April 2003 Archives

Peace and serenity has returned to the park this week as the crowds of Spring Break have left. Once again it's possible to walk across the park and not get hit by a stroller. It can still happen, it's just not a given anymore. Today, I actually had a Routes shift. It was weird being back there after spending so much time at Pooh and the Matterhorn, but it also was a nice short shift and a welcome diversion from the same ol.

I picked up an application to be a trainer at Matterhorn. I'm excited about the prospect of training at another attraction. I must say that I have really began to enjoy training. Next week, I actually have a training shift at Pooh - my first since training the opening crew back in March. I had to switch the days since Tuesday night is Minnie's Moonlight Madness which I will be doing with Daniel, Tiffany, and the latest Aladdin - Alex! Also competing in the annual dash-and trivia contest is Mandel's roommates Ted and Larry. I am sure I'll run into some other people from around the resort that I know. I just hope we don't make too big of fools out of ourselves.

Last Thursday, I finally made it out to a baseball game. I think it was the first one since at least 2000, when I went to the Dodger game with my dad when he still had tickets. I saw the Angels take on the Yankees, and I think I was in the Yankee section. Apparently, the Yankees have a large following in Orange County, and all of the single game tickets were bought by them. Thankfully, the Angels won the game 6-2 so I didn't have to listen to much rejoicing from them. While there, I took a picture of the game with the cell-phone cam. It turned out OK, but I think I will be relying on my digital camera for the time being, thank you very much.

In entertainment news, I picked up the new Madonna CD "American Life". I heard two tracks off of the album before I bought it and liked them both. After a couple of listens it seems like a good album. I really like "Die Another Day", so I know that there is at least one jam song on it. I think my favorite Madonna album is "Ray of Light". There are so many songs on the album that mean a lot to me. I say that because when I listen to certain tracks, I really get into them - specifically "Power of Goodbye" and "Nothing Really Matters". I guess I like the more mature Madonna (post Evita) than the earlier one. I think I like "Immaculate Collection" because it has the best of her early albums in one place. She has a Greatest Hits Volume 2 out, but for me it doesn't have nearly as good selection as the first one. One more Madonna note: She has a really good web site. I think I'd like to do something like that for my Charo site.

In movie news, I went to see "Identity" last night. It actually was a good creepy thriller until they let you in on what was really happening. At that point it just seemed silly, including the "twist" ending.

Is it me or are there a lot of "quotes" in this update?

Major progress today. After weeks of procrastinating (and let's face it looming social obligations) I finally put together my new desk and put the files back into the file cabinet. There are still some tweaks here and there to be made: Chair position, and what to do with all of the dining room chairs. All in all, it worked out pretty well. The one big box I have left to unpack is the poster box. there are also some boxes of desk stuff which I will have to pick and choose some of the best of and then discard the rest. Most of the stuff in there was either junk or something I can find another location to store. And heck, I even did laundry today!

Next up on the to-do list: I need to find a place to donate some of the old books that I have. Also, I desperately need to wash my car. Oh yes, and once everything is put away: dust and vacuum. Hmm now that I think of it, I might snag some uber-cool bean bag chairs to help the seating crunch.

I have decided that the majority of gardeners in Orange County are based out of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. One of the streets I drive to work on is Newhope Street. No matter what day or what time I drive down it, there are always at least two trucks, moving slowly, with lawnmowers and other gardening equipment piled in the back. It is something that amuses me to no end.

Last night, I had the rare privilege to escort Tinker Bell to the top of the Matterhorn for her nightly flight across the sky for Fireworks. It was the first time I had been to the 5th floor since I was signed off on the attraction last summer. While the Tink crew went all the way to the top, I stayed at the 5th floor and shot some hoops on the basketball court. I need to start carrying around my camera for my phone. I would have loved to get some cool shots from up there. The only drawback is that there is no good spot to watch the fireworks while up there. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

True to his word, Daniel brought over "Castle in the Sky" so we could complete the Miyazaki double feature. Animation wise, it is full of stunning visuals, albeit simpler ones since this was in 1986 (released in 1989 in the US). Daniel says that this style is his favorite of Japanese Animation. I have to admit, I have never really been an Anime fan. My brother was into Robotech and all the other popular animated series that came out in the mid-80's. Personally, my brain took a better liking to the old Warner Brothers and Disney shorts. Having said that, these two movies have really opened my eyes to the features coming out of Japan. I hope to see some of Miyazaki's other works as well as some of the other pioneers.

In Club Josh news, I updated Movable Type for the first time since I installed it almost a year ago. The new version has some cool features and better interfaces when authoring. Templates are still a pain, but hopefully somewhere, somehow I'll be able to restore the PDA Archives. Also, I am working on a new WML version of the site to be compatible with the new Cell Phones that are out there. It appears that my HDML site just doesn't cut it on my new phone. Figures.

Once again it is time to catch up at the local Cineplex and DVD store. I can't believe it, but it has already been a week since I went to see The Core. Those of you who know me well know that I can't resist a good disaster movie. Especially ones that are so bad that they are good. The Core falls into that category. The storyline goes that somehow the core of the earth has stopped rotating, and as a result people with pacemakers are collapsing and pigeons are colliding into busses as the magnetic field goes on the fritz. Thankfully, some professor at the University of Chicago figures the whole thing out and enlists the aid of the government and they embark on a trip to the core. That's right folks, someone just happens to have a rock drill and a ship prototype lying in the middle of the desert. Well, hilarity ensues, some noble sacrifices are made, the brainy child in this case is a teenage hacker but he still qualifies, and heck - there is even a token exchange (not jewelry this time, but a notebook). Definitely full of cheese, and well worth the price of the chips to make nachos. Susie - you need to see it!

Last night, Daniel brought over Spirited Away, this year's winner of the Academy Award for best Animated Feature. I had heard nothing but good things about the movie and that the director Hayao Miyazaki is this generations Walt Disney. I tried to go in not expecting all the hype, that way if I can avoid being disappointed. Truth be told, the hype is worth it. It is one of the best movies I have seen in a while (yes, even better than The Core!). It is a bit long by US standards for Animated Features (around 2 hours and change), but it didn't feel long at all. I'm awaiting my chance to see Castle in the Sky which he picked up today at Costco. It is by Miyazaki and was made in 1986. Daniel saw it earlier this month at a film festival and said it was great.

While at Costco, I picked up three more James Bond titles. They are on sale for $11.99 each! Woo Hoo. I picked up Dr. No, Goldfinger, and License to Kill. The Connery movies I have on Laserdisc, and I don't even have LtK on video so I'm glad I got it despite it being the weaker of the two Dalton Bond movies. Oh yes, and I also picked up the latest Harry Potter DVD. I have my eye towards the next few months as Star Trek Nemesis, Die Another Day, The Spirit of '76, Sleeping Beauty, and The Lion King all make there way out on DVD.

This year has been quite the rollercoaster. Just when I think that we are coming into the station or leveling off, or heck, even climbing a to new heights, there is always a steep drop-off. The worst part about it is that some of the falls are just reality checks for things that I let myself get caught up in.

Like Taxes.
Like My Career.
Like Friends.

I used to be more of a realist, but lately I've turned into a big emotional sponge, and in some aspects, I've chosen the fantasyland version of things rather than the True Life Adventures version. I am truly grateful that I do have people who are not afraid to slap me around and bring me to my senses. Without them, I'd be a hopeless pile of drivel.

Last night was the wettest and coldest night at the Matterhorn. It's the first time I've worked it in a driving rain, and let me tell you after a certain point you get so wet you just don't care anymore. I guess once you get through the misery, there's always a chance to have fun. Hmm. I think yesterday was a life lesson.

Thanks to Daniel's nifty digicam, we were able to get this high quality photo-op.

Josh, Cynthia Harriss (president of Disneyland) and Daniel

The photo was taken at the breakfast for all the opening team of the new Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction at Disneyland. I've been lucky to be part of the project since January, and am glad to see it finally take off. There was another group photo in front of the attraction that was taken, and hopefully, when I get a copy, I'll scan it and post it here.

Of course, having posted this picture makes me want to get back to my project of converting all of the photo galleries to Gallery. If only I had all the time. I am the worst procrastinator sometimes. It also makes me yearn for a camera of the same quality that Daniel has. His is only 3.2 Megapixels, I can only imagine how a nice 4 MP one will do.

I finally purchased a replacement desk for only $49! It was on sale, and isn't very ornate, but considering the size constraints in the new apartment, it fits just right.

Looks like some travel plans are beginning to develop for next month and even during the holidays. Woo hoo!

I've mentioned this before in years past (here and here), I really don't like Daylight Savings Time. Despite the fact that it gives us nice long hours of daylight, it still is a pain. It makes me wish I lived in Arizona, where they have the common sense not to change their clocks. Usually, its the Monday after that causes problems, but now that I'm working at Disneyland it wreaked its havoc on Sunday.

Speaking of Arizona, Mom and Gary were out here this weekend to help stock the fridge. Final total: over $120 at the grocery store. But now I have enough food to last weeks. Mom even made some London Broil and these breaded hamburger patties that I love so much. She put some in the fridge and some in the freezer so that I can eat for the next few weeks. Gary helped out with moving some of the front room furniture around so that my futon is not as close to the TV. I agree with Mom that two day weekends are just not enough time to get together. On Sunday we made a stop at my Great-Great Aunt who lives in a posh retirement home in Yorba Linda. She looks great for someone who will be 95 in May - I hope I look that good. The best part of her community? Free Ice Cream and Sundae Bar.

Friday is the grand opening of the Pooh ride. I can hardly believe it is here. I remember when I first went over to the ride in January and the opening date was soo far away. It is upon us, and I'm glad we have had the soft openings over the past two weeks. The practice has really helped us nail down some of our procedures, especially with wheelchairs. Now if only I could get some shifts there. I am a trainer, but I only have one Guest Control shift on Saturday and then two shifts next week. The rest of the time I'm at lovely Matterhorn Mountain except for Tuesday when I make a guest stint at the Classics. At least I have variety, it sure beats being stuck at the same ride all the time. I think my ideal schedule would be two Pooh sifts, two Matterhorn, and then one Classics per week.

This morning I received a notice from the folks over at Tell Me that effective April 9th, they are shuttering the Extensions service. So hop on over while you still can and listen to the Club Josh Daily Update. I remember it was almost exactly two years ago that I first put up the Tell Me site and for a good chunk of time it was broken. So I finally get around to fixing it a few months ago and here is my reward.

Gone are the days on the web when you could get really cool services and information for free. Nowadays, you even have to pay to see streaming video on CNN. I realize that the money isn't there anymore for people with big ideas to develop them and give them away. This trend started with the big collapse of 2000, and given the fact the economy is still in the pits two years later, it is still going strong.

I hope when the economy turns around a renaissance will occur on the web and we'll get back to the days when technologies are developed at a fast pace, and regular people like you and me can share. Heck, maybe then I'll even get a real job again.

It only took us three hours at the Honda dealer last night - I think it was a record for me. Usually I will sit there and haggle the last penny on the price, but Dad was not in the mood and instead of getting free running boards and mud flaps, we ended up with only a roof rack. I tried to explain to the salesman that he could just increase our trade in to cover it, but Dad just kept saying OK. Next time he waits outside. He chose the orange one after hesitating and considering the blue one. I told him I liked the blue one better, but in the end I told him he was going to have to drive around in it, not me.

Last Friday (isn't that the name of a movie?), I picked up a new Motorola T720i from T-Mobile. I was really impressed with their pricing on the calling plans, and of the overwhelming deals they had on the phones. Originally, I wanted to see the Nokia phone with the full-motion video camera, but the deal on the T720i was too good to pass up. The phone also came with a camera (which I used to take the picture of the fridge yesterday. I wasn't expecting much - maybe along the lines of the eye module pictures that Andy took with his Visor a few years back. So far I am happy with the quality.

My biggest problem so far was the fact I accidentally deleted all the forwarding information over the weekend so my voicemail was disabled. The only other glitch is that T-Mobile is having issues with their My TZones service. I can't register on the website and without that service, I can't get the cool ringtones and the ability to import custom pics for wallpaper on the phone screen (Club Josh wallpaper anyone?).

Tonight, I make my last trip to the old apartment to do the walkthrough and to get my vacuum. It will be a bit nostalgic, but all in all I am glad to be in the new place (even if I couldn't find the box with the DVDs until yesterday evening).

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my nice new refrigerator. The phone just rang and it will be here in about 30 minutes. I have no idea why I am so excited about a fridge. Maybe because its my first major appliance. Sure, I have bought toasters before, and my brother bought me a microwave when I moved to Chico, but nothing on this scale before. Of course, I have bought a few cars, but this is different. Now tonight, I can go out to the grocery store and stock up. Somehow, I think my poor fridge will feel under-utilized. Thankfully, I still know how to shop for myself since when I was living with Roger we still bought our own food.

Tonight after stocking the fridge, I am going over to my Dad to help him get a new car (see even after almost two years since I worked for Edmunds, people still ask me to help them out). He put a deposit down on a Honda Element. Yep, my dad who has always owned either a muscle car or a Suburban or some other GM truck has decided to get an Element. I think he just likes the fact he can get an Orange car to remind him of his GMC truck from the '70s. Maybe it is the gas mileage. Or maybe its the fact that its almost the same vehicle as my (and Sarah's too) CR-V. I know he doesn't like the road noise in my CR-V, so I guess the Element is quieter.

Last night, Daniel and I watched 2001's High Heels and Low Lifes with Minnie Driver. Daniel claims it is one of his favorite movies of all time. I wouldn't rank it in my top 20, but it was a fun movie to watch.

UPDATE: You can see the fridge here! It's nice and quiet and you gotta love the new fridge smell.