Podcasts I Listen To Part 1: The Disney List

I know I've posted in the past about how much I enjoy listening to podcasts on I-Tunes and on my I-Pod. To those who don't know what a podcast is let me explain it as a radio talk show you can listen on a mobile device anytime, anywhere.

Because of the minimal amount of effort it takes to produce and publish them, podcasts have become very common over the last few years. It seems everyone has a podcast. 

Over the course of the last 10 years I've listened to quite a few different podcasts. Some of them have stopped being produced and I really miss them. Others just didn't hold my interest anymore. 

To no one's surprise the majority of the podcasts I listen to are about the Walt Disney Company, specifically Walt Disney World. In this first of a two-part series I will share with you my list of the podcasts I listen to for Disney and other theme park related information. I highly recommend all of these to any WDW fan or anyone who is planning a trip to visit the Orlando theme parks. 

I am listing them in that I call "listening priority." If all of my podcasts had a new episodes this the order in which I would listen to them.

Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish Podcast 
With Jim Hill and Len Testa
This is my favorite and go-to podcast for the inside scoop on Disney park news and history. Len Testa (co-author of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World) and Disney expert, Jim Hill, provide the most compelling insight and information about Disney than any other podcast I listen to. Along with author Jim Korkis, Jim Hill is one of the top experts when it comes to knowledge about Disney, past, present and future. You can subscribe to this semi-monthly podcast on I-Tunes and find even more here: disneydish.bandcamp.com/  

The Dis Unplugged WDW edition
This is both a podcast that can be listened to as an audio feed from I-Tunes and viewed as a videocast on You Tube. The draw of this podcast is the diversity of the people who contribute to program. There are various combinations of a dozen contributors each week. I met a couple of them, Theresa and Kathy, at a Disney themed fund raiser in Indianapolis a couple of years ago. 
This group is also politically and socially diverse with at times a heavy liberal bias. They are can very extremely opinionated. The main host of the show, Pete Werner, often goes into unapologetic rants on issues he's feels strongly about. But they are very likable and have a good time together. This show has been around for over a decade. They are very good at covering all things Disney. At times the opinions and political leanings are a little much for me but it's nice to be in on the conversation. 
This is not just one podcast, the "Dis Unplugged" brand is a network of podcasts, videos, websites and discussion boards. Other than the main WDW podcast my other favorite is the series, Connecting with Walt. You can go to their website to find the WDW edition and all the other Dis Unplugged podcasts. 

WDW Radio
This was my very first podcast I ever subscribed to on I-Tunes back in 2007. I met it's host, Lou Mongello in person. This picture is from May 2014 when I shook hands with Lou during a WDW Radio meet up in Atlanta. 

If you are looking for a podcast with a positive, optimistic, approach to the place "Where Dreams Come True" this is the podcast for you.
What you'll hear is a man who, since his first trip to the Magic Kingdom in 1971, has had a love and passion for Walt Disney World that's second to none. 
Like Dis Unplugged, WDW Radio is a brand not just a podcast. Its a blog, an online community, a marathon running team, a charity fund raiser and more. Lou Mongello is king of the hill when it comes to Disney podcasters. You can't help but connect with him and his podcast. While there are many reasons for this you only need to know one. Lou Mongello is a really nice guy who loves Disney.  

WDW Today 
This is the 2nd podcast I subscribed to back around 2010. I really liked the original group of hosts almost from the beginning. Matt Hotchberg, Mike Scopa, Mike Newell, Annette Owens and Len Testa were all friends who loved Disney. A lot of them were from the north east like I was and that's why I liked them. I called in to their live call-in shows several times. They produced shows for 10 years, nearly 1500 episodes. 
In December 2015 the show changed hosts. Logan Sekulow, Will Hayes, and Terry Weaver took over. Also Len Testa, remained a part-time host; participating as the show's expert in answering listener questions. I really didn't like when the hosts changed but I gave it a chance. After listening for a year or so I've grown to like the 2.0 version.  
The show is recorded at the Laff-o-gram studios in Nashville, a business owned by Sekulow. I am hoping one day to visit the studio and hang out with the hosts for a while. I'll let you know if that ever happens. You can find out more about the show here: WDW Today Website

I am including these two podcasts last because I only listen to them occasionally. 

Mickey Miles & More mostly focuses on the Run Disney events that happen in Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Mike Newell, a former host of WDW Today, is part of the trio who host this podcast. They are all devoted Disney fans and friends. It's entertaining to hear them talk both pro and con of all the issues that come up. Mickey Miles & More Podcast

WDW Prep To Go is the podcast for the website WDW Prep School. It is hosted by Stephanie Albert. It is the most recent addition to my Disney podcast list. She gives lots of information for first time visitors. If you are planning your first trip, I would listen to this one for help getting the most out of it. 
WDW Prep School

So there you have my list of Disney themed podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis. They entertain me and bring a little bit of Walt Disney World and it's history into my world in between visits. I highly recommend each and every one of them. I think you'll find one or more that you also enjoy. But then again, you may not like any of them. They are not the only Disney podcasts available. There are hundreds of them. If you are a Disney fan and want to find others who do too, a podcast is one of the best ways. 

Although it's actually a vidcast I do want to mention one more program that I watch on You Tube faithfully every week. It's called, "Attractions Magazine: The Show". Every Thursday, a new 20-30 minute program, hosted by Banks Lee and Elisa Goldman, brings me news and on-the-scene coverage of all the events happening in Disney, Universal and all the other themes parks in Central Florida and beyond. If you are someone who is interested in what's happening in the theme park business this is the place to see it. Here's where you can watch it: Attractions Magazine: The Show  

In my next post I will share with you the other podcasts I listen to. They include highlights of a nationally broadcast syndicated morning program, how to be a stand up comic, geek culture and more. 

Thanks for reading my blog. See you again soon.  

My History of Book Reports And "Ready Player One"

With books and reading being as much a part of my adult life as it has been, it's hard to believe that I didn't like it as a kid. Well, I should say I didn't like it when it was considered "work" and not leisure. 

Ever since I learned how, I have read for enjoyment. Comic books (or "funny books" as me and my cousins used to call them) were the top source of material. I wasn't into the super hero comics. I liked the cartoon characters such as: Archie, Casper, Little Dot, Richie Rich and more. Like these:

My next step was moving up to Big Little Books. These were longer stories based on my favorite Saturday morning cartoon shows. These included both cartoon, super hero, and live action characters. There were a lot of books in this series. Here are just a few. 

I really did love reading. But that was for fun. 

My feelings about reading changed a bit when I got into grade school. That was when me and my classmates were introduced a little thing called "The Book Report". I hated book reports for several reasons. 

First, you were told what book to read. You had no choice. This happened in 2nd and 3rd grades. The assignment was usually something I wasn't the least bit interested in reading. 

Second, you had to write a full page report about what you read without just retelling the story. The teachers would take off points for doing that. 

  

Third, was that there was always the possibility that you would be called on to get up in front of the class and read your report. Ugh!!!

A lot of the times I wouldn't even read the book. The night before the assignment was due, I would skim through the pages and make my best attempt to "fake it." Sometimes that would get me by; others I'd "crash and burn". Of course, the entire time, I made sure to make it look to my parents like I had everything under control and I knew what I was doing.

I remember one such improvised report on the classic book "Swiss Family Robinson" was handed  back to me with the question "Did you even read this book?" written in red ink next to a large circled red "F-". That was one my parents never saw. 

When I reached 4th & 5th grades, I got a bit of a break when it came to book reports. I got to choose book I wanted to read. The teacher had to approve it. She probably expected my choices to be something classic, like "Tom Sawyer" or "Charlotte's Web." 

Of course, I didn't choose anything that "mainstream". I remember a couple of books I reported on were:

A book that my sister, Peggy, liked read when she was in grade school. I also remember choosing this one:

Some time during my year in 5th grade I discovered a library series that made book reports a little more tolerable all the way through of middle school. 

                                 

During the last half of my 8th grade year in middle school lasting into high school, I fell in love with the game of baseball. In our middle school library, I discovered a series of biographies about the games greatest players. I read books about Micky Mantle, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and a few more.  

I must confess once I got to high school the assigned reading returned and so did the coasting on the book reports and tests. 

The culmination of it all being my treatment of a work book about Beowolf during my Senior year. My cousin Gary and I, (we had the same teacher but were in different classes) got together one weekend and answered each question with a joke or wisecrack. For example:

Q: What did Grendel do when he walked into the castle?

A: He slipped on a banana peel. 

My English teacher, Mrs. Martin, called me to stay back, after the bell rang, one day. She told me that while she appreciated the humor and creativity and actually laughed at some of the answers she was "officially" giving me an incomplete. Although I don't remember what it was, I eventually had to do a make up assignment.   

So there  you have an relatively brief  history of my early reading habits and book reports. 

After high school I continued to read for entertainment. As an adult in my 20s and 30s I was reading an average of 1-2 books a month. I worked a lot of different part-time jobs during those years. Fortunately a lot of them allowed me to read while I was working. 

I have continued to read consistently throughout my adult life. About 15 years ago I realized that the combination of the mounting number of books I'd read and the passage of time was effecting my ability to recall some of what I've read. 

So, ironically, I decided that I would start writing book reports for myself, so I could go back and review them whenever I wanted. 

I also included those book reports as part of my Yearbooks that I created for the years 2001-2004. 

For the last 5 years I have use technology to read books. I have had 2 types of Kindle readers. The Kindle Fire I have now allows me to research on the internet to supplement what I read while I'm reading.   

I also listened to books too. My audible account allows me to download and listen to an average of 3 books a month. I listen mostly to biographies and I really enjoy them. 

I've written all of that to write this. Here is my book report on the most recent audio book I've finished. 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

Last summer when my  sister and her family came to visit, my nephew, Bobby, recommended this book to me. He said it was one of his favorites. After listening to it in audio form, it is also now one of mine. 

It's read by actor, and popular geek culture celebrity, Will Wheaton. This book, which is set in an apocalyptic world of 2045,  contains everything that will spark the interest of someone who grew up in the 1980s or is a fan of 80s pop culture. 

And even though it was published over 5 years ago the main element in this story is cutting edge in this day and age of ever developing virtual reality technology. 

The O.A.S.I.S, an all encompassing VR universe that's enthralled nearly the entire world, is the setting for the greatest treasure hunt in the history of the world.

 After the death of James Haliday, the man who co-created the OASIS, dies a video, left by him, announces that his multi-billion fortune is up for grabs. It will belong to the first person who can solve his intricate puzzle and find the three keys, pass thru three gates, and ultimately Haliday's Easter Egg. 

Having been fascinated with 1980s pop culture Haliday makes the hunt all about all things 80s. 

Haliday begins the quest for his riches by leaving behind a poem that contains clues for anyone smart enough to uncover them.  

The main character, Wade Owen Watts, an orphaned high school student from Oklahoma is one of the millions of  treasure hunters. He immerses himself in learning anything and everything that James Haliday paid any attention at all throughout his life. This includes: Movies, music, video games, role playing games, TV shows and anything else related the 1980s. 

Five years after the contest is announced he experiences more success than anyone up to that point. 

Once he makes a connection that leads him to a place that is practically right in front of his face, he becomes the man to watch in Haliday's quest. However, he's soon followed pursued by a friends, strangers, and members of an evil corporation. 

That's just the start of the adventure that had me listening to this audio book any time and anywhere I could. I loved this book, although I was a little underwhelmed by the ending. 

If you are into any type of geek culture from the 1980s I highly recommend this book. However, if you do decide to read  or listen to it I would suggest you do it sometime before March of 2018. That's when the movie version is going to be released into theaters.

So there you have a rather long and detailed post. I hope you weren't too bored by my recollections of my relationship with books over the years. 

If you take my advice and read "Ready Player One" I'm sure you'll forgive me. Thanks for reading my blog. Now, go take some time and enjoy a book.

An Empty Nester Weekend

I don't know if I'm becoming anti-social in my old age or not but this weekend was spent at home alone with my wife.

We watched a lot of TV: some Netflix shows, some favorite movies and one of the best championship football games ever.  

Now I know that may not seem very exciting to you as you start to read this. But every once in a while I need to write a post just for me. This is one of those. Here's how our two days together went. 

The weekend started on Friday night when I went from this look:

To this look:

It's a style that I think I'm going to stay with for a while. 

As we watched a couple of "our shows" on the DVR Friday night; I managed to navigate around all the mention of the "Bowling Green Massacre" on my social media. It's all everyone on my pages were posting about. Thanks to all the blood sucking news outlets for making a mountain out of a molehill and to all the "compassionate kind easily forgiving liberal thinking" people who piled on. But that happens with everything political these days doesn't it? 

Saturday morning I played "chef" and made a pork roll and cheese bagels for breakfast. 

I decided that it was time to look at a couple of the shows on Netflix that I've been hearing about. The first one I chose was "The Santa Clarita Diet." It's about a woman who becomes a coherent type of zombie. It was disgustingly gross. I probably won’t watch another episode. 

The other series we watched on Netflix was “Doctor Foster.” It’s a BBC show about a woman doctor whose husband is having an affair and she finds out. In the process of finding out who her husband really is, she becomes someone she never wanted to be.

 By the Sunday afternoon we had finished watching all 5 episodes. To say I enjoyed would put the wrong light on it. However, I did find it very compelling. 

Paula enjoyed the rest of her Saturday afternoon enjoying a couple of the movies she has on blu-ray, "Alice Through The Looking Glass" and "Mrs. Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children"; coloring her picture a day calendar as she relaxed.  I napped on the couch a little bit and worked on organizing my 2016 pictures on my laptop.  

After a dinner of roasted turkey and rice we spent the evening in a very romantic way, not! We finished going through some of our old records, statements, and paperwork in order to clean up our files. 

Paula performed a little of her kitchen creativity resulting in a snack I would call "S'mores sans Marshmallow." It was very good. 

When it came time to call it a night I realized we had spent the day completely alone. I was perfectly fine with that. It's what "empty nesters" do sometimes. 

Sunday started out with a trip to Mickey D's for breakfast sandwiches. I had a bogo coupon for them. It was actually brunch since it was 11 when I got them. 

We decided that this was the day to put together Paula's full length stand up mirror/jewelry case that has been sitting in a spare room in the box for about 2 years. Now that Paula's office is finished it was time to assemble and start using this key piece of furniture.  

We put a blanket on the living room floor so that the wood pieces wouldn't get scratched as we handled them. We got out the tool box; ready to utilize what ever we needed to complete the job. 

I brought the large box which was about as tall as I am. We laid it down on the floor and pulled out the components. We unwrapped all the packing and were surprised by what we didn't find. There was no directions, no bag full of hardware, no multiple pieces or fixtures to be screwed together. We were perplexed at first but as we surveyed the scene, we realized there wasn't much assembling to be done at all. 

There were only 4 screws that had to be seated and tightened. This built the stand and connected it to the mirror. Then we placed a couple of wooden dowels to keep the mirror from tipping forward. Here's a couple of pictures. 

Although we were glad that it was finally out of the box, the experience was rather anti-climatic. We had planned on spending an hour or two working on it. For a few minutes after we placed it back in her office, both of us were like; now what do we do?

Soon it was time to sit down and watch the Superbowl. Even though I'm a Washington Redskins fan, the Patriots are my favorite AFC team so I was interested in the game. 

Now, I know that the Superbowl can be a very social occasion. I mean there are parties and opportunities to watch it with groups of people everywhere. But over the last several years, I have chosen to watch the Superbowl from the comfort of my own living room. 

My excitement for the game turned into disappointment rather quickly when the Pats fell behind by 3 touchdowns by halftime. I was resolute to the fact that it just wasn't their day.  

One of my favorite things to do while sitting and watching sports is to work on a Lego model. During the Superbowl I worked on my latest, a Mini-Cooper. I put together the 2nd of 3 steps. Here's what I started out with. 

And how I finished the night. 

I'll be sure to post pictures or a video of it once its finally finished. 

Despite the hype and warnings on social media, against my better judgement, we sat and watched the Lady Gaga halftime show. It wasn't anything like I thought it would be. The beginning was rather patriotic and a lot more respectful than I thought it would be. She's not my style but Gaga is a very talented singer and musician.
  
Her costumes were a lot more conservative than what Beyonce or any other female performer has worn recently. Compared to years past the show was rather entertaining (I didn't hate it). The best thing about it is that it didn't get political. Don't know if the NFL had her bridled in that area or not but I'm grateful to who ever was responsible for keeping that in check.  

Of course, like most people watching the game, by the middle of the 3rd quarter I was convinced that the outcome was a forgone conclusion.

But then while, I was in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner the Patriots defense recovered a fumble. In a game when nothing was going right for them this was a bit of a bright spot. During the ensuing drive to the end zone, I heard the announcer mention that the Patriots had run almost twice as many plays as the Falcons. To me this was another ray of hope. Maybe the Atlanta defense was getting tired and warn out. 

They had played with such intensity for most of the game. All the time on the field had to be taking it's toll. By the time the 4th quarter came around it was more than evident that they were pretty much "gassed."

Of course, everyone knows what happen. Tom Brady led his team to the first overtime victory and the greatest comeback in Superbowl history. 

I stayed up a couple of hours after the game was over to watch the post game award ceremonies and the analysis from the experts on Fox Sports Channel, NFL network, and ESPN. 

I was really enjoying the reporters, retired players and coaches rehashing the game and how it played out. All the channels were live from the stadium in Houston. I stopped enjoying it when the actual Patriot players came out and started talking about the game. The post game shows quickly lost their objectivity and quickly became very patronizing. That's when I turned it off and went to bed. 

The "empty nester" weekend was over but it was a good one. Sure I love spending time with my family and grand children. But having the time to relax and recharge with my wife, just the two of us, is a great way to end a week as well.

Like I wrote at the start of this post, every once in a while I feel the need to write something just for me. Something that will help me remember the good times in life. This was one of them. Thanks for indulging me. See ya, next time.  

"Latest In Lego" Returns

It's been a long time since I have written a post that focuses exclusively on my Lego hobby. I shared my first "build" of the year, a Kreo Klingon Bird of Prey, a couple of posts back. But the story is a two sided coin. Here's the flip side. 

The Klingon ship was half of a set, Klingon Starfleet Attack, sold by Kre-o, Hasbro's version of building bricks. 

 I have other Kre-o kits. They include both large and small versions of Transformer robots...

...and miniature version of the Starship Enterprise. 

Back in 2013 I had purchased a Kre-o kit with a large model of the Enterprise but I couldn't get it to fit together. It was very frustrating trying to assemble it. I even tried to glue it together but I ended up trashing it. The pieces were warped and just wouldn't fit together. At the time I thought the problem night have been my fault because for a time I had kept the kit in the back of my car in the middle of the summer. 

I was really disappointed. I really liked the way the Enterprise looked. So a couple of years later when I found a Kre-o kit with the same version of the Enterprise and a Klingon ship in it on "clearance" at Toys R US I bought it. I was happy to get a second shot at putting the ship together. 

During the 2nd week of January, I got the kit out and started putting together the Klingon ship. Because the colors of the pieces were so similar I thought it would be more difficult to assemble than the Enterprise. Turned out it was rather easy. I am kind of proud of it. 

Encouraged that this Kre-o Star Trek kit was going to go together just fine, I quickly started working on the Enterprise.

Here's a picture of what the finished product is supposed to look like. 

The saucer section was first in the instructions. With the exception of a few pieces I had to correct because I put them in the wrong place, all was going well. That is until it came time to put the top on. 

The pieces that formed the lid of the ship's saucer section was made up of 4 pieces that formed the outer perimeter and another circular section fastened into the center of the circle formed by the 4.  In the picture below you can see what I mean.  

Here's where things started going wrong. The 5 pieces of the lid would not interlock. They just didn't go together. It was the same design flaw that happened with the first one. 

I tried to work with the pieces to see if I could find a way to make it work. But frustration set in and I was getting stressed out. I hated to admit it but I was beaten again. I took apart the Enterprise and disposed of the pieces. Epic Kre-o fail #2.

I kept the Star Trek mini-figures and the Klingon Bird of Prey. 

I quickly moved on to the next model on my "To Be Assembled" list. It's the Lego Creator Expert kit 10242; The Mini-Cooper. 

When I opened the box, I realized that this build was going to be the kind build I like. The bags are numbered. You open them and assemble the pieces in order. 

Here's my progress a little over half way through the #1 bags. 

It doesn't look like much but it's a chassis that will serve as a solid foundation for a nice little vehicle. 

I'm going to enjoy putting this one together. When I finish it I will have something cool to display next to my VW Van. 

Since putting an expert kit together takes some time I am concurrently putting together the 3-in-1 Creator kit 31034, Future Flyers. I can put these type of models together quickly so I get to enjoy the results of my efforts sooner. I have already completed the first incarnation, the futuristic jet. 

After a little bit of a drop off I'm back to enjoying my hobby again on a regular basis. I've got a variety of easy, intermediate and expert skill kits to put together throughout this year. 

But my real 2017 Lego goal is purchasing and putting together, what I consider the ultimate mashup of my favorite fandoms. 

And that's about it for this first edition of "Latest In Lego" for 2017. 

The Desk Decision & "Dancing" In The Dark

After getting the month of February off to a good start with my first walk of the year, I made the most of the day by crossing off another key accomplish-ment I mentioned in yesterday's post. 

In mid-afternoon I went to my weekly ukulele lesson where I learned a little bit about chord groups for different keys and transposing them.

After the lesson I went to Staples to order the desk I'd been thinking about getting for the past few months. 

 I really liked the way it looked and the hutch on to would give me a little more room the recording setup I wanted to create.

Before I actually ordered it I decided to look it over one more time. I found a chair and sat down in front of the desk. That's when I discovered that the hutch that sits atop the desk is not a fixed piece. It moved. That wouldn't do at all. I decided not to buy that desk. 

I looked around at the other desks available. I found an "L" shaped one that will fit in the corner of the computer room and give me plenty of room to work with all the equipment I need to record. So I ordered it. This is what it looks like.

It's being shipped to my house for free. It should arrived by Friday. I will have to assemble it but that won't be a problem. I'm excited to have finally gotten one of my high priority personal projects underway. 

I stayed in Bowling Green the rest of the afternoon. I had something special planned for early evening. I spent my time running some errands, picking up stuff for the house and some things my wife needed for her office.  

At 6 o'clock I headed over to the Regal 12 theater to meet my daughter-in-law, Heather, and her mom for a special movie event. 

Nearly 30 years after its initial theatrical run, Dirty Dancing was showing again on the big screen. For me, the film is one of those that I watch all or at least part of every time I see it on TV. I never saw in the theater. When I found out that Heather and her mom were going I asked if I could tag along. They were gracious enough to let me. 

This movie reminds me of a specific time in my life (no lyrical pun intended). It always takes me back to the time in the late 80s when I had just started out working as a DJ at weddings and parties. 

I was in the process of converting from using records to CDs for my music. When my sisters and nieces introduced me to Dirty Dancing, I was really impressed by the soundtrack. When I expanded my CD music collection through a membership in the Columbia House Record, Tape & CD club (I think I had 3 different accounts with them going at one time) the "Dirty Dancing" two soundtracks were among my choices in my introductory package.  

The songs on those CDs were an important part of my dance party repertoire. That's one of the reasons why I like the movie so much.

The theater was about half full, mostly women, However there were 3 guys including me. 

My familiarity with the film allowed me to take notice of a lot of the things on the screen and in the plot not central to story. 

For instance, at the start of the movie, Baby comes across the hotel owner, Max Kellerman, lecturing the waiters about how to treat the guests and their daughters. Then the "entertainment staff" arrives and he lectures them. This indicates that they are just arriving for the start of the season. 

Yet just a day or two later, it is revealed that Penny is pregnant thanks to Robbie the waiter. (during the exposition of this situation Billy, pours 2 glasses of wine and hands one to the pregnant woman first). How could she know? At the time the movie is set the only way to know if you were pregnant was to go to the doctor, give a blood sample and wait 2 weeks for the results aka the rabbit test. There could be a back story but it's never mentioned. 

When Baby asks if someone else could learn the dance steps to cover for Penny, Johnny shoots her down by telling her that  no one has the time. "Everybody works around here". But then as Baby is learning the dance, who is with her all day long? Johnny is. Doesn't he have to work too? Even Penny is there to help at times in the middle of the day. 

There is only one African American man and woman among the "dirty dancers" and they only dance with each other. Not very progressive for a group that's supposed to represent the counter culture of the time.

Later, Baby stands up for Johnny revealing that she spent all night with him. Why doesn't Dr. Houseman realize that his baby daughter was gone all night before she says something? 

Before they start the last dance where Baby does "the lift" Billy, Johnny's cousin, puts a 45 on the record player. Bill Medley and Jennifer Warrens start singing. As they dance the small band in the front right corner of the room appears to be playing. Why? 

A few minutes later, when everyone in the ballroom starts to dance, Kellerman asks his band leader, "Do you have sheet music for this?" If he has to ask, he's never seen or heard that music before. What is the band playing?

I know these aren't really "deal breaker" questions in regard to enjoying the movie but after seeing it countless times over the last 3 decades, I have to ask them. 

Anyway, it was kind of fun to watch the movie in a theater full of people who were such fans that they paid $14 plus popcorn and sodas, to see a movie that's 30 years old and they could buy on DVD for $9.95. I really enjoyed it.

On the way home from the theater, I finished listening to the audio book, Ready Player One. It is now one of my all time favorites. I will post more about it later in February. 

So the first day of the new month was a productive and fun one for me. How's your month going so far? 

     

Looking Forward To February

The first month of the year is history. It was a month of some set backs but mostly progress. I broke a couple of my resolutions (if you didn't treat yourself to something special today). I started taking ukulele lessons and learned how to use my digital recorder. I collected a new set of Lego mini-figures. Despite a manufacturing flaw in the Kreo model of the Starship Enterprise that prevented me from building it, I did build the Klingon Bird of Prey that was also in the set. 

Paula and I took care of both of our grand children at the same time for the first time on a Saturday in January. Here's a pic of the two of them enjoying a Mickey Mouse video together. 

n

Now it's time to tear the first page off the 2017 calendar and move on to February. That starts today. 

I'm starting February with a different look. I picked up my new glasses yesterday. I decided to go old school and get a pair that gave me a different look. Here's a series of pictures that show me from last year at this time, then the middle of last month, and now at the start of this month. 

January 2016

January 16, 2017

February 1, 2017

One of my "get back on track" goals for this up coming month is to start getting out and moving on a regular basis. That started this morning. I put on a pair of sweat pants, laced up my sneakers and headed out my door toward the post office one mile away.  

Other than walking through stores or the mall when shopping and running errands, I don't think I've taken a walk of any significant distance since my solo trip to Walt Disney World back in September. 

The first time out after such a long period of being sedentary is a little difficult. My muscles are weak and I have not a lot of stamina. I was a little slower than usual on my walk. I made it to my destination and back home within 45 minutes. 

Of course, after this weekend's celebration of the unofficial US holiday of Superbowl Sunday is over, the pressure is on guys everywhere to come through for Valentine's Day. I've already got that covered. I have gotten Paula a very different kind of gift this year but I'm sure she'll really like it. Unfortunately, I have to wait a couple of weeks to give it to her. 

There are a few other things I want to get done in February. I want to get the reorganization of our records and files, which I started in January, finished.

I want to help my wife finish decorating her office and assemble her mirrored jewelry case. I would like to begin getting the room across from her office cleaned out as we get ready to make it our bedroom. 

Another target project is the reorganization of our kitchen cabinets. Now that we have a dishwasher, our use of actual plates instead of paper ones has increased. We need to get the very nice set of dishes we have had for the last few years but not used, out of storage and into the cabinets. 

Our annual appointment to file our tax return is scheduled for the middle of the month so I have to get the records and information together so that we can file quickly and accurately. It takes a little bit of time but after 15 years, I have the process of gathering all we need down to a minimal effort. 

I have 3 Rewind program scripts written. They are sitting on my desk ready to be recorded. I also want to do some preliminary recording to lay the groundwork for the podcast I want to start. All of this requires a logistical rearrangement of the set up in the computer room. I am going to buy a new desk and set up my recording equipment next to my desktop computer so I can work with it in an efficient and practical way. 

A couple of things at the top of my February agenda are the revisiting of a cinematic classic in a new way and being part of a transition that means the start of a new phase in the life of my son, James' family. More about both of these things as they happen over the next week or so. 

So following Walt Disney's advice, I'm going to keep moving forward as February begins. I'll send you a message on Facebook when I post about what I'm up to and how I'm progressing. 

Before I go here's a little bit of an update on my blog goals for the year. This post marks my 11th for 2017. That's about 8% of my goal for the year. At this pace I will reach my 1000 post some time before the end of the year. That's a little slower than I had anticipated but I'm okay with it. On a much more progressive front, I had 746 page views in January. That's a lot more than I thought I would get. I am now with in 500 page views of reaching 50,000 in total for the history of my blog. Thanks to you I'm going to reach that goal for 2017 a lot sooner than I thought I would. Thank you. If you keep coming back I'll keep writing.