I miss the warmth. I miss the camping too, but at least I got a taste of warmth earlier this month in Florida. As I am aging, these winters get increasingly hard for me to endure. I am astonished by these people that enjoy outdoor activities in the frigid months of the year. In recent days, I have seen my Florida friends post memes about the cold snap they are experiencing and I feel no sympathy. I would love to have the problem of enduring fifty degrees as “cold.”
The product of all this frustration with the weather is that I find myself focusing on the thought of being outdoors more and more. So much so that I have started booking my camping trips for the summer. A couple of stays in New York State Parks, a couple of private campgrounds, and last night I signed up for Harvest Hosts.
Harvest Hosts is a middle man for RV stops at farms, wineries, and breweries across the country
Harvest Hosts popped up on my radar last year shortly after I bought my travel trailer. They are a middle man to farms, historic sites, breweries, and wineries around the country that will host you for an evening with your RV free of charge with the expressed understanding that you will spend money on their offerings and behave. The idea is great if you are a brewery and winery or farm to table kind of person. You can do a lengthy tasting and stumble to your camper and sleep it off.
I cannot comment of the quality of the stays because I have not experienced it yet, but I am hopeful it is going to be great.
The grand conflict in my life right now is when and how I escape the cold for good. I do not plan on ever moving away outright, but rather to be one of the millions of people that snow bird every year. The main decision that needs to be made is WHERE I am going to live. If you had asked me that question a few years ago, the immediate response would have been Orlando. As much time as I spend there, it seemed an easy decision. I have since learned that is not a great idea. Walt Disney World and the greater Orlando area are my happy place where I go to escape. If I lived there, the daily issues that life always presents would mix with my escapism. That is no good.
Moving to Orlando could ruin the Disney Magic for me
The next option, which is a rather new one, is Hilton Head Island. We travelled there back in December and I loved it. Its not necessarily as warm as I would like, but it certainly isn’t cold. They have a Disney Vacation Club resort there, which is the reason we visited. It is less commercialized than some resort areas, but it is also quite expensive with an elitist and uninviting vibe at times.
Another option is something foreign. Jessica and I have discussed Costa Rica. Neither of us have visited there, but we plan to in the coming years. I long for the ocean and she longs for the mountains. Costa Rica has both, along with plenty of jungle. The cost of living is low, so our incomes and retirement could offer a comfortable life style. Also, as a massage therapist and soon to be yoga teacher, I could easily find part time work there or lead retreats.
Costa Rica offers oceans and mountians
The last current option, which ties to the beginning of this blog post, is to upgrade our camper to a motor coach size RV and travel during the winter. This allows for us to be somewhere different all the time. We can visit National Parks or beach communities. We could travel into Mexico or Canada. We could flat tow my jeep or an EV and have access to cities. We could settle in one place for a while or be constantly on the move. There are so many options it could make your head spin.
For now, all of this is just a dream. I am nowhere near making that decision. It is likely seven years away. But it doesn’t hurt to think.
Anyone who knows anything about me knows Disney is my singular obsession. I watch the movies, listen to the soundtracks, collect memorabilia, and I visit the parks. I travel to Walt Disney World about four times a year, on average, when a global pandemic is not disrupting our lives. Every once in a while, when the fancy takes me, I attend a performance of Disney On Ice. Such was the case this past weekend.
For this visit, I did something I have never done before. I bought the absolute best tickets in the house. I sat in the very center of the very front row of the section they affectionatly call Main Street. As I assumed they would be, the seats were amazing. The cast members were mere feet away from us so often it made your head spin. Many an enthusiastic performance piece ended with the skaters posing for their applause right in front of me.
eThis is the view from our seats for Disney On Ice
Jessica, my wife, begrudgingly came along. She lamented on several occassions prior to going that she was dreading it. On the morning of the performance, she complained to her mother that she didn’t want to go. This was followed by her mother sharing stories of her taking Jessa (that is what my mother-in-law calls my wife when she thinks she is being ridiculous. She thinks she is being ridiculous a lot) to see Disney on Ice as a kid and that she loved it.
I had not been to Disney On Ice for about five years, if memory serves, and I had never gone without kids. I took my children several times when they were young, and then when they were too old to think it cool, I took nieces and nephews. This was my first time going without any children at all.
Often times, when I tell people I am heading to Disney World, I get one of three questions. People that know me a little will ask if I am going for races. People that know me really well generally just ask, “AGAIN?” And people that barely know me at all will ask if my kids are going with me. This last question is promptly answered with an emphatic, “NO!” most of the time. With alarming consistency, people retort back, “really?”
On many a Disney Fan Page the question gets asked time and time again: Should adults be going to Disney World without kids? This is a question asked for a myriad of reasons, but I think I can boil it down to a cultural fixation with “growing up.”
There is a fascinating dichotomy with Disney. One one hand, it exists as a family friendly company whose purpose is to entertain children. On the other hand, it is exorbitantly expensive to travel to the parks and make the most of your time. A five day trip to Disney World for a family of four on a tight budget is going to run at least three thousand dollars. To actually add the perks to make it memorable, you are now creeping into the six to seven thousand dollar range. Does that sound cost effective? No…the answer is no.
This is my tire cover on my Jeep Wrangler.
My wife and I know what we are doing. We know how to make the most of Disney without consistently breaking the bank. It requires a significant initial investment, but over time it completely pays for itself. To make it affordable over the long run, we are Disney Vacation Club Members, Annual Passholders, and through credit card use we rack up a ton of points with Disney and the airlines that we use.
For example, we are leaving for Walt Disney World tomorrow so I can run The Dopey Challenge (more on that in the coming days). We are flying Delta airlines to Orlando from Syracuse, renting a car for 7 days, staying at the Grand Floridian, entering parks 6 days, and all of that cost me a total of ZERO dollars. I had to pay my registration for the races and we have yet to pay for food and merch, but all in all, the food and liquor will be less than $500. We could not do that if we were bringing kids.
That brings me back to Disney On Ice. While there were a lot of children there I was pleasantly surprised to see the couple sitting right next to us, in arguably the second best seats, were also there without children. While I could sense the glares from parents all around us as they wondered why childless adults were in the front row, I did not give a care in the world to their plights or whether their little snot whine machine could see around my giant head. I was in my glory.
Showing Peter Pan my Peter Pan tattoo
Peter Pan is affectionately known as the the boy who never grew up. He is tattooed on my right forearm and his spirit is engraved on my soul. I will never grow up…never.
Chris
Weight: 219 lbs…I did it. I got myself below 220. No exercise yesterday. cardio while fasting can be very difficult.
I am one of those people whose weight fluctuated dramatically over the years. I have documented most of this in previous posts, but I will provide the short version here. I first gained substantial weight while my ex-wife was pregnant with our first son. Our second son a few years later pushed my weight up and my belly out.
Shortly after he was born, I lost a chunk of weight but was still heavier than I would have liked. In 2009, I quit smoking and my weight shot up dramatically. I reached the heaviest of my life that winter, tipping the scales at nearly 280 pounds. Then the first overall lifestyle change ocurred. I found cycling and running and healthy eating and dropped over 100 pounds, leveling off at 168. I didn’t stay there long. A slow march over the next few years got me back up to 220.
In early 2015, my ex-wife and I (still married at the time) exerienced an extended split. During that period, I found Intermintent Fasting, or IF. I also set a goal of running a marathon, which I completed in January of 2016 at Walt Disney World. Between IF and the constant running, I got myself back down to 190 lbs.
This is me right after completing my first marathon
Shortly before the marathon, I reconciled with my ex and returned to much of my former lifestyle. Again, the weight began to creep up. In 2018, the same person who turned me on to IF introduced me to the Ketogenic diet. I was aware of Keto prior and I even knew a couple of people who made it their primary lifestyl choice, but I didn’t really understand it. But it worked. I started 2018 married and 225. By fall of that year, I was 174 and divorcing (it would stick this time).
Over the last few years I have wandered in and out of Keto, Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescaterian, IF, and “eat whatever the hell I want.” I go on benders with candy and bread and wine and beer. The latter two are, what I believe, the primary culprit of why I have gained so much weight back. I also believe, as there are more and more studies to show this, that being keto for so long messed up my metaboilism. I will not get into the science of it here, but essentially your body forgots how to properly process sugars, akin to diabetes.
So between the wine and beer and bread and candy, I am once again creeping on 230 pounds. It is a new year. It is time for change. New Year’s Resolutions are a joke and we all fall into the trap because they are so often impossible to maintain. Yet here I am, about to attempt one.
In three days, I leave for Florida to compete in The Dopey Challenge. I going to run 48.6 miles over four days way too heavy. I have no idea what is going to happen, but I do nto want to do it at 228 pounds like I am this morning.
I am going to begin by fasting. I normally follow The Warrior Diet, which is a twenty hour fast with a four hour eat window. That is not going to cut it this week. I going to attempt a 30 hour (at the time of writing this, I am already 11 hours in) fast followed by a 36 hour fast. This should knock several pounds off. When you are running that much, a few pounds can make a huge difference.
I will keep you up date on the progess as the week develops. Wish me luck.
As I sit in my kitchen drinking my morning coffee, it is easy to forget that today is New Year’s Eve. 2021 has been a hell of a year, both in great and terrible ways. One could even say the 20s have been the most demanding and rewarding years of our lives.
I have learned a lot this year. I have experienced a lot this year. I have lived a lot this year.
Even though we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, with cases now surging due to the Omicron variant, I am so hopeful for the future. Many of the measurable aspects of my life are in a state of growth and improvement. My business is thriving. My relationships are evolving in ways that feel beneficial. I have traveled to new places with the promise of more new experiences around the corner. I have very little to complain about.
As this year comes to a close, there is little I can reflect upon with disdain. Perhaps one is my experience with the political system. I have been involved in local politics for a number of years now, but this year was my first where I put myself out there and ran for office. I enjoyed so much of the experience, but there was much to be desired. When all was said and done, I left the process with a sense of emptiness. I see more clearly now than ever, the dispicable facets of the construct. There is an insidiousness that becomes hard to ignore. Even with the best of intentions, it is easy to get sucked into the polarizing blame game.
I don’t want to be that anymore.
So I am going to relax my grip on politics and its affect on today’s society. I want to let go of its obligation to erode relationships with people I care about. I want to stop allowing it to nurture relationships with people I should be avoiding (this may be the most important).
As this year comes to an end, I look forward to new year of opportunity. I find myself excited for a world of opportunity and growth in the coming months and years. My mind is awash with a desire to improve my existence, both existentially and spiritually.
The Fab Five will be on hand, as they always are, for The New Year’s Eve celebration
Tonight, following a full day’s work, I will sit with my wife to watch an online broadcast of the fireworks at Walt Disney World. In that moment, I will close the book on 2021 and reach for the next tome. I will begin writing that book tomorrow…starting with a longer Saturday morning post, where the distractions of the days preparation are not as demanding.
Enjoy whatever festivities you decide upon, be safe, and live your life the best way you can.
Weight: 223.4 (clearly I am not losing weight yet) No workouts yesterday. I chose to use it as a rest day.
On February 29th, Disney and Pixar released Onward to theaters. I first heard of Onward more than a year ago with a teaser that featured unicorns acting like street cats and some wisps of magic. The early teaser, like Disney does with most of its films, did not give anything away. Over time, the creative team shared more information about the film. It became clear that Pixar was making a movie with classic fantasy elements.
The setting of Onward is set in a modern time but it is juxtaposed over its fantasy based history. The stories we tell of orcs, goblins, elves, and wizards is real in this land. Fantastic stories we would tell are the real history of that world. That is, until technology makes magic obsolete. The reday, , I sidents of Onward’s world forget their magical past and soon begin to lives very similar to ours.
We meet two brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot. They are played by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively. The two brothers have broadly different personalities; Ian, who is celebrating his sixteenth birthday, is unsure of himself and struggles to find his way in the world. Barley, his older brother, is a history buff. He laments the passing of the days of magic and adventure. He also spends most of his time playing Quests of Yore, a role playing game modeled after Dungeons & Dragons. Although in their world, the game becomes something of a guide book for the adventures they are about to go on.
Half the man I used to be
In Onward, the boys are getting through life after the loss of their father. They were young when he died, but the loss is still felt strongly. They handle it in very different ways, even after learning they may be able to bring him back to life. I will not say any more except to say that the father is their companion through most of the movie, but as a half complete form. As the trailers show, he is only resurrected from the waist down.
I was happy to see Disney and Pixar make a movie with boys as the protagonists. Disney, a company most known for princesses, went out on a limb here. The irony is in the manner in which the story telling is accomplished. On the surface, the tale is one of fantasy and adventure, but it is the power of family that is front and center. Pixar is known for making you cry in their movies.
At the very end of Coco, I was bawling my eyes out as the credits began to roll. Up gets me right in the feels in the first 15 minutes of the film. Onward has one moment, an awakening of sorts for Ian, that I had strong emotional reaction to. I thought of my parents and my brother during that scene. It is a thought-provoking concept that takes place. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, but is a very mature sentiment for a “kids” movie.
I would like to pause with my review of the movie itself by discussing the marketing for the film. There has been basically no marketing. That is so odd for a movie that I so thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps Disney and Pixar do not know how to market Onward to boys since its not a Star Wars or Marvel property. Who know? Regardless, I knew little about this movie before its release and was shocked when I heard it was already in theaters.
Ian (left) and Barley (right) are brothers trying to spend one more day with their deceased father in Onward
The other thing I would like to comment on is how terrible we are becoming as a society. The theater was nearly empty. We saw it in Regal’s RPX theater, which is a premium experience. Perhaps the cost kept people away or maybe it was the marketing, as I mentioned before. Regardless, there was less than 35 people in the theater. Directly behind my family was group of people with two obnoxious children. I could not believe the behavior of the children, but it was the lack of parental involvement that struck a chord with me.
A good time regardless
Don’t get me wrong. Disney and Pixar make family films. Family films will draw families. Families have children. I was not upset that there were children sitting behind me. That was to be expected. What I could not believe was that the parent was alloying the child to cry for half the movie. Dad did take the little girl for a walk, but then brought her back where she proceeded to start crying again. They had a younger boy with them too who repeatedly grabbed and pulled on the back of our seats. The final nail in the coffin was the Chinese food they brought in with them.
Chinese food is NOT appropriate for a movie theater
Coincidentally and unbelievably, this is SECOND time I have had people eating Chinese food behind me in a theater. Who does that? Seriously…who?”
Annoying people and poor marketing aside, Onward was a fun movie. It did a wonderful job of addressing family and the difficult nature of parenting and complexity of brotherhood. Along the way, there were some very funny moments and some real emotion. Not all the jokes landed however, with my girlfriend even saying she expected it to be funnier. All in all, as a geek who grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons and as a brother, I thoroughly loved Onward…even with some idiots behind me.
A new ride has arrived in the Disney Parks. It’s name is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. For better or for worse, it replaces a long standing popular ride in a move that has become the norm for Disney Parks. Since the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 1955, the castle in the central hub has been the trademark of the park. When The Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Cinderella’s Castle followed the same model.
When EPCOT opened in 1982, the entire park broke from the established Disney model. Instead of a castle, there was an enormous geodesic sphere in its place. The structure stands 180 feet tall. Unlike the previous castles, the building stood almost immediately inside the main gates. A dark ride called Spaceship Earth was housed inside the sphere. While it was gone through some changes over the years, the ride as a whole is the same.
There’s something in the air in Hollywood
The next major Disney Park in the United States opened in 1989. Known as MGM Studios at the time, it was another change in direction for Disney. This new idea was to be an recreation of old Hollywood, making the whole park a nostalgic look at the history of cinema. Instead of a Main Street USA immediately inside the gates, an artistic version of Hollywood Blvd made its was into the park. At the end of that street stood the newest icon of a Disney Park, The Chinese Theater. It is nearly identical to the one located in Hollywood, complete with handprints in the concrete. It does lack the seedy “actors” in cheap costumes demanding your money for a picture with them like the real theater has, which is nice.
The Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a close recreation of the original
Housed within The Chinese Theater was The Great Movie Ride. This attraction was a dark ride of sorts, which is Disney’s bread and butter. It featured a ride vehicle operator who was going to take you on a trip down Hollywood Memory Lane, showing you detailed dioramas of unforgettable movie scenes. Along the way, you realized your driver was part of the show in more ways than you realized. After a live shootout, a gangster commandeered your ride vehicle to make his or her escape. The bad guy eventually gets what’s coming to them by a curse in an Indiana Jones temple scene. All in all, The Great Movie ride was relaxing but still entertaining break from the business of the park. Sadly, due to the end of some licensing agreements, it closed in 2017.
An Icon gets his due
Rumors quickly swirled of what the next ride would be that would replace The Great Movie Ride. Disney quickly revealed the ride would feature Mickey Mouse. The Walt Disney Company introduced the iconic rodent 91 years ago. He has appeared in countless films and television. He is the “face” of the organization and yet he hasn’t never had his own ride in a Disney Park. That changes with Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway’s arrival.
Mickey’s Runaway Railway was announced at a D23 event
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway features some of the newest technology Disney has been introducing in recent years. First, the ride incorporates a trackless ride system. This was originally introduced in Ratatouille: The Adventure at Disneyland Paris. It utilizes a system of magnets beneath the floor to maneuver the vehicle through the showroom. The free moving illusion also allows for complex choreographic movements with other ride vehicles. This technology has most recently been seen in Rise of The Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge, which is the Star Wars themed sub-park also located in Hollywood Studios.
The ride also features Disney’s new projection animatronics. Disney Imagineers invented animatronics at the very infancy of Disneyland, as a way of making lifelike characters in the parks. Audio Animatronics, as Walt coined them, were complex machines using hydraulic actuators to make a robot seem alive. When Great Moments With President Lincoln debuted at the World’s Fair in 1964, it was huge attention draw. It was moved to Disneyland in 1965.
Walt Disney talking about Great Moments with President Lincoln
This new technology still uses a lifesize robot to create movement, but the face is a blank canvas. On the head, light is cast by powerful projectors to bring a three dimensional face to life. This is best utilized to make animated characters come to life in our real world. It was used initially in Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. It has been used several in several rides since, very notably in Frozen After After at EPCOT.
Opinions are like…wait, this is a Disney Post
Reviews of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway have been popping up all over the internet. Some are critical of the ride, claiming that Disney mailed it in and didn’t take advantage of an opportunity to make something more special. Most others love the ride, emphasizing that Mickey is a character that was finally getting what he is owed. Many people, however, have focused their attention on the use of the newest iteration of the Mickey art style.
Mickey’s new art style is not universally loved
A few years ago, the look of Mickey Mouse and the rest of his entourage changed in a very significant way. After decades of the classic look, they began to appear with a more simplistic art style. It was reminiscent of Ren & Stimpy cartoons. The look has not been popular with many Disney fans, this blogger included. I have been critical of it since I first set eyes on it. I will admit, begrudgingly, that it is growing on me. Ultimately, the choices Disney makes with their characters are their choices, and their choices alone. We can be critical, of course, but we are not in charge.
The wait may kill me
I will get my first opportunity to ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at the end of June of 2020 and I will certainly post my review of the ride at that time. Since you clicked on this post because you want to know more, below is a full ride through of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway by my friends at Attractions Magazine.
Full POV Ridethrough of Mickey’s Runaway Railway
The new art style of Mickey and friends actually seems to work on this ride, especially with the 3d light mapping on the faces. These videos are great to watch, but I have found through experience that Disney Magic always best experienced with your own eyes.
Have you been on the ride yet? Do you have thoughts on the new art style? Are you still angry at the loss of The Great Movie ride? Let me know in the comments.
Thank you for reading. Hope you come back tomorrow for a Fitness Fridays post.
Over the last week I have introduced readers to a new format here at The Daily Octane. Beginning last Friday, each and every day will offer an article on a select group of topics of which I feel I have some level of expertise. There is a specific topic for each day and Wednesdays are a Wildcard.
Thursdays will be all about Disney!
In case you live under a rock, I will take a moment to explain what the word “Disney” encompasses. Without question, it includes all of the films and television the Walt Disney Company has produced since 1923, when Roy and Walter Elias Disney formed the studio.
The collection of theme parks also fall under the umbrella of this topic. Walt created WED Works to design attractions for the World’s Fair in 1952. He later renamed it Walt Disney Imagineering and together they designed Disneyland, which opened in California in 1955. Walt Disney World in Florida opened in 1971 after Walt’s death. The Walt Disney company later opened parks in Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo and most recently in Shanghai.
The Daily Octane is a Disney expert?
First of all, I am definitely no expert on Disney. People in my life and others that I follow on social media are actual experts on Disney and all its related nonsense. In comparison, I am an exceptionally passionate aficionado. In my 44 years, I have seen nearly every Disney movie, been to every park in The United States, and I have sailed with Disney Cruise Lines several times. I am a Disney Vacation Club member, a D23 member, a Disney World Annual Passholder, and I have run the Dopey Challenge three times to date. I have read close to every biography on Walt and watched all the reputable documentaries.
These are the Festival of The Arts Passholder Magnets I scored on my December trip to Disney World.
As for the rest of the family of IPS, my fandom continues.
I have been a life-long Star Wars fan. The first movie Star Wars movie premiered in 1977. The Empire Strikes Back was the second release in 1980. Both movies were on television by the time I saw them. They captivated me immediately. I finally saw Return of The Jedi in 1983 in theaters. I was awestruck by the villainy of Jabba the Hutt. The menacing danger of the Rancor terrified me. The friendly nature of the Ewok Wicket made me want to be on Endor with my heroes. I could not take my eyes off the final terrifying showdown Luke had with Lord Vader and The Emperor.
Like millions of other fans, I clamored for a seat for the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999. I can still recall my mood that day. As I realized the movie wasn’t good, there was an undeniable shift from pure bliss to abject horror. The next 16 years was hard to bear as a fan while I endured the prequel trilogy and waited for the newest crop of movies.
Disney buys Star Wars
The Star Wars fandom is an odd assortment of people. I believe that the story’s broad appeal invites a large swath of society in it’s narrative. It was brilliant of George Lucas to offer something for everyone. Unfortunately, the fanbase is too large. Nothing ever satisfies the mob. Fan reactions were split when Disney bought Lucasfilm. Many people were excited for the opportunity to see what the bottomless purse strings of Disney’s could accomplish. Possibly even more people were aghast at the idea of Disney making Star Wars too much for kids. Keep in mind this is after the debacle that was Jar Jar Binks.
Now that the overarching Skywalker Saga has concluded, the verdict is still out on Disney’s involvement in the franchise. I could make the argument that the best of Star Wars is not even in theaters. Disney has been involved in two animated shows and both are amazing. It started with The Clone Wars 2008 and later with Star Wars: Rebels in 2014. Of course, The Clone Wars started under Lucas on The Cartoon Network. When Disney bought Lucasfilm, they moved it Disney XD and the last few seasons of the show was amazing. Clone Wars has recently to television, with a long awaited 7th season airing currently on Disney+. Perhaps the best Star Wars story to date is The Mandelorian, which premiered on Disney+ in November of 2019. I will cover The Mandelorian in detail in a story very soon on this blog.
From the comic book to the screen
Comic Books have been a part of my life since I was twelve years old. My first comic book was an issue of Batman. The issue featured Anthony Zucco’s release from prison. He killed Robin’s parents and Batman was helping Robin avoid his internal desire to seek vengeance. The adult themes were amazing to me. Batman, along with many of the more iconic super heroes are DC Comics properties. As the years went on, I added more and more titles form DC like Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and many more. Even with an endless appetite for comics, I rarely read anything by Marvel.
I watched Richard Donner’s Superman movies as a child and was beyond excited for Tim Burton’s Batman movie in 1989. As the 90s came, the Superhero genre of movies grew more and more stylized and campy. They were not moving in the right direction. This changed in 2008 when Marvel Studios released Iron Man. They took a second tier character and transformed him into the figurehead of a franchise and began a whole new method of movie making.
The following year, Disney bought Marvel. Through a series of restructuring efforts and backdoor deals, they created what has become known as The Marvel Cinematic Universe and are currently making more than a billion dollars on every movie they release. The 2019 theatrical release of Avengers Endgame is the highest grossing movie of all time at just under 2.8 billion dollars.
Avengers Endgame is the highest grossing movie of all time.
The Happiest Place on Earth
In this past Monday’s blog post, Massage Therapy Mondays, I recount my long failure-filled career. Along that journey, I landed for a brief time in Disneyland. When it opened on July 17th, 1955, Disneyland was a first of its kind. It was an immediate smash success and other companies have been trying for decades to copy the formula.
There is something very special about the Disney magic you find within their parks. The parks feature a well blended mixture of cleanliness, vibrant color, totally immersive theming, and world-class customer service. When you arrive on a Disney property you leave the outside world behind and it is intoxicating.
As I said before, I only worked for Disneyland for a brief time, but it left an indelible mark on me. I hooked my kids on Disney shortly after they were born. Later, I added Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel. In 2014, my ex-wife and I were finally at a point in our lives where we could afford a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. It will forever be one of the greatest experiences of my life and it began a new phase of fanaticism for me.
I had never visited there as a child. My parents are not exactly park people. We went to Florida often because my grandmother lived in Naples, but never Disney. One year we went Busch Gardens in Tampa, but never Disney. As history will show, I was the one to take my parents to Disney World first. I dragged them along in January 2016 to watch me run my first full marathon, The Walt Disney World Marathon. That was also my first runDisney event. That is another addiction I have and once again, I will cover runDisney much further in future posts.
This is me in front of Cinderella’s Castle and The Partners Statue with my medals from the 2019 Dopey Challenge.
I am a fan for life
It is impossible for me to imagine a scenario in which I stop being a Disney fan. It is not uncommon for me randomly start listening to music from their movie soundtracks while working around the house. I have made true friends of people I have met in the parks and on their cruise ships.
A few years ago, I went to an actual wedding inside EPCOT. A former Disney Imagineer considers me a friend. My girlfriend and our sons were at Hollywood Studios for official public opening of Galaxy’s Edge, their new Star Wars themes section of the park. I scored early private access to Pandora, the Avatar themed land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom before it opened to the public in 2017. I signed up for the Keys to The Kingdom Tour at The Magic Kingdom a few years ago. It is an amazing tour of the backstage areas of the park. The hightlight is the Utilidors, which are the underground access tunnels of the park.
Needless to say, I am a fan for life. And going forward, Thursdays will be The Day of The Mouse on The Daily Octane.
