Disney Withdrawal

I'm kinda surprised that it's happened so soon.  But as usual, the last of my currently scheduled "vacations" are over and now I'm starting to feel the first twinges of Disney withdrawal again.  I was just at Disneyland in January, but about 7 months after being in WDW last August, I'm now getting the WDW cravings again.  I need another excuse to go to WDW sometime.  I think it may be because I just came back from a "not quite much of a vacation" vacation, that I am looking for something that will be ultimately vacatable.  Plus it's still so darn cheap to go to WDW, I should go again before the economy recovers... yeah, that's my own rationalization.  :)

So much other new happenings at Disney these days... in the roundup today...

New Muppets Animation Cel

A new Muppets cel that they are releasing, limited edition of 1500, that is way cool.  You have to attend the release event at WDW to get it, but still pretty neat.  Strangely enough, my Disney art collection doesn't have much in the way of Muppets at this point, but this would still be cool.

Disney's Premier Passport

For the first time in history, you can get an annual pass that is good at BOTH Disneyland and WDW Resorts. One ticket, every North American park Disney has, and you're in the gate.  More an amusement than anything to me, because I think most people are more likely to use it at one more than the other.  So the hefty $700 price tag probably isn't so inspiring to most people.  The perks aren't so much different than the premium APs at WDW or DLR individually, so unless you are a cross-country Disney-obsessed park hopper, I don't see who would bother.  But it is indeed interesting to see that they are integrating their two ticketing systems, at least enough that they can even handle a pass good at both resorts.

Vinylmation

Photo courtesy of vinylnation.com

The last several times I've been to the parks, I've started seeing these new figures called "Vinylmation" all over the place.  Disney first released these in the parks in December of 2008, and now you see them pretty much everywhere.  These little vinyl Mouse-eared figurines come in dozens of different "collectible" styles and designs.  And if you ask me, each as completely awful as the next.  It seems to me that Disney is making a vain attempt at creating a new "collectible" in an attempt to extend and capitalize on something similar to the pin-collecting craze that has swept over Disney parks in recent years.  My analysis:  fail.  I think the concept would be good, if not for the fact that the darn things are pretty much creepy.  And at a retail price of $9.95 each, who buys these things?  People see words like "limited edition" and "collectible" and think "oooh, I need that, it may be worth something someday."  Perhaps so -- I think they'll be worth probably about $0.99 on eBay in a few years.  Even the new Muppets edition they are releasing soon creeps me out.

Rizzo the Rat looks almost tolerable, probably because he's in the shape of a mouse, but Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is utterly terrifying.  Maybe when they're on clearance for $1.00 each, I might get a few and hide them under the bed for a few decades.

Olympics Recap

For the past 2 weeks, I've been trying to get a blog update posted, but I kept getting sidetracked by that which I was trying to blog about:  The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games!

OPENING CEREMONY

About 2 weeks go, I went up to Vancouver the day before the Opening Ceremony.  We had rented a condo for two nights just a couple of blocks from BC Place where the Opening Ceremony was being held.  Little did we know this would be right in the center of the action.  The day before the event, we went downtown were all of the excitement was just getting fired up.  We visited the downtown Olympics Superstore at The Bay, and I swear this is the only time I've ever waited in line to get into a store.  It was fantastic!  At that point, they had tons of cool stuff, where I also got my own pair of the coveted red mittens that everyone wanted later.

Fast forward to the day of the ceremony.  We're taking a leisurely morning before heading over to the OC, and what did we find looking out the window?  The Olympic Torch coming across the water and into the Vancouver downtown, right before our eyes.  Way cool.  Around 2pm (4 hours before the ceremony started), we made it over to BC Place right when the gates opened.  At that point, security lines weren't so bad, but it was much like going through airport security getting in.  Metal detectors and x-ray machines or full bag searches.  Nothing slipped in undetected.  We made it into our seats, right in the second row of the upper deck with a clear view of pretty much everything, by about 2:30pm.

In each seat was a specific "audience participation kit" containing a bunch of goodies for use during various portions of the ceremony.  One of the more interesting items was a drumstick, which we quickly determined was for use with the kit box itself, which was a cardboard drum.  Countless hours of entertainment ensued.  But as for the ceremony itself, I can't begin to describe how incredibly awesome it was seeing it live.  Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though if I had another reasonable opportunity to attend one, I'd absolutely do it.  What a production!

We came home Saturday morning after the ceremony.  Border crossing was fortunately not bad at all, and we made it home in time to enjoy the rest of the leisurely 3-day weekend, and watch plenty of the Olympics.

CURLING

A week later on Tuesday, I drove back up for the day to see one of the curling events at the Vancouver Olympic Centre.  The venue is in the middle of a residential area, south of downtown Vancouver.  We parked in Richmond and took the fabulous Canada Line train, after which we walked about 10 minutes through the neighborhood to reach the centre.  The organizers did a good job of building a new venue that would meet the needs of the Olympic event, but then could be turned into something more usable after the Olympics were done.  But as a result, much of the facility was nothing more than a giant tent wrapped around the side of the actual building, with the primary restrooms being a tent filled with portapotties, and much bleachers fit into the actual arena.  But it should turn into a great little community facility when it's all dismantled.

We watched 4 matchups, Canada-China, Sweden-Denmark, Norway-Great Britain, and France-Switzerland.  Of course, by my calculations, 85% of those attending were there cheering for the home team of Canada, 5% for some other country, and the other 10% had absolutely no clue what was going on.  That last figure may be a bit higher, actually.  But regardless, it was amazingly cool.  With the USA done and not playing in the draw we attended, we just took to cheering for whichever teams were doing good at any particular moment.  We like excitement.

After the curling was over, we dropped downtown and visited the Olympic Superstore, which was vastly picked through and much of the cool stuff we saw a week and a half earlier was nowhere to be found.  I bought a poster I didn't see the first time, but besides that, there wasn't much need for buying anything great.  We then went down to visit the Olympic Cauldron ablaze, which will be pretty neat to see up close once all of the drama and heightened security of the games is finally over.

OLYMPICS CONCLUSION

I have to admit, as usual I was captivated for 2 weeks watching Olympics television coverage without fail.  Yesterday's Gold Medal Hockey match between USA and Canada was enough to turn even a rare ice hockey follower such as myself into a die-hard hockey fan, for a day at least.

The closing ceremony left something to be desired, mainly with NBC's coverage.  The ceremony itself was entertaining, and at least they didn't remix O Canada to an absurd degree like they did during the opening ceremony.  It's nice that Canadians can make fun of themselves.  I actually find most Canadian humo(u)r funny, unlike British humo(u)r which I abhor.  Good times.

Now I begin my 879 days of Olympics withdrawal, until the opening of the 2012 summer games in London on July 27th, 2012.  I can only hope in the meantime that NBC comes to their collective senses, and decides to actually give me some live coverage, even if it's just the ability to stream it over the internet.  Hey, I can hope, can't I?

The Olympics Are Almost Here!

On Friday we kick off the 2010 Winter Olympic Games with the Opening Ceremony!  And I will be there to see it live!  I call this a once-in-a-lifetime experience for several reasons...

1)  Never again will the Olympics be so close to Seattle.  I guarantee it.  Well, unless something crazy happens.
2)  Never again will I pay such a ridiculous amount of money for tickets.  I guarantee it.  Well, unless something crazy happens.
3)  After surviving through the utter mayhem that will probably be taking place around the Opening Ceremonies and just traveling to Vancouver in general, I will never voluntarily go through that again.  I guarantee it.  Well, unless something crazy happens.

Lots of pictures to come, hopefully!  It'll be legendary!  Good thing there's a holiday on Monday, so I should have plenty of time to recover!

Seriously? Again?

Home from work, time to check the mail.  What do I find?  That's right, ANOTHER Jury Summons.  This is the 5th I've had in the past 5 years.  I excused one of them because it came so close together, but good ole King County now excuses if you've served not in the past 2 years, but in the past 12 months.  When was my last jury service?  13 months ago.  At least this time it's King County downtown and not in Kent like last time.  Oh well.

I should play the lottery... just "randomly" select the winning numbers for me, please. :)

The Game

So I was thinking (dangerous, I know)... this morning on the drive into work. I know there are a fair number of Star Trek fans who read my blog out there, so hopefully some will get this. :)

Does anyone remember the episode of TNG titled "The Game", where Riker brings back this virtual game device, that everyone started playing. It wasn't until nearly the whole crew of the Enterprise was absolutely addicted to it that the ever-annoying Wesley Crusher and his partner in crime determined that it was actually a mind-control device sent by a group of rogue aliens with the intent of infiltrating and taking over the ship. Their very existence was threatened by this all-consuming game that would allow the evil bad guys to swoop in and capture them all for eternity.

Ladies and gentlemen... I give you Farmville.

Disneyland Videoblog

Last weekend I met my friends Kristen and Mark down at Disneyland for some good times in the not-always-so-warm California sun. As part of my adventure, I decided to try something new and record a bit of a video blog of the fun. It was my first time using the Flip MinoHD recorder, and it leaves a bit to be desired. As you will notice, there is absolutely zero image stabilization, so unless I was standing in one place, it was pretty hopeless to get a steady shot. But that didn't stop me from getting some hilariously entertaining clips, and a capture a bit of the Disney magic on film. Enjoy!

Pictures and Updates

OK, nearly 3 months since my last post. I'm lazy. BUT, some good has come of it...

Pictures

I finally got around to uploading all of the pictures from Disneyworld back in August. Find them in my photo album. The only problem is that going through them all again made me just want to go back again. Good thing I'm going to Disneyland next weekend. :)

Holidays and Stuff

Well, I survived the holidays. Nothing too exciting there, it was holidays, it was vacation, it was what it was.

OK, on further observation, nothing exciting has been happening. I have a slew of random posts to make about random things. Those are more entertaining anyway. I'll get around to that... in probably 3 months.

Update, Olympics, and Curling

Another long stretch without an update. I finally have pictures from WDW ready to put online, when I get around to it. Maybe next week.

Olympics

The Olympics are coming! Yesterday they unveiled the Vancouver 2010 Olympic medals. The medals themselves in recent games have been one of the most visible ways for the host country to showcase their individuality. From the donut-holes of Torino, to the jade-inlaid medals of Beijing, the 2010 medals are no exception, recognizing the Aboriginal roots of the Pacific coast of Canada. On first glance they may look rather artistic, yet traditional.

That is until you look at them from the side and realize they are far from ordinary -- and far from flat!

Rather amusing. I actually like them a lot. Too bad I'll never get one. :)

Curling

In related news (well, related only because curling is an Olympic sport), the curling season has started again. This year I'm curling on Tuesday and Friday nights, which should give me a bit more manageable schedule (to fit in everything else that's going on in the world). I'm once again managing the Friday night league, because it's still fun. We'll see how many more years until I give up on that. :)

Huskies

How 'bout them Dawgs? Who would have possibly expected we would be 3-3 halfway through the season. Well, perhaps me, but it wasn't the 3 wins I was expecting to have. Husky Stadium has come alive again, in a way I haven't seen since the beginning of the decade. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to make some holiday plans this year to go find a football game to go to. We'll see.

This will mark the beginning of a new round of blog posting. I hope. I just have to get in the habit of it again. I'm trying not to leave my were-to-be-avid readers waiting. Until then...

Wicked

I know, I know... I still haven't posted an update after my Florida trip, but that will have to wait until I'm inspired again (which by my calculations will be about 3 weeks from never). But in the meantime, I need to do a musical review of Wicked.

Wicked made its way back to the Paramount this year after a 3 year hiatus, but this time with an incredible month-long run. Avid readers may recall all the way back to one of my inaugural musical reviews from from September 2006, where I briefly graced the show with my coveted 5-star rating. It's exciting to see it again to see what I may have missed the first time.

I actually attended opening night of the Seattle stop on the tour, which if I see correctly, is actually the first stop on the entire tour. The performance was not without its share of hiccups, but overall it's still hard to beat such an outstanding collection of music and an amazing performance. That said, this performance wasn't quite as brilliant as I recall. That's not to say it still doesn't receive my 5-star rating, or that I wouldn't go see it again next time it comes to town.

Most notably, the ensemble seemed a bit on the weak side musically. I fully expect this to improve over the course of the run, but it was a bit rough at points. Also, the role of Glinda was performed so over-the-top that I actually found her to be somewhat annoying. Musically weaker than I've previously seen (and certainly weaker than the outstanding performance by Kristen Chenoweth in the original Broadway production), and just overacted. Fortunately, these minor weaknesses in the performance were more than compensated by the phenomenal performance of Elphaba, which was as good as any performance I've seen or heard.

My ratings for this performance:

Script: 5-stars - still a hard show to beat.

Music: 5-stars - I don't think there's a bad song in the show, compared to a typical musical where you maybe get a couple showstopping numbers and a lot of fill.

Cast: 4-stars - The only weakness in the production, but minor at that.

Technical: 5-stars - Still an amazing set and a true theatrical spectacle.

Overall: 5-stars - You should still see this any chance you get. Still in that elite class of musicals to receive my 5-star rating along with Avenue Q and RENT.

Wicked continues to play at the Paramount in Seattle through October 4th.

9 Days of WDW - Day 1 - Epcot

Day 1 - Epcot

Aha, you all were expecting something else? For the last day, I choose ALL of Epcot. A whole park you can't find anywhere else! Of course, the first thing people think of when they hear Epcot is the iconic geodesic sphere housing the Spaceship Earth attraction. I know it's the first thing I think of.

Epcot is divided into two parts: Future World, consisting of most of the ride-based attractions in the park featuring primarily science and technology; and World Showcase, featuring 11 pavilions representing countries from around the globe. The pavilions of the World Showcase span around the aptly-named World Showcase Lagoon. What I love about it is that Disney has done such an amazing job theming each country, it's almost as if you've taken a small trip around the world. Most of the countries have at least one attraction, though most of them are some sort of interesting movie-based show, most are pretty good. Though, no doubt by design, the United States pavilion is at the center of the showcase, and contains I believe the best attraction in the showcase, an show featuring an audio-animatronic history of the US entitled "The American Adventure". Or as I also like to call it "the best 30 minutes of air conditioning you'll find in Epcot."

Disney is also known for its spectacular nighttime shows, and Epcot has one of the finest in IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. Fireworks, lasers, fire, and water, all synchronized to another amazing soundtrack. (Hey, I'm a musician, a good soundtrack means a lot to me.)

Tonight I'm on the redeye out of Seattle (with an intentionally ugly layover to coordinate flight times), so I'll be in Florida by morning. Updates to follow later.

9 Days of WDW - Day 2 - Tower of Terror

Day 2 - Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Apples

What: A one-way ticket to The Twilight Zone in a broken elevator.

Where: Disney's Hollywood Studios

Only 2 days of WDW left, and we reach the only ride in WDW to make me legitimately scream everytime I ride it. Like Splash Mountain, this ride is so elaborately themed it's hard not to love it. Even if you're deathly afraid of the ride, I believe that everyone should "survive" it once, just to see how amazing it is inside.

The ride itself, well, for those of you who haven't ridden it or its much younger (and vastly inferior) brother at Disney's California Adventure, I won't spoil too much of the magic. But it's not hard to assume that the centerpiece of the ride is a 13-story drop in a runaway elevator car. As if that's not bad enough, for you physics majors out there, the car actually falls faster than the pull of gravity, and you literally would fly out of your seat if not for the fact that you are securely (and they double-check that you are) belted in.

When this ride first opened, it was terrifying. Then they made it scarier. In a fit of Imagineering genius, they reprogrammed the entire drop sequence to be random. I've ridden this ride countless times, and sometimes it's FAR more terrifying than others. Maybe I'm an adrenaline junkie afterall. It's fantastic.

One day left... tomorrow night I leave for Florida. What will be the last day of WDW anticipation? We'll see...

9 Days of WDW - Day 3 - Expedition Everest

Day 3 - Expedition Everest

What: A thrilling roller coaster through the Himalayas.

Where: Animal Kingdom

Our only stop at the Animal Kingdom in the 9 Days of WDW takes us to the newest mountain on the Disney landscape: Expedition Everest. Last time I was in WDW, this was heavily under construction before opening in April 2006.

Since I haven't actually been on this ride yet, I have no idea what to expect. Other than it should be a pretty exciting roller coaster, like the Matterhorn only crazier! OK, I don't really have much more to say. There's nothing to compare this ride to, there's nothing to explain about it, so I'll just be excited about it.

And the fact that there are only 3 days left! WOOHOO!

9 Days of WDW - Day 4 - Splash Mountain

Day 4 - Splash Mountain

What: Log flume ride based on the Song of the South.

Where: Magic Kingdom

Finally, after 5 days of WDW, we actually make it to the Magic Kingdom. One of my favorite rides at any Disney park, and not because of the excitement of the big drop. What makes Disney attractions the best in the world is the stories they tell, and how well the ride is integrated into the story. Splash Mountain takes a fantastic ride and wraps it throughout a great story, told through even better music, to make the ultimate ride.

There are slight variations between the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland versions of the ride. As is usually the case, the Disneyland ride came first in 1989, then was replicated at WDW in 1992. Some improvements were made, yet some corners were cut. First and most obviously, the logs at WDW are 4 rows of 2 across, rather than the single file 6 down the log that Disneyland has. This makes it immensely more comfortable to ride in, and less of sliding around the seat feeling like you're going to fall out of the log. As for the ride itself, a few differences of little consequence, except that it has just over half the number of audioanimatronic figures that the original version has.

As to which one is better? I guess I'm partial to the Disneyland one, but overall it's pretty much a toss up. This is one where the second version isn't vastly inferior to the first, and I look forward to it wherever I am.

Only 4 Days to go...

9 Days of WDW - Day 5 - Soarin'

Day 5 - Soarin'

What: Ride that simulates flying over California.

Where: Epcot, The Land pavilion

This first-and-only-of-its-kind ride originally debuted as "Soarin' Over California" with the opening of Disney's California Adventure in 2001, and was replicated simply as "Soarin'" at Epcot in 2005. As far as I'm concerned, this ride demonstrates the sheer brilliance of Walt Disney Imagineering. Unlike roller coasters that jerk you around and give you the thrill of speeding through the air, Soarin' gives you the same thrill of flying all while completely seated and with nothing but gentle movements carrying you.

I think what makes this ride such a success is that it really appeals to people of all ages. Young or old, everyone feels comfortable on this ride (with the possible exception of the severely acrophobic).

I've actually ridden this ride more times than I can count, primarily at DCA, but also several times on my most recent visit to Epcot, just after that version opened. Despite the fact that the experience is identical each time, it doesn't affect the repeatability for me. It's just fun!

Not to mention the soundtrack that was composed for the ride is absolutely amazing. Just how a soundtrack can define a movie, the majestic soundtrack here enhances and defines the ride.

Just 5 days left! Almost here...

9 Days of WDW - Day 6 - Toy Story Midway Mania

Day 6 - Toy Story Midway Mania

What: A ride through a world of 3D interactive carnival games.

Where: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Pixar Place

One of the latest additions to WDW (and also at DCA in California) is Toy Story Midway Mania. Opening just last year, it features the next generation of ride technology. Since the ride is fully interactive, it's like being in a carnival game each time, so you could ride it infinitely and have fun each and every time.

Obviously, the ride is themed around Pixar's popular Toy Story movie franchise. Just from the picture above you can see that you are intended to be toy-size and in your own world of toys and games. I like toys... I like games... should be fun. :)

In fact, I have not been to Disneyland or WDW since this ride debuted, so I have NO IDEA what to expect. All I know is from what I read, which makes it sound pretty darn cool if you ask me. At least worth a ride or two.

9 Days of WDW - Day 7 - Universe of Energy

Day 7 - Universe of Energy

What: An Epcot pavilion devoted to Energy

Where: Epcot

OK, so this probably wouldn't make any sane person's top 9, top 10, or even top 40 lists of attractions at WDW. But I had to pay homage to the Epcot pavilion from which my web site's name is derived.

The building itself is a model of smart energy use, as the entire roof of the building is covered in solar panels, which actually supply a large amount of the power used by the attraction, and are also used as an architectural feature. Fear not folks, a little science while you're on vacation wouldn't kill you.

The lone attraction that consumes the entire pavilion is Ellen's Energy Adventure, starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy. This ride/show originally opened in 1996, at the height of Ellen's first rise to mainstream stardom, and probably would be "old and played-out" if not for Ellen's resurgence as an (even funnier, IMHO) talk show host. Even Bill Nye is probably a bit dated at this point, but he's always funny to me. Again, this is a quirky, cheesy show, but I find it a welcome break, mainly because it's nearly 40 minutes of air conditioned, sitting down and riding through the Universe of Energy and being entertained. In the middle of a hot Florida day, it's hard to go wrong. Oh, the point of the show? Who cares, it's funny. But if you must know, it's all about the history of energy, where energy comes from, and oh yeah, there are probably some of the largest and coolest animated dinosaurs you'll ever see, short of watching Jurassic Park.

One week to vacation... the excitement builds...

9 Days of WDW - Day 8 - Port Orleans Resort

Day 8 - Port Orleans Resort

In all fairness, I had originally planned Day 8 to be a salute to Disneyland Classics, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. But then I decided that rather than spending countless words comparing and contrasting the rides at both Disneyland and WDW's Magic Kingdom, I'd focus on something that exists only at WDW, and happens to be the resort I'll be staying at.

Port Orleans is divided into two parts, Riverside (formerly Dixie Landings) and French Quarter (formerly Port Orleans, before the two joined together and jointly kept the name). I've stayed at Port Orleans Riverside twice before, and I find it to be one of the coolest resort Disney has. The theme of the resort is the antebellum South along the Mississippi River. So as expected, the hotel rooms are divided among 4 buildings designed to look like classic plantation homes (though much bigger, as each building has about 250 hotel rooms). On the other side of the Riverside resort is a section called Alligator Bayou, with smaller buildings designed to represent rustic lodges in the bayou. The neighboring French Quarter is themed much more towards New Orleans and the real French Quarter.

Why do I stay at a Disney resort when I go to WDW? Aren't there other cheaper "regular hotels" you could stay at instead? Of course there are, though considering how I only go to WDW when I can get a too-good-to-refuse deal, the cost difference isn't usually too great. But the bigger reason is what I've found consistently every time I go to WDW. You get there, and you're completely immersed in the "world". No highways outside the hotel room, no worrying about what's happening on the outside world, it's all in one place! It's the ultimate vacation for relaxation and fun... well, to me anyway. There are also some great perks to staying on property, including "Extra Magic Hours", where each day one park will open an hour early and one will stay open 3 hours later, exclusively for those staying in Disney resorts. Plus Disney will whisk you and your luggage to and from the airport for free, so you're saving there too. No thought required, and I definitely don't want to think when I'm on vacation. Except maybe at Epcot. :)

This will be the first time I've gone to WDW in August, though I've gone in September twice before. I expect it to be hot, but what do I care? I'm on vacation, there's plenty of air conditioning when you need to beat the heat. And a little sun won't kill anyone (though a lot might). 8 days left... wooo...

9 Days of WDW - Day 9 - MuppetVision 3D

Few people don't know my enthusiasm for Disney and well, mainly Disney theme parks. Fewer still understand it, so I've stopped trying to explain it. :) But in my own efforts to build up the excitement in these 9 days until I make it on my next vacation to Walt Disney World, I decided to resurrect my blog and present 9 things I'm looking forward to on my trip. Some perennial favorites, others just things that for some quirky reason I find cool, and some I'm looking forward to but are new since the last time I visited. For those keeping count, this will be only my 4th trip to WDW, the last one being nearly 4 years ago in September 2005.

Without further ado, with 9 days remaining we have:

Day 9 - MuppetVision 3D

What: A 3D movie, with audience interactivity.

Where: Disney's Hollywood Studios

What can I say when you combine Muppets with a Disney attraction? Something spectacular happens. Yes, it's utterly cheesy, but it's the Muppets, so what more do you expect? MuppetVision 3D is pretty much what it sounds like, a 3D movie with, of course, the inevitable Disney interactive magic added in that brings the movie to life. What's probably the most amazing part of this is the elaborate theming throughout the whole theatre and show building. It's like you've completely entered the world of the Muppets, and you're stuck inside an episode of the Muppet Show.

Why do I like it? Because. It's cool. Hey, it's Day 9, we gotta work our way up to the really good stuff. :)

RENT

Wednesday night brought another performance of RENT to the Paramount. It's been just over 2 years ago since the last time it came to Seattle. [You can see my review of that performance here.] Making this the 5th performance of RENT I've seen, I will start by saying this is quite certainly the best performance I've ever seen overall.

This tour includes the two pioneers of the original Broadway cast, with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal as Mark and Roger. I have very little to complain about here. These are the voices most people will recognize from the original cast album, and and the benchmark by which all other actors since have been compared. Of course, they probably have performed these parts more than any other actors, but they still put a bit of differences from what I've seen and heard in the past. The only part I slightly questioned was in Another Day, Roger (Adam Pascal) seemed to be channelling the lead singer from the B-52's with his recitative chanting. I was amused only because I've heard him so many times on the album I didn't quite expect it.

The vast majority of this touring cast had played these roles in some previous incarnation of the show, either on Broadway or a previous tour. One notable exception is the role of Mimi, played by some girl who was apparently a contestant on American Idol this season. All I can say about her performance is: overacted and underwhelming. Not only was I unimpressed, it really stuck out in such an outstanding cast top to bottom.

Overall, absolutely incredible. This didn't have an of the issues that plagued previous performances I've seen. It did clock in at about 2:30 + intermission, which flew by like it was maybe an hour.

Ratings (which should be no surprise):

Music: 5 stars - Brilliant music, and the band performed it fantastically.

Cast: 5 stars - Even Mimi can't bring this cast's rating down.

Technical: 4 stars - This isn't a theatrical spectacle. But outstanding as it was.

Overall: 5 stars - One of my must-see musicals, and a performance not to be missed.

Long Overdue Updates

A month and a half without an update.  Certainly not for a lack of things to write about.  

Curling

Curling season ended the first week of April, but over Memorial Day weekend, I went down to a summer bonspiel in Hollywood.  It was a nice way to spend the weekend, and my team managed to nearly win, only losing in the A finals for a 2nd place finish.  Not so bad!  But now I'm definitely done curling until the fall.  

Never-ending Car Challenges

This story could be a 5-page blog unto itself, but here it goes.  I loved my car, a 2001 Nissan Altima, built like a tank, over the past almost 7 years hadn't had a single breakdown, no major expenses other than routine maintenance, and most importantly it was reliable.  Until recently.  Back on Christmas Eve, driving home over the horrendously icy roads, my dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree (festive, right?).  I make it home without any trouble, still perplexed as to what the problem was, though by the indicators, it seemed to be something electrical.   Day after Christmas I decide to drive over to Schuck's to get a new battery, assuming that was the problem.  Just as I get a block from the store, one-by-one every electrical component in my car starts to shut down.  As I pull into the Schuck's parking lot, the car dies completely.  I replace the battery in the parking lot, and the car starts up again, but no difference in the dashboard lights.  The guy there brings out his tester and determines that my alternator is dead.  I had enough in juice in the new battery to get me over to the Nissan dealer, and I got the alternator replaced, and thought all was fine.  Then two days later, I'm at home and try to start my car, and the battery is dead.  I get it jumped and go back to the dealer that replaced my alternator, and they claim the problem was the battery (that I bought new at Schucks).  Instead of messing with it, I had them replace the battery and I would just take the defective battery back to Schuck's.  I tried that, and they hooked it onto their tester and said everything was fine.  Something didn't add up, the chain of logic wasn't there to me, but I went with it.  The car proceeded to work flawlessly.  

Fast forward to May.  First free weekend I'd had in months, I decide to get up and drive to Canada in search of some Olympics merchandise and just a nice drive.  Had a great time, start to head home, when I get stuck in stop-and-go traffic getting out of Vancouver.  After about 30 minutes of the traffic, my car starts acting strange.  Next thing I know, one-by-one every electrical component in my car shuts down.  (Sound familiar?)  Moments later, my car is stranded in the middle of a 4-lane street, in who-knows-where suburb of Vancouver in another country.  Resisting the urge to panic TOO much, I call AAA, which automatically gets routed to the CAA offices in Vancouver who take care of me just as if I were still in the States.  Just as I get on the phone with them, a tow truck pulls up behind me, just passing by.  The nice guy reaffirms the obvious that this isn't the best place to be stuck, and he drives onto a side street, unhooks the car he already had on his tow, and then comes back and tows me off to the side street, rehooks the other car and goes on his way.  At least now I'm not in the line of traffic anymore.  Of course, it's 5pm on a Saturday, and every shop in town is closed until Monday.  The best they can do is send out one of their CAA mechanics, who jumped the car and determined that the alternator was undercharging, but if I kept the revs up on the highway, I should make it home.  Lo and behold, that's exactly what I did.  The next week, I took the car back to the Nissan service folks, who proceeded to find ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR.  

For the next 2 weeks, I don't know if it was just my own skiddishness worrying that my car was going to break down on me or what, but my car did not run happy.  I'd get stopped at a red light for more than a minute or two, and the engine would start to rev funny, or something else would make me think there was a problem.  I just didn't trust my car.  I was constantly feeling sick whenever I got into my car, no doubt having mild panic attacks worrying about whether it was going to break down in a horrible place again.  

I'd had enough.  I'd been considering getting a new car for a while for other reasons, but this was the last straw.  So that's what I ended up doing.  I bought American this time, and got a 2009 Dodge Journey with about 12,000 miles on it.  Never heard of it?  I hadn't either, but our used car guy who hasn't led me wrong before knew it was what I was looking for, and I think it is.  Though I have to admit, I miss my Altima, at least I trust my car again.  So it goes.  

Muppets

I previously mentioned the new Jim Henson exhibition at EMP|SFM this summer.  Well, as it turned out, I obviously needed something more to add to my summer schedule, so I am now volunteering there once a week.  What they have set up is a puppet stage where people can use some of their specially-made Muppet-like puppets (in the style of famous rock musicians, of course) and try their hand at what it's like to be a Muppeteer.  The volunteers are staffing that area and basically having fun playing with puppets and helping other people doing so.  For the most part, I'll just be there on Wednesday evenings from 4-7pm.  The exhibit is pretty amazing, and well worth seeing!  

Well, I guess I'm caught up with the major stuff, time for more random blogs in the future.