Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Quick! Run to the store!

It's Tuesday, and we all know what that means. New DVDs! For someone who doesn't like shopping, I do seem to buy lots of things. Movies, music, books, games, watches, pajamas and action figures are the things I buy most often. (Yes, action figures. I've already admitted to being a geek and being very juvenile - what do you expect?!) I have very little self control when it comes to all of those.

Today I have to head over to Target because Iron Man is out. Target has a neat case for it that looks like the Iron Man mask, so of course we have to get that! I'm going to get the Blu-ray version because it's just such a pretty movie. ;) If you haven't seen Iron Man yet, go buy it! You'll love it. If you have? Go buy it! You know you want to watch it again!

In other news:

-We had fun at Big Spring Jam. .38 Special was my favorite act - they were really good. Sister Hazel did a cover of "Your Love" and it was uncanny how much it sounded like the original. I had to hop online as soon as we got home to be sure that none of them had been members of The Outfield, but they weren't. I'm sure we'll go back next year, unless "Con-Galoosh" actually happens that weekend. That's the Adventurers Club Con that some people are trying to plan. If that works out we may have to do that instead.

-Maybe by next year we'll be celebrating the new Adventurers Club. I'm not giving up hope yet. As sorry as I was to miss the End of the Club (for now) I think I'm glad we didn't go. I couldn't have listened to Snoopy singing Jonathan Coultons "When You Go" without crying. (I couldn't listen to Jonathan singing it without crying once I heard that Snoopy had sung it!) I have mixed feelings about the fact that Otis won the final Cup. On one hand, I would have voted for Emil just because that's what the cast wanted. On the other hand, I see why everyone wanted Otis to win. I don't think it would have happened if anyone else had been Otis, but everyone loves Blondie so much and his Otis is a crowd favorite.

-I'm not happy that so many people are using the Adventurers real names now. It's one thing when they use the names in public themselves, like a couple of them here on Myspace, but some are very private and I can't imagine they want everyone posting their names everywhere. Maybe I would feel differently if I hadn't already known the names of my favorites, because it does certainly make it easier to follow their work when you know their names. Still, I intend to keep using nicknames until/unless they make it clear that they would prefer to be referred to by name.

-I was relieved to hear that most of my very favorite Adventurers are staying with Disney. Though I don't intend to set foot in Downtown Disney again (with the possible exception of DisneyQuest as long as it's there), I do still love the parks and I'm sure we'll keep going to them while we're in Orlando. It will be nice to see Blondie, Lancelot, Blade, Cheeks and Snoopy there. And maybe Disney is trying to be sure they still have the cast on hand for when they bring back the Club! (I know, I know, but if I'm in denial just let me stay there.) Plus, I was really afraid they'd leave Orlando entirely and I would hate that. Now that I know what great actors they are I want to see them perform more!

-Tonight on XPlay they're giving away beta keys for Little Big Planet so I'm hoping to get one. I'm looking forward to that game.

-Rock Band 2 seems much easier than Rock Band did. This past weekend Moustache Hat unlocked quite a bit and 5 starred most songs. We even played on "expert" some and didn't fail! I still don't see how real drummers do it - my arms felt like noodles after we played.

-New Weird Al song! He just posted a blog that he'll have a new song on itunes next week. Yay! I love Weird Al.

-It finally feels like fall. The high here on Thursday is supposed to be in the 60s. I love fall weather. I also love fall foods, and now I have the mad urge to start cooking soups and stews and pumpkin flavored everything. I've already started decorating for Halloween, even though it's much too early for that. I did notice that a few stores are already putting Christmas stuff out, which seems crazy. Can't we just enjoy fall for a while first?!

Time to head out to get Iron Man!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Sometimes we do cry because it's ending

On our last few visits to the Adventurers Club, during the Radiothon, Yvette said "We don't cry because it's ending, we smile because it happened." For the most part we have done that, but today it is difficult. Tonight is the last night that our fellow Adventurers will experience the magic that is the Adventurers Club.

Today I find myself thinking of the Pixar movie "Wall-E". I know that Disney now owns Pixar, but I never think of Pixar movies as being Disney movies and the situation with the Adventurers Club very clearly shows the disconnect between the two companies. On the very day that Pixar's breathtaking masterpiece was released, the Disney company announced the pending closure of the most unique and magical experience offered anywhere. At the same time they were promoting a movie that spells out the dangers of living a life based on mass consumerism and gluttony, they were planning the closure of a unique entertainment option in favor of . . . shops and restaurants. Disney, who was once the paragon of entertainment, is choosing to eliminate interactive experiences in favor of shopping and dining, calling this a "bold new vision". Typically Disney movies hold a lesson for those who watch them. The lesson of Wall-E has been hotly debated - does it encourage us to protect the environment or to forego mass consumerism in favor of experiences? Does it tell us to live life rather than simply observing it? Does it warn of the dangers of choosing the easy way rather than making an effort? In the end, perhaps the lesson Disney wants us to take from "Wall-E" is simple: Do as we say, not as we do.

Tonight, when the doors close following the final Hoopla, the world will become a much less magical place. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to experience the Adventurers Club over the years are well aware of what we are losing. After tonight, the Colonel will no longer lead us in the Club's all purpose salute. Graves the Butler will not induct new members. Hathaway Browne will not charm the ladies. The French Maid and Beezle will not entertain us in the Treasure Room, and Claude and Arnie will not reign over the Mask Room. Otis T. Wren will not spin his tales to lure Hathaway away from the Balderdash Cup. Emil Bleehall will not make the trek from Ohio. The Yakoose will not startle new visitors. Babylonia will not gain new worshippers. Fletcher Hodges will not show us his artifact. Samantha Sterling won't hear Adventure calling her name. And Pamelia Perkins will not tell us "We don't cry because it's ending, we smile because it happened."

We do smile because it happened, and we will for years to come. We will always remember this magical place, and the people we met there, with a smile. We will laugh at the memory of Emil and his pigeons or of the "nude member induction". We smile because we remember the excitement and unpredictability of that wonderful place. We will treasure each moment we spent there.

Today, though, we will cry because it's ending. We cry because something unmatched is vanishing and most people will never realize it. We cry because we are powerless to stop this, though we know what a mistake it is. We cry and we rage because Disney is taking away our favorite place, someplace with no subsitute, and giving us shops and restaurants to replace it. We are angry because Disney is taking the easy path, eliminating unique entertainment in favor of just another mall. We see clearly what a poor choice this is, but there is nothing we can do to prevent it.

Today we mark the passing of something truly magical. Those of us lucky enough to have Adventured there will always feel fortunate to have experienced it. We will smile when we remember the time we spent there. We will always have fond memories of our fellow Adventurers and the Adventures we shared.

For the rest of our lives, we will smile because of the Adventurers Club.

But today, we will cry.

Friday, September 26, 2008

At least he isn’t a Saint Bernard

When we got our dog, Stitch, he was mostly intended to be The Kidd's dog. Somehow that didn't really work out right - I think he's decided he is mostly my dog. He follows me around when I'm home, lies on my feet half the time if I'm sitting still, and sleeps on the floor by my side of the bed for most of the night.

I didn't intend to care about him as much as I do. I had lost my 14 year old Aussie mix, Marc, the year before we got Stitch and then lost my 10 year old cat Newton to kidney failure a year after Stitch joined the family. I wanted another family pet, but did not want to bond that much with another animal for a while. It just about killed me to lose Marc and Newton (who slept on my pillow every night - I still wake up sometimes expecting him to be there) and I didn't want to risk going through that again.

We chose Stitch because Aussies are highly intelligent and very active. We thought he'd be a perfect addition to the family since our Sheltie, Kelly, is very dainty and not very playful. We thought The Kidd would enjoy having a more rough-and-tumble type pet. The Kidd does love Stitch, and Stitch does love The Kidd, but they aren't as inseparable as I expected them to be. When Stitch was still a puppy he seemed to like all of us humans equally. I think Kelly was the family member he loved the most.

Now that he's grown, Stitch seems to like me the most. Which has proved to be a problem for the whole "keeping my distance" thing I had planned to do. I don't think anyone could look at that fuzzy face and puppy dog eyes and not fall in love.

Lately I've discovered a problem. If I am talking, and start to sound upset, it apparently worries Stitch. I've been talking about the Adventurers Club (and how angry I am at Disney) often recently and Stitch doesn't like it one bit. I guess he thinks it's his job to cheer me up, because the second I start to sound upset he immediately climbs on to my lap and tries to lick my face. He weighs 50 pounds! It does usually make me laugh, though, so I guess it works. I've started trying to sound cheerful when I talk about things that make me sad just so I don't end up getting trampled. I think I just end up sounding crazed, though, and Stitch keeps looking at me suspiciously so I think he's starting to figure it out.

I guess I should just be glad that we didn't choose the other breed that I had strongly considered . . . an Irish Wolfhound.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wow that really doesn’t mean the same thing at all

I keep being shocked when I watch one of our local newscasts because they are promoting an upcoming event, and every time they mention it what I hear is ". . . and be sure to bring the kids to our 'Touch a Drunk Day' . . ."

You'd think I would remember by now that it's actually "Touch a Truck Day". They are going to have lots of different kinds of trucks that kids can climb on and in. I'm sure the kids will enjoy it more than they would enjoy "Touch a Drunk Day". Though with Big Spring Jam coming up this weekend I'm sure there will be ample opportunity for those who want to touch a drunk to do so.

At least it amuses me every time I hear it. I'm a little down today and anything funny is a welcome change. Last night was Snoopy's last night as Hathaway Browne at the Adventurers Club. He was Fletcher for the last time a couple of days ago, and Lancelot is done being Graves. Every day seems to be someone's last night either as a specific character or at the Club as a whole. It's so sad to see it ending!

I think to get my mind off of it I'll go shopping later. Those of you who know me from the message board where I posted my furious rant at Disney about the "We want more shopping" thing know that I don't usually love shopping. However, there are several things I've really been wanting lately and I think today is an excellent day to get them. So hopefully later I'll return victoriously bearing shopping bags containing new fleece to make myself a cozy Snoopy blanket, the "Watchmen" graphic novel, and "Lego Batman" for the 360. (Update - I did get my fleece, book and game! I was good and didn't get the Heroes or Dark Tower graphic novels that I found. Yet, anyway.)

And then this weekend I'll be playing Rock Band 2 with Moustache Hat. Plus going to "Touch a Drunk Day" (otherwise known as the Jam). So despite my sadness over the Club, I do expect to have a good weekend anyway. Maybe we'll even go to European Market and stock up on Kinder candy. It's impossible to be sad with a bag of Kinder candy, a good book, a comfy blanket, good company, and new video games!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Weird Encounters

We had a few weird encounters at the Club over the weekend, including one that is probably the strangest encounter I've had in a long time. I was sitting in the Main Salon, which wasn't horribly crowded yet, and a guy walked past me. As he wandered by (looking a bit unsteady) he leaned toward me and said "I'm more of a butt man, myself."

?

I'm not sure what prompted him to tell me that. Maybe he was trying to assure me that he wasn't looking down my shirt . . . not that I was too worried about that. I didn't respond except to laugh, and he just kept walking.

Later that evening the Club was much more crowded and people were crammed together in the Main Salon like sardines. We were close to an older couple who were there with their daughter and son-in-law. The man started to tell us a long, involved story about a funeral they had to go to and the daughter and her husband groaned and covered their faces. The story turned out to be a series of really bad jokes. The daughter kept apologizing for her dad and said that if we kept listening he'd never stop talking. During all this the mom didn't seem to be paying much attention to what he was saying. She made a few comments about everyone having to stand so close together and getting to know each other very well. Then Snoopy/Hathaway walked by looking quite dashing with his vampire cape on, and the mom (who appeared to be in her mid 60s) said very loudly "There's the cutie! I wouldn't mind being stuck this close to him for a while!" And while staring at him she started muttering things like "Hey, cutie, come on over here!" Her daughter looked absolutely horrified. She said "Mom!" in this really appalled tone of voice and the Mom said "Well have you seen him?!" She looked at me as though waiting for someone to agree with her and so I smiled and nodded. She looked quite happy about that. Then the daughter turned to her husband and said "See? This is why we shouldn't let them drink!"

Caradorn and I were the weird encounter for someone else on Sunday. We had stopped at a gas station when Caradorn spotted a pair of Love Bugs. Love Bugs are these annoying bugs that swarm all over Florida during some parts of the year. For the first time in forever we didn't see any at Disney World and we had really hoped to - The Kidd has to have a collection of 75 different bugs by Christmas and Love Bugs aren't ever found in Rocket City. So when we saw the Love Bugs at the gas station we really wanted to catch them. We were running around the car with a ziplock trying to grab the things. After we finally caught them, Caradorn went in to the station while I sealed up the bag and found someplace to store the bugs for the ride home. Whe he walked in to the station the clerk started laughing and said "You catch the Love Bugs?" Apparently he found us very amusing. Caradorn did explain why we wanted the bugs, but the guy still found it very funny.

Maybe he's blogging about us today! :)

Monday, September 22, 2008

We’ll miss you and we love you, and from all of us - Kungaloosh!

I was so sad when we came back from our last trip to the Adventurers Club a couple of weeks ago. Not that I expected to be happy about the impending closure, but it just felt wrong that we wouldn't be able to go back there again. I started joking on the way home from that trip that there was still time for us to go back one last time, but I didn't really think that it was a possibility. Imagine my surprise when Caradorn told me to pack my bags because we were going back for one more Adventure! I was thrilled!

Initially he had planned for us to drive down on Saturday and then back home on Sunday, but he ended up working things so we were able to go on Friday instead. The drive usually takes us around 11 hours, with a couple of stops. We made it in 9.5 hours on Friday. (Yes, we were very anxious to to get there!)

We had a great time at the Club. Friday night Blondie was Emil, Lancelot was Hathaway, and Snoopy was Graves. Saturday night Blondie was Graves, Lancelot was Otis and Snoopy was Hathaway. Our other favorite cast members - Yvette, Chipmonk Cheeks, Blade, and more - were there as well. The Club was open from 6:00-2:00 both nights and they were doing extra library shows as well as an extended Hoopla. There were two "Graveseses" and two French maids each night and Emil Bleehall's father was even visiting. We got to celebrate Halloween and Christmas and everyone sang at the Hoopla, which was a nice change.

I was so happy and excited to be back at the Club again that I didn't dwell on it being The End as much this time as last. There were only two moments that got me at all teary this time. The first was during the Christmas show, when Blondie (as Emil) sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". That song always gets to me, but seeing Blondie sing it while looking so serious really bothered me. The second moment was on Saturday night. To understand why this one got to me you need to remember that I first fell in love with the Club the night we first saw Snoopy as Hathaway. After the last trip, one reason I didn't feel like it ought to be the end was that I felt like our visits ought to end the way they really began - with Snoopy as Hathaway. On Saturday evening we had seen almost everyone except Snoopy, and the only two characters still unaccounted for were the second Graves and Hathaway Browne. When Hathaway walked in I had to leave the room for a minute - I had so hoped that it would be Snoopy, but it really made it feel like The End that it was him.

There were so many great moments over the course of the two nights. We got to see several songs in person for the first time and some of our favorites one last time. Blondie kept up his streak of making us laugh until we cried every single time we saw him at the Club. When we saw he was Graves on our last night we thought he wouldn't be as funny as usual, but we were wrong - he sang some Queen songs before the Radiothon in what proved to be one of the funniest (and most bizarrely random) moments we ever saw at the Club. I got to see my favorite Beezle during the the Maid's Treasure Room show - I loved hearing that accent again! We also got to see lots of familiar faces in the crowd. . . people I "know" from some of the online groups, people we have seen often during our visits over the last few years, and family and friends of the Adventurers Club cast. Even though I don't actually know many of them, I'll miss seeing all those faces at the Club.

Saturday night during the Hoopla, Hathaway changed his verse during "Oh When the Saints" and said goodbye and "Kungaloosh" to the all Adventurers who were there for the last time. As much as I hate that the Club is closing, this seemed a fitting way for our time at the Club to end. I still believe that Disney will bring back the concept again someday, though it may be greatly changed. I hope that they do it sooner rather than later, and I hope that they bring back the amazingly talented cast that makes the Club the magical place that it is. Whatever happens in the future, though, the Adventurers Club that we have loved so much for the last few years will be gone. I am glad that we got another chance to Adventure there - and this weekend was the perfect way to say goodbye

Blondie and Snoopy always make me laugh - even when they aren’t really there.

Caradorn and I ended up getting back to our hotel room around 2:30 or so yesterday morning after our last night at the Club. It was after 4:00 when I finally fell asleep. At 7:30, Caradorn woke up and found me shaking violently. He thought at first that I was crying and asked me if I was okay but I didn't answer. He was starting to get a bit freaked out. He finally asked me if I was even awake, and even though I still didn't answer him it did finally become obvious that I wasn't crying - I was laughing.

I wasn't awake when he first started talking to me. I have, a couple of times over the years, woken up crying after a particularly sad dream. I've also had entire conversations while still asleep. At least once I woke up screaming after a nightmare. I have never woken up laughing before this, though.

I woke up yesterday morning laughing so hard I couldn't breathe, with tears running down my face. When Caradorn asked if I was awake I couldn't even answer because I was just laughing too hard. He kept asking what was going on and I finally tried to tell him, but it was difficult (what with the not breathing and the hysterical laughter). I managed to gasp out a few words in between shreiks of laughter, which apparently didn't make any sense. Five minutes later I had calmed down enough to try to explain what was so funny.

Just before all this started I had been having a dream about the Adventurers Club, obviously inspired by something I saw there a few hours earlier. Friday and Saturday nights Mailman/Fletcher did something I had not seen at the Club before. It was basically a human version of Marvin Suggs and his Muppaphone.

(For those of you who somehow don't know about Marvin and the Muppaphone - it was a recurring skit on the Muppet Show. Marvin played an instrument like a xylophone which was made up of fuzzy little creatures. He hit them with a mallet so they would make noise. I find this hilarious! I have an action figure of Marvin and his Muppaphone which I love. Yes, I am very juvenile - thanks for noticing.)

So anyway - Fletcher did this skit with people instead of the fuzzy creatures. They sang "Witch Doctor", which Marvin also did on the Muppet Show. Apparently the skit made quite an impression on me because I dreamed about it. In my dream, though, it was slightly different. In the dream, the people involved were standing in two rows. When one was bashed on the head they were all supposed to move over one space - the front row to their left, the back row to their right. The people on the end of the row then went to the other row. The lines were made up of Blondie and some other guests at the Club. Snoopy (as Hathaway) was standing close to the stage watching. When Fletcher hit the participants, instead of doing what they were supposed to do, everyone switched spots randomly. Some people moved two spaces in one direction or the other, some ran in circles around the lines before finding a new spot, some took a step forward or backward - it was chaos. The only person in the lines who didn't move was Blondie, who just stood there with one eyebrow arched. Somehow it was obvious that it was all his fault. Fletcher didn't really react except to keep flailing his mallets.

Snoopy/Hathaway just stood there watching for a second and then said in an exasperated tone of voice "I don't even know what the hell just happened there." And then I woke up, laughing hysterically.

I don't know exactly why I found the dream so funny. Something about the look on Blondie and Snoopy's faces was just hilarious. For the rest of the day, every time I thought of the dream, I started laughing again. I am still chuckling over it today.

I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked yesterday, but it was totally worth it. I wish I could wake up laughing about Blondie and Snoopy every morning!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Keep Marching Along!

If you want to see the Adventurers Club survive in some form, now is the time to make your voice heard! If you haven't signed the petitions, written letters or emails to Disney or sent a map to Iger, please do! Rumor has it that decisions are being made now that will affect the future of the Club. Though there is no longer any doubt that the Adventurers Club will close as of September 28, there still remains the possibility that it may reappear in the future.

The fact that it closing is no reason to give up; there is still a real chance that we may have further opportunities to go Adventuring again. . . but only if we let Disney know how we feel. Please visit http://www.savetheclub.blogspot.com to find out how you can help. Every voice counts!