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...Something For When You're Bored!
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My Blog
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I started keeping this blog as an attempt to make lemonade with the lemons life tossed my way.
Coincidentally, some entries are a bit more sour than others.
The blog entries keep coming, as do the death threats and bags of poo on fire on my door step.
It's been well over three years since my first posting, and all I can say is, "I can't believe you keep coming back!"
But seriously, thank you all for the continued support, encouragement and inspiration. I
hope you all keep reading, keep smiling, and keep cashing those bribe checks I've been sending.
For all you newcomers, thank you for taking the time. I hope you enjoy the nonsense that rattles
around in my head. Oh, BTW ..... don't forget to sign my guestbook!
Please note the blog entries are listed in reverse chronological order.
To view previous entries to my blog, please follow the date links at the bottom of this page. Thanks.
Want to be automatically notified of updates to this
page? Click here.
Click here to see me hard at work.
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Saturday, February 9, 2008
Disney Yes, Discount No
Mickey Mouse is a thief. He's a ruthless, uninhibited scoundrel who will simply walk up to you in broad daylight
and take your money. Okay, so my hyperbole is a bit on the extreme side, but anyone who is a parent, knows a parent
or has ever traveled to Lake Buena Vista, Florida will tell you that almost all things Disney are not wallet friendly.
Case in point, Lee and I took the kids Friday night to see "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert
featuring Jonas Brothers" in Disney Digital 3-D. Early word is the movie is up for an Oscar for most exhausting title.
The tongue-twisting title aside, I thought it would be cool to take the kids to the movie. Both Natalie and Daniel are
HM fans and, like 99% of all other parents out there, I could not afford the reported $2000 to $3000 for tickets to her actual
concert. It was a Friday night and we hadn't been to the movies in a while, so I figured, "Why not?"
Little did I know this Disney movie came with Disney prices! Whereas a normal night at the movies would have cost
$9 for each adult ticket and only $6 for each kid, little Missy Montana set me back $63 for the four of us. Yep, you
read that correctly. $63!! That's $15 per ticket (no discount for the kiddos) and, to add insult to fiscal injury, a
$3 convenience fee. Thank you very much, Mr. Bob Iger (CEO of Disney). You've managed to gouge me yet again.
Don't get me wrong. This is not a rant against the cash cow that is Disney. (Well, maybe it is just a little
bit). Rather, it's an observation that as much as we shake our head in disbelief at the money we spend on Disney movies,
CD's, DVD's, theme parks, t-shirts, etc., I have always found the end result to be completely worth it. There is a high
level of quality that goes into the Disney experience, and with regards to Mickey's Kingdom, the saying holds true that you
get what you pay for.
Specific to the Hannah Montana movie, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the whole thing was put together. The
shots from the concert were interspersed with behind the scenes footage of Miley Cyrus rehearsing for the show, transforming
herself into Hannah, and other tidbits that made the movie as interesting for the grownups as it was entertaining for the
kids. Throw in the added coolness of digital 3-D and the end result is a high quality, high energy, and highly entertaining
event.
Still, I can't help but be taken aback at the decision to price the movie so high. Not to mention the fact there
was a table set up in the theater selling Hannah Montana CD's and DVD's at $20 each. It's not like Miley needs the money.
It's not like Disney needs the money. As a parent, I was disappointed with the pricing scheme. As a consumer,
I was nearly appalled. For as much as Disney bills themselves as a family friendly corporation, the outrageousness of
their pricing is anything but.
Still, it's Disney. They're like the lovable, evil empire. They're everywhere and there's no escaping
Mickey's grasp. It's not like I can boycott them, and considering I have two kids I don't think I'd want to either.
Not only would a Disney boycott mean no more Magic Kingdom and a severe restriction on the movies to which I could take my
kids, it would also mean boycotting ABC and ESPN, both of which are owned by Disney. Given the fact Lee and I have tickets
to ESPN the Weekend which will be held at Disney, I guess my only option is to sell one of my kidneys on eBay and hold a fundraiser
for extra cash.
Anyone got a couple hundred bucks they can spot me?
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Very Special Indeed
I normally am not a big fan of my birthday. I love celebrating the birthdays of friends and loved ones, but when
it comes to me I'd just as soon take a pass. I can't tell you particularly why, but in recent history I've simply tried
not to make too big a deal of this day. As my birthday approached this year, I was reminded daily by my daughter how my 'special'
day would soon be upon us, and how excited she was at the idea of celebrating it. So I decided to embrace my birthday
head on, and what a special day it turned out to be.
I have to begin by mentioning how fortunate and blessed I am to be surrounded by such loving family and friends.
It is this collection of individuals that creates such an amazing support structure, and I am very lucky to know I have so
many wonderful people in my proverbial corner.
From birthday cards to MySpace comments to text messages on my cell, my day was filled with constant well wishes from
friends and family. Notes on Facebook, message board postings, e-mails, phone calls ……. just about every medium that
could be used to deliver a message, with the exception of personal messenger or carrier pigeons, was used.
My day started out as usual, with me trying to squeeze in another 5 minutes of sleep while Lee was getting ready for
work. As she kissed me goodbye and wished me a happy birthday for the 18th time, my work pager went off. "This
is NOT how I want to start my birthday" I thought to myself. My pager going off is usually not a good thing. But
instead of being summoned to a conference call or being alerted of a system outage, the message on my pager simply said. "Happy
Birthday. Go Fins!"
I grabbed my coffee, downed a bagel and headed off to work. Normally the traffic and road congestion would put
me in a grumpy-morning mood, but I could tell the weather would provide us a crisp, sunny day and I gazed at the still rising
sun and said a quick prayer of thanks to God. With the sun shining brightly and my acoustic Sister Hazel playlist playing
on my iPod, I got that feeling the day was going to be a great one.
Work came and went, yet it was nicely interrupted by a lunch invitation from one of my vendors. I hadn't been taken
out to lunch in quite a while, and the fact this particular vendor came calling on my birthday was yet another sign of how
special this day would turn out to be. And besides, there is never anything wrong with a free lunch.
I left work and set off to pickup my kids from school. Lee called me to warn me about terrible traffic delays on
the interstate, yet I managed to avoid it all as the congestion began just a quarter-mile past my exit to go home. Another
touch of birthday luck.
I walked into the after-school area to find Natalie and Daniel waiting for me, each with a large and excited smile on
their face. Later, the three of us came home to the aroma of the already-delivered pizza Lee had ordered. We sat down
at the table, shared a blessing and ate our dinner together as a family. For desert we dove into a wonderful Dolphins
themed birthday cake Lee and her mom bought for me and, of course, ice cream.
The night concluded with the kids going home with their mom and Lee and I retiring to our room where we snuggled up together
and watched Duke beat North Carolina in basketball. I don't really get into college basketball until March Madness,
but Duke/UNC is the one game I go out of my way to watch. I flipped back and forth between the hoops and the soccer
friendly between USA and Mexico. Add to that the fact the University of Miami finished with the 1 ranked recruiting
class and it turns out my special day was also a good sports day as well.
There are so many little details I know I am leaving out, yet the overall gist of blog is that I am completely overwhelmed
by the outpouring I received today from everyone around me. I sit back in awe at the great fortune God has bestowed
on my life. Healthy children, supportive friends, a loving family, and a girlfriend who redefines what it means to love
unconditionally. Three years ago I celebrated my birthday with only my children. Heck, I even bought my own cake.
Today I feel I celebrated my birthday with literally the hundreds of people whom I am honored to call my friends and family.
If there's one thing I realize it's that what makes this day so special has nothing to do with me and everything to do with
the many special people around me.
Thanks again, everyone.
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