, I thought I had my balance down a bit better. Yes, I can somewhat blame my two falls on the potholes in the ice, and the fact that Pines goes 3-4 hours in between cleanings, I just didn't feel as comfortable by the end, what with skating through all the snow and divots. If I get a chance, I may try to go to some weekday evening open skating times, depending on when a closer rink offers the time. My goal is to learn how to play and possibly join an over 40 league or a C2 league, depends on when I'm actually ready. I'm buying equipment piece by piece, and right now all I need is shin guards, elbow guards, socks, and a stick.
We saw 'Race to Witch Mountain' last night with the kids. I suppose for the kind of movie it is, it was acceptable. During the trailers, I realized I am really looking forward to seeing 'Up.' Also, judging by the comments of the Panther game last night, I think we made the correct decision to go to the movies, and not use one of the multiple options we had for free tickets. I hope the Panthers wake up out of whatever dream world they are in to maybe play a hockey game tomorrow.
I bought the book 'Under and Alone' in LAX for my flight home. This turned out to be a very good book. I tend to like the true life tales, especially when they are well written, much like 'Into Thin Air.' The book is about an undercover ATF agent who infiltrates a motorcycle gang, and ends up spending over 2 years under cover with them. The book hooks the reader from the beginning. I would definitely recommend this book for those that like true life stories.
Shane is at the tail end of his extensive ice time weekend. He started on Thursday with his lesson, then he had Mites practice Friday and Saturday. Today is the last Atoms session, then tomorrow he has Mites practice again. Saturday is his first Mites game. We are all looking forward to it. I just hope he doesn't get worn out. Due to the fact that the rink where he is dong Mites is still building their program, there are only a limited number of kids on each team, which means a lot of ice time for all of them.
We got our free 7-day passes for Universal in the mail, so we will probably go there for Shane's Spring Break. We still have to pay for the kids, and hope that a passport is a valid photo id, but, in the end we are saving $200, so that's good. Speaking of Shane's spring break, his homework over the break is to figure out some riddles. I think I have figured out the last two, but if anybody has the answers to any of the others, please feel free.
The riddles are:
- What is green and sings?
- What do you call a cow on a roller coaster?
- What did you use yesterday but made today? (I don't think this has anything to do with a b.m., so let's move on from that answer)
- What can go up the chimney down but not down the chimney up?
- What is more astounding than a counting horse?
- What goes up and down but stays in one place? (Temperature?)
- What keys are too big for your pocket? (The Florida Keys?)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Visiting the Left Coast Mouse
After a long day at CAMEX (9:00 - 5:30), I decided to head over to Disneyland. I figured since the park was less than a mile away, I might as well visit, since I didn't have anything better to do on Sunday night. I bought the $48 one park twilight pass, my only other option was the park hopper for $90 and I wasn't sure if I had the time to do both parks, and the only thing I really wanted to ride in California Adventure was 'California Screamin.'
I got inside Disneyland around 5:40 (ok, I was able to leave the trade show a bit early). I was told to try to go to Space Mountain and get a fastpass, since they run out early. When I got there, the line was 60 minutes, and the fastpasses were gone. I decided to come back later. I then went to the Finding Nemo submarine ride. Once again, the wait said 60 minutes. I figured I might as well wait, considering the park was open until 12:00 and I only had a certain number of rides I wanted to try to get on, I would wait. The wait was actually only 40 minutes.
The Finding Nemo ride was better than the one at EPCOT, in the sense it was in a submarine, where EPCOT has it in clamshells that are much like the cars at Haunted Mansion. The ride lasted about 10 minutes or so. The downfall between this one and the one in EPCOT is at the end of the EPCOT one, you actually see real fish where this was Nemo characters and movie like throughout. I think the kids would have really loved this one, and we would probably have to ride it every time we went.
Next, I went to the Matterhorn. I was standing in line and realized that the line or the ride wasn't moving. Nobody could say when the ride would start going again, so once again it was time to move on.
I then walked towards the Indiana Jones ride and saw that once again it was a 70 minute wait, and had no fastpasses available. I moved on to Pirates of the Caribbean. The Pirates in Anaheim started out in the New Orleans bayou. I'm not sure what that had to do with Pirates, but OK, to the right there was the Blue Bayou restaurant, I wondered how cool it would be to eat there, and figured I would check after the ride since it was about 7:30 now. The ride started by going through some skeletons by treasures and things like that. The ride then went down two flumes, instead of one back home. From there, the ride was very similar to the Pirates in Orlando, including Captain Jack, so nothing necessarily different, the ride then went up the belt drive and around by the entrance before getting out and in the hallway that led out with a shop on the right and the Blue Bayou restaurant on the left.
I went to the restaurant and asked how long the wait would be for a table for one. The hostess said she would see if they could accept a walk up then. I was thinking if they do, great, if not, I can very much find something else. She came back and said they could. She took my name and said to wait in the lobby. Within a minute, they called my name, and I was sitting at a table. Now, for what people probably usually go to that restaurant for, which is to see the Pirates ride, I had the worst seat in the house. I was in the back table next to the door and stairs, but I was just enjoying the ambiance. The restaurant itself was pretty cool. The food was nothing to write home about. I had the Chicken Gumbo and the Beef Short Ribs. Once again, if the kids were with me I probably would have researched and reserved the best table in there, since they weren't, it was ok, nothing great, and nothing terrible, but the scenery was really cool.
After dinner, I continued to realize that Southern California nights got very cold, and I had to buy a sweatshirt. I got a gray hoodie with Grumpy on it, I'm sure I will wear it again. From there, I went back to Indiana Jones. The wait was still 60 minutes, but I asked the girl at the front if they had a single rider line. She gave me a piece of paper and told me to go in through the exit. I got in, and probably within 10 minutes I was on the ride. The ride itself is extremely similar to Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom. The Indiana Jones theme is cool, and that in and of itself, probably makes this ride just a bit better. Also, I think the kids would like this a little more because I believe it is a little less scary than Dinosaur.
I then walked back towards the Matterhorn, and people were starting to line up for the fireworks show. I thought that would be great becuase it might mean the lines will start getting a bit shorter. Once again, the line was only a 5-10 minute wait, so I rode the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is very much a kiddie roller coaster. This is tamer than Big Thunder Railroad in Disney World (I did not ride BTR here).
After the Matterhorn, I tried to find Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. After looking and looking, I asked and realized it was closed because it was in the "blast zone" for the fireworks, and would reopen in a little bit. I decided to go back to Space Mountain. The line was still listed as 55 minutes and no single rider. I got in line while the fireworks were going on, and I think I actually waited about 45 - 50 minutes. Most of the line was outside. Once you get to the section where Stand-By and Fastpass meet, there is a long switchbacked hallway that looks like a spaceship. Once you finally get to where the cars are, you walk down, over the track, then down the ramp to get in the car. The car is side by side seats instead of single seats. The cars also have speakers behind your head, much like Rockin' roller coaster. The actual ride is better than Orlando, it starts off where you have the perception of going through a spinning tube, then, the tracks are hidden much better because it is darker where it actually looks like you are in the stars, and can't necessarily see where the track is going next. The music helps the whole ride, and since the music is right by your head, it's even better. There are still no major drops or anything, but overall a better ride. I'm really looking forward to the refurb in Orlando when it is complete.
After Space Mountain, I decided to go to Star Tours, just because there was no wait. The ride was exactly the same as Orlando, so, nothing to see here. From there I went back to Mr. Toad. Mr. Toad was pretty cool, although still very much a kid ride. The ride is just a car going through various rooms and scenes, somewhat similar to every other kid ride (Snow White, Pooh, Peter Pan, etc.)
By now it was about 11:00 so I thought I had done everything I really wanted to and it was time to head back to the hotel. On the way out, I decided to walk through the store just to see if there was one last thing to get the kids. I saw the jewlery section and found something that Brenda and I have been looking for forever. I finally found Belle earrings. I bought them and got Shane a Jedi Academy pin. I texted Brenda with my excitement, and if it weren't 2:00 am back home, I would have called. I'm sure Lizzie will absolutely love them.
All in all, I would say that Disneyland is much more compact than Disneyworld. I have to respect the original, but I still think that Disneyworld is better. With four parks, and more to do and see, I like it more. If I had more time, I would have really concentrated more on everything Disneyland had to offer, but in a way I was rushed. If I come out here again, I will try to bring the kids, but I would not make a specific trip for Disneyland. I was also told for coasters I should go to Magic Mountain or Knots Berry Farm.
I got inside Disneyland around 5:40 (ok, I was able to leave the trade show a bit early). I was told to try to go to Space Mountain and get a fastpass, since they run out early. When I got there, the line was 60 minutes, and the fastpasses were gone. I decided to come back later. I then went to the Finding Nemo submarine ride. Once again, the wait said 60 minutes. I figured I might as well wait, considering the park was open until 12:00 and I only had a certain number of rides I wanted to try to get on, I would wait. The wait was actually only 40 minutes.
The Finding Nemo ride was better than the one at EPCOT, in the sense it was in a submarine, where EPCOT has it in clamshells that are much like the cars at Haunted Mansion. The ride lasted about 10 minutes or so. The downfall between this one and the one in EPCOT is at the end of the EPCOT one, you actually see real fish where this was Nemo characters and movie like throughout. I think the kids would have really loved this one, and we would probably have to ride it every time we went.
Next, I went to the Matterhorn. I was standing in line and realized that the line or the ride wasn't moving. Nobody could say when the ride would start going again, so once again it was time to move on.
I then walked towards the Indiana Jones ride and saw that once again it was a 70 minute wait, and had no fastpasses available. I moved on to Pirates of the Caribbean. The Pirates in Anaheim started out in the New Orleans bayou. I'm not sure what that had to do with Pirates, but OK, to the right there was the Blue Bayou restaurant, I wondered how cool it would be to eat there, and figured I would check after the ride since it was about 7:30 now. The ride started by going through some skeletons by treasures and things like that. The ride then went down two flumes, instead of one back home. From there, the ride was very similar to the Pirates in Orlando, including Captain Jack, so nothing necessarily different, the ride then went up the belt drive and around by the entrance before getting out and in the hallway that led out with a shop on the right and the Blue Bayou restaurant on the left.
I went to the restaurant and asked how long the wait would be for a table for one. The hostess said she would see if they could accept a walk up then. I was thinking if they do, great, if not, I can very much find something else. She came back and said they could. She took my name and said to wait in the lobby. Within a minute, they called my name, and I was sitting at a table. Now, for what people probably usually go to that restaurant for, which is to see the Pirates ride, I had the worst seat in the house. I was in the back table next to the door and stairs, but I was just enjoying the ambiance. The restaurant itself was pretty cool. The food was nothing to write home about. I had the Chicken Gumbo and the Beef Short Ribs. Once again, if the kids were with me I probably would have researched and reserved the best table in there, since they weren't, it was ok, nothing great, and nothing terrible, but the scenery was really cool.
After dinner, I continued to realize that Southern California nights got very cold, and I had to buy a sweatshirt. I got a gray hoodie with Grumpy on it, I'm sure I will wear it again. From there, I went back to Indiana Jones. The wait was still 60 minutes, but I asked the girl at the front if they had a single rider line. She gave me a piece of paper and told me to go in through the exit. I got in, and probably within 10 minutes I was on the ride. The ride itself is extremely similar to Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom. The Indiana Jones theme is cool, and that in and of itself, probably makes this ride just a bit better. Also, I think the kids would like this a little more because I believe it is a little less scary than Dinosaur.
I then walked back towards the Matterhorn, and people were starting to line up for the fireworks show. I thought that would be great becuase it might mean the lines will start getting a bit shorter. Once again, the line was only a 5-10 minute wait, so I rode the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is very much a kiddie roller coaster. This is tamer than Big Thunder Railroad in Disney World (I did not ride BTR here).
After the Matterhorn, I tried to find Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. After looking and looking, I asked and realized it was closed because it was in the "blast zone" for the fireworks, and would reopen in a little bit. I decided to go back to Space Mountain. The line was still listed as 55 minutes and no single rider. I got in line while the fireworks were going on, and I think I actually waited about 45 - 50 minutes. Most of the line was outside. Once you get to the section where Stand-By and Fastpass meet, there is a long switchbacked hallway that looks like a spaceship. Once you finally get to where the cars are, you walk down, over the track, then down the ramp to get in the car. The car is side by side seats instead of single seats. The cars also have speakers behind your head, much like Rockin' roller coaster. The actual ride is better than Orlando, it starts off where you have the perception of going through a spinning tube, then, the tracks are hidden much better because it is darker where it actually looks like you are in the stars, and can't necessarily see where the track is going next. The music helps the whole ride, and since the music is right by your head, it's even better. There are still no major drops or anything, but overall a better ride. I'm really looking forward to the refurb in Orlando when it is complete.
After Space Mountain, I decided to go to Star Tours, just because there was no wait. The ride was exactly the same as Orlando, so, nothing to see here. From there I went back to Mr. Toad. Mr. Toad was pretty cool, although still very much a kid ride. The ride is just a car going through various rooms and scenes, somewhat similar to every other kid ride (Snow White, Pooh, Peter Pan, etc.)
By now it was about 11:00 so I thought I had done everything I really wanted to and it was time to head back to the hotel. On the way out, I decided to walk through the store just to see if there was one last thing to get the kids. I saw the jewlery section and found something that Brenda and I have been looking for forever. I finally found Belle earrings. I bought them and got Shane a Jedi Academy pin. I texted Brenda with my excitement, and if it weren't 2:00 am back home, I would have called. I'm sure Lizzie will absolutely love them.
All in all, I would say that Disneyland is much more compact than Disneyworld. I have to respect the original, but I still think that Disneyworld is better. With four parks, and more to do and see, I like it more. If I had more time, I would have really concentrated more on everything Disneyland had to offer, but in a way I was rushed. If I come out here again, I will try to bring the kids, but I would not make a specific trip for Disneyland. I was also told for coasters I should go to Magic Mountain or Knots Berry Farm.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Travel, Cars, and Hockey
It's been about a week or so since I've written anything, so I figured now is as good a time as any. I'm heading out to L.A. (actually Anaheim) tomorrow for a couple of days for CAMEX, which is the trade show for College Stores. This is our core market, so it's one of those trade shows we need to be at. Next year it is back in Orlando, so that will make life much easier where we won't have to worry about flying or anything.
Speaking of flying, I am looking forward to the business-class upgrade on the 777 tomorrow. I flew on one of those going to London 2 years ago, and it was really comfortable, I guess since I have to fly in and out of Miami, I can make it worthwhile by flying non-stop on a comfortable plane in business-class.
Shane tried out at the other rink for Mites, and the guy running the program said "no problem" and couldn't understand why Incredible Ice thought he wasn't ready. After he was out there, we signed him up for the program. The real evaluation is tomorrow, but we already talked to Mike S. and he said it would be ok for Shane to go to his regular lesson, and they would be in touch over the weekend to give us the team he will be on and schedule. This is actually more convenient, since Brenda will have to take him to the lesson, then go to Chuck E Cheese afterwards for our nephew's birthday.
Shane and I went to the Ft. Lauderdale Auto Show today. The show is much smaller than the one in Miami, and since we went on the opening day and got there areound 4:00, there was really nobody there. We were able to sit in all of the cars on my list, or at least the ones that were actually there, and Shane graded all of them. Shane at first said he really wanted me to get the BMW 328i because it was the smallest. I told him to think of how his mother likes to have more space, and he changed his mind. He did like the Genesis, and the Nissan Maxima. I thought the Genesis, Acura TL, Infiniti G37 and Lexus ES350 were comfortable, but in the end for what you get for the money, I think I am sold on the Genesis. Once I get closer to the actual buying mode, I will take it for a test drive and make sure Brenda comes with me. I may take some of the others for a test drive as well, just for a point of comparison.
We had Mexican for dinner at this new Mexican restaurant on Clint Moore and 441. The food was good, they changed their menu a little bit, but it was still a good meal.
I'm going to go watch the Panther game and finish packing.
Speaking of flying, I am looking forward to the business-class upgrade on the 777 tomorrow. I flew on one of those going to London 2 years ago, and it was really comfortable, I guess since I have to fly in and out of Miami, I can make it worthwhile by flying non-stop on a comfortable plane in business-class.
Shane tried out at the other rink for Mites, and the guy running the program said "no problem" and couldn't understand why Incredible Ice thought he wasn't ready. After he was out there, we signed him up for the program. The real evaluation is tomorrow, but we already talked to Mike S. and he said it would be ok for Shane to go to his regular lesson, and they would be in touch over the weekend to give us the team he will be on and schedule. This is actually more convenient, since Brenda will have to take him to the lesson, then go to Chuck E Cheese afterwards for our nephew's birthday.
Shane and I went to the Ft. Lauderdale Auto Show today. The show is much smaller than the one in Miami, and since we went on the opening day and got there areound 4:00, there was really nobody there. We were able to sit in all of the cars on my list, or at least the ones that were actually there, and Shane graded all of them. Shane at first said he really wanted me to get the BMW 328i because it was the smallest. I told him to think of how his mother likes to have more space, and he changed his mind. He did like the Genesis, and the Nissan Maxima. I thought the Genesis, Acura TL, Infiniti G37 and Lexus ES350 were comfortable, but in the end for what you get for the money, I think I am sold on the Genesis. Once I get closer to the actual buying mode, I will take it for a test drive and make sure Brenda comes with me. I may take some of the others for a test drive as well, just for a point of comparison.
We had Mexican for dinner at this new Mexican restaurant on Clint Moore and 441. The food was good, they changed their menu a little bit, but it was still a good meal.
I'm going to go watch the Panther game and finish packing.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Random Stuff
I continue to realize that I hate not being able to control certain things. I also hate not being able to do anything. Right now, I can only do what I can do and help those involved. I'm not going into more details.
I'm still pissed at my iPod. I thought I had gotten over the issues of the battery dying randomly, but apparently it is still happening. I had it on the charger yesterday, the screen said it was fully charged, then when I got to the gym this morning, it said it had no charge. I then rebooted it when I got to the office, and it had plenty of charge, then when I hooked it up again, it only took about 5 or 10 minutes to be fully charged. I'm sort of thinking I may need to get a new iPod eventually, but I still want to see if I can hold off that expense for a little while.
Lizzie got tested for being placed in the gifted program next year in Kindergarten, which would also put her at the same school as Shane and be convenient for Brenda and I. She had to be in the 90 percentile or higher in either math or reading, and have an IQ of 130+. She was in the (if I remember) 84th in reading and 93rd in math, and she has an IQ of 141. So, she should have no problem getting placed in the gifted program. With this, even though the expense killed us, I am really happy with Kinder Care, and the way they helped with the kids' development and with their VPK program.
I have TSN streaming in the background all day today following the NHL trade deadline day.
My Ford Explorer has had a butt crack for a little while now. I never knew where it came from, but I now found out that it is a design flaw that Ford will do nothing about. I guess I'll just live with it and hope it doesn't affect the trade in value.
That's all I have for now.
I'm still pissed at my iPod. I thought I had gotten over the issues of the battery dying randomly, but apparently it is still happening. I had it on the charger yesterday, the screen said it was fully charged, then when I got to the gym this morning, it said it had no charge. I then rebooted it when I got to the office, and it had plenty of charge, then when I hooked it up again, it only took about 5 or 10 minutes to be fully charged. I'm sort of thinking I may need to get a new iPod eventually, but I still want to see if I can hold off that expense for a little while.
Lizzie got tested for being placed in the gifted program next year in Kindergarten, which would also put her at the same school as Shane and be convenient for Brenda and I. She had to be in the 90 percentile or higher in either math or reading, and have an IQ of 130+. She was in the (if I remember) 84th in reading and 93rd in math, and she has an IQ of 141. So, she should have no problem getting placed in the gifted program. With this, even though the expense killed us, I am really happy with Kinder Care, and the way they helped with the kids' development and with their VPK program.
I have TSN streaming in the background all day today following the NHL trade deadline day.
My Ford Explorer has had a butt crack for a little while now. I never knew where it came from, but I now found out that it is a design flaw that Ford will do nothing about. I guess I'll just live with it and hope it doesn't affect the trade in value.
That's all I have for now.
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