Timon's Travel Tales

2010-08-08T17:14:00.003-05:00

I've been bad and haven't posted anything in a long time, but I have been on a few trips, so I may have to go back and add those into my blog.

However, I just had to post this link! This was one of my favorite places to go growing up and while I worked at Disneyland. Mom, Dad and I used to grab a Mint Julep and listen to great jazz music here.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/08/05/disneylands-mint-julep-recipe/

Expedition: Minneapolis

2009-06-10T09:36:00.005-05:00

I donned my Animal Kingdom safari shirt, because we're going on an outing of sorts for work today.

As part of the Employee Summer Party Planning Committee (are you surprised?), we're checking out the location of our party in July.

I thought it would finally be clearing up around here, but typical Minnesota weather, it's rainy, gloomy, and cool. Not at all like it should be in June...or when one wears safari garb!

To see more about the area, click this link and check out the Wabun picnic area at Minnehaha Park:

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=4&parkid=252

Bloody Awful

2009-06-04T15:55:00.009-05:00

I had to go to the doctor today because my friends have been saying I've been acting a lot more goofy than I usually act.

The doctor wants to know what's going on with me, and I told him that one minute I'm extremely happy and then the next minute I'm very grumpy.

Then he asks me, “So how long have you been having these Disney spells?”

Pa-dum-pump!

How Well Do You Know Me?

2009-05-24T13:49:00.007-05:00

Are you reading this entry because you want some hints to my Facebook "How Well Do You Know Me?" Quiz?

Well, I'm not going to give you all the answers, other than you could find some on my website and if you follow me on Twitter. But since you found my blog, perhaps these clues will help you.

* I have more than 150 WDCC pieces.

* In high school, I saw 'The Empire Strikes Back' more than 5 times in the theatre.

* I don't like sitting in the back row of church.

That's all ye get, Matey!

My Persona

2009-05-16T07:21:00.003-05:00

Here's something fun. I just took a personality quiz on Facebook. It's pretty spot on. Click on this:

See my Personality Profile

The results for my college major was exactly what I took! And when you change the drop down for my "closest US state", while not CA, it did pick another top favorite.

Amazing!

Highway (Or Skyway?) Robbery

2009-05-13T10:13:00.000-05:00

So get this. I had to book my CEO's and my tickets to New Orleans, or NOLA, for a trade show at the end of June. I've been keeping an eye on the prices, and they've been high. Well today, the prices dropped to something pretty reasonable.

I started looking for flights for my CEO, and he decided instead of coming in on Sunday, he'd fly in with me on Saturday. Oh the joy I felt. [That was sarcasm in case you missed it] His flight changed from $355 to around $500.

Having booked his flight, I was working on my own. He kept interrupting me about some stuff, so about 10-15 minutes later, I go to work on my flight. Take a look at how much it had jumped up. Yep, that's right. That says $1,004! Are you kidding me?!?!?

I had to do some creative booking, so without direct flights, I got my airfare to around $550. That's just insane!

Memo to me: The next time you're booking flights, close the door to your office. It can save you $500. And that's even without Geico.

Hailing Frequencies Open, Captain

2009-05-12T07:27:00.001-05:00

Having taken the day off from work today and being a huge Star Trek fan, I decided I'd go see the new movie after I had finished my chores at home.

I love going to the movies by myself. I can sit where I want, leave after the credits, and really enjoy the experience. This time would be a little different. Some parents brought a baby to the movies. Really? If it were a kid's movie, I'd understand a little bit. But a newborn?

The theatre wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. There were plenty of seats for personal space. So when a guy decided to sit right next to me, I thought it strange.

Then a pungent odor of smoke hit my nostrils. It wasn't pleasant. i was feeling more uncomfortable. But thankfully, the movie was beginning. Wait. What was this clown next to me doing? He pulled out his cell phone! That's it. I got up and moved down my row. He actually gave me a look like he was offended!

My sister and some other friends told me to cut some slack to the parents who brought the baby. The baby didn't bother me as much as the smokey smelly cell phone guy. Dude, start running. Phasers set to stun.

Oh, about that picture. The next day I took a "Which classic Star Trek Character Are You?" quiz on Facebook. I wound up being Uhura. Guess that quiz knows I like to talk a lot, but I told everyone no more walking around the office with my cordless headset. So that's me being sassy.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:44:00.003-05:00

I'd like to wish my Mom, and all moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day today!

Love ya Mom!

Exchanging One Zoo for Another

2009-05-09T12:45:00.008-05:00

For a year that is slow in sales, I can't find enough hours in the day to get all my work done. And with a looming deadline for the SHRM show in less than seven weeks in NOLA (that's New Orleans, LA for y'all that didn't know), I had to find a way to take a couple of days just to recharge.

So, what better place to escape the zoo at work than to go to the Minnesota Zoo? After living here for over 17 years, this is actually the first time I had been to our zoo. I have been to the Imax outside of the zoo plenty of times, but it was fun seeing this zoo.

While not as large as the zoos with which I grew up (LA and San Diego), and of course no comparison to Disney's Animal Kingdom, I did have a good time.

After all, I didn't go to work, but I did still see some of my coworkers.

Be the Napa Rose

2009-05-01T15:18:00.006-05:00

Like many of you, I have customized my iGoogle, and of course it's loaded with Disney content. Well, one of my widgets had a link to something that I MUST share! I've added the link, to which I recommend you go. However, I want to make sure that I can go back to this article, so it's pasted below.

I gave Jeff Kober, the author of this article, positive feedback, and he provides great words of wisdom in today's 'gloom-and-doom' world!

Be the Napa Rose!

http://www.mouseplanet.com/8814/Be_The_Napa_Rose

Be The Napa Rose

Thursday, April 30, 2009 Jeff Kober, staff writer,

One of my favorite places to take clients and friends when I'm at the Disneyland Resort is the Napa Rose restaurant at Disney's Grand Californian Resort. Many of you have enjoyed a terrific meal at Napa Rose, which celebrates the food and cuisine of the California Wine Country. Many are fascinated with observing the continual activity and bustle of the show kitchen. I prefer twilight views that overlook Grizzly Peak and Disney's California Adventure.

Few know, however, what a "napa rose" is and why the restaurant is named for it. What do napa roses have to do with winemaking? Napa roses are planted at the head of long rows of grapes. While in and of themselves they are very beautiful, their purpose is not centered on show.

Rather, they are sentinels for the grapes that follow down the vine. You see, Napa roses are very susceptible to disease, to pests, to fungus, and to other factors that could potentially harm grapes. Farmers need not study every vine to know the status of their vineyard. Rather, they simply have to look at the Napa roses planted at the head of the row. If the roses are faring poorly, it is a sign that they need to pay attention to the grapes located in that end of the field before things become worse.

So it is in business. Leaders must be the Napa rose of their organization. They must be the sentinels that observe the trends and patterns around them. They must be on the lookout for competitors or critics to those who would threaten the well-being of their organization.

In many ways, over the years, Disney has been the Napa rose—in some amazing ways. For instance, they are very prepared in the event of a major hurricane. They have a tremendous plan in place to not only prepare, but to monitor the storm, care for their guests, and get the operation back in business as soon as possible afterward.

More proactively, Disney has been the Napa rose in anticipating opportunities in the marketplace, such as getting into the cruise line business, or building the vacation ownership business. They saw possibilities, and they pursued new markets.

Still, one wonders who failed to watch the roses as the economic clouds moved in. There is no question that economic times are tough. And as armchair managers, it's always easy to look back and say what should have been done after the fact. But great leaders simply anticipate the challenges their organizations might face, and prepare for such situations long before they make an impact.

Critics for some time in and out of the Disney Company have talked about the layer of fat that existed—especially in management circles. This has been particularly true as parks on one coast managed matters almost entirely indifferent to what was being done on another coast. There was no sharing of knowledge, much less streamlining responsibility and accounting.

What if "One-Disney" had been thought through a couple of years ago when times were going great? What if organizations were streamlined, and unneeded personnel given opportunities to leave when there were more options for them, and more time to prepare for them to leave? What if existing personnel were directed toward new positions that better met the future needs of the organization, rather than hire additional personnel that would create excess in uncertain times?

Instead, the result is that such cutbacks come at a time people fear in finding work elsewhere. Therefore morale plummets, and people become anxious about the future. Even those who didn't get laid off are not focused on creating "One-Disney." Rather they are pondering what they're going to do to make sure it doesn't happen to them next time.

The result? Is anyone focused on what matters: Helping the resorts succeed in uncertain times? Creating great guest loyalty? Building new attractions that guarantee park attendance? Engaging cast members in being the best they can be?

That said, some say layoffs are not only intended, but would have been demanded, at times like this by share holders who want satisfaction in knowing that Disney is trimming things at a time when the company's fortunes are in reverse. But a better question would be: Shouldn't we have been satisfying shareholders all along with the knowledge that the organization was always running in a manner that is lean and mean?

Again, such reflection might be just armchair management. But, remember, this isn't about Disney. At the end of the day, it's about your organization. Be the sentinel that warns of impeding challenges before they happen, rather then after the entire vineyard is fraught with challenge.

Be the "Napa rose." It's how you lead the magic.

J. Jeff Kober consults with businesses and public sector organizations to improve customer service, teamwork and leadership practices. His keynotes, seminars, and workshops help people take best-in-business ideas from Disney and other great organizations and adapt them to their own practice. His newest book, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney is available at PerformanceJourneys.com. Also, imagine having your company pay you to spend time at Walt Disney World, shop at Nordstrom, or spend the night at Ritz-Carlton!

Go to WorldClassBenchmarking.com to find out how you and/or your organization can benchmark great Orlando businesses on your next trip.

Oranje Boven!

2009-04-30T11:59:00.003-05:00

Let's call it a patriotic song for The Netherlands. I'd hardly call it a National Anthem, but perhaps it is for Dutch sport fans.

But since I'm half-Dutch, I felt compelled to wish everyone a happy Koninginnen Dag! It would translate very loosely to President's Day, but on a much more grand scale.

My Facebook friend, Charlotte, sent me a link about a horrible accident in Apeldoorn, where I used to have family. I'll provide the link, but you'll have heard about it by now.

http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/1957156/twee-doden-en-23-gewonden-bij-incident-koninginnedag.html

So here's the House of Orange, not to be confused with the House of Mouse, and 'lang zal ze leven!'

Journey into Imagination with Figment!

2009-04-25T05:40:00.004-05:00

We all have sparks,

Imaginations!

That's how our minds create creations.

We set them free and oh what they can do!

Those magic sparks from me and you.

Spacesuit Figment: Journey Into Imagination is being released today, and he is the fourth Figment as part of an unofficial WDW Theme Park Exclusive.

The artist signing with Jacqueline Perreault Gonzales of the limited 750 is sure to sell out, as the pieces have in the past. So to any of my friends in the WDW area who may be at the event today, please take pictures for me!

You've gotta love Figment!

More details can be found at The Duckman's Site:

http://www.wdccduckman.com/journeyintoimagination.html

(Thanks Don!)

I Love My Mother...Earth!

2009-04-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Earth Day!

On Monday, I popped into the Disney Store to buy myself a 100% organic t-shirt to wear on Earth Day. Not that I'm the "tree-hugger" my sister thinks I am, but it's fun to get into these "Hallmark Holidays" (Am I overusing the "quotes''?)

Anyway, they told me that if I came back on Wednesday with three plastic bottles, I'd get a special prize. So I told a few friends, and Jennifer and Adam went with me to the Disney Store on Earth Day.

The prize was you got a cool water bottle! Ironic that you bring in three bottles and they give you one. I also purchased the bag in the picture below, because Disney will plant a tree for every bag sold, and now I have a new bag for groceries. I also picked up another neat Mickey bag.

So what did the Disney Geek look like on Earth Day? You decide.

Oh I Just Can't Wait...

2009-04-18T07:42:00.003-05:00

You've probably gathered by the title of my website and blog that I'm a big Lion King fan. If you didn't know, well, Hakuna Matata!

Anyway, for many years at the WDAC Conventions, I always put down that I'd like to see a piece from the "I Can't Wait To Be King" sequence of The Lion King. While Patrick Romandy-Simmons did a good job of the Simba, Nala and Zazu scene, it wasn't really the piece I had envisioned.

So when they announced the 2009 Spring Event Piece was Simba, I was thrilled to say the least. This was more along the lines of what I wanted, and leave it to Bruce Lau to truly capture the spirit of this playful scene in the movie.

And if the big wheels at WDCC are still reading, first, a great big thank you for continuing to do pieces from The Lion King (and Fantasia!), and secondly, I would really love to see either the scene with Simba and Nala on the ostriches, or the big finale of the animal pyramid. That would probably have to be a Signature Series piece!

To read more about the Little King, Big Roar Event this weekend, visit the Duckman's site:

http://www.wdccduckman.com/bigroar.html

Pringles Pop Art

2009-04-04T10:07:00.006-05:00

Dare I ridicule myself? Heck, why not?

Now go out and vote for me!

Seeing Red

2009-03-18T23:51:00.002-05:00

So after a long day in the booth, I was looking forward to some "me" time on our last night in Miami. That didn't happen.

About two or three hours before the end of the day, I was told to find a nice restaurant that would accommodate the 12 people from our company, including three CEOs. Of course I scrambled trying to find a place, and as a last resort, I asked the Concierges for some ideas.

We tried a few places, but none could take the group of our size at short notice. The last place we checked was Red the Steakhouse.

If you've ever been to Ruth Chris Steakhouse, it's similar, but a little more laid back. Well, our corporate CEO ordered a magnum of wine, and then more wine, and a seafood appetizer. You get the idea.

I had a lovely rack of lamb, thinking it was about middle of the road as far as the bill was concerned. Some of the sales people think this is their one chance to live it up. One of the sales people (not in my division) didn't see the phrase "market price" near the lobster he ordered.

When the bill came, and usually the CEO doesn't really care, scanned the bill and let the group know that the lobster was four times as much as the rest of our individual orders. With the tip coming in at over $400, we knew his meal had to be around $125!

The link to Red is below, so be sure to check out the menu. The tater tots, yes you read that correctly, were awesome, and not at all what you think of when you hear tater tots.

http://www.redthesteakhouse.com/southbeach.html

Oh, they gave us cookies, and guess what I found on the cookie plate???

Shake Your Body Baby, Do the Conga

2009-03-17T23:52:00.005-05:00

It was my lucky trip!

Most of my friends know I love Gloria Estefan. And my Disney friends know that I love eating at Bongos Cuban Cafe at Downtown Disney in Orlando.

So when I found out that our hotel was close to the Bongos Cuban Cafe in Miami as well as Larios On The Beach, another one of Gloria's restaurants (yes, we're on a first-name basis), I was thrilled and pretty much told the Management team that we would be eating at one of the restaurants.

Since we've been putting in some long days, I opted for going to Larios On The Beach, since it was less than a mile from the Loews. Thinking we should walk instead of taking a cab, I schlepped the group down Ocean Drive past many an outdoor dining establishment. We even walked pasted a rather well-endowed mannequin. Since kids may be stopping by this site, you'll have to email me to request seeing those pictures!

Like having a bunch of kids saying, "Are we there yet?", we finally made it to our destination, with me arriving in one piece. I told the group that they were in for a treat, and they sure were pleasantly surprised.

The best part of the meal, besides everything from the Mojitos to the dessert, was when Dalyce ordered Cuban bread with Chimichurri sauces. Our waiter gave us the recipe, which I found online and have below, if you want to try it at home.

And the super nice lady at the counter gave me a magnet, along with the three glasses we were able to take home as part of our Mojito purchase, to help me commemorate this trip.

Oh, the picture of menu was a memento, too! (Even though our CEO said it looked like a toilet seat!)

Check out the South Beach location and menu!

http://www.bongoscubancafe.com/www/

Chimichurri Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
3-4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves (can sub 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp sugar

1 Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl.

2 Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust seasonings.

Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two.

Serves 4.

Is That a Leprechaun?

2009-03-17T07:04:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it to Miami!

The booth set up went well, with no major dramas or challenges to the super egos. Long hours at this show, so recaps probably won't happen until after the show.

But here's an image to help you visual what the Marketing Dude had in mind as some fun giveaways for St. Pat's. (Don't laugh. People did want the necklace...and they didn't have to do any "New Orleans" type of deal to get them!)

PS: My friend, Paul, says I look like I belong in the Haunted Mansion. I can't argue with that!

Ah-Choo!

2009-03-15T13:23:00.002-05:00

Getting a cold never comes at an opportune time. I got one a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn't too bad. Then on Wednesday night, it came back with a vengeance. All before I leave for a business trip to Miami tomorrow.

So I'm taking all kinds of drugs to try and shake this thing before I head out tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed all the OTC medicine works!

What Time Is It?

2009-02-26T14:43:00.001-06:00

The weather forecasters are saying we could get anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of snow tonight! After lunch and looking out of the windows of my office, it started snowing.

And snowing...

And snowing! By 1:30 PM, the Powers That Be at work decided to send us home. They never send us home for snow!

By the time I got home, with soaking wet boots and jeans, I came home to find the White Rabbit truly white and asking, "Is it Spring yet?"

But then, March is the snowiest month in Minnesota, so that means more to come!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

2009-02-24T10:09:00.003-06:00

Clopin would probably say that I belong at the Festival of Fools, but it's Mardi Gras, so it's close enough!

Apparently, many of my friends and coworkers are unfamiliar with some of the more "tame" traditions surrounding Mardi Gras. Well, here's my chance to dump some useless information out of my head and into my blog!

And actually I'm going to use a terrific site that explains a lot about the King's Cakes I brought into work as well as some other traditions.

So enjoy y'all!

http://www.mardigrasday.com/mardigras/kc_buy.php

And don't forget...Laissez les bon temps rouler!

I'm Ready For My Close-Up!

2009-02-22T17:02:00.003-06:00

It's time for the 81st Academy Awards tonight!

While I'll never walk down the red carpet for anyone to critique what I'm wearing (Oh, that gets done all the time in my every-day life!), I can say I have been able to hold an Oscar.

At the Walt Disney Studios for the 2002 "Celebration of Walt Disney Art Classics" Convention, we were given a backstage tour. Like other convention-goers, I held the actual Academy Award for the 1958 Disney documentary, "White Wilderness". Those suckers are heavy!

In the background are official portraits of Mickey Mouse painted by Disney Legend John Hench.

http://studioservices.go.com/

Now, on with the show!

Oh My! R2!

2009-01-22T11:38:00.003-06:00

I am so far behind with everything, I thought I'd better post something just so that I know I'm still alive.

Even though my family and friends decided not to give out gifts this year, I have to admit I did pick something up for myself. But with an over $100 savings and free shipping, I couldn't resist. I'm just glad that after looking at this for over 2 years, I finally have my own voice-activated R2-D2!

He responds to some basic commands, but I still have to figure out how he can follow me around the office. That is, I promised my CEO that R2 wouldn't disrupt the office. He's pretty cool! (I'm talking about R2!)

Although It's Been Said, Many Times, Many Ways....

2008-12-24T12:02:00.002-06:00

Pass the ham, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and don't forget the wine!

Hello my friends! It's been some time since I've given an update, but every since my business trips to the Fall trade shows, I just haven't been able to keep up with anything.

I know I should be thankful for having a job and that I'm busy. But I'm even more thankful for wonderful family and friends.

So as we get ready for our Christmas and other Holiday celebrations, let me just say thank YOU for adding so much to my life!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Mickey sends his Holiday greetings too!

Chi-Town

2008-10-17T19:49:00.002-05:00

It's our busy season, but at least this trip to Chicago would be close to home and only for a few days. Little did I realize that it would be a trip filled with a bit of drama.

After the cab ride from, well, you know (Actually it was from O'Hare to McCormick Place that took over an hour), I had to set up my booth before the deadline of 5:00 PM. I made it just in time.

I got back to the hotel and decided it was time for me to head over to one of my favorite Sushi restaurants: Ra Sushi Bar and Restaurant. I'm sure I've mentioned it before.

http://www.rasushi.com/

Sadly, while the food was yummy, the service was quite lacking this time. What is it with customer service (or lack thereof) these days? Okay, I won't go off on a tangent.

In my haste to make my flight and because I was distracted several times before packing up at work, I forgot my power cord for my laptop. How was I going to demo our software without any power? Trust me, an applicant tracking system does not lend itself well for an interpretive dance.

After running around Chicago, literally, I was out of luck. Nothing would work with my Dell. In the morning, I went to the Expo Hall and asked around, and a lady happened to have an extra power cord. She saved my hide, and demos!

Still toting Flat Stanley around for my niece, I figured he was as happy as I was to be able to plug in my laptop and my projector.

Needless to say, after that adventure, I needed a treat. So that night, I headed to another favorite restaurant, Su Casa. A favorite because, while I'm not fond of Tequila, they make some of the best Margaritas. So I had a small Paloma Margarita. I was barely fit to walk back to the Residence Inn! What a light-weight!

As much as I love Chicago, I was happy to see this trip end. Only because I knew what was in store for me next week in San Diego at the mother of all trade shows for us. Little did I know what an adventure that one would turn out to be. But that's a tale for another post.

So, one last picture of Chi-Town with two buddies at Midway Airport, Flat Stanley, and a bunch of passengers looking at me as if I were mad.

Helping Hand

2008-10-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

I'm in the midst of the trifecta of trade show turmoil. And actually, it's more than just three. Thankfully, I hired a great Business Development Specialist a couple of weeks ago. Adam is leaps and bounds better than my last (keeping it clean and professional here) "employee". Working double duty was worth it.

Every year I try to do something clever to include in the booth graphics for my boss or to shows I don't attend. I made Adam pose with me, and you can see that the stress is already impacting me. (Like I need that as an excuse!)

I really do need professional help.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

2008-09-30T19:32:00.003-05:00

Today is Mom and Dad's 47th anniversary. It's also their last day in Minnesota. The week went by quickly.

We went to a yummy restaurant called Northcoast in Wayzata off of Lake Minnetonka for lunch today.

Still happy after all these years (and having me for a son!).

You Betcha, We Went Up Nord

2008-09-30T07:24:00.001-05:00

My Mom loves lighthouses. So when she and Dad decided to come for a visit, she asked if we could go see the Splitrock Lighthouse. Being the good son that I am in Minnesota, I said "You Betcha!"

So I found a cabin on the Northshore near Gooseberry Falls. Here we are on the shore of Lake Superior.

We were about eight miles from Gooseberry Falls. I just love that place. Isn't it pretty?

Another two miles away was the Splitrock Lighthouse, one of our Minnesotan symbols. Mom got her wish and climbed the 32 steps in the lighthouse to go to the top!

Disney Store # 415 Reunion

2008-09-27T07:47:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready for the cocktail reception we're having for my folks today, but I wanted to put this out here before anyone else puts theirs out! (So competitive!)

Every so often, a group of people who came together in a retail environment for the love of Disney "worked" together. But as we knew from the beginning, it was much more than that. Of all the people that I've met in my journey through life, none are so dear as the friends I've made through Disney.

We say it time and time again. It's amazing how we worked together, for a short time or many years, and after all these years, we still come together as if family. Some of my dear friends I get to see on a regular basis, and others I have to wait to see at reunions like this one. But I cherish these moments and these friends. They are a first-rate group of people. Heck, Dani's seen my underwear. (I'd better clarify that. Chris, her husband, saw them too, but only because they helped me move!)

So here's to The Disney Store #415 Team. While all of us weren't together last night, we certainly talked about you!!!! (And you know we did!)

Front row: Brynn and Karen; Second row: Peter and Mariah; Back row: Brian, Wayne, Dani, Tom, Julie, Tim

(More pictures to follow soon on my website. Or if you're on Facebook, check them out there)

Mall of America Day with Mom, Dad and Flat Stanley

2008-09-26T16:51:00.005-05:00

Today we spent the day at the Mall of America. I dropped off Mom and Dad at Starbucks while I ran across the street to work to attend a meeting. Then we went shopping.

Along the way, we had some photo ops. What I don't make my parents do, but you can see from where I picked up the "ham gene."

Here, you can see that Flat Stanley LOVES The Disney Store! (If you don't know who Flat Stanley is, go to http://www.flatstanley.com/)

After looking for souvenirs, we were hungry, and I knew Mom would love Bubba Gump's. So we we had a ton of shrimp and saved room for bread pudding. Dustin our waiter got a hefty tip for his outstanding service, especially having to put up with my Dad!

Hey! Can you guess what this is??? Guess!!!

It's a BEAR PAW!!!!

(Yes, I lead a sad life)

Tonight they stay home while I attend The Disney Store Reunion!!!

What Will You Celebrate?

2008-09-25T16:40:00.007-05:00

Well, Mom and Dad arrived last night on US Airways (Thanks for helping my parents out, Adam!!!)

After a good night's rest, we decided we'd head out to Downtown Minneapolis. As we walked through Macy's an omen appeared on one of the displays? Any guesses how much that t-shirt (I did say t-shirt) cost? Only $198.00!!!!

We started walking through the Skyway over to the IDS Center so I can show them where Mary Tyler Moore has lunch at Basil's in the opening credits, when we looked out on the street and saw it was Farmer's Market day! Since I don't work Downtown anymore, I had totally forgotten that Thursdays up until October they have this.

Then, what did I spot? Was that a Mickey Mouse balloon? Yes it was! Then I spotted a HUGE Mickey Mouse balloon!

Mike in California had told me that they were kicking off next year's Disney event in several cities including Minneapolis. A bunch of my Disney friends talked about it, but in the pandemonium of this week, I totally had spaced that they were having this event Downtown (REALLY!!! No one will believe me, other than knowing I'm an airhead.)

One-Two...Click. Dad's great with the camera. And I did not ask for a pink balloon.

So, not only on day one of my family's visit did I get some nice quality time with my folks, I was able to throw in some Disney magic too! Well, other than Dad's balloon popping on the bus and it scared the heck out of the passengers. (I can't repeat what one guy said). At least the bus driver found some humor in it. She said to us and the other passengers that it was like our economy: great at first and then it's a bust.

To learn more about the new Disney event, check out http://www.disneyparkscelebrations.com/ to enter a chance to win a vacation for four to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. (You know I'm the walking billboard for Disney.)

It's a Small Bus After All

2008-09-24T07:22:00.005-05:00

This morning I was zoning out to random tunes, and "It's a Small World" came on. Normally I have a quick nap to and from work, but this morning I was wide awake. I also noticed that as "It's a Small World" was playing, that it was appropriate for my bus ride.

You see, the bus driver is from Togo, and there was an Chinese man behind me. To my right was an Eastern European man, and two Mexican ladies were off to the side. Then there was yours truly, who is of Dutch-Indonesian ancestry.

The ethnic landscape in Minnesota has changed a lot since I first moved here. And the bus I ride is a smaller bus (not the short bus), so I was amazed at the ethnic diversity this morning.

It truly is a Small World After All! (Have I said it enough so the song will still with you today?)

The Evening Went to the Dogs

2008-09-21T19:55:00.005-05:00

Last night I attended the Whisker Whirl Goes Hollywood benefit. It was a blast as usual. Last year, it was so cold, we couldn't wait to get into the tent. This year, it was so warm and sweltering in the tent, we couldn't wait to get outside. But it was great people and pet watching!

I can never keep my eyes open in pictures, but here I am with Dani.

It's hard to see in this picture, but if you look to the middle of it, you may spot a Great Dane that was taller than the table! She was wearing a feather boa.

Oh my gosh! Do you see what's hidden in my dessert???

That dessert was wonderful. In fact, it was better than "ex".

Some Cookie

2008-09-20T09:39:00.004-05:00

Guess how much this cookie cost? It's an average-sized oatmeal and raisin cookie. Go on...guess.

Mind you, I didn't buy this cookie. I tasted it a bit of it, and it didn't send me to heaven and back like an In-N-Out Double Double does.

A CEO (not mine) who likes bass fishing "needed" these for his birthday. Give up?

Ten ($10.00) US dollars. I'm sorry. But for 10 bucks, that cookie should have done my laundry for me, and like Paris Hilton, it wasn't all that and a bag of chips.

iRony

2008-09-19T03:17:00.003-05:00

For the record, I did not do this on purpose. I'm going to blame waking up at 3:00 AM for the past week and my allergies for my lack of memory. My friends will tell you otherwise.

But I forgot one of the Disney "i" flairs, and it seems appropriate that I forgot...what's her name again???

iDisney

2008-09-17T08:21:00.023-05:00

In the previous post, I mentioned some of my addictions. Well here is something that combines almost all of them!

Out on the web, you can see what some clever people have done, based on the popular iPod/iTunes ads. You can find just about any character and person showing their loyalty to the iPod brand.

Here are some of my favorite iDisney ones, some of which you can also find on my flair bulletin board in Facebook. These are pretty self-explanatory. If you have others, please pass them on to me!

iMLinkedBookIn!

2008-09-16T20:46:00.005-05:00

Everyone knows I'm the poster child for Disney. I'm every marketers dream of buying into something. (As the director of marketing, you 'd think I could apply some of the same brain-washing techniques to make our stock soar, but that hasn't happened yet.)

It's just like me having three iPods. Why does one person need three iPods? And yet I do. I can't give away the Mini; the 80G holds most of my music; the iTouch has a nice screen for my videos and podcasts.

Then there's LinkedIn, the professional networking site with over 24 million users(*1) representing over 150 industries, which I love and see at many of the trade shows I attend. Some joke that LinkedIn is the boring social network that won't land you a date, but could find you a job. It's a great place to stay in contact with business partners and associates and to ask for professional advice. So it wasn't a far stretch for my compulsive personality to be turned to the Dark Side and cave to my friends' requests to join Facebook.

Facebook, for those of you living in a cave, is the social networking site that has over 60 million members(*2). One of the big controversies, is that many people treat that site as their "personal" haven, despite the fact that 60 million people can become your "friend", and the site is a place where the boundaries between work and personal lives has become blurred.

For example, many of the recruiters and business partners with whom I work will look for temporary and career-minded individuals to fulfill a requisition. Some people don't like that, while others think it's a gold mine of opportunity. I myself struggle with having my business partners and even some colleagues seeing my wacky antics on my off time. Thank goodness for those filters!

But if you do find yourself on LinkedIn or Facebook, be sure to add me to your network. I don't want to miss out anything!

www.LinkedIn.com

www.Facebook.com

(*1) - The New York Times, September 17, 2008
(*2) - CrunchBase, September 13, 2008

Going to the Dogs and Cats: Whisker Whirl

2008-09-14T17:32:00.010-05:00

Wow, I have a lot of pictures on my camera that I've either forgotten to post or with some to do. But since next weekend I'm going to be attending the Animal Humane Society's Whisker Whirl, I figured I'd better post some pictures of last year's event before posting the ones I'll be snapping this year.

This is a great fund raiser where pet owners and lovers can get together for the evening and have a good time. They have pet food as well as human food. Sometimes, it's hard to tell which is which, but I was assured that this was the human dessert plate.

Last year's theme was Autumn in New York, and Tamar Geller was one of the guest presenters. The table displays reflected things we'd expect to see from the Big Apple, like Broadway. Hey! Do I spot The Lion King?

If you're in NYC, you have to go to Little Italy. Wait! Is that Lady and the Tramp?

Yes, some of the tables did have a Disney touch, but that's because friends Dani and Chris, who volunteer for the Humane Society, also provided some of the table decorations. They clean up nicely, don't you think?

This year's theme is Whisker Whirl Goes Hollywood, so that should be fun. But as we left last year, someone left their "auction paddle" on their table and I couldn't resist this picture. They had a Hollywood theme last year and didn't know it! Woof!

If you'd like to know more about this year's Whisker Whirl or would like to make a donation, check them out at:

http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/event_wwhirl.asp

Laughter in the Rain...Kind Of

2008-09-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

You know that it's Fall when it's time for the annual Fall into the Arts Festival. Typically, it looks like this:
But not this year. It was so damp and rainy, I (wisely) didn't bring my camera. Checking the Weather Channel before venturing out, I figured I would walk over and around the festival before the rain would come through. But that was only after I had done my laundry chores.

A few nice things, and many of the same exhibitors were there. There was one "must have", but since he only took cash or check, I asked him to hold it and I figured I could run home, avoid the rain and becoming sopping wet, and then come back to pick it up. Even with an umbrella in hand that didn't happen.

As I was heading home, which is only a few blocks away from the festival, the heavens open up and the Minnesota rain came down. It's not the fun Summer rain that feels good. It was the cold, damp rain that came down. By the time I got home, every inch of me was wet.

I changed and let the storm pass before heading out again. I picked up my treasure, and guess what happened...again? Yep. Another storm cell came through, and I was drenched again. After getting caught up on laundry, my trip out today cost me two days worth of laundry. Oh well.

Here's what I have to show for it. It's a silver creamer with silver spoons as the chimes.

My Lunch Nightmare (the good kind)

2008-09-10T07:44:00.002-05:00

I had to run a couple of errands at the Mall of America yesterday. Even though I can't let go of Summer, Fall's cool (no pun intended) because of all the Halloween stuff.

At Hallmark, the have a "Three Faces of Jack Skellington" tealight votive holder set (the clerk corrected me after I said candle holder) that was fun. And then through my traditional spin through The Disney Store, they have a few new pieces out (I was expecting more, especially for the 15th anniversary).

I was admiring the Jack and Sally candle stick holders (these actually were candle stick holders and the Cast Member was too busy pushing Sleeping Beauty and the Tinker Bell movie to correct me if I had made a mistake), when I saw this and thought, "What's This?" (NBC fans will be rolling their eyes at me about now. If you don't get it, watch the movie.)

This figurine lights up, and Jack comes with three interchangeable heads (Why are there so many things for Jack with interchangeable heads? Could it be because of his many expressions? I think so!) and was pretty tall. But for $100, I'd rather go for broke and get the WDCC Pumpkin King piece (which costs the equivalent to a roundtrip airfare to London, so you decide which one I'd take!)

I didn't pick up any of these pieces...yet!

Did I Just See That?

2008-09-07T07:10:00.006-05:00

While running errands today, I passed a gas station near the condo. Did I just see that? I wish I had my camera! But my cell phone can snap pics, but very good ones.

This was on the side of the bus.And here's a closer look at it:
An important message to be taking to everyone, especially the universities, but I wasn't expecting to see that in Minnesota!

http://www.facebook.com/trojancondoms

Noise Pollution

2008-09-04T18:43:00.002-05:00

All day long, I had back-to-back meetings. I had just enough time to throw some food down my gullet at some point in the day. Needless to say, I was looking forward to my nap time on the bus ride home.

First, a loud person got on the bus to ride a block. Then some guy is was oh so important, had to make sure we all knew it as he carried on a conversation that was probably heard over at the Republican National Convention over in St. Paul.

But the kicker was a woman with five little kids got on the bus. They could see that I was trying to get some shut eye, but insisted on sitting all around me and were constantly yelling and screaming.

After a few looks that could kill that didn't work, I turned to the kids and asked them to keep quiet. The woman shot me a look as if to say she was insulted. I was about to give her a little piece of advice [Warning parents! Non-Disney comment coming up] that if you can't control your kids, you should keep a better job of keeping your legs together, when she rang the bell to get off the bus. I don't even think it was her stop.

I'm home now. It's amazing how a glass of red wine can calm the nerves.

What a Nightmare!

2008-08-29T21:35:00.003-05:00

What a Nightmare of a week!

No, not the typical type of nightmare week like having to interview people, do the jobs of 2 1/2 people, and having my intern finish up for the summer, although it could qualify. I'm used to that. The Nightmare to which I am referring is The Nightmare Before Christmas.

This past Tuesday, this twisted tale came out in a Collector's Edition on DVD. Then today after work, I headed over to the Hallmark at the Mall of America with Jason from work. We walked in and I sang, "Oh look! What's This?" (I really didn't, but Jack Skellington fans will know what I mean)

One of their displays towards the front had these ornaments on display:

As you can see, I had to pick them up even though I had a ton of Hallmark certificates at home. I had no idea they were coming out with these, and I'm a card-carrying platinum member of Hallmark Crown Rewards (Reason 105 why I need a life). I have to say I love the Halloweentown Trickers set.

Then as I was blogging this, I found out that I can watch the DVDs I just purchased on my iTouch! Very cool! This link shows you how you can do it in case you need to know:

http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/disneyfile/textonly.html

The Results Are In!

2008-08-25T07:44:00.010-05:00

The results are in, and I am not an Olympian! Granted, I didn't start playing one of the games until half-way through, but still, looks like I didn't do well with matching or passing the baton.

My team, Herc's Olympians, had an over-all rank of 6,091, with a total point value of 452. They didn't say how many people played, but I know I was probably the last one to be picked for dodgeball.

For the "Pass the Baton" challenge, I was "Hopeful". They were being nice. My Minnesota team rank here was 75 out of 1,040. But my overall rank over the US was 2,414 out of 74,033. I would say a vast improvement there.

So tell me why I signed up for fantasy football again at work?

2008 Olympic Closing Ceremonies

2008-08-24T20:36:00.004-05:00

Shhh! I'm watching the Closing Ceremonies now! See! And for any of my friends who always say that I put up bad pictures of them, look. I also put them up of me! This is the last time I can wear my 2008 Beijing Olympics shirt while it's still cool.

I went to "Disney"room in the condo so I could iron, post and watch TV on my Mickey TV. It was so much fun watching the Opening with my friends; I wish they could have been here for the Closing, but since I'll be heading to bed soon, I'll have to Tivo the rest. So this is a tribute to Dani, Sara, Chris and Garry.

But I just had to comment about the Closing Ceremonies. Great show, great memories, great performances.

We can all pick our favorite performances, but still I think the Gold winner in my book is that one class act that represented our country so well: Michael Phelps.

Congrats to all the athletes and volunteers for giving so much!

Beijing Webcam: I'll Miss It

2008-08-22T09:25:00.015-05:00

In previous posts I've mentioned that I enjoyed reading Drill's and Perk's blogs, and having them on a webcam has been equally entertaining.

However, I know I wouldn't want to be in a fishbowl for the world to see me at work. For one thing, it would bore you to tears. The other thing is, and trust me I know how these guys feel, I would have to justify moments "caught on tape".

For example, here are some screenshots of moments I know I've experienced myself and the answers I'd have to give my superiors.

"But I am working!"

"I know this is important, but so is having to go potty...."

"I can eat and work at the same time without spilling on the key...oops!"

"This is a work-related phone call!"

"I'm thinking...really!"

"I'm just giving my eyes a rest for a moment."

Meeska! Mooska! Mickey Mouse!

2008-08-21T07:28:00.006-05:00

I can't make this stuff up. As my bus was pulling into the Mall of America transportation center, there were two local contractors parking their company vans next to each other. I wish I had my camera, but these were the companies:

I know they are spelled a bit differently, but I still said the words and the clubhouse didn't appear. And for those of you who don't understand the reference, watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ODPtsAJXgM

Hot dog!

Picnic By The Pool

2008-08-19T19:18:00.003-05:00

Sadly, we have to admit that Summer's drawing to a close. This is Minnesota after all. So our usual lunch gang decided we should have a picnic by the pool today at the condo.

Tanya wasn't able to join us, but Julie, Jennifer Ryan and I had a nice time soaking up some rays...and you can see we had just a little bit of food as well.

Cowabunga, beach buddies!

But then Jennifer was notified by Owl Post that we had to get back to work. Glad it wasn't a Howler!

Star Wars Invades San Francisco

2008-08-19T19:03:00.003-05:00

Is San Francisco really being invaded? Well, not really. My friend, Michelle, shared this link with me, and it's way too good to pass up.

So enjoy the clip. They really did a great job with this!

http://current.com/items/89204971_death_star_over_san_francisco

The Olympic Zones

2008-08-19T07:43:00.000-05:00

I know it's hard to see here, so click on the picture and it's a little easier to see what I'm talking about. But these are the four Olympic websites I have going constantly at home (not at work...I promise!!!)

But the other morning for us while they were asleep in Beijing, someone forgot to turn off the webcam in the newsroom and give us lovely shots of Beijing. Instead, we had to keep looking at this. Perhaps Eric Perkins planned that. Those two are known for doing goofy things.

Like the other day, Perk kept showing the webcam a cracker he was eating, and then we watched Drill eat a banana.

I know I've said it before, but read their blogs. I love the ones about Drill and his laundry.

Out of Control

2008-08-15T19:08:00.012-05:00

So today quite by accident, I discovered something on Facebook: Pass the Baton at the NBC Olympics.com site. It's a fun challenge where you pass the baton to others all over the US. You gain medals the more you pass your batons, and you can request batons from others. (I've passed the baton off on a few of you...get going!)

And then on NBC's Olympics.com site, you can play Olympic Quick Picks.

Yet more Olympic-related things to keep me from sleep!

(Go check it out for yourself on Facebook and Olympics.com!)

Addiction

2008-08-14T09:19:00.010-05:00

Addiction.

Merriam-Webster's defines addiction as such: "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal."

I think they need to add one more word in that description for not only me, but for many of us (and I don't mean the word 'Disney', but that certainly can fall into the category as well). The word I'm thinking of presently is 'Olympics'.

Yep, as usual, and as you can tell from my previous post, I can't get enough of the Olympics. I'm not even a big sports nut, but every time the Olympics come around, I can't help myself. I tell this story to people, but back in 1984 when the Olympics were in Los Angeles, my mother and I got hooked on pin trading. There was this huge inflatable Coke bottle near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and we went nuts. And then when Disney started with the pin trading, well, those of you who know me (and are equally addicted) know about that.

It didn't help that many of the events happened all over Southern California, but that addiction started back then. So now, thanks to Tivo, I'm able to watch Olympics when I get home from work, after dinner, when I get up in the morning before I go to work...you get the idea.

And to top things off, now I can also Beijing Cam, thanks to one of our local news stations. And let me tell you, anchor Eric Perkins (Perk) and photojournalist John Drilling (Drill) are hilarious to watch when they are at their desks. They will do all sorts of wacky stuff for the camera. See for yourself.

http://www.kare11.com/news/olympics/beijing/default.aspx?menuid=141

When they are away, you get nice views of Beijing. Thankfully, I'm too busy at work to spend time watching that all the time, but will sneak a peak at lunch. Check out their blog, too. Those boys are nuts. They went to the wrong airport here and almost missed their flight. But then, like me, when in Los Angeles, they had to eat at In-N-Out Burgers.

Okay, have to check out the scores and the medal count....

Ni Hau, Y'all!

2008-08-08T23:54:00.000-05:00

It's time for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and I'm excited! In fact, I decided to throw an Olympic Opening Ceremony party for some friends. How sad is that?

Since I had a short time to plan, I didn't get to go all out, but we did have lots of Chinese food, personalized Chinese Zodiac place mats, Chinese and Greek trivia, and customized fortune cookies, all with Star Wars sayings. We even had our own drinking game based on what Garry would or wouldn't say.

With Hercules meeting Mulan, my Disney decorating theme was strong with my Disney friends. And I also have to thank Carl for sending a WDCC Olympics Goofy poster for my door and to Michelle for calling us to see if we were having a good time.

But the biggest thanks has to go to Sara, Dani, Chris and Garry, for putting up with my constant Chinese trivia ("You are now eating bao. 'Bao' means 'treasure' in Chinese."), my attempts are cooking some of the food, and for making them pose with these lanterns.

I'd be surprised if they ever came back for another party. But at least I didn't make them dress up in the Olympic colors and make them pose like the rings, like I told them I would make them.

They even posed for a picture (we were well into the drinking game at this point).

And here's the welcome sign I made for the party. I think my neighbors will steer clear of me after seeing the party theme.

Star Wars: Nothing But Star Wars

2008-07-11T22:00:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm going to be releasing my inner-Star Wars geekness now. St Paul was lucky enough to be one of the cities to host the Star Wars exhibit at our Science Museum. Here's proof that I was there.

To quote my favorite Star Wars character, "We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life." If you are brave enough, click the link below to see all the pictures I took at the exhibit. May the Force Be With You!

http://picasaweb.google.com/disneytimon/StarWarsExhibitAtStPaulScienceMuseum

Mr. Mom?

2008-05-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

My sister has four kids, and every time I see her I have the utmost respect for how she manages the family (even though I think she's crazy).

So in between my other chores, I wanted to give her and my brother-in-law a break as well, so Uncle Tim helped out with being Mr. Mom. I drove the kids to school, helped them with their homework projects (can I just say that what they expect parents to do these days is INSANE!), did the cooking and ran errands.

Now I know why I'm single with no kids. I'm too selfish, and will freely admit that. However, the trade off of unconditional love is something I only get a taste of, whereas you parents get this all the time.

Here, my youngest niece is being cute with me as we were driving to the storage unit. Uncle Tim is very proud of her that she knows every Disney princess and their stories, but her knowledge of the classics like The Three Little Pigs and Peter Pan is lacking. Uncle Tim will need to make a return trip soon so he can help illuminate her on these stories.

My family was amazed, but not really, when she was telling stories they could barely understand, but she and I were communicating. I told them that I can't tell if she's getting better at talking, or because I know about Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella better than she does. Right now, Ariel and Tinker Bell are her favorites. She wanted to leave the house every day in her PJs, so I guess I'll have to head over to The Disney Store to buy her some dresses.

Surprise!

2008-05-11T14:44:00.000-05:00

For my Mom's 70th and for Mother's Day, I decided to fly out to Colorado Springs and surprise her. My Dad and brother-in-law picked me up from the airport, and just about when we got home, I called her. They went into their house and while I was talking to her, I walked in. Surprise!

The rest of the week will be spent frantically getting their new townhouse ready for them to finally move in. Wow, is their new place nice! I have to say they certainly deserve it (having to put up with me for 43 years!)

Happy 30th, Sara!

2008-05-09T23:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Sara's 30th birthday, but she and Quinn decided to celebrate their birthdays together today.

I think Sara liked the gift that Dani and I gave her to commemorate her hallmark birthday.

Happy birthday, dear friend!!!

Back in Action

2008-04-27T08:56:00.001-05:00

Marketing people love me. When I saw this in the store, I had to buy it. Even I have to admit it's wacky having a "limited edition" cereal box, but with all the other crap I collect, I won't be keeping these.

I just can't wait until the new Indiana Jones movie comes out on May 22nd. I'm debating on taking the day off from work (not even with a "cough-cough" day).

Just Like Old Times

2008-03-31T22:47:00.002-05:00

Last week, my boss asked me to go to a trade show in her place. So, here I am back in California! (Who's complaining???)

Leaving Minnesota, we had to wait for a flight attendant and then the start of a snow storm delayed our flight for over an hour.

But since it was triple the cost to fly directly into San Diego, I decided to fly into LAX and drive down. I knew I had time to drive down and then pick up a coworker who was flying into the San Diego airport.

Only now with the weather delay, I had less than two hours to get from LA to San Diego.

Don't tell Mom or law enforcement, but the drive that normally takes about 2.5 hours was able to be done in 1.5 hours. Let's just say I wasn't going 65. (Safety first, Kiddies!!!) But I used to drive this all the time when I lived here, so I knew the roads very well and where I can push the limit. So with the sun roof open and the XM Radio on the 80's channel, I flew, er drove down to San Diego.

As I was pulling off the freeway, my coworker's plane flew overhead. Perfect timing!

And of course we hit the Old Town Mexican Cafe in Old Town for some great dinner.

Oh, I promise to follow the posted speed limits on the drive back on Wednesday...or as close as possible.

Too Much Tech?

2008-03-21T20:40:00.003-05:00

During my travels around Europe, I went to a few classical music concerts in Germany and Austria. The audience would sit still through the entire performance, and would glare at you if you so much as scratched your nose.

So tonight in church for the Good Friday service, which was less than an hour mind you, I was distracted by a gentleman who couldn't sit still to save his life. It's like he had ants in his pants. Then I was appalled by someone else in the pew in front of me who felt compelled to send a text message during the service.

Is it something about our culture where people can't stay focused if they've made a commitment to something? This guy texting reminded me of when a group of friends and I went to see The Lion King last year. A guy kept checking the football score during the show, so finally at Intermission I said, in my passive way but voice loud enough for him to hear, "Yeah, the show's great if only this guy could figure out to check the score when the theatre isn't dark."

His embarrassed wife made him put away his Blackberry.

So This Is Spring?

2008-03-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

It's the first week of Spring and when commenting to my friend, Rich, "This is pretty for Christmas, but not so much for Easter," I was humbled when he replied, "There's a time and place for everything." And he's right.

But no offense, Rich, but I'm so over Winter!!!

On My (Disney) Way

2008-03-14T18:20:00.001-05:00

On my last day and on my way to the airport, I had one last drive by.

Tomorrowland Attractions Reunion

2008-03-13T23:25:00.002-05:00

After my horrific day at work, there finally was some good news. I was able to see my friend Mike.

While having dinner with Mike at Storytellers, I was heading for round two of the buffet. In the booth right next to us, were two wonderful former Tomorrowland Attractions friends: Wendy and Gail. They were having dinner with family and friends and it was great chatting with them.

About 10 minutes later, I see another former Tomorrowland friend, Annette. And on KTLA News earlier this week, I saw my friend Jim from Tomorrowland on TV. This week was a Tomorrowland Attractions reunion! How could it get any better?

Maybe this?

Well, not only that, but eventhough Mike was very tired and just got back from a week-long vacation in Disney World, he was nice enough to sign me into Disneyland so that I can finally ride this (I took this picture last year, but because we were there at night, I'm recycling my photos):

And that would be Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Very cute story and it was fun riding the Subs again, even though I hated working that Attraction.

If you have seen The Seas with Nemo and Friends at EPCOT, it's similar technology, but they have extended it on the Subs. And I even spotted the familiar sea monster at the end of the Attraction!

So Timmy's happy he was able to see Disney friends as well as to finally pop into Disneyland!

Duck!

2008-03-13T10:04:00.003-05:00

When I left for work Thursday morning, I should have known that this Duck would determine how my day was to go. In fact, to quote him, it was an "exasperating" day. Good thing this bird didn't leave a present on my windshield.

You see, this day was going be one of those days where I should have stayed in bed at the hotel. Not only were there some things going on at my office via email, but my customer also was having some 'melt downs'.

So we had a couple of lengthy phone conversations with a VP and some IT developers at my office. We had resolved one of the issues, so in a note I thought I was sending to my colleagues back in the office that said something, "Welcome to my world this week", I discover I sent that to the customer to whom I was referring.

Explaining that I felt that I wasn't accomplishing everything for him and feeling frustrated, I also hoped to get as much resolved for him by Friday. I don't know if he bought that dumb excuse, but at least I felt a bit better about my faux pas.

I supposed I should feel grateful and lucky that I took the sentence, "Same circus, different clowns" out of my email.

Oh, the Glory

2008-03-12T22:58:00.008-05:00

Every morning when I open the curtains, this is my view out of my hotel room. (If I tilted the camera down a bit, you would see Del Taco, which takes away from the view)

After work, thought I'd swing by the Crystal Cathedral to see if they have a service this evening. As it turns out, they were having a dress rehearsal of the Glory of Easter for their employees.

Unfortunately, the picture I took of the llamas, donkeys and cow didn't turn out. But they did put Easter Lilies around the grounds.

Now in an earlier conversation with friends, I also told them that in the Memorial Gardens, they have places where you can be buried in these "niches", some of which had little statues and keepsakes, so that you would be entombed for eternity with your treasures.

It probably would be sacrilegious to ask to be buried with our WDCC pieces.

http://crystalcathedral.net/memorialgardens/niches.html

Drive By

2008-03-12T19:11:00.000-05:00

I'm like a stalker this week doing drive-bys of Disneyland.

So close all week, and yet so far. I guess the Million Dreams only work if you go inside the gates!

Gawrsh!

2008-03-12T00:53:00.007-05:00

I know I'm here to work and have a job to do.

But I've pretty much been going full throttle since I landed in my beloved California, so when I pulled into the parking stall of my hotel at the end of a long day and looked up, I took the sign from above as a sign...literally.

So I dropped off my laptop and headed on over to Downtown Disney. C'mon. We all know that's what I've been wanting to do ever since I booked this trip. Besides, walking around the Resort is exercise. Not only in working out, but as in restraint not to buy anything. Well, I did have to buy a few post cards to send to family and friends.

There was a wait at Storytellers Cafe, and all of a sudden I was craving those nasty nachos over at the Lost Bar (so named for the Lost Boys of Peter Pan fame) at the Disneyland Hotel. But by the time I had walked through the Grand Californian Hotel and crossed the street, I found myself asking for a table at Disney's PCH Grill at the Paradise Pier Hotel.

Although the food was fair, I was able to rejuvenate while listening to some favorite Disney tunes. Tired and full, I headed out so I could go back and work from the hotel, but not before one last snap of a favorite statue of which I probably have 100 photos. So here's one more (It's not 101, because then it will be a Dalmatian!)

You see, I really am Goofy.

Google This!

2008-03-11T00:16:00.008-05:00

Boy, has Orange County changed since I left over 16 years ago. Not that I expected it to stay the same, mind you.

With my hotel about 14 miles from the customer site, I figured 45 minutes would be plenty of time. Nope, it wasn't. I had to hop on the 5 Freeway to the 55 and then the 405. But I made it in time.

Not only that, but my old stomping ground that used to have a lot more open spaces is totally developed now. And not just with any old buildings, mind you. In fact, this is "little" campus is the neighbor to my customer this week.

I was kept quite busy this first day onsite, and finally by around 1:30 I was able to break for lunch, only to find yet another California favorite around the corner: Togo's! Yummy. It was wonderful sitting outside in the 70-degree weather, which I haven't felt since November, and that was when I was in Florida.

Staying later, I finally was able to leave and enjoy my evening a bit, so I drove by this spot on my way to check out the Disney Outlet.

Those of you who know me will be shocked to hear I didn't buy a thing at the Disney Outlet. Not even a pin! But then again, today's only Monday.

Back in the OC

2008-03-09T20:19:00.002-05:00

One of our dear consultants quit recently, so I was asked to hit the road again to help out. As luck would have it, the customer is located in Irvine, CA.

Our plane landed a bit early, so I was able to drive by the old homestead before driving past the old homestead on my way to my hotel. Translation: Since my parents recently moved out of state, I drove by our old house, past my old apartment building on the way to the hotel.

Did I mention that the hotel is four blocks from Disneyland and I was able to find In-N-Out Burgers as well?!?! This with the sun roof open and windows down, since it was in the mid 50's and I haven't felt that since November, and the XM Radio set to music from the 80's.

It's good to be home in the OC!

Back After a Nightmarish Computer Virus

2008-03-08T09:53:00.010-06:00

Hey y'all,

I just spent a week trying to fix my home computer. Somehow, a vicious virus made it through my filters and it was a pain to fix. I ran scan after scan and even try to remove things in Safe Mode to no avail.

ErrClean is a malicious system error fixer, created to dupe trustful users and force them to purchase full commercial version of this program. ErrClean may be dangerous for your operating system, it can download and execute spyware programs to track your activity and surfing habits. This spyware can easily steal private data too.

So learn from my experience.

If you see these two messages, they are the virus:

Something makes two icons appear on your desktop that look like they are Windows fixes and updates, but they are part of the virus. It is hard to remove this program manually, it will reappear after reboot and update itself through open securty backdoors, using direct connection with fraud web-servers (like http://www.systemerrorfixer.com/). IT IS A FAKE FIX! You can't even delete the two icons off your desktop. I tried renaming the executables and that still didn't work.

Do NOT pay money for that software, because there are some free fixes online. Find and run VundoFix first and then run ComboFix. They ask for donations, and that's worth it, but the other programs are a completes scam to get money out of you and personal information.

I had to run my Spyware a few more times after that, but it looks like it's fixed. Be careful!

Simba Loves

2008-02-26T07:48:00.008-06:00

My friend, Dani, sent me a link this morning about a woman who found a hurt lion who was about to die. She took him home and took care of him. When the lion was better, she called the local zoo who took in the lion.

This was the reaction she got when the lion saw her. It's enjoy to make you cry. I started singing "The Circle of Life". (Not really)

http://www.telestereo.com/Archivos/video.html

Pixie (Crop) Dust

2008-02-22T19:24:00.002-06:00

Okay, even I will admit this is a little strange, but at Super Targets, you can pick up Disney Tinker Bell Corn on the Cob. Sounds weird, but it's pretty yummy. Of course I have to support the Brand!

When I traveled a bit more, I saw the line in Kroger's and other super markets. Slowly, some of the products are trickling into other retail chains.

http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/moreinfo/kroger_disney_magic.html

They also have a nice site to teach kids about good nutrition. I like some of the games.

http://adisney.go.com/healthykids/

Personally, I wish they brought back Kitchen Kaberet with Bonnie Appetite at EPCOT's Land Pavilion.

Total Eclipse Of The Heart

2008-02-21T09:50:00.004-06:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm trapped in the '80's. So while that may be the title of a great hit by Bonnie Tyler, I'm actually referring to the event that happened last night: the lunar eclipse. Did you happen to catch it?

It was pretty cool. I managed to brave the minus 16-degree weather to try and snap some pictures. My little camera isn't good for this sort of thing, so most of the pictures turned out to look like a Sasquatch sighting.

This is the best picture of the bunch, but I know you can find way better pictures out on the Web. Here's my proof that "I was there!"

Timon's Breakfast

2008-02-20T06:02:00.001-06:00

The other day I was at the supermarket and in the cereal aisle (which is so boring now that they don't put cool toys in them), I happened to see a fun new cereal from Kellogg's. It's Animal Planet Cereal.

They had a few different box designs, but of course the one that caught was one with Meerkat's on it!

There weren't any with zebras, my other favorite animal, but I decided to buy a box. I'm sure it's not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey. It's better than eating bugs.

http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=11274

Will It Ever Get Warm?

2008-02-19T07:47:00.004-06:00

Going through my cameras (Yes, I have an issue of having duplicates of technology toys like cameras, iPods, etc.), I found a picture of our Consulting Services team at work, "Christmas Caroling" around the offices. Here they are outside of my office.

Don't they look cute all bundled up for the cold? Little did we know that it would continue to be so cold outside, that you have to stay dressed up like this inside. Here we are in mid-February, and the windchill continues to be minus 25 when I left for the bus stop this morning at 6:00 AM.

Where has the warmth gone?

PS: Doesn't Jennifer look hot as always, and Jason has an eerie halo (not all the time, that's for sure!). And you can make fun of Andrew holding his "basket". We did!

Let the Good Times (Egg) Roll

2008-02-16T13:52:00.006-06:00

Most of my friends know what kind of a germ freak I am. There are some local Asian restaurants that you take your own life in your hands should you eat there, and others that are clean enough for me to venture in and partake of the buffet. The Asian Buffet falls in the latter category.

So after my weekly grocery shopping routine, the Asian Buffet was calling my name. In fact, you could say I was having a "yen" for Chinese. (Sorry about that)

At any rate, as I was enjoying my Peking Chicken, I noticed a girl around the age of eight who was piling up her plate as if it was her last meal. Her egg roll, which was perched precariously on the mountain of food on her plate, started to pitch and roll; so of course it was no surprise that it wound up on the floor.

To my horror, she picked it up off the floor and placed it back on her plate. Now earlier I mentioned that this place was clean, but I certainly wouldn't eat off the floor. There's no "five-second" rule when people walk around with their dirty shoes and, well, let's not go there.

I suppose I should be thankful that she didn't put it back in the buffet trays. Makes you think twice about buffets.

Snow-oh-oh-oh-oh

2008-02-14T19:50:00.002-06:00

Wallace, Davis and the Haynes Sisters may have wanted to wash their hands, their face and hair with snow, but we've had a long winter here. Frankly, I'm ready for our hot, humid summers with mosquitos the size of birds.

Brrrr!!!!!

This is a view from my condo of the pool. It's buried under snow-oh-oh-oh-oh.

Cash and Prizes

2008-02-10T13:00:00.005-06:00

I rarely win anything. Except, perhaps the opportunity to pay for someone's drinks.

So last night at our company holiday party (Yes, we celebrate in February because January is a busy time for us), I was shocked that I won a $50 gift card to Crate and Barrel for a door prize, and I also won a digital video camcorder!

I was on the party planning committee, so I feel a bit guilty, but it was all fair and square!

And if you want to see pictures from the party, check them out here:

http://disneytimon.com/id12.html

A View To a Chill

2008-02-09T15:42:00.002-06:00

My company's Holiday party is tonight, so I decided to cash in some of my Marriott points to get a swanky room with this wonderful view.

Good thing that I did. The temperature dropped to minus 32 degrees with the windchill.

Tell me again why I moved from California to Minnesota?

Need a Tissue for that Advertisement?

2008-02-08T19:28:00.001-06:00

I had a meeting with my VP and our advertising agency. No, it's not McMahon and Tate.

Anyway, we were talking about some options for an ad we want to use as an insert to a magazine. You know those annoying things where you open a magazine and it goes right to the ad? You may have seen some things attached in your mail at home too. Like this:

You want to know what the professionals call that sticky stuff? Boogers! Can you believe that? But wow, what an accurate description. I'll never look at my print ads the same way again.

I-O-U-U-O-I???

2008-01-25T17:47:00.000-06:00

Usually on my bus ride to and from work, I entertain myself by either reading or listening to my iPod. Today, however, I was "entertained" by a conversation two guys were having towards the back of the bus.

Apparently, the one guy was giving the other guy advice about the whole DUI and house arrest process. The "seasoned vet" had apparently had, according to him (and his knowledge of the conversation), eight or nine DUIs.

The other guy was complaining that he wasn't getting his truck back and that the whole process was so expensive. This was his third DUI, and this time it was because he had worked a long day, didn't eat, and only went out after work for a few beers.

The DUI guri told the other one to be good in jail so that he could get out early for good behavior. He should also be prepared to receive calls from his parole officer at all hours of the day and night, and to have to say something humiliating like "I-O-U-U-O-I" when answering the phone to identify them, as if the ankle bracelet wasn't enough.

For about 20 minutes the conversation went on, and I was torn between listening to a Disney podcast or this trainwreck of a conversation. From the looks of my blog, you know which won out.

The pro got out at his stop and we traveled on in silence until I got to my stop, and I was left to ponder how wrong and sad that people in our society could gain the knowledge these two had, as well as myself for not turning around and saying, "I've had three friends who were killed by drunk drivers. At what point have you not learned your lesson?"

An Incredibles Story of A Bug's Finding Life

2008-01-23T19:17:00.000-06:00

So with a title like that, you know it has to be something about Pixar.

Well, since I've taken on a director's job at work, I'm not out on the road week after week. That's actually added to my delinquency at posting timely blogs, believe it or not. To that end, now I'm having to go back in time to relive some of my travel tales.

What better way to start than with one of my trips to Northern California. I was working at a customer site when I noticed they had a connect at Pixar. My customer knew about my love of Disney, so she was able to "hook me up" with her contact at Pixar for a private tour!

I spent a good portion of a Thursday afternoon seeing all sorts of lovely treasures that I wish I could have fit in my suitcase. Many of the behind-the-scenes you see on the "extras" DVDs are places I was able to walk, see and experience.

And because Don and I have been talking about Disney DVDs for almost a day, I thought I'd share a shelf in one of my curios that is my Pixar tribute, complete with DVDs to enhance that shelf. If you look carefully, you'll see one of my prized treasures from that trip: a Pixar business card!

Yes, I'm missing Monsters, Inc. from my display, but I also need Cars and Ratatouille! (Hint! Hint!)

Happy New Year (With Advice)

2008-01-02T13:22:00.001-06:00

Well it's officially a new year, so I thought I'd post something that Julie sent to few of us at work. As she says, it's dumb but cute!

16 Things That Took Me 43 Years to Learn:

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved and never will achieve its full potential, that word would be "meetings." (This is so true; when I worked for American Express, we had meetings about our meetings!)

3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." (Did you read that, WDCC Gang?!?! That's our Walt Disney Classics Collection group!)

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

5. You should not confuse your career with your life.

6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

7. Never lick a steak knife. (This is another one that I know from personal experience, and more than once. I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree!)

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers.

13. A person who is nice to you but rude to a waiter is not a nice person (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

14. Your friends love you anyway. (And I have a great group of friends to whom I really put that to the test!)

15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

16. Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into some thing acceptable to have dinner with.

Happy 2008!!!

2008-01-01T10:10:00.001-06:00

Like the rest of you, the Holidays can be a bit topsy-turvy, but it's family and friends that help keep me grounded.

One of my resolutions is to be better about keeping up with my Blogs. I may have to take a trip down memory lane to catch up the big gap I have since August, and with my Dory-like memory, that could prove to be difficult!

While the stresses of work run high, I have to remember to let down what little hair I have left and enjoy life. And here's the proof of that!

Happy New Year, Y'all!!!

He's Baaack!

2007-11-27T20:03:00.000-06:00

Yes, after a four-month hiatus, I'm back. I've had some changes in my job, and in essence have been doing two different jobs at the same time.

But I've been back on the road, and my dear friend reminded me that I should probably post something and get back up to speed. So, to recap my trip so far:

My flight delayed in Minneapolis on Sunday for almost an hour.

I ran through the Memphis Airport to make my connecting flight.

I missed my flight by 2 minutes.

Then I fought with Northwest because I wouldn't arrived until after 3:00 PM the next day.

National Car Rental told me it would cost over $1000 to rent a car one way. (Are they insane? I had rented a car for the rest of the week for less than $200; I was just asking for an extra day and a different city.)

I drove 5 1/2 hours Sunday night/Monday morning from Memphis, TN to Monroe, LA (through Mississippi) with two complete strangers who also missed our flight. There were about nine of us who missed the same flight, and normally I wouldn't pick up strangers. But the lady was a teacher and the gentleman was a student at the university, so I figured I could trust them.

We get to my hotel by 2:00 AM. (Didn't use National of course, but Hertz, who got us a car for $250) I had to drop off the rental car at the airport, which is probably 1/8 of a mile from my hotel. The cab ride back to the hotel cost $10. I think I'm in the wrong business.

Woke up four hours later to set up for training, which is being held at my hotel, with no computers with 8 students and nobody from my customer's training department here to tell me what's going on.

After we pulled together some laptops, we finished training on the first day, but then today, the Courtyard had given our room away, because they canceled the wrong reservation. We had to go to the Residence Inn to find an conference room we could use.

Honestly, I don't make up these stories.

HOTlanta

2007-08-14T08:36:00.000-05:00

This week finds me in Atlanta, and boy is it hot. What is making it worse is that I picked up one of those nasty summer colds last week and spent most of the weekend in bed. It's taken all the energy I could muster to train and entertain my customer.

But here's another "first" for me. This morning when I went out to the car to go to work, I discover there were ants inside of my rental car. Apparently the previous renter spilled a soft drink in the console, and National Car Rental didn't bother to clean it up. I tried to wipe out as many ants as I could, but all day long I felt like I had ants in my pants. Gross huh?

The only thing worse than having a car full of ants? Having a car full of Ants.

A Podcast Worth Listening To (End in a Preposition)

2007-08-10T18:19:00.000-05:00

If you don't already subscribe to Window to the Magic's podcast, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't have an iPod or MP3 player, go to the site and download Podcast #107. One warning: usually episodes are about an hour long, but this one is two hours. After the first five minutes, it's the best Podcast I've heard in some time.

Here's the link:

http://windowtothemagic.com/index.html

So what's the big deal you may ask? Well, The National Fantasy Fan Club (NFFC) hosted a special chat with the following people who help make the beloved Disney characters we love live on today. There are parts that move you to tears. (What's with me this week and all this crying?!?) Here are the "Cast of Characters" in no particular order:

Bill Farmer, voices of Goofy, Pluto, Horace Horsecollar and Sleepy

Russi Taylor, voices of Minnie Mouse, Webbigail Vanderquack, Huey, Dewey and Louie

Wayne Allwine, voice of Mickey Mouse

Tony Anselmo, voice and animator of Donald Duck

Eddie Carroll, voice of Jiminy Cricket

Susan Blakeslee, voices of Cruella DeVil, Lady Tremain, Maleficent, Evil Queen and Hag

Corey Burton, hundreds of voices including Ludwig Von Drake, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Grumpy, Dale, White Rabbit, and Haunted Mansion narrator

I love them all, but especially Corey Burton. What a talent. Of course I only listed their Disney credits, but many of them do other work with which you are familiar (this time not ending in a preposition).

So go listen. You won't be disappointed.

Finally Finished! (No Spoiler)

2007-08-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But I promise not to talk about it in case you're not. All I'll say is today I cried on the bus and must have looked like a fool. But I don't care!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and job well done to J.K. Rowlings.

Open for Business

2007-08-06T07:29:00.000-05:00

I also share embarrassing stories about myself. Here's one.

Today I walked from the condo, to the bus stop, from the Mall of America, to my office, got my coffee, talked with a couple of coworkers, got to my desk, and then realized that my business was open.

Thankfully my shirt was untucked and that I wasn't going commando.

Everything's Okay Here

2007-08-02T06:50:00.000-05:00

On a serious note, I am thankful that I and all my dear friends in the Minneapolis area are okay and accounted for in light of the horrific bridge collapse. I have a few friends that are in that area frequently, but we're all okay here.

But our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and those affected by the tragedy. For the grace of God, it could have been someone dear to me.

That's What It's All About

2007-07-24T22:22:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me that there's something to which I look forward when I come home to California, but my good doctor tells me I should only do in moderation. (I am talking about food here) And I love it more than Togo's.

Imagine my surprise and thrill when I found out one of my favorite indulgences was just around the corner from my hotel!

In-N-Out. That's what a burger is all about! (That was their old slogan) I was able to treat myself to a Double-Double (not animal style) tonight. It's the little things in life that are so satisfying. Gosh, I miss California!

And in case you need ideas for Christmas gifts for me:

http://www.in-n-out.com/

You're Such a Teaz!

2007-07-23T07:56:00.000-05:00

In my haste to pack a carry-on instead of stowed luggage, it wasn't until I got to the hotel that I realized thatI forgot to pack my shaving razor. I went to the Front Desk to buy one, but they gave me a Bic disposable razor. Have you ever shaved with one of those? They should call them Nic, not Bic.

With little pieces of tissue all over my face and feeling like a teenager again, I started driving to my customer's site for our day of training.

Chico is a university town, but instead of me showing you nice scenes and pictures of the huge graveyard downtown, I once again am obsessed with the signs I see.

The first one is just outside of my Courtyard hotel, but I can promise you that it doesn't reflect the inside of my room.

Then driving to work, I noticed that this probably one college from which I wouldn't advertise from which to be a graduate.

Oh, it's Butte, not Butt. Nevermind.

Then after our day of training, my customer wanted to take me out to dinner. She took me to some swanky hotel restaurant which dates back to 1901. It was a nice atmosphere and delicious food, but another restaurant we passed caught my eye as we drove by it.

I don't think it would have been appropriate for me to answer her question of "What would you like for dinner?" by answering this place.

My boss probably would have fired me. Although, could it have been any worse that when I was in Bellevue, Washington, and turned in my expense report for dining at The Nooner?

Almost Paradise

2007-07-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

This week finds me back in my home state of California, but this time I'm in Northern part. Landing in Sacramento, I actually was looking forward to my almost two-hour drive up to Chico.

While you're usually hearing about the wacky things that happen to me on my journeys, there's something about driving by yourself with the tunes cranked up, the window down, and watching the sun set across the beautiful agriculture of the Golden State.

Just outside of Yuba City, I was noticed something walking by the side of the road. As you may recall, I saw all sorts of critters when I was driving in Louisiana. However, I can safely say that Sunday evening was the first time I witnessed a peacock walking on the side of the road. Seriously.

But then again, why not? I was on my way to Paradise.

Finally! The Wait is Over!

2007-07-22T07:54:00.000-05:00

Not about my luggage this time, but having to wait until after noon did throw my laundry routine into a cycle. (Sorry about that)

No, I'm talking about the 7th and final installment of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! After I was finished with my chores, I went to Barnes & Noble to pick up my copy.

Thankfully, I have a 3 1/2 hour flight to and from Sacramento this week, so I should be in a good spot for the race we're having in the office of who finishes the book so we can talk about it. I'm doing my best not to read anything on the web or listen to the news, because I don't want there to be a spoiler for me!

I'll let you know when I'm finished so we can talk about the book!

With A Flair

2007-07-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

To quote Emelius Browne from Bedknobs and Broomsticks, "Oh, it really doesn’t matter what I do, what I do, as long as I do it with a flair".

My last trip home from this customer in Canada I would do with a flair. Well, it wasn't so much me as much as what Northwest Airlines did to me.

It didn't matter that the flight was delayed an hour out of Detroit. I've come to expect that. It didn't matter that I sat next to a little old lady, who started chatting with me, and I was anticipating that she was going to turn on my reading light for me. She didn't and left me alone, so I go her luggage down for her as a silent thank you for not bothering me.

However, it wasn't until I arrived back in Minneapolis that I would experience the icing on the cake. After being delayed an hour and wasting another 50 minutes at baggage claim, my luggage didn't arrive. I went to all the carousels, went to the Baggage Claim counter three times (there's a treat in Customer Service if you've never experienced that), but my red Mickey luggage wasn't there to greet me.

Finally, a nice gentleman at the counter helped and said it was scanned for my flight, but must have been left in Detroit, so they would deliver it to my place on Saturday. Tired and without my dirty fine dedicates, I hailed a cab home.

And just to completely round out my evening, the cab driver tired to carry on a conversation with me in poor, broken English (no, not mine) and at such hushed tones, I had to constantly have him repeat everything.

Yep. Traveling with a flair. Stay tuned to find out if I get my luggage back.

UPDATE: They called at 8:30 AM to say they found my bag and to see if I was home to deliver my luggage. It didn't show up until 12:30 PM. At least it came home ready for my trip tomorrow!

Plus Qu'il N'en Faut?

2007-07-19T18:54:00.000-05:00

More than enough? (Remember, everything is in French and English up here)

Pictures that is. I figured that since this is my last night in Woodstock, Ontario (not the one with lots of pot and debauchery), I'd show you where I spent four weeks of my life with some wacky stories.

So, here we go! Let's explore Woodstock!

The Woodstock Peace Lighthouse. Yes, there's a lighthouse hundreds of kilometres away from water. It houses an original stone from the home of St. Peter in Galilee as well as a collection of ancient maps from the holy land. Imagine that!

This next one is hard to explain. Apparently, there is a senior couple who ride around town in this John Deer tractor/trailer. The husband pulls his wife along at about 10 clicks per hour (translation: super slow) on the busy streets, and because they've been doing since before time, the local authorities allow it. I wish I could have seen it in action, they are a Woodstock institution.

This is where I sent my family and some friends their post cards, eh?

Job hunting certainly is interesting up here.

It only took me three trips out here to discover a very cool totem pole on the way to my customer's office.

And finally, making calls can be entertaining. I'm using calling a Loonie, not using one.

Which One Is It?

2007-07-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, y'all. This one would even have Paula Deen or Martha Stewart confused. What would you expect to find on this menu?

Apparently what that means is you can get Chinese food and burgers. I was expecting yummy Peameal bacon. If you haven't had that, it's worth the trip to Canada!

Maple Leaves

2007-07-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

I've noticed this on every trip up here, whether it's been in person or on commercials. So here are some examples of what we see in the US and how the branding has been modified in Canada.

Wonderland?

2007-07-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

Today my customer sent me to one of their locations in London, Ontario. Part of Southwestern Ontario, its nickname is "The Forest City", because it used to be an isolated city (it felt that way on the drive out there!), and is a city within the forest of trees. My customer told me that you'd be hard pressed to find the city when flying over it.

Maybe explains this exit, which sure made me feel like I was there.

Oh, and today was the first day they've had rain here since April, hence the raindrops you see from my windshield.

Happy 52nd!

2007-07-17T06:48:00.000-05:00

I found this image at http://www.mouseplanet.com/ and thought it quite funny.

Happy 52nd Birthday today, Disneyland! Too bad there weren't more pictures like this one, so the next one will probably when you're 55 or 60.