Epcot 30x30: Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Spring has arrived in Florida.  At least, I'm told Spring has arrived.  As far as I can tell the only difference is that the temperature is now in the 80s rather than the 70s, and the sun takes even less time to char flesh.  One definite sign that it's here, however, is the 19th Annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

Even though it's technically older, the event is known by most people as the Festival that isn't the Food & Wine Festival, most likely because you can't get tipsy on flowers unless you're taking some heavy duty allergy medication.  It still manages to help fill the park between spurts of Spring Breakers while also showing off Disney's legendary gardening.  It lasts from March 2nd through May 15th, and attempts to get tourists excited about extra landscaping and excessive amounts of topiary.

Epcot 30x30: Test Track

Spaceship Earth from the Official Epcot Site.

 Starting this last weekend, a Facebook group known as Weekly Walt Disney World had its first meeting in honor of Epcot's upcoming 30^th anniversary. The goal is to experience all attractions and events the park features by the time of the anniversary, focusing on one a week. A noble goal, but I think my bar bill from World Showcase might send Nicole and I into poverty by the time the year's over.

There's also a foolhardy attempt to consume one of the world's worst beverages every week, the shockingly bitter Beverly. I have dedicated myself to this endeavor because I have some bizarre tolerance for torture. It's a Small World doesn't phase me, and some infamous Italian soda isn't going to either.

Hipstamatic Disney World

After an extra year of planning, a wedding, family emergencies of various stripes, and general chaos, my now wife Nicole and I finally moved to Florida.  After another agonizing month of waiting, we finally managed to get our annual passes to Disney World.  Over the last few weeks we have already gotten a lot of use out of those passes, and I've been using my favorite iPod app, Hipstamatic, to get some photos.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was fun as usual, but Buzz Lightyear without a face is kind of horrifying.  The older you get, the more you realize just how creepy a lot of Disney has the potential to be with the slightest of changes.

Of Mice and Sleepy Men

Picture from The Commons on Flickr

Thursday mornings are usually like any other work morning for me. I stumble downstairs, plop down in front of the computer, and spend at least a half an hour convincing myself that I am actually conscious. This morning started as usual, with the only major difference being an elevated level of grogginess from actually sleeping past 7:00 am for the first time in months. Then, the tortilla chip bag that had somehow fallen to the floor began to move. At this point there were two possibilities: either the chips were possessed by the spirit of the Frito Bandito, or I had a mouse in the bag.
Since Nicole and I live near a lake, in the country, surrounded by forest and fields, mice have become a daily reality in our lives. Unfortunately, neither of us have the killer instinct to take care of the problem. I have a weird guilt complex that makes me utterly unable to kill even the smallest living creature, and Nicole isn't exactly a fan of inflicting brutal death either. Thus, our daily routine includes cleaning up after a few furry creatures that apparently can't be litter trained, and continuing to find ways to thwart them in a non-violent fashion. So far, the score in this war has been approximately: Mice 3830, People 0.

Random Listening, Volume 2

Photo from The Commons on Flickr

The month of October is nearly finished, and thus the holiday season has officially begun for the family business. Since I’m in charge of graphic design, the webstore, and anything utilizing technology more recent than the 1950s, I find myself a little overwhelmed by the onrush of tasks to be completed. Once again, I find that my brain is some form of congealed jelly whenever I try to sit down and write anything resembling coherent thought. Randomness is always a good cure for these situations, so another Random Listening seems to be in order. Here’s what’s currently playing in that dusty jukebox in the back of my mind.

NSP Review: Chiodos- Illuminaudio

Album cover from Equal Vision Records' Website

Album: Illuminaudio

Artist: Chiodos

Label: Equal Vision Records

Chiodos is a band I first discovered during my brief phase of emo obsession during college. Well, rather faux obsession, as I will never be mistaken for an emo boy, as even when I lost a bunch of weight and grew my hair long, I still resembled either a 70s rocker or a mopey indie musician trying to look like a 70s rocker. I will never, ever be one to pull off skinny jeans or hair cuts that would make A Flock of Seagulls proud.

Anyway, during my senior year of college, I found that the only common point musically for all my friends and acquaintances were various bands that fell under the general term "emo." If I was going to discuss or write about music without receiving blank stares, I had to adapt to others' tastes. During that year I purchased and listened to lots of music I wouldn't get near anymore, but I also found some groups that had some redeeming qualities, at least to my ears. Chiodos was one of those.

Give the Kids a Chance

Photo from The Commons on Flickr

I tend to focus my writing on things personally important to me, but not traditionally considered important topics. This is partially because I over-think everything and need to distract myself constantly to stay sane, but also because I don't believe there needs to be yet another place on the internet where people bicker about politics or religion. However, some people have to live with these hot topics as part of their daily lives, and a teacher named Kathleen Hicks is one of them.

When I interned in London for a summer, Kathleen, or Kate as I knew her, was one of the dozen or so fellow students interning through the same program. Although I never became especially close to anyone in the program, I do remember Kate being an especially sweet girl that seemed to have grown her own garden of four leaf clovers. She was given a video game system for free by someone she had never met before, once appeared on Price is Right and was a major winner, and just gave the impression of having good luck in general.