You know, I’m sure to get around to that next post, but I have to finish listening to COMMENTARY: THE MUSICAL first….

 

Al Gore

A tease… but I really have to get around to writing my article in praise of Al Gore. I’ll get it done this weekend. I promise!

 

Save The Adventurers Club!

I have been to The Adventurers Club at Walt Disney World’s Pleasure Island exactly once.  In 1991, I went to MagiCon in Orlando, and we followed it up with visits to MGM, then Pleasure Island that night.  Most of the clubs were fun, but not distinctive.  But The Adventurers Club was different.

The Adventurers Club is designed to look like an early 20th century club you would visit after going on safari, to tell your fellow club-members about hunting rhinos and forging up the jungle river.  And that’s who the Disney employees in the club were, explorers telling the tale.  Every inch of the two-story walls was covered with trophies and souveniers, some of which talked to you.  You could stay there all evening and not take it all in.

And Disney is going to close it September 28th.

Peter David, writer of stuff, is leading a charge to convince Disney to keep The Adventurers Club open. Here’s what he has to say about it.

I’ve decided that simply sending letters to save the Adventurers Club may not be enough. Previous letter campaigns to various companies have been more effective when there are visual aids accompanying them.

You see, to the best of anyone’s knowledge, Robert Iger has never actually been to the Adventurers Club. Not once. In fact, for all we know, none of the decision makers have ever actually visited it, or have the faintest idea of the superb family entertainment it offers.

So here’s what I intend to send Robert Iger, and I hope fellow supporters–or those who have not yet had the opportunity to enjoy the Club and want to have the opportunity to do so–will do this as well:

Maps

The concept ties into the Adventurers Club motto of “Up or down, north, south, east or west, an Adventurer’s life is best.” There is only one possible explanation for why key Disney executives have never gone to the Club: They have no idea where it is. So to be helpful, it behooves us to help them find it. Furthermore, we can underscore the notion that, for adventurers all over the country, or even the world, all roads lead to the Adventurers Club.

What I intend to do–and I hope others will follow my lead–is to pull out an old map, circle the town where I live, and then draw a path heading toward the Adventurers Club as far down as the map allows. That way, no matter where Bob Iger happens to be, he’ll be able to pull out a map and find the general direction to go in order to find the Club.

I want to see Robert Iger’s office flooded with maps. If nothing else, it’s becoming obvious that Disney has lost its sense of direction, and as dedicated adventurers, we can do nothing less than help them find their way. In addition to whatever letter you wish to include talking about your experiences at the Club, be sure to write “Adventure Is In This Direction!” or “This Way to Adventure!” on the map. My further hope is that we can capture media attention with a dedicated map campaign. It’s just different enough from your standard-issue letter-writing campaign.

I know there are all sorts of rumors about the Club winding up at other locations at Disney. My sources have indicated to me that that is all they are: Rumors. Nothing is settled. Nothing is definite. And from what I understand, if Disney is not made to realize what a terrific place the Club is and how worth saving it is, then rumors are all they will remain.

Send your maps to:

Robert Iger
Chief Executive Officer
Walt Disney Corporation
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873

 

My foot!

Well, that was a disaster.

I went to work yesterday, for the first time since early May.  Last Tuesday, I got a new, smaller brace that lets me wear a shoe over it.  The bone’s still not healed 100%, but the goal was to get me back on my feet and working.

Fail.  Epic fail.

By three hours into my ten hour shift, I was hurting.  By eight hours in, my left leg had swollen up so badly, it was visibly fatter and redder than my right leg.  And my retail work just doesn’t give my the opportunity to follow the doctor’s instructions to put my foot up for a couple minutes each hour.

By the time I got home, my leg and foot felt just like they did in early May.  Seven weeks of rest, gone like that.  I don’t think the word “frustrated” begins to cover it.  I had a lot of unhappy words to say last evening.  Well, not a lot of unique words.  Just the same ones repeatedly.

I called out today, and went back to the doctor.  I have new prescriptions for pain-killers and anti-inflammatory meds, and I’ll try again tomorrow.  If I can’t do it tomorrow, I may be back out of work.  And I don’t know where that will leave me, besides frustrated and worried.

 

Wordle

Well, here’s my blog so far as a Wordle.

 

Root beer flavor – who knew?

I was just looking over this list of 100 things you can make yourself. While the discussions of how to make tofu and bacon are interesting, like watching How It’s Made, I doubt I’ll be duplicating them.

But in the Root Beer link, they say “The primary element in the root beer flavor we know today is wintergreen”.

Really?  I need to go buy some root beer and try to identify that flavor. No wonder my wife hates root beer.

And sassafras is outlawed?  So now only the outlaws have sassafras…

 

My grandparents

Hey, if you’re in Kentucky on June 27th, you can watch my grandparents go bowling with Mister Rogers!