Signs

Today I had either a crazy coincidence which "gestalt" is wanting me to consider more important than it really is. Or, as more people would say, had a "sign" that I should do something.

Vague? Yes.

The Broodwich

So I ventured down the dark path yesterday, and that path was the hot dog and grilled cheese sandwich.

I'll cut to the chase. Ultimately, not all that bad, and, in a pinch, (wow thats a lot of commas) its definitely doable. I'm sure its designed for such a purpose. Actually, with some Sterling Vinter's Collection Coastal Shiraz (preferably '02) it would have been classic 1021 Madison Jason*. Those days are over, probably for the best, but its fun to revisit them.

Also last night I made it through the end of LOST Season 1.... for the 4th time in its entirety. Still an amazing series to watch. The Red Sox, yawn, won game 4 to sweep the series, but its been over since they flew out of Logan. More exciting was the 52-7 beat down the Pats layed on the Redskins. Mwahahahaha.

*1021 = J's house junior and senior year at SU, along with some crazies by the names of Erin, Kristie, Christy, and occasionally Katie.

Bruegers

One would think that a bagel with cream cheese and a medium coffee would represent at least half of all sales at Brueger's-- a breakfast place I've gone to since sophomore year at Syracuse. You would think they would not charge $4.04 for it. Four cents? Really? I can't count the number of times I've been handed 96 cents in change. Infuriating.

Also, there was a man in line this morning who just looked tired and defeated by life. I hope for all of us that we never become that guy...

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
Revolving at 900 miles and hour...

Bullets

• Red Sox up 3-0. Could tonight be the night I add another Pennant to the victory wall?
• Kennywood again last night. Fun, but a bit crowded and rainy.
• Huge amount of work to get done this week... the next three weeks actually. But I can't complain... its worse for some.
• Turned on the TV to Jerry Springer accidentally the other day to a highlights show of white trash fights, the teaser for tomorrow: "Thank you for the kids but now I'm gay." Awesome. I'm amazed the human race ever made it past the discovery of fire.
• Load-in for Accidental Death of an Anarchist starts tomorrow. Tech next weekend (speaking of business and accidents).

Obstacle Calendar

In the last two days several people have asked if I'm on Oracle Calendar-- that way we could have it tell us when we were mutually available to meet. I'm sorry, I refuse to have my life scheduled by a machine-- I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself thank you. It reminds me of the song "In the Year 2525," Oracle Calendar being the first step.

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find

In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lie
Everything you think, do and say
Is in the pill you took today

In the year 4545
You ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes
You won't find a thing to chew
Nobody's gonna look at you

In the year 5555
Your arms hangin' limp at your sides
Your legs got nothin' to do
Some machine's doin' that for you

In the year 6565
You won't need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube

In the year 7510
If God's a-coming, He oughta make it by then
Maybe He'll look around Himself and say
"Guess it's time for the judgement day"

In the year 8510
God is gonna shake His mighty head
He'll either say "I'm pleased where man has been"
Or tear it down, and start again

In the year 9595
I'm kinda wonderin' if man is gonna be alive
He's taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain't put back nothing

Now it's been ten thousand years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what, he never knew

Now man's reign is through
But through eternal night
The twinkling of starlight
So very far away

Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah

Got your starbucks? This is gonna be a long one and worth taking the time to actually read, at least, I think it is.

It's amazing, we get older and forget the lessons of our youth-- tiny drops in an ocean of knowledge. But as the tired out saying goes, "everything I ever needed to learn in life I learned in kindergarten." Well, on my recent trip to Disneyland I discovered some lessons-- now, I was going to say rediscovered, but the lessons never hit me until this point in my life-- from a surprising source. And so, I offer this version of the saying: "everything I ever needed to learn in life I learned on Splash Mountain." Okay, maybe not everything, but some things that the post-college me is finally able to hear.

Speaking of hearing, if you're not familiar with the songs you can listen along while you read the lyrics here: http://www.disneythemes.com/splash_mountain_music_video.htm Just select your browser (IE or Netscape / Firefox).

Let's start with a step by step journey of the ride, seen through 23-year-old eyes. The queue is themed to the old south, aged timber and such, with old wooden signs that say things like:

"Everybody has a laughing place-- trouble is, most don't bother to find it."

and just below it another sign: "...and where it is for one it mightn't be for another."

Later in the line, you meet our protagonist, Brer Rabbit, sitting in his home singing a song to himself. Shortly there after you load onto the "log" and begin the ride. It starts off as a merry journey through picturesque hills, and after a short flume you're presented with many animatronic figures singing the first of three main themes:

How do you do?
Mighty pleasant greetin'
How do you do?
Say it when you're meetin'
How do you do?
With every one repeatin'
Pretty good sure as you're born.

What goes up is sure to come down.
A penny lost is a penny found.
How do you do? And here's a hearty back
A little bit of this and a little bit of that.

How do you do? Fine.
How are you? How you come on?
Pretty good sure as you're born.

Stop jumpin' around,
You'll run out of breath!
Why don't you sit back
And calm yourself?

You can hurry on now if you must.
We'll do what we like, 'cause...
That suits us.

Its then that we round the corner to see Brer Rabbit, getting ready to leave home with a friend, singing his own version of the song:

I'm lookin for a little more adventure.
I'm headed for a little bit of fun
I'm hopin for a little more excitement.
Time to be movin' along.

This is where I first realized that there is much more to this ride than a jolly romp through gentile south. Our hero is content, but not excited, and is searching out for something bigger. The identification I currently have with that-- or maybe had with that not all that long ago-- is stifling. But, as with real life, danger lurks around the corner.

Next we meet Brer Bear and Brer Fox who want to eat our lovable little friend (that books title is "How to Catch a Rabbit"). Through several failed attempts to catch him we see the oblivious Brer Rabbit having a great time, not knowing the danger that lies stalking him:

Everybody's got a Laughing Place
A Laughing Place to go-ho-ho.
Take your frown
Turn it upside-down
And you'll find yours
We know-ho-ho!
Honey and rainbows on our way.
We laugh because our work is play.
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting our Laughing Place
Yuk Yuk Yuk Yuk Yuk! Ho Ho Ho,

Everybody's got a Laughing Place
A Laughing Place to go-ho-ho.
Take a smile there
For a while and
You'll find yours we know-ho-ho!

But eventually the Fox and the Bear through sheer force overtake our bunny friend. Two vultures inform us that the laughing times are over:

Time to be turning around,
If only you could,
If you finally found your laughing place,
How come you aren't laughing?
So your looking for a laughing place, eh?
We'll show you a laughing place.

We then go up the lift hill and see Brer Rabbit on a skewer with the shadow of Brer Fox's teeth about to clamp down on him, when in a moment of cleverness Brer Rabbit, in the finest tradition of Huck Finn, says "You can eat me Brer Fox, but whatever you do PLEASE don't throw me into that briar patch." Which of course, he does, as we in the log take the plummet down. Once we round the corner and re-enter the show building, we, as Brer Rabbit's POV are welcomed back with a huge celebration, and the classic Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah song.

Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-Ah-Dee-Ay
My oh my what a wonderful day
Welcoming back Brer Rabbit today
We always knew that he'd get away
He's had enough of moving on now
It's where he's gone and regretted
The briar patch is where he's headed

Brer Fox and Bear get whats comin to them in the form of an alligator, and we are reintroduced to Brer Rabbit, now singing a different tune:

Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-Ah-Dee-Ay
Home Sweet Home is the Lesson Today
Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-Ah-Dee-Ay
I'm glad to be here and I'm sure gonna stay
I'm through with moving on now...

So, at 23, I learned that Splash Mountain is a ride about contentment, and whether you really do need to always be looking for the next adventure.

The final sign, not prominent but not hidden, at the exit reads:

"You can't run away from trouble.... ain't no place that far."

Wow. Words could not be spoken that relate more to me right now. I don't even yet know how to emotionally resolve all this. Seriously. I've lost a lot to hopefully gain something in the future which may never materialize and may suck once I get there. The people closest to me are also on their own trek, so its not like I'm the one who 'went away,' but it still makes me miss them a lot. It gets tougher and tougher each time through to find a place, settle there, and then just when you get to know it pull the plug and start all over again. Oh, in a related note, we never discover what happens to Brer Rabbits friend Brer Turtle... the one who started the journey with him. Sigh.

Last year this was a 'non-place' for me that I simply wanted to get out of. That's much less true now, but ultimately there's nothing for me in Pittsburgh. So at least one more "adventure" remains... and I'm certainly going to think a lot harder about the coming one than I did the current one.

In our tale Brer Rabbit makes it out, and I will to, both of us a little older, wiser, and maybe wearier for the experience but hopefully a little more prepared for the future.

Lock, Stock, and Barrel

By special request...

Top Amusement/Theme Park Halloween Overlays:

1) Kennywood
2) Disneyland
3) Cedar Point
4) Disney's California Adventure

Theme Park Rankings

Every theme park I've ever been to, in order of awesomeness:


1) Disneyland

---- huge seperation ----

2) Disney's Animal Kingdom
3) Islands of Adventure
4) Magic Kingdom
5) Epcot
6) Busch Gardens Tampa
7t) Disney's California Adventure
7t) Disney's Hollywood Studios (AKA Disney-MGM Studios)
9) Universal Studios Florida
10) Universal Studios Hollywood

W...T...F...

J.K. Rowling Outs Hogwarts CharacterSaturday October 20 6:41 AM ET

"Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.

After reading briefly from the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause. "


Ummmm, ok... sure. So we're obsessing about a fictional character in concluded childrens series' sexual orientation now? I'm so over it.

It Never Rains in Southern California

So here I am in Chicago, no... wait, I take that back. Do over.


So here I am in fucking O-Hare. I hate O-Hare. I italics then bold hate it... that's right. The only thing that makes it particularly special today, other than my connection actually being within 2 miles of my arrival concourse, is that on the cover of the USA TODAY I just purchased O-Hare is prominently depicted. Let me see if the article is online, it is, awesome:

Most fake bombs missed by screeners

Subtitle: 75% not detected at LAX; 60% at O-Hare. LINK

I fucking hate O-Hare. BUT, my connection, knock on wood, is on time and by the time you're probably reading this I should be in Disneyland. Thank God for some R'nR, I need it. I especially need it after a day yesterday that felt like a week. At least it ended with some LOST.

Whole New Tank

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fish might not have eyelids, but they do sleep, and some suffer from insomnia, scientists reported on Monday.

California scientists studying sleep disorders in humans found that some zebrafish, a common aquarium pet, have a mutant gene that disrupts their sleep patterns in a way similar to insomnia in humans.

Zebrafish with the mutant gene slept 30 percent less than fish without the mutation. When they finally drifted off they remained asleep half as long as the normal fish, the researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine said.

Bullets (Stream of Consciousness)

• TV Workshop went great
• The first 4 episodes of LOST are amazing
• LA in 4 days
• Making a mix for the flight
• Listening to music more lately
• Song right now: Josh music, track 6

We'll Fix it in Post

Today begins the TV Workshop-- an interesting but weekend absorbing master class in television lighting. I'm looking forward to learning something of the craft... and craft services (I know, awesome segue).

More signifigantly this officially begins my month of hell, as far as scheduling goes anyway. There's some fun in there-- California and LDI, but the hecticness will not end until then. Add to that extraneous stressors (people paying close attention know what I'm talking about here) and life's a little crazy for a bit. Partly because of this, and partly because I'm retarded, yesterday I dropped the first class I've ever dropped... seriously, ever. It does NOT make me happy to have done this, but the subject matter is far from what I excel in and I do not want to deal with the ramifications of struggling to get my grade up to where it needs to be right now. Its funny that the first "C" I ever would have gotten would come in the only place where that's a failing grade.

Robbie Williams

I had originally intended this to be a theme park review of Cedar Point. However, Cedar Point was so unusually packed that I think I'll hold off on that review until I can more properly evaluate it. We averaged 90 minutes of waiting per ride because there were over 40,000 people in the park by 2pm and it only got busier as the day wore on. The one slight disappointment is that its not a theme park-- its an amusement park. Amazing coasters, but next to no themeing to speak of.

But one thing really knocked my socks off-- the world famous Millennium Force coaster. That initial 310' drop gets you moving at 93 miles and hour. Woah. It was absolutely exhilarating... beyond words. Despite my heights wimpiness I was able to go hands up after the initial drop. Part of this was because the ride was so smooth you felt like you were flying. This was all heightened by the fact that I was riding it in the dark-- right after midnight to be exact. So the new Top-5 roller coaster list looks like this:

1) Millennium Force (Cedar Point)

2) Dueling Dragons - Ice (Islands of Adventure)

3) Sheikra (Busch Gardens Tampa)

4) Hulk (Islands of Adventure)

5) Superman Ride of Steel (Six Flags New England)

Score One

First perfect day in a long time... check.

Schedule

• Last day at the Public today.
• Phantom Fright Night at Kennywood tonight.
• Cedar Point tomorrow.
• LOTS of work on Sunday morning.
• Patriots rout--errr-- play the Browns on Sunday
• Some more work Sunday night.
• Monday-- phone call with awesome job offer, J leaves building screaming "See you all in Hell!"
• Tuesday-- J checks caller ID, realizes it was a prank.

GOOOOOOOAL!

Patriots had an amazing game last night, next week is another cupcake before we get a real match in Dallas. Anyway, here's a non-career based list of things I need to do before I die:

• See a Patriots game in Foxboro (see, not a complete nonsequitor)
• Ski in the Rockies (Josh, I'm looking in your direction)
• Ski in the Alps
• Drive across the US East-West (North-South is already checked off)
• Go wine tasting in Napa
• Go to the following places, in no particular order: Norway, Italy, Paris, New Zealand, Australia, Japan. Currently my passport has el-zero stamps in it... sad.
• SCUBA dive
• See at least one major league baseball game in every ballpark in the country
• Go on one of those jungle zip-line things
• See "perpetual twilight" on the cusp of the Artic circle in winter

I'll take suggestions on things that need to be added to the list.