Don’t judge….

Goody Two Shoes … adam ant

Alison Road … Gin Blossoms

Back in the Saddle Again … Aerosmith

Been here once before … EAGLE-EYE CHERRY

Bom Bom Bom … Living Things

bodymovin remix … Beastie Boys

I Like the Way You Move … Bodyrockers

Round Round … Far East Movement

She Wants to Move … (DFA remix) N.E.R.D.

Do U Wanna Ride … Blue Crush Soundtrack

ride wit me … nelly

Take a Ride … Everlife

Wild Wild Ride … Jacob’s Trouble

On The Open Road … A Goofy Movie

Ridin’ (Radio Edit) … Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone

Heads Carolina, Tails California … Jo Dee Mesina

Let It Ride … John Hiatt

Where Nobody Knows My Name … John Hiatt

Bright Side Of The Road … Van Morrison

Back On The Road Again … REO Speedwagon

Hit The Road Jack … Ray Charles

Further On Up The Road … Johnny Cash

Take Another Road … Jimmy Buffett

This Road … Ginny Owens

The Kilburn High Road … Flogging Molly

Rocky Road To Dublin … Dropkick Murphys

Fly Me Courageous Drivin n Cryin

Good To Be On The Road Back Home … Cornershop

Down The Old Plank Road … The Chieftains

Long Way Home … Supertramp

Malfunction Junction … Drivin’ N’ Cryin’

Long Way Around … Eagle Eye Cherry

gottakeepmovingon UB40

Send Me on My Way … Rusted Root

Starry Eyed Surprise … Paul Oakenfold

Upside Down … A-Teens

Thunderstruck … ACDC

Shook Me All Night Long … ACDC

Ballroom blitz … ACDC

Walking On Sunshine … Aly & AJ

Hey Mama (Remix) … Black Eyed Peas

Round and Round … Bodyrockers

Guttermouth … Bree Sharp

Ready, Steady, Go … The Meices

Lose Yourself … Eminem

Ready Steady Go! – [Opening 2] … Full Metal Alchemist

Clint Eastwood … Gorillaz

Black Horse & The Cherry Tree … KT Tunstell

The Future Freaks Me Out … Motion City Soundtrack

Make Out Kids … Motion City Soundtrack

All The Things She Said … Tatu

How Soon Is Now … The Smiths

Behind the Wall of Sleep … The Smithereens

I Know You Know The Friendly Indians

Cobrastyle … Teddybears STHLM

Bohemian Like You … The Dandy Warhols

I Am A Scientist The Dandy Warhols

Intergalactic Friends … Dandy Warhols vs. Beastie Boys

Kick It Into Gear … Jennifer Paige

But then yesterday, April 6, I made a trip to Sarasota and as I was driving past Lakeland on I-4, noticed a billboard for it. My trip to Sarasota was a long drive, but I wasn’t there very long either. So as I approached Lakeland I decided to check out the festival.

This was apparently the “first annual” FL Ice Cream Festival. They did some things well, and they did some things poorly. Hopefully, they learned from this year and can make some changes to improve it next year.

The festival was held at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, where the Detroit Tigers play spring training. I’d never been there before. It’s a nice stadium. The Festival was mostly in a grassy field outside of the stadium, though there was a stage behind homeplate that allowed guests to sit in the stands and watch live bands, the ice cream eating contest, and other things. There was a second stage out in the field, too.

Since I’d never been to the Stadium, I wasn’t quite sure where to go, and followed other cars that looked like they knew where there were going (zen navigation). It worked out okay for me. I ended up parking one street over at a public park, and not in the Stadium lot, which looked full anyway.

As I walked toward the Stadium, there was a huge line in front of it. But everyone there had tickets, so I headed for the box offices. These lines were short, especially if paying cash. And here’s one of the best things about the festival – admission was only $3. After I got my ticket, I had to join the really long line. Apparently everyone arrived at the park at the same time I did. Even though the line was long, it moved fast, and half way through, they opened an additional gate. The weird thing about the ticket – they didn’t tear them. And I’m pretty sure later I saw people reselling them in the parking lot. Scalping $3 tickets seems weird.

Once in the park, it was a bit of a madhouse. All the lines for ice cream were long. No one was taking cash – you had to purchase event money from one of the sponsors, not unlike fair tickets. They were $1 for 1, so it was simple. You just had to plan in advance. The sponsor seemed to be a bank, specifically for a charity they run. Not quite sure. The tickets could then be used for ice cream or food or entertainment. Prices seemed fair. Ice cream was $2 or $3. Food from $3 to $8.

I only ended up visiting two booths. My first stop was Fred’s Southern Kitchen, which I think is local-famous. You see their billboards on I-4 around Lakeland. The line was long, but it was worth the wait. I had a good portion of pulled pork and french fries for $3, and an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for another $3. The pulled pork was supposed to be a slider, but they had run out of buns. This seemed to be something common at the event – many of the booths had run out of flavors or ice cream all together. Next to Fred’s was a booth that didn’t have a line, though I’m not sure why. It was for The Cuppin Cake Truck from Tampa. Their cupcakes were $3 each, or 2 for $5. I tried their banana split cupcake, and it was delicious – a moist banana cupcake with a vanilla bean buttercream on top, with a drizzle of chocolate and a cherry on top. They had other ice cream-themed cupcakes, too, and they’d sold out of at least one flavor. I’m surprised there wasn’t a line. 

The entertainment was typical small town festival. There were bouncy houses for the kids, a pony ride, a little miniature golf course, etc. All of those required tickets. The police and fire departments had a significant presence, maybe mainly because they set up exhibits of their vehicles for the kids to check out, but they were patrolling, too, and the event felt extremely safe. There was free entertainment, too, like singers and bands. There was an ice cream making contest and a few ice cream eating contests. I think there was other stuff going on, but it was just too crowded to find out.

I think the first annual Florida Ice Cream Festival was a success. It seems like the only thing they got wrong was underestimating the crowds that it would attract. I wonder if there are better ways to do it. Having been to the also-crowded Great American Pie Festival, I wonder if there are some ideas they could borrow. The pie festival has an all you can eat bracelet, and walking through the pie area, flows pretty smoothly. This may because there’s a linear flow to the setup of booths, too, but maybe because the pie slices are prepackaged it just makes it easier to grab and go, where Ice cream may need to be handscooped. Also, holding the festival on two days instead of one may split the crowds. I think next year, it will be worth checking out again.

I got a promotion a few weeks ago, and then I was very honored to receive a special award at work, too. The job is keeping me busy, but it’s going well.

Last weekend, my son and I were invited to tag along for a special screening of Oz The Great and Powerful. We both liked it a lot. It was a little long for my taste, but well made. And I like director Sam Raimi’s little nods to other work he’s done (Evil Dead hand, possible deadite, and I think a line from ED too). I’ll be curious to see if this launches more Oz tales on film.

That movie screening was brought to us by the official Disney Parks Blog. We even made the recap video they posted. 

The screening took place at Epcot and we spent the day there prior to the event. I made my son a photo scavenger hunt for Epcot and we spent most of the day doing that. This was his first time getting all 100 objectives in the scavenger hunt. I’ll post another blog eventually with the full list.

That morning was also the day of the Disney Princess Half Marathon. We knew some people running in the race and got there early to offer some encouragement. We saw my friend Alison, and then Alexander spent about an hour giving high fives and encouragement to all the other racers who went by. It was very nice of him, though he didn’t even understand why it was nice when he was doing it.

I’ve still managed time for reading. I read The Silver Linings Playbook and liked it much better than the movie, even though I liked Jennifer Lawrence in the film. I think the book probably handles things a little more realistically. And the denouement of the film is really the middle of the book.

I read a book called Dear Coca-Cola…. This is one of those books where a guy who thinks he’s funny writes letters to corporations and then prints their responses. The first book I read like this was Idiot Letters by Paul Rosa (http://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Letters-Paul-Rosa/dp/038547508X). It was published in 1995, and while pretty funny, I think there was subtext in the commentary on corporations and the people who work for them. There were a couple of other similar books by a guy named Ted L. Nancy, which was a pseudonym. These were much more focused on the humor, and not in a good way. But still, these books were better than Dear Coca Cola.

But after that “humor” reading, I was ready for something more serious, so I started reading The Rape of Nanking. I don’t have a lot of words at this point… I haven’t finished the book yet. I’m reading it in little pieces. It’s a tragedy and a real life horror… and that doesn’t even begin to describe it. I think it’s an important book, giving the history of a nightmare in war, as well as digging into the depths of the depravity of man. I don’t think I’ll do a real review on it, but I recommend the book.

After this, I’ll need to pick up something a little more light-hearted. I bought Jimmy Buffett’s Swine Not? at the Dollar Tree, so maybe that… But if you have any book recommendations, let me know!

Some of you may have seen previous blogs of photo scavenger hunts I put together for my son at the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Both of those were based off this one that I put together for coworkers for a team builder at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

I removed 4 items that were specific to our team. Feel free to substitute your own to get it up to 100. This same list was used at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, pretty successfully as well.

Welcome to the DAK Photo Safari. In this safari, you will be documenting your experience with photographs of possibly difficult things to find around the park. It will require a great attention to detail. If possible, try to capture at least one member of your safari group in each picture. None of these photos will require you to ride a ride. To be successful, some subjects may require a little creativity, but don’t bring anything from the list into the park with you.

Objectives

1. Dragon
2. Henson characters
3. An animal in a habitat where it doesn’t belong
4. Someone in mid-jump in front of the entry to a new land
5. Lions
6. Tigers
7. Bears
8. Three boats
9. A car built before 1970.
10. A Coca Cola sign in another language.
11. A brass drinking fountain
12. A celebration button
13. A Mickey Mouse balloon
14. A Cast Member performing a magic moment, take 5 or going above and beyond.
15. An Airstream trailer
16. A castle
17. A crate
18. A barrel
19. A hero
20. A bell larger than your head
21. A footprint larger than your head
22. A golden trowel
23. A waterfall
24. A Christmas greeting from a previous decade
25. A payphone
26. An attraction queue with two stories
27. A frying pan
28. Lost and Found
29. A child too large to be in a stroller, in a stroller
30. A moose
31. A squirrel
32. Huey/Duey/Louie
33. A basketball hoop
34. A jukebox
35. Lychee
36. Cupcakes
37. Something healthy
38. An airplane
39. A hotel
40. Something Hawaiian
41. A quarter in a fountain
42. Food that can’t be bought in the park
43. Something from Florida in California / Something from California in Florida
44. Non-American currency
45. Mosaic tiles
46. Turnstiles
47. Ropes holding something up
48. Ropes holding something down
49. A stroller parking sign
50. A sign that prohibits something
51. Two trashcans that look different in the same photo
52. Something in a merchandise shop that costs less than a dollar
53. Something in a merchandise shop that costs more than $500
54. Something labeled “Limited Edition.”
55. Guests studying a map
56. A typographical error
57. An upside-down tree
58. A flag from another country
59. A fireplace
60. A wait time posting more than 30 minutes
61. A clock mounted to a wall
62. A member of the team using a drum
63. Flowers in bloom
64. An island
65. Something Olympic
66. Ants
67. A fish
68. Bats
69. Snow, not on a mountain
70. A pirate
71. A princess
72. A pineapple
73. A sponge
74. A starfish
75. A Guest wearing socks with sandals
76. A hidden Mickey
77. A Guest wearing neon colors
78. A Guest doing something they should not be doing
79. A Guest who looks like a celebrity
80. A Cast Member doing something they should not be doing
81. Spilled popcorn
82. A Mickey Mouse sticker
83. Someone wearing a rain poncho
84. A working fountain
85. A bird bath
86. A bird eating people food
87. One of the seven dwarfs
88. A family photo
89. Something hiding
90. Something camouflaged
91. Something with 8 legs
92. The king
93. A net holding something
94. “Thank you” in another language.
95. Something from Australia
96. A character that cannot sign his/her name with a pen

When I read the synopsis on Amazon, it seemed to be the setup for a Tom Clancy like thrilled. This is not a book like that. It is much more similar to a disaster story, like you might see in a movie, but as the title implies, the story unfolds much more slowly. I think the book takes a very literal and methodical approach to describing what would happen in the hours, days, and months after devastating catastrophes.

The book is full of misdirections for the characters, which can prove annoying for the reader. The characters will say “We are going from point A to point B,” but then there’s some other situation, that takes them from point A to C or D or E, and B is abandoned.

As I read the book, the comparison that comes closest for me is Albert Camus’ The Plague, and reading the book with that in mind, I was able to peel back a layer of the book that made it much more enjoyable for me, because if the story in Slow Apocalypse was only what is there superficially, I would have hated it.

Both Slow Apocalypse and The Plague address the human condition and the effects of catastrophe on the populace of a city. Both authors seem to take a viewpoint that we have no real control over what happens in life, but how we react to this idea of the Absurdity of life gives us meaning.

Unfortunately, Slow Apocalypse does not seem to have as much depth as The Plague, which was full of metaphor, symbolism and double meaning. I just didn’t see much of that in Slow Apocalypse, though maybe on a second reading with a deconstructionist critique in mind, I could extract some additional resonance.

Ultimately, where Slow Apocalypse succeeds is from it’s ability for the reader to ponder his reaction to the Absurd in the same situation. Could you kill someone who was threatening your community? Would you share food with someone when your resources are scarce? Would you strike out on your own or with others, and would you wait for a loved one?

But if I were to recommend a book to you, I’d recommend The Plague over this one.

I’ll leave you with quotes from The Plague that also could apply to Slow Apocalypse:

Twas the month before Christmas, we welcomed to our house

An elf named Petraeus who was quite a louse.

He fell for his biographer, while she was making her edits

And then this general was betrayed by his privates.

Now we know why she called the book “Elf In.”

They had an affair, an illicit liaison

But now we know why she called the book “Elf In.”

He lost his CIA job and was out on his own

Until Santa found him and threw him a bone.

Santa took pity on Petraeus and brought him forth

To lead his elfen spies based far to the north.

They spied on the kids, the nice and the naughty,

And soon Petraeus forgot all about Paula Broadwell’s body.

North Pole Intelligence Agency

But all wasn’t jolly at that northern pole. Santa caught Petraeus in the dormitory

With the head elf’s wife, as he said, “Mrs. Claus, you’re trying to seduce me.”

“Mrs. Claus, you’re trying to seduce me.”

Disgraced again, the general was sent off by his self

Until we went to Target and bought this Elf on the Shelf.

We couldn’t just leave this elf all alone,

So we asked “How can we bring this Elf on a Shelf home?”

The Targeted red shirt said “You just have to pay us.”

And that’s how we brought home General Petraeus.

General Petraeus

When he cuddled his book, I thought it suspicious

And even stranger still when he covered the bio with kisses

He’d fallen for Carol, his new biographer,

Turns out his type is “wordsmith cougar.”

Turns out his type is “wordsmith cougar.”

But that was the least of the trouble we found

After Petraeus to our house came around

We found him in a picture frames back alley,

Hustling tickets to see the Nativity.

Holiday Donkey Show $20

But the worst of it all, what gives me concern

Is him snorting sugar off the waffle iron

And melting it down in a spoon with a candle.

His sugar addiction is almost too much to handle.

His sugar addiction is almost too much to handle.

But handle we will, this elf with his problem,

We all hit, at one time or another, rock bottom.

So before you turn up your nose and think too much of your self

Remember, one day, you too could end up an Inappropriate Elf.

(Don’t forget to vote HERE for us! #27)

The rules remained pretty much the same as last time:

Welcome to Alexander’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios Photo Scavenger Hunt. In this scavenger hunt, you will be documenting your experience with photographs of possibly difficult things to find around the park. If possible, try to capture at least one member of your group in each picture. None of these photos will require you to ride a ride, though you may find some of the objectives in a ride. To be successful, some subjects may require a little creativity, but don’t bring anything from the list into the park with you.

There were a couple of things we couldn’t find in the park – I don’t think there’s a jukebox or a gargoyle anywhere.

Here’s the video, with the list of items below. If you give it a try, let me know!

While we were at Not So Scary, we saw a few other people dressed as Dipper and his sister Mabel, but I didn’t see another Grunkle Stan that night.

Overall, I think they turned out pretty good for the time/resources I had.

For my son’s Dipper costume, I found the vest jacket at Ross in the kid’s section for about $10. The hat is a plain white hat I found at Michael’s for $2.99. (One of the Mabels we saw made her brother’s Dipper costume and said she found a plain white trucker hat at Walmart.) The red t-shirt was $4 at Target, and the grey shorts were $12 at Target (but those can be worn all the time, so it was a good buy). The book is a faux leather journal that I glued the 3 hand to.

One of the other Guests at Not So Scary had made her own book too, and the inside was full of the details of the actual book from the show. She did a great job! I was impressed. My son mainly used his for character autographs during the party, though there are Gravity Falls inspired pages within as well.

My Grunkle Stan costume is just black pants and a black sport coat, with a red ribbon tie. I found Groucho Marx glasses at the Dollar Tree and took off the nose and painted the eyebrows grey. The fez is a popcorn bucket I got at Michaels for 99 cents, and used red duct tape to make it more fez-ish. Black shoe laces made the tassel, and yellow paint for the semi-Masonic decoration on the front. The fez is larger than a real one, but that and the bright red duct tape makes it more cartoonish. It definitely stood out that night. To make Grunkle Stan’s cane, I bought a Magic 8-Ball and used epoxy to attach it to a curtain rod (the cane may have been the most expensive part of the costumes, and with more time, I could have made something better for cheaper, but I did it on my lunch hour at work…)

If you or your kids are going as Gravity Falls characters for Halloween, I’d love to see the pictures! Feel free to share links in the comments!

If you’re unfamiliar with DisneyQuest, it’s 5 floors and 100,000 square feet of video games and interactive attractions, like CyberSpace Mountain, where you can design a rollercoaster, and then ride it in a simulator with 360 degrees of movement (coaster with 13 loops FTW!).

For the upcoming release of Wreck It Ralph, they’ve added 7 arcade cabinets of Fix It Felix, Jr., the game from where Ralph comes. There was a long line to play these games, and while there’s a cluster of six on the 3rd floor, there’s a “hidden” one on the 4th floor, among the kiddie games.

I’m sure I could talk about the Lego building area that was set up that my son loved, or the Wreck It Ralph cupcakes that they had available, or the cool swag we got in the form of hero medals, or the contests that they had for playing the games.

But we all know you just want a review of Wreck It Ralph. Is it worth seeing? Is it worth seeing on the opening weekend?

Yes and yes!

Wreck It Ralph is a great film. After seeing the previews, you may already want to go just for the nostalgia factor of the classic video game characters. But even without them, the movie would stand on its own. The characters are complex for an animated film, enhanced by the great voice acting work from John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman and the rest of the cast. The plot has unexpected turns. And of course there are plenty of head nods to classic and modern video games, and other gems that are unexpected but delightful (the Oreos made everyone laugh!).

The recent movies for kids (Hotel Transylvania, Paranorman, Frankenweenie) have all been quirky and have limited appeal. Wreck It Ralph is a movie for everyone. Kids and adults will enjoy it together. Adults might even like it more than the kids (until the kids start calling each other “stinkbrain”).

I recommend you go see this movie. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

We had Le Fou’s Brew at Gaston’s Tavern, which is apple juice slush with Monin Toasted Marshmallow syrup and topped with a passion fruit foam,  and a pork shank, which will probably be as popular as the ubiquitous turkey leg. It’s a pretty hearty meal, and well fit for Gaston’s.

The Enchanting Tales with Belle experience is what every character meet and greet should be. Ariel’s Grotto was done well so that there is plenty of individual time with everyone’s favorite mermaid. The Under the Sea ride is solid, with good audio animatronics, but the queue is awesome.

The attention to detail in the whole land is wonderful, with surprises to see everywhere you look. Along with the already-open Storybook Circus, the new additions to the Magic Kingdom really make you wish every part of the parks were as detailed and lush. The adjacent Tomorrowland could use a tender loving makeover with a fine bristled brush.

Here’s a slideshow of our New Fantasyland experience. The pictures are on Facebook, too, with captions. And, a few were posted on the very awesome Disney Food Blog.