Time Machine Travelogue Seven

July 17, 2001 California Adventure

The time machine is ready to clock a few more hours of time.  So I need to pick a date.  Having just recently gone to Disneyland for the One More Disney Day celebration, I have Disneyland on my mind.  Thinking back for a time in the past to return to I am reminded of two trips I made there in 2001.  So let’s spin those dials for our own 2001 Space Odyssey.  There was a significant event on the Disney calendar of February 8, 2001, the opening of California Adventure. 

No, I know better than going to the Opening Day ceremonies.  However, I had been to the Disney Hotel when the parking lot was torn up and steel skeletons were starting rise from the emptied space.  These were going to be the new park attractions and the newest jewel of the resort the Grand Californian hotel.  I got the itch and had to go and I was ready to go as the say First Class.  We monitored the Disney.go.com website to see what this new development would offer us.  I was meticulous.  I printed every page on the website in color, three holed punched it, and put it in a ring binder.  We would look at those pages and virtually knew every attraction, place to shop, and restaurant.  We were psyched.  We decided to book that trip.  We definitely had to try the newest thing the Grand Californian Hotel.  

We wanted to have a park view and stay on the concierge level.  You should have guessed when we would go to the now new Disney Resort Complex.  The logical choice for us of course was July 17, 2001.  This is Disneyland’s Birthday and a time, we as a family, enjoy.

Our Twins were already veterans of Disneyland and Disneyland Hotel having been going there since they were 18 months.  We worked extremely hard to convince their Aunt to go with us.  She didn’t want to go at first.  She didn’t have the same passion for Disneyland.  We explained to her that she needed to see Disneyland from the Twins eyes.  She should see how they enjoyed the adventure.  She agreed and we scheduled he trip.  We would drive down and she would fly down a couple of days later.
We arrived in Anaheim and got off the freeway and followed the signs and ended up in the multi-storied parking lot.  They were nice about it and directed us to the gate for the Grand Californian Hotel.  At the gate they asked our name and from that moment we were treated like royalty.  We were taken to our room and drew back the curtain California Adventurehad

the park 

was laid out before us.  We were directly over the Grand Californian entrance into the park.  Our view was of Grizzly Mountain home of the Grizzly Rapids Ride.  We got our luggage, changed clothes and headed to the park. Oh what a delightfully short walk it was compared to other Resort Hotels.  We had to walk around and see all the sights that we read all about.  Being a warm summer morning, the twins first gravitated to a water feature in what was then called the Bountiful Valley Farm.  They got soaked and it was just the first hour in the park.  But who cares we were only a short walk back to the room and a dry set of clothes

Twins can have completely different personalities.  My son is a daredevil and my daughter is a little more cautious and doesn’t dive into the more thrilling rides.  When you enter the driveway to the hotel you first saw Mulholland Madness, it looked fun to her and her mom who also was not a fan of the roller coaster type rides.  I recognized it as a ride that debuted at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, the Mad Mouse.  I tried to warn them but they thought they were ready.  Big mistake, it took years before my daughter would try thrilling rides again.

The benefit of staying Concierge is you get the use of the Concierge Lounge.  They serve a really good Continental breakfast.  They have snacks like cookies and sodas the rest of the day.  Another great thing about the sixth floor Concierge Lounge is you can see the Disneyland fireworks with synchronized soundtrack.  It was well worth the price.  Remember I once blogged that we personally changed Disneyland and the Grand Californian Hotel.  It was on this trip when one of these occurrences happened.  They have a beautiful balcony and we sat and ate breakfast there.  My son went inside through the sliding glass door for another treat.  Excited he ran back to us at the table.  Bam! Right into the super clear sliding glass door.  He fell back stunned.  The hotel staff was immediately on the spot.  They checked him out and he seemed okay.  The next stay there were logos on the door so that you could see the glass. 

Staying at Disneyland Resort Hotels allows a guest Early Entry in to Disneyland.  I will never forget my sister in laws reaction to standing in Disneyland at 6:30 in the morning or what she called, “Dark thirty.”  She enjoyed the trip and the memories that were made with the Twins. 

We were totally impressed with the Grand Californian Hotel. The California Bungalow style was beautiful.  It reminded me of the architectural style of the Greene and Greene Brothers. This style I always enjoyed and tried to emulate when I was building custom homes many years ago.  They had me as a return guest forever.  Only things like pool changes to the Disneyland Hotel could get me to change my mind or the fact that the Grand Californian is booked.

Hardly a Disney Theme

The park itself, California Adventure, left us unimpressed. Real Disney fans had heard at on time that they were planning Westcot.  An Epcot styled area for the land of the parking lot.  then we heard it was scuttled.  Then the California themed park would be put in it's place.  I never understood why you would try to entice people to come to California to see a microcosm of California at Disneyland.  If you lived elsewhere in California, you would and could be closer to the real California tourist attraction.  There where many features that where fun Disney innovation, but there were others that you could do at other amusement parks or state fairs.  The key to a Disney is in the way it is themed to something recognized as Disney.  The original California Adventure was too much like a mall.  There were too many shopping outlets.  Most of the restaurants resembled food courts.  

My son and I rode every ride that was open since then many have been either closed or rethemed.  California Screaming, the roller coaster, was almost to much for me.  I found I could only ride it two times a day.  The launch is accomplished using a linear induction motor and jets you off from zero to 55 mph in seconds.  This was not the reason I needed to limit my daily trips. Being turned upside down effected me more than I had expected.  While it wasn't a Disney themed attraction it was a welcome inclusion to your overall stay.  Another county fair attraction was the chain swing ride.  The Orange Stinger had a nostalgic factor from me.  When I was young, we often traveled from LA to the Central Valley.  This was before the Interstate.  When the Grape Vine was the twisty road.  Along the way there were Giant Orange Stands selling cool orange juice.  So it was a reasonable theme.  The Maliboomer while fun and themed like a giant muscle carnival test.  Ring the bell and win a Cupiedoll.

There was one innovative attraction.

 California Soarin' gives the rider a feeling that they are hang gliding over different regions of California.  The sights, sounds, and smells are perceived as you progress on you journey.  It reminded me of 360 Degree Circle Vision which was in Tomorrowland at one time.  When the scene changed, turned and flew by, you had the sensation that you were flying.

The 3D adventure It's Tough to Be a Bug was a better fit with Disney Pixar themeing.  Here you entered a underground ant hill that was surrounding the tree from the movie A Bug's Life.  Once inside, you learn the characteristics and hardships that the smallest species on the Earth.  It has many sights and smells the bugs possess.  Plus there is a surprise near the end of the show that brings you to your feet.

Well, there are upgrades we are going to do the time machine.  We are installing room temperature superconductivity.  This will give us constant voltage with less ohms of resistance.  We are going to need it because in 2001 we had two stays at the Grand Californian.  So we will save some of the other attractions for the second trip.   We will time travel back to California Adventure also on the next time out.  It was a stay with the Sponsor for Christmas 2001. It was a heart warming trip that will never be forgotten by our family.

Look Out Disney We Have Boxed Pin Sets

Boxed Pin Collections

Over the years when the Sponsor, my mother, was alive, we use to go though the Disney Catalog and look for pin sets.  Initially we just purchased the 1928 Walt Disney original Steamboat Willie. My Mom liked the fact that she and Mickey mouse were born in the same year, within a month actually.  This started off a collection that included many of the original Disney Cartoons.  Many of the first cartoon offerings that Disney produced were black and white. Then Silly Symphony cartoons were filmed in color.

On November 18, 1928 Steamboat Willie premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York City.  It was a debut for both Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.  Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie was able to synchronize the picture with the soundtrack.  This was revolutionary.  The audiences loved this little film.  It helped propel onto the world stage the Disney Film Company.  The film included a menacing cat Captain Pete.  Also, there was a musical number that included farm animals to a rendition of Turkey in the Straw.

The idea for Plane Crazy was thought up by Walt and Lillian Disney on a train trip from New York to Hollywood in 1928. It was inspired by aviator Charles Lindbergh.  It was originally a silent cartoon and contained 'crash!' 'bang!' and 'ha ha!'.  It was animated entirely by Ub Iwerks.  He drew 700 drawings per day.  The drawings were inked and painted onto celluloid by Walt's wife Lillian, brother Roy, and his wife Edna, and his sister-in-law Hazel Sewell.  In 1929 a sound track was added.

Mickey Mouse is escaping a storm and he takes shelter in an empty run-down but not unoccupied house.  There are many spine tingling skeletons. Mickey is commanded by a hooded figure to "play!" an old pipe organ.  
Mickey answers, "Y-yes. ma'am."
The music stirs all the ghouls and Mickey makes his escape.  The Haunted House's doors creaked open on December 2, 1929. Walt Disney directed this cartoon and supplied the voice of every body's hero Mickey Mouse.

Mickey and Minnie are the longest sweethearts in show business.  There are many people who wonder why this might be the case.  They seem so drawn to each other.  The reason may have been clearly answered with the release of Mickey's Nightmare on August 13, 1932.  In this film Mickey says his prayers and goes asleep.  He dreams that he marries the lovely Minnie.  You should see the rock he gave her.  So as the song goes in My Blue Heaven, "and baby makes three," the storks soon arrive bring babies by the bucketful.  They take over Mickey's home. They are a force beyond nature.  No room is left alone.  Even Mickey and Pluto are swarmed over by the hoard of mouselings.  Fortunately, Mickey wakes up and he has been a bachelor ever since.

On September 2, 1933, Puppy Love brought Mickey Mouse and Minnie together on another date. Mickey with Pluto in tow brings Minne flowers and a heart shaped box of chocolates.  While Mickey and Minnie were at the piano singing their new song, Puppy Love, Pluto is being led on by Minnie's dog, Fifi.  Pluto, to impress Fifi, sneaks the chocolates and gives them to her.  He replaces the missing sweets with a bone.  When Minnie opens the box, the battle of the sexes ensues.  Everyone gets into the act Mickey and Minnie, Pluto and Fifi, even the birds and squirrels in the trees.  They all swear off the opposite sex until Fifi brings Minnie the last few candies.  Soon everything is back to normal.

As time marched on Mickey cartoons also changed with the times. This included the use of Technicolor in the Mickey Mouse Clock Cleaners that was released on October15, 1937.  This was just two months before Disney's first feature length feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Also Mickey was aided by his two friends Goofy and Donald Duck.  On a extremely tall community tower, the trio battle the inner workings of the clock and its clockwork bell ringers, Father Time and Miss Liberty.  Each hero has his own challenge.  Mickey battles an obstinate stork.  Donald is absorbed in a perky mainspring.  Goofy is tortured by mice.  
Collecting these boxed pin sets was something my Mom and I did together.  We weren't just collecting pins, we were collecting memories.  Memories from her childhood when a child could go to a movie house for a ten cent matinee.  We bridged the generation gap with this reminiscing.  I may trade the pins but I would never trade the memories.  Nor would I trade the quality time I got to spend with my Mom.  Take the time to find out what cartoons your Mom or Dad enjoyed in the theater or on television.
Next time we visit the Disney boxed pin sets, we will look at Walt Disney's Silly Symphony cartoons.  

Look Out Disney We Have Pins

Pin Your Hopes Here

I once had an old straw hat that I put pins on. It was very European.  When I was a skier, I saw skiers with hats that had pins on them all the time. I would wear that old hat everywhere.  County fairs, festivals, and street fairs wherever I went I wore that hat.  On one of my trips to Disneyland, I bought a Goofy pin, which I placed front, and center on that hat.   That is what got me started pin collecting Disney pins.  You notice I didn't say trade because I don't trade pins. I'm too much a chronic pack rat for that.  At first, I just bought the occasional pin.  As Mickey here and Donald there no rhyme or reason to my collecting.  Then I caught the bug. I started buying pins with a plan. I started collecting pins that were for holidays and had dates on them. I collected pins that were for different attractions. I got lanyards but they filled up too fast and were heavy and uncomfortable on a hot day. I saw people in those pin vests but most of then were old and just looked nerdy. So I went to the pin cases for storage of my pins. 
Then it happened, my kids decided to start collecting pins now there were more pins to buy every time we went to the park.  Then my Mom, who use to buy so much stuff from the Disney Catalog, that she had own personal shopper. Too bad the catalog went away.    However, in the catalog they offered pin sets. I will blog on these collections next week.

My Mom, who we called affectionately called the Sponsor, was born in 1928. This gave her a special connection with Mickey Mouse, whose birthday was the same year. So many of the pins collected were of Mickey. She also loved the Bad Girls, those Disney villains who have to be there so the the hero can win. Without the villains, there would be no Disney magic. They had pins of them that took us several visits to collect. In Fantasyland, they use to have a villain shop it unfortunately closed. In its place they put a heraldry shop. This is the same kind of place you could find in a mall at Christmastime. It doesn't fit the Disney theme. I think with all the Kingdom Keeper books they need a villain shop.  

I asked my son his favorite pin and he said that his was Huey, Dewey, and Louie. That surprised me totally.  I know he once purchased a pin set that included all three but I never connected the dots. My daughter is a different story, her favorites were The Princesses and Tink. I should have known that. She has always loved the Princesses. When she got older she gravitated to Tinker Bell.  My wife too was true to her character. Her birthday is December 20th. She waits all year for something to celebrate. This has made anything Christmas her favorite. We collected a pin series of the Twelve Days of Christmas. We are both teachers. This gives us a Christmas Break. With this time and a little money, okay a lot of money, we can go to Disneyland for a holiday stay.   That is why we have spent several vacations there. Some have included Christmas Day or New Years Eve. Therefore, I have tons of dated pins of those holiday times.  
I polled some of the people I know who read my blog as to their favorite character.  I was told Donald Duck and Lilo & Stitch. So, I was happy to find these characters in my collection.  So what is your favorite character? I would love to look through my collection and photograph them for you. So just leave a comment and I'll put a post or posts for you. Next time as I alluded to, I am going to cover boxed sets and special collections. 

Do check back it is going to be fun.  Thank you for reading about Disney Pins.

This Week in Education March 12, 2012

Spring Break

This is Spring Break.  We only get one week.  So it goes fast and we'll be back and then we have State testing.  When they passed the No Child Left Behind, they said that it was to bring accountability to education.  The Congress that passed this really did it to make public schools look bad.  This was an effort to move people toward charter schools and further privatization of education.

We teachers work hard to teach.  If a student for any reason chooses not to learn, there is not much that can be done.  There isn't a culture of learning.  Fewer and fewer people just sit and read for pleasure.  The children do not have role models touting the need to learn their multiplication facts or learning Algebra.  Teachers try to build the triangle of support: parent, student, and teacher.  But not all parents have completed their education or see the need for a higher education.  If Congress really wanted to motivate parents, they would realize that they need to structure the Tax Code to encourage parents to drive their children harder.  They give taxpayers a dependent tax deduction.  If they made it a tax credit and increased it, then made the ability to collect the credit on their child's receiving proficient on the Tests on the Content Standards, parents would become more involved.  They would make sure their children did their homework and learned those facts.  Parents would be at public schools like they are at charter schools.  They would make sure both their children and the teachers were accountable.

Paul Newman said in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, "I have vision and the rest of the World wears bifocals."  I feel that way sometimes.  But I keep plugging away focusing on those core of students that are motivated to learn and are able to ignore the three ring circus happening around them.  Since the last post we learned about the animal cell and the plant cell.  Again my sudents who are set on learning have done a great job.  Their focus on learning is remarkable.  They are what gives me satisfaction in teaching. Well Spring Break will be over and so will testing which means that end of the year is around the corner.  Let us hope next years group will be better. But I doubt it.  The fourth graders are not always the most compliant when out on the yard.  So we'll see what happens next year.

Time Machine Travelogue Six

Buckle Everything Up Both Your Ski Boots and Seat Belts

Have you wondered where the time machine has been?  With me traveling so much lately, I haven't even pulled it out of it secret hiding place. You don't want an operational time falling into the wrong hands. It is all systems go though. So I'm rolling this bad beauty out and going back to 1976. Location that we setting is a mile high. We are going to Denver, Colorado.

In 1976 California was in the middle of a serious drought.  I was a skier. So I had to find a place with that glorious white substance. Not what your thinking. We were Powder Hounds and we were like blood hounds sniffing out SNOW.

My best friend's Mom lived in Broomfield, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.  This was going to be our home base for ski trips and sightseeing in Denver. We were spending ten days. We left California taking turns driving straight through. It was the worst time for a long distance driving trip because President Richard Nixon, Tricky Dick, instituted the 55-mile per hour speed limit. Like Sammy Hagar, “I Can’t Drive 55.” In Wyoming, there were pronged horned antelope going faster than us.  I think I forgot to check the antifreeze in my Volvo 242.  The engine’s thermostat broke so the coolant kept circulating through the engine.  Leaving Wendover, Nevada the inside of the car started to get cold.  It was so cold that that the moisture from our breaths froze on the inside of the windows.  Good thing we always traveled with blankets in case of emergencies. It was January and when we stopped at a station I had stopped many times, a place called Little America in Wyoming; the temperature said it was minus ten degrees. That is minus twenty-three degrees Celsius for my International readers.  We arrived at my friend’s Mom 24 hours later. 

The neat thing about a week ski vacation is you get to ski mid week when the crowds and lift lines are less.  Being Sunday my friend’s parents took us to Boulder, Colorado.  My friend's step dad worked at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, and he knew Boulder well.  The University of Colorado is there.  This makes it a college town.  The neat thing about college towns is there are generally cheap places to eat.  They took us to a place called the Aristocrat.  They had massive portions of great breakfast foods. I don’t know if it’s still there.  I would enter the time machine just to go back there to eat, but that's for another trip.

Winter Park Ski Resort

The next day, we went to Winter Park Ski Area.  It was a cold day and it had snowed.  We had to, at that time, cross the Berthoud Pass located on the continental Divide.  We had to put chains on.  I was experienced at doing this but not at twenty below.  My hands couldn't latch the chain with gloves on so I took them off.  Very bad idea because my fingers nearly froze off.  This California boy was not use to temperatures like this.  The skiing was great light and fluffy powdered sugar and plenty of untracked snow.  My friend loved putting down figure eights on the runs. 

The next day, it was another ski area.  It was then called A Basin.  Previously it was called Arapahoe Basin and the name has reverted to it since.  The unique thing about A Basin is it is one of the highest elevations for its base and its peak.  The 13,000-foot elevation leaves you breathless.  However, the snow was incredible and taking breaks made for an easier day.  The views of the Rocky Mountains were stunning.  With these views your psychic batteries are recharged. 

Later in the week we went to Keystone Resort.  This was a corporate resort.  It didn’t have the feel of maybe going broke next week like A Basin.  The experience at A Basin was definitely geared to the skier who was challenged by the terrain and took that challenge on with relish.  You saw skiers in blue jeans tearing up the slopes.  Keystone was powder and stretch pants.  The beautiful people enjoying being seen in the lift lines.  They skied using a Stem Christie technique stopping to chat at the side of the run.  Very few die-hard skiers were there just to ski.  You could tell by the long lines to grab a burger.  Maybe we were too workman but it made us feel like we didn’t fit.

In between days of skiing there was sightseeing in Denver.  If you are looking for a strange place to visit you have to go to the Molly Brown's House.  The Unsinkable Molly Brown’s story is legend.  Her story has been told in films several times.  She was a survivor of the Titanic sinking.  Her house was a great example of the Queen Anne Style.  It has the ornate gingerbread appointment inside and out. 

I love museums.  Denver has a great Art Museum.  There were several floors of exhibits. Each floor was incredible.  The Native American art exhibits were extensive and informative.  Pre-Columbian to Western expansion artifacts were impressive.  There were many examples of art and artifacts from several different Native American tribes from different regions of the United States.  Other Western art included famous works of paintings and statues.  Western artist like Fredric Remington, Charles Russell were prominently exhibited.  There were displays of old styled firearms.  The men in the group will enjoy looking back at the guns the tamed the West.  If you go to Denver in any year never miss the Denver Arts Museum.  Even if you are not a fan of museums there is something for everyone.

Lastly I cannot remember back on my trip to Denver without talking about a Mexican restaurant, Casa Bonita.  When they told me that we were going to go to a Mexican restaurant, I thought we have Mexican places literally on every corner in California.  

When we arrived, what I saw was amazing it was a giant pink warehouse.  Upon entering there was a long line leading up to a cash register.  The food looked like nothing special.  Typical gringoized Mexican food.  They put it on a tray sent you to look for a seat. Then you entered to where you were to look for a seat it became apparent to why Casa Bonita had its charm.  The inside was a Disneyland of restaurants.  There were many different themed rooms.  There was a Cantina, a jail, called the Pokey, and a large multi storied room with a waterfall that resembled Acapulco Cliff side.  This is where we chose to eat.  The food was okay but the ambiance was incredibly rememberable.  After eating, we strolled around looking at all the other possible rooms.

Well, I need to get us all back to our own time. The time machine needs to cool down and be put away.  I will make sure it is ready for next week’s travelogue.  

Look Out Disneyland Here We Are! Leap Day

One More Disney Day Celebration  

As we leave from DCA after the Wonderful World of Color on Feb. 28th, we see people already lining up for the One More Disney Day Celebration On Feb. 29th.  Guess we will have little or no chance of getting a free Mickey Mouse Ears Hat.  My daughter has hope so her mother & brother get up early to get into line there.   The celebration is scheduled from 6:00 AM, February 29^th till 6:00 AM the next morning.  So at 4:30 they headed out for the park.  They found the line too long.  They texted “Sleep in.” But for me Disneyland was right across the street.  I couldn't sleep.  I was wondering what was happening there.  The neat thing about Southern California is every channel on the TV had a reporter at the Main Gate.  Bouncing through the numerous TV channels and listening to fluff reporter and weathermen, I saw what was happening at the Main Gate.

They confirmed that the hats were gone.  I decided to get ready to go over and join my family.  Then at about 6:15, my family texted that they were walking in the gate.  I jumped in the shower and headed over.  I reached the crosswalk and  I saw a large group of people on the other side waiting to cross. That's when I noticed on their heads those special hats.  So as I walked to security and the main Gate, I counted the valuable hats leaving the park.  At first there were just a few but then the number shot up.  In all, I counted 111 hats, and it was just 7:30 in the morning.   I entered the turn styles and did receive a commemorative button.  It was the same saying that was stenciled on the front of the Mickey Mouse ears.  


They had a banner that welcomed everybody, hanging at the tunnel under the berm.  I snapped a couple pictures, and texted to find where my family was at.  Cell phones changed our adventure to Disneyland.  Back in the old days we bought walkie-talkies.  There were only a few channels.  We constantly heard other people’s conversations.

I joined my family.  They were in line for the Autotopia.  I waited for them to finish the ride. They had been up since Dark Thirty and they were hungry. 

With big crowds, a great plan is to sit and eat.  24 hours gives you a long time to get everything in so a good breakfast is in order.  It was still cold.  Remember the snow that we had to dodge over the Grapevine.  So my wife suggested that we eat inside for a change.  Inside my favorite breakfast spot, the River Belle Terrace, we ordered mass quantities of food. There were four of us so we ordered five meals.  That 17-year-old boy with a hollow leg needs to be fed. 

 Another activity I learned from my Mother was when it is busy shop.  We were noticing some cool tee shirts and sweat shirts.  They read, “I Took the Leap and Didn’t Sleep.  I pulled an All-Nighter at Disneyland.”  There were two different styles.  My daughter chose the less loudly colored one.  

She also found out that she could get a set of Mickey Mouse ears and they would embroider the Leap day information on the back.  Actually it was nicer than the give-a-way.  The day was getting really busy so my wife, son, and I went back to the room for a nap.  My daughter didn’t want to “cheat” so she stayed behind with her friend and parents determined to stay all 24 hours.  I think it was a quest on her part now.  We did get Fast Passes for Star Tours.  We had to return between 5:15 and 6:15.  I was glad we got them. It was so busy by that time.  This was the best Star Tours we were on and we have ridden it least ten times since they changed it.  They pick a person in the cabin and identify them as a Rebel Spy.  Some Empire types tries to stop us.  This time it was Darth Vader himself. It was the first time we have seen him in the scenarios. 

After the encounter with Darth Vader, we went to the Enchanted Tiki Room.  I could have stayed there the rest of the night, you get to sit down.  However, when we went out the line was outrageous.  So I went over to the Tomorrowland Terrace.  They have three things chairs, music and people dancing.  One More Disney Day and I'm doing something that I did forty-two years ago.  It was New Years Eve. The year was changing from 1969 to 1970 on that night. I was there to see the decade change at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace. It was a great spot to watch people dancing and listening to futuristic music. Then it was rock and roll, now it is a DJ and Hip Hop. The DJ synthesized "the girls are standing in the line to the bathroom."  Sure it's catchy but it's no “Nonona Hey Hey.”   

Oddly for all the changes dancing hasn't changed much only the dance floor is more crowded and there is one guy and a computer instead of the group steam playing instruments. I think I'll take a picture. WTF! Somebody took seat.  So, I moved on.  Totally separated from my family now.  I tried to call them without success.  There were tens of thousands of people and they too were trying to use their phones too.  The cell service was jammed and almost unusable.  So I knew they were waiting for the parade so I worked my way back towards Main Street.  I finally got through on a garbled broken call to my wife it was 10:00 and she was headed back to the motel room.  I have not seen such crowds since July 17^th 2005, for the 50^th Anniversary.  You could not move.  Only shuffle along using baby steeps.  It was like a herd of animals.  I mooed loudly.  There were several returned moos from others.  It was now midnight.

I felt that I spent Leap Day at Disneyland and I too was making my way toward to exit.  When I got to the gate and exited, I was totally surprised.  The crowd waiting outside was longer than it had been at 6:00AM.  It wound all the way to DCA and down toward Downtown Disney.  My son petered out about 3:30 and returned to the room.  He was such a good kid; he called us to let us know he was heading back alone.  My daughter and her friend made it all the way to 6:00 AM.  They were the true Disney All-Nighters. 

Would I ever do it in four years when Leap Year comes again?  No! not me.  I am way out of college and not able to pull all-nighters anymore.  It was fun to be part of history, but I have learned to take small doses of Disneyland at a time. And I’m keeping it that way from now on.

This Week in Education March 5, 2012

No Substitute For Success

I didn't post last week to the education blog because of my trip down south.   So I had to call a substitute for my class.  Since I was to be out for three days, I was hoping for one sub for all the days. Getting ready for a sub is not an easy task. You don't want to leave a highly test standard for them to introduce or teach because you are never sure about the sub's ability. Then, you need to gather and copy all the worksheets.  You have to do this for every subject. The ELA subjects, spelling, vocabulary, reading , and grammar. Let us not forget the other subjects like math, social studies, and science. Luckily, it is late in the year and the students are able to lead PE exercises and know the activity we are on. 


I write a detailed lesson plan for each day and put all the different day's work in different colored folders. I am set to go and I don't look back. Let the chips fall where they may. I subbed for two years before I got on full time. I know how difficult being a guest teacher can be. The students eat most subs for a snack.  This time was no different. The first sub left after five minutes. She is still bad mouthing my class everywhere in the district. They are a tough group. Think of the movie Blackboard Jungle only with ten and eleven year olds. 


I remember my first week with them they were on the floor doing the worm. When I called their parents they said, "We don't want to stifle their creativity. They are just trying to be the best they can be and express themselves."



That brings us to the next sub. He lasted the day but did not want to come back. But he destroyed to colored coded system that would be done by the following days. Wednesday's sub also left at the end of the day, but not before telling the student to "Shut Up" and call them "Idiots."
Now it's day three and administration starts making frequent trips into my room. Students that are the usual suspects are removed and placed with other teachers. She survived the day but she left doing the previous day's lessons.

We had Spirit Week. I hate spirit week. Once you allow the students to not follow the rules like jersey day and no uniform. Hat day when hats are not allowed. Or the worst crazy hair day. Their hair is crazy enough already on regular days. Luckily I am getting a sub that day. Oh no, more sub plans.

Look Out Disneyland Here We Are

One More Disney Day Celebration Eve

As we cross under the berm, that raised area that once outlined the park and serves as raised train tracks, we got the rush that truly lets you know you're in the Happiest Place On Earth.  I was the photographer in chief and wanted to get some crowd shots. 
The family went on ahead to the big board on Main Street that advises everyone what is open.  This morning the attractions in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were open.


That settled it we were heading for Tomorrowland.  First stop the new 3D Star Tours.  This ride has improved greatly with the new scenarios that might occur when you ride it.  We got a hyperspace jump into a pod race.  I knew then that I had to go see the new 3D version of Episode One that is in theaters now.  What was next?  Buzz Light Years’ Astro Blaster was close and always enjoyable.  On the ride you use your laser to score points during the ride.  My son took the early lead but I made a comeback and took the lead.  However, at the end it was my son that prevailed.  We went to the end of the ride and emailed our picture home. 

The next was Space Mountain.  We cannot go to Disneyland without riding every mountain.  This is a head spinning ride and getting it while the lines are short are always advisable.  We were now ready for my favorite biegnets in the Magic Kingdom.  We sat at the French Market and enjoyed our beignets with coffee while we read the events that Disney was offering for the next two days.

 After we ate, it was time for Pirates of the Caribbean.  I have been on this ride thousands of times, and have heard and told jokes about the different scenes.  Today I heard on of the best. The guy sitting in front of us pointed out at the scene where the pirate is sitting amidst a pile of golden treasure said, “That pirate has a big booty.”  It was so funny.  As we progressed to the new scene that has Blackbeard and the octopus-faced Davy Jones projected on the mist before the “live” pirate scenes I turned and joked, “Davy Jones is looking old since the Monkees.”  Sadly, later that day we learned that Davy Jones died.  We were sad because we liked Davy Jones and his death was too soon.

When we were planning our trip one of my daughter’s friends and their family also thought it would be a great opportunity to be a part of the historic Disneyland One More Disney Day Celebration.  They too booked a trip.  So at this point in the day, we caught up to them.  It was only warming up slightly but it was time to ride Splash Mountain.  Some of us got extremely wet when the water sloshed over the side of the log.  That is always the fun part.  So to continue the mountaineering theme it was time to head to the Big thunder Mountain Railroad.  That completed the mountain expedition since the Matterhorn in being refurbished. 
 I remember back in the day one of the first things you did was go to the Golden Horseshoe Saloon and get a time for the Revue.   It was a funny show and an opportunity to sit down for a while. Today you don't have to reserve a seating time.  But having the opprtunity to enjoy a show is still very welcome.

Afterwards it was time for lunch.  I wanted to eat at the Stagedoor Cafe.  They have become the spot for chicken strips and my favorite fish and chips. 

It was time for us to leave the Magic Kingdom and go to Disney California Adventure.  There is major construction taking place there.  They are adding and changing most all the park.  In the summer of 2012, they are reopening the 11-year-old park.  This has caused a labyrinth of construction fences.

Coming Summer 2012

Nearly everything in the park has been removed. All the features that were in the Sun Plaza are gone. The California Zephyr shops are removed. The Greetings From California razed and hauled off.  This area will reopen as what Walt Disney saw when he came to California. They are also continuing to retheme the park by adding Pixar movie items. The Cadillac Hills are becoming prominent in Cars Land which will open also in the summer. So there was nothing but walls and my feet already hurt.   There are no short cuts  you must weave back and forth in what use to be the parking lot like you were looking for your forgotten parking place.  We had to walk behind Soaring' and enter through Condor Flats.   This ride is one of the few remaining that are still operating.  

To get to Tower of Terror you have to walk from one side of the park to the other.  After two exciting malfunctioning elevator rides, it was time to go to Paradise Pier.  Here are the only other rides we are going to do here today.  The roller coaster California Screaming and a family favorite Toy Story Midway Mania.  We loved this interactive attraction so much we bought the WII version to play at home.  All of us are eager to compare our scores.  My son won.  I guess his playing video game eight hours a day paid off.

For my readers up North I was thinking of you.  I am a collector of Disney pins.  One day I will do an entire blog on Disney pins.  But these fun little pins needed to be added to my collection. These will always remind me of you two, and all the things you gave me like confidence to do this blog.