It's a little gray and rainy today, here in Michigan. But that's okay for two reasons.
One, we haven't had rain in several weeks, and the grass sure could use a good dose. We had to re-seed a patch in our front yard from grubs snacking on it last year, and we've been watering that spot for two months. It's nice and green, while the rest of the yard is all dry and brown. The Canadian geese think they are seeing a pond and have been swooping down on occasion.
Second, I really like rain. I like how it makes everything cleaner, and I love the fresh earthy smell, and I love the sound of it. I don't even mind driving in the rain. And, I don't mind Disney in the rain!
Yes, it's true that a few things shut down (parades, Test Track, Streetmosphere). But a lot of people usually decide to leave the parks when the rain comes. And that means shorter lines for those of us wearing ponchos!
I have two favorite rainy Disney moments. We were riding Splash once on a nice sunny Florida day, and we started heading up the hill for the big drop. Now I expected to see a bright blue sky up at the hole in the mountain at the top of the hill, but it seemed to be all gray and misty. So I thought the water effect had been turned up too high. When we were almost to the top, I realized one of those quick Florida showers had kicked in, and it was POURING down rain -- sheets of it -- right as we came out of the mountain and hit the drop! Needless to say, there was no time to get ponchos and nowhere to hide! We got drenched from the rain, not from the drop! And of course, five minutes later the sun came back out.
My second moment was when we caught the last Lion King puppet show in Fantasyland (remember that show, in what is now the Philharmagic theater?). We came out when it was over, and most of the park guests had cleared out. It had rained, so all of MK was glistening and sparkly because of the rain and the lights, and no one was around. It was wonderful walking slowly through the park that night!
Do you have any Disney rain stories?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Big Wimpy Ten
I completed 10 miles today! That's a BIG, BIG milestone for me!
When I started training back in January, running that first one mile was hard, and getting to three was a big accomplishment. And this summer, making it to FIVE miles was huge for me.
After that, I just kept adding .25 to my run each week -- staying out there another three or four minutes didn't seem unmanageable.
Last week I made it to 9 miles, and it was a really good run. This week, I knew I wanted to get to 10, no matter how long it took or how tired I was!
This week I didn't fuel up quite enough, and I got out a little later than normal, so after 6 miles, I did a lot of walking and running and walking. But I kept at it -- no quitting -- I had to finish 10.
On the last mile, I kept saying to myself that mile 13 was going to feel like this!! HARD!!
Anyway, I'm glad I got to the big number. I think I'll stay at 10 for a little while, until I get used to how to pace myself after mile 6 -- what combo of walking and running will work best for me.
(Now I'm off to Sears to get a replacement tire for the flat one I had yesterday.)
When I started training back in January, running that first one mile was hard, and getting to three was a big accomplishment. And this summer, making it to FIVE miles was huge for me.
After that, I just kept adding .25 to my run each week -- staying out there another three or four minutes didn't seem unmanageable.
Last week I made it to 9 miles, and it was a really good run. This week, I knew I wanted to get to 10, no matter how long it took or how tired I was!
This week I didn't fuel up quite enough, and I got out a little later than normal, so after 6 miles, I did a lot of walking and running and walking. But I kept at it -- no quitting -- I had to finish 10.
On the last mile, I kept saying to myself that mile 13 was going to feel like this!! HARD!!
Anyway, I'm glad I got to the big number. I think I'll stay at 10 for a little while, until I get used to how to pace myself after mile 6 -- what combo of walking and running will work best for me.
(Now I'm off to Sears to get a replacement tire for the flat one I had yesterday.)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Flat Tire = No Training Run
It's Saturday, time for my weekly training run. I was planning on 9.5 miles today and hoping to do the BIG TEN.
So I ate my big breakfast, got all vaselined and sunscreened up, put on my two watches and iPod and gathered up my other odds and ends. (One good thing about a weekly training run is that I have gotten very comfortable with what I need to eat and how I need to prep.)
Out to the truck, put it in reverse, and OOPS. Something didn't feel right, and I was a little tilted towards one side. Yes, flat tire.
Since my truck is only a year old, the Ford Roadside Assistance plan was still in effect, so I called them, they came and put the spare on. But my optimum running time slot has passed, so I'll try again tomorrow morning!
My husband, Dwain, is in Cleveland today visiting his dad who's recovering from knee surgery. The crazy thing is, every time he leaves town, something happens. Last time he was in Vegas, our well pump stopped working and I had no water. Previous trip, the lawn tractor made a weird, not too happy sound, and bit the dust. Time before that, a huge snowstorm hit and it took me several hours to get the driveway cleared so I could get to work. And then there was the air conditioner giving out on his previous trip.
Needless to say, he's afraid to leave town anymore!! I think today when he calls, I'll say everything is fine, and then maybe will break the news to him when he's about 20 minutes from home. No need to get him all stressed out when he's 3 hours from home.
Now less has happened when I'm out of town, but he's had a few experiences. Last time I was in Florida, he lost power for two days due to summer storms - not once, but twice in the same week. That was not fun, but at least it wasn't January!
I had a touch of a headache this morning, so it's actually not a bad thing that my run will now be tomorrow. And it's one more day to pysch myself up for the BIG TEN!
So I ate my big breakfast, got all vaselined and sunscreened up, put on my two watches and iPod and gathered up my other odds and ends. (One good thing about a weekly training run is that I have gotten very comfortable with what I need to eat and how I need to prep.)
Out to the truck, put it in reverse, and OOPS. Something didn't feel right, and I was a little tilted towards one side. Yes, flat tire.
Since my truck is only a year old, the Ford Roadside Assistance plan was still in effect, so I called them, they came and put the spare on. But my optimum running time slot has passed, so I'll try again tomorrow morning!
My husband, Dwain, is in Cleveland today visiting his dad who's recovering from knee surgery. The crazy thing is, every time he leaves town, something happens. Last time he was in Vegas, our well pump stopped working and I had no water. Previous trip, the lawn tractor made a weird, not too happy sound, and bit the dust. Time before that, a huge snowstorm hit and it took me several hours to get the driveway cleared so I could get to work. And then there was the air conditioner giving out on his previous trip.
Needless to say, he's afraid to leave town anymore!! I think today when he calls, I'll say everything is fine, and then maybe will break the news to him when he's about 20 minutes from home. No need to get him all stressed out when he's 3 hours from home.
Now less has happened when I'm out of town, but he's had a few experiences. Last time I was in Florida, he lost power for two days due to summer storms - not once, but twice in the same week. That was not fun, but at least it wasn't January!
I had a touch of a headache this morning, so it's actually not a bad thing that my run will now be tomorrow. And it's one more day to pysch myself up for the BIG TEN!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
My Hurricane
This week's Florida hurricane/tropical storm brought back memories of our Disney hurricane experience. I'm terrible with names and dates, so don't ask me which one it was! I feel like it was 6-8 years ago, but I could be a little off with that info also!
Anyway, I think when we left for our trip, there were rumblings that one was heading towards Florida, but it certainly wasn't close, and since so many tropical storms don't turn into hurricanes, we were comfortable heading to WDW.
On about the third day, the weather men and ladies started covering it, and of course, got very worked up about it. We felt that since we were in the middle of the state, the impact would not be as strong as if we were on the coast taking the full brunt, so we decided to ride it out and not end our vacation early -- although a lot of guests did head home.
We also were comfortable with the sturdiness of Disney hotels. The Boardwalk was not that old, and we were sure it was probably built with standards much higher than basic hurricane standards. We also figured Disney would be able to get power back up and running pretty fast, because of its everyday operating procedures.
So the day came that it hit the Daytona area. I think there were high tides and some flooding, and some high-wind damage, but luckily no devastation occurred. Later that day (or the next day), all of the parks did close early, probably around 1 or 2:00, and all guests were transported back to their hotels. This was done for our safety, obviously, but also so CMs could get home and take care of their families and property.
We were at the Studios that day, and saw a lot of preparations going on to batten down the hatches. Trash cans, benches, chairs were taken inside. Signs were removed or tied down. And at that time there was an old car on the right side as you headed down Sunset Blvd that was a pin station. We saw them wrapping that car in Saran wrap -- tons of it -- to keep the rain out.
Once the Studios closed, we headed back to the Boardwalk. Here also, there were no benches, trash cans or chairs left outside. It was really strange seeing the pool with nothing around it! It was also strange seeing video on the local news of the airport with NO planes anywhere on any tarmacs. You don't see that very often!
Since all the restaurants on property and at the hotels were closed (so CMs could go home), Disney provided small buffet tables in the Boardwalk lobby, and for $5 you could fill up a styrofoam dinner box with whatever you wanted. Then we took it back up to the room, settled down and watched the Orlando weather people get all worked up! Disney also instructed us via a letter under the door to stay inside, keep the curtains closed and fill the bathtub with water.
Our hurricane was going to be over Orlando in the middle of the night. I think I woke up about 3 a.m., looked outside and only saw a little rain. Luckily that time, the hurricane had worn itself out and was nothing more than a heavy rainstorm by the time it got to Disney.
Later that morning we let the water out of the bathtub, and had either a letter or voice mail from Disney saying that Animal Kingdom would be open that day. It seems like it opened at noon, but many of the shows that involved CMs (Tarzan, Lion King, etc.) did not run, probably because of limited staffing. There were a lot of supervisors out that day running the park!
Needless to say, AK was packed since it was the only game in town. But it was still good to be out of the hotel room and back in the sunshine. The next day, everything opened on time, and WDW was back to normal operations.
It was neat to see Disney in action -- but if that ends up being my only hurricane experience in Floriday, that will be just fine!
Anyway, I think when we left for our trip, there were rumblings that one was heading towards Florida, but it certainly wasn't close, and since so many tropical storms don't turn into hurricanes, we were comfortable heading to WDW.
On about the third day, the weather men and ladies started covering it, and of course, got very worked up about it. We felt that since we were in the middle of the state, the impact would not be as strong as if we were on the coast taking the full brunt, so we decided to ride it out and not end our vacation early -- although a lot of guests did head home.
We also were comfortable with the sturdiness of Disney hotels. The Boardwalk was not that old, and we were sure it was probably built with standards much higher than basic hurricane standards. We also figured Disney would be able to get power back up and running pretty fast, because of its everyday operating procedures.
So the day came that it hit the Daytona area. I think there were high tides and some flooding, and some high-wind damage, but luckily no devastation occurred. Later that day (or the next day), all of the parks did close early, probably around 1 or 2:00, and all guests were transported back to their hotels. This was done for our safety, obviously, but also so CMs could get home and take care of their families and property.
We were at the Studios that day, and saw a lot of preparations going on to batten down the hatches. Trash cans, benches, chairs were taken inside. Signs were removed or tied down. And at that time there was an old car on the right side as you headed down Sunset Blvd that was a pin station. We saw them wrapping that car in Saran wrap -- tons of it -- to keep the rain out.
Once the Studios closed, we headed back to the Boardwalk. Here also, there were no benches, trash cans or chairs left outside. It was really strange seeing the pool with nothing around it! It was also strange seeing video on the local news of the airport with NO planes anywhere on any tarmacs. You don't see that very often!
Since all the restaurants on property and at the hotels were closed (so CMs could go home), Disney provided small buffet tables in the Boardwalk lobby, and for $5 you could fill up a styrofoam dinner box with whatever you wanted. Then we took it back up to the room, settled down and watched the Orlando weather people get all worked up! Disney also instructed us via a letter under the door to stay inside, keep the curtains closed and fill the bathtub with water.
Our hurricane was going to be over Orlando in the middle of the night. I think I woke up about 3 a.m., looked outside and only saw a little rain. Luckily that time, the hurricane had worn itself out and was nothing more than a heavy rainstorm by the time it got to Disney.
Later that morning we let the water out of the bathtub, and had either a letter or voice mail from Disney saying that Animal Kingdom would be open that day. It seems like it opened at noon, but many of the shows that involved CMs (Tarzan, Lion King, etc.) did not run, probably because of limited staffing. There were a lot of supervisors out that day running the park!
Needless to say, AK was packed since it was the only game in town. But it was still good to be out of the hotel room and back in the sunshine. The next day, everything opened on time, and WDW was back to normal operations.
It was neat to see Disney in action -- but if that ends up being my only hurricane experience in Floriday, that will be just fine!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Cranium Command
I was listening to the Meandering Mouse podcast today, and show #85 covered all the attractions in the Wonders of Life pavilion. I miss WOL -- it was a neat place, and one that really held so much potential. A boatload of money would have fixed that place right up!
What I really miss from the pavilion, of course, is Cranium Command. What a fun show!
I had forgotten that the drill sargeant's name was General Knowledge (get it?), and how he kept getting Buzzy's name wrong -- Scuzzy was my favorite version of his name! And the General's big threat was that he would put Buzzy in charge of piloting a chicken OR a talk show host.
And remember how many great comedians played the various body parts Buzzy was piloting? George Wendt as the stomach was a classic, but I had forgotten that Hans and Franz were the left and right ventricles of the heart (Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon from SNL)!
I'd love to see this show moved and re-opened. Can't we squeeze it in somewhere at Imagination?
If you miss it too, check out the episode.
What I really miss from the pavilion, of course, is Cranium Command. What a fun show!
I had forgotten that the drill sargeant's name was General Knowledge (get it?), and how he kept getting Buzzy's name wrong -- Scuzzy was my favorite version of his name! And the General's big threat was that he would put Buzzy in charge of piloting a chicken OR a talk show host.
And remember how many great comedians played the various body parts Buzzy was piloting? George Wendt as the stomach was a classic, but I had forgotten that Hans and Franz were the left and right ventricles of the heart (Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon from SNL)!
I'd love to see this show moved and re-opened. Can't we squeeze it in somewhere at Imagination?
If you miss it too, check out the episode.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Best Run Ever!
It's the weekend, time for my weekly long run, and this weekend it was going to 8 miles. Up, good breakfast, usual pre-run prep, and off I went.
There was no doubt in my mind today that I could finish the 8 miles, even if the last mile was in the 16-min-mile range. But that would be okay. I was looking forward to reaching the big 8!!
It was another beautiful day in Michigan, temp in the 70s, fluffy clouds in blue sky, and the park was in its usual glory, all green with the lake shimmering and the swans enjoying the day -- along with the bikers, runners, walkers and skaters.
I have to admit, I didn't feel the urge to keep my speed up like last weekend for the Corn Fest Run, but I knew it was about endurance today. Mile 4 was a little tough, but I got into an amazing rythm on mile 8, so I decided to try and go for 8.5 miles!
And then, what the heck, I was so close to 9, why not?!! And I made it!! Don't get me wrong, I was slogging that last mile, but it was good practice for what miles 12 and 13 will probably feel like for me.
My time for today was 2 hours, 8 minutes, which is a 14.22-min-mile pace. I was very happy with that -- and now I'm a little closer to the B I G T E N mile mark!!
Hope all my Team Voice friends have good runs too this weekend!
There was no doubt in my mind today that I could finish the 8 miles, even if the last mile was in the 16-min-mile range. But that would be okay. I was looking forward to reaching the big 8!!
It was another beautiful day in Michigan, temp in the 70s, fluffy clouds in blue sky, and the park was in its usual glory, all green with the lake shimmering and the swans enjoying the day -- along with the bikers, runners, walkers and skaters.
I have to admit, I didn't feel the urge to keep my speed up like last weekend for the Corn Fest Run, but I knew it was about endurance today. Mile 4 was a little tough, but I got into an amazing rythm on mile 8, so I decided to try and go for 8.5 miles!
And then, what the heck, I was so close to 9, why not?!! And I made it!! Don't get me wrong, I was slogging that last mile, but it was good practice for what miles 12 and 13 will probably feel like for me.
My time for today was 2 hours, 8 minutes, which is a 14.22-min-mile pace. I was very happy with that -- and now I'm a little closer to the B I G T E N mile mark!!
Hope all my Team Voice friends have good runs too this weekend!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Podcast Babies
It struck me yesterday that we have four podcasts whose hosts are having babies this year!
On Mouse Guest Weekly, Eric and Cathy have a new Disney fan in production!
On the Dis Unplugged, Julie and Corey recently announced a new baby boy is coming!
On Inside The Magic, Skipper Ben (love his segments) and his wife have a little skipper on the way!
And, on Magic Never Ends, Shannon and Will will be blessed with a little one!
On Mouse Guest Weekly, Eric and Cathy have a new Disney fan in production!
On the Dis Unplugged, Julie and Corey recently announced a new baby boy is coming!
On Inside The Magic, Skipper Ben (love his segments) and his wife have a little skipper on the way!
And, on Magic Never Ends, Shannon and Will will be blessed with a little one!
Wonder if any Disney-related baby names are being considered?!
Congrats to all!!
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