"The man was on a suburban train from Grand Central Station on Wednesday night when he went to the bathroom to make a phone call, dropped the phone into the toilet bowl and then his hand and arm became stuck trying to retrieve it, officials said."
Article here.
Funny stuff! Some ask "Why did he try to get the phone?" I'm asking "Why did he go to the bathroom to specifically make a phone call." This IS a TRAIN bathroom after all!
"About one in five U.S. wireless subscribers will change carriers in the next year after a new rule goes into effect allowing them to keep their telephone numbers when switching providers, according to a survey released Thursday."
I am one of them. I'm not dumping Sprint PCS because I'm not happy with their service (they all suck), I'm really changing because I'm not happy with their phone selection. I want a phone with Bluetooth wireless Technology!!!
Since my contract ends with Sprint PCS in a month, (about the same time number portability begins) it's an EXCELLENT time to switch carriers. There will be deals EVERYWHERE! I'll keep you up to date of deals I'm considering as we get closer to the date.
Full Article.
"An alligator on its way from Miami, Florida, to Newark on an American Airlines jet escaped from its crate in flight..."
Full article here.
... Well not really, but the Analog TVs most of us still use today will not be sold in a few years...
"A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a government rule requiring all but the smallest new televisions to have tuners that can receive digital TV signals by July 2007."
Full Article.
"Contestants in the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest staged by the Amoray Dive Resort off Key Largo, Florida, show their Halloween creations 28 feet beneath the ocean's surface on October 27. The pumpkin on the right won top prize."
Courtesy of CNN
"Christy Dieffenbaugher, 21, in her 808-pound pumpkin boat, outraces her boyfriend Nick Hamilton, 20, in his 630-pound pumpkin boat on a pond at her grandparents' farm in Jackson Township, Ohio, on October 19. It took Hamilton, Dieffenbaugher and another friend, Nick Welty, about an hour to carve out the giant pumpkins and turn them into boats."
Courtesy of CNN
The Haunted Mansion lit up in green for the 'Not-So-Scary' party.
I used the fence by the Riverboat as a makeshift tripod for this shot.
It'll be a bit before I'm ready to upgrade. I need to transfer/backup 12,000+ pics and 2500+ songs to a Firewire hard drive first.
I took this picture by resting the camera on the balcony railing of our room.
"Actor Fred Berry, best known as "Rerun" on the 1970s TV show "What's Happening!!", has died, his business manager said Wednesday. He was 52."
Full article here.
As you may know, it was released while we were in Florida...
but just in case... you can download it now...
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ 
Also, Apple today announced that more than one million copies of its iTunes for Windows digital jukebox software have been download in the 3.5 days since its launch!
Our Final Day :(
We woke up early, packed and checked out of the hotel. We left our luggage with the Bell Staff while we killed a few hours. We had to be at the front of the hotel with our luggage n shit at 2:30pm for the limo ride back to the airport.
After breakfast at Whispering Canyons, we headed to the Magic Kingdom (since it's so close) In our limited time we were able to ride Haunted Mansion (twice), Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan, PhilharMagic. We did some last minute shopping and headed to the hotel. The limo arrived 15 minutes early and we were off to the airport. At the airport, Valerie set off the metal detector this time and after little hassle, we headed to our gate. The flight was pretty smooth but for some reason they turned off the cockpit audio (United Audio program channel 9) which I rather enjoy listening to. So we watched Meet the Parents on DVD via my Powerbook.
It's good to be home. I'm not sure who missed us more... the kids or the dog!
Epcot
Dinner Reservations: Mitsukoshi
Weather: Mid 80's
We spent the entire day at Epcot. (My favorite) It was really nice since we were able to take our time through World Showcase! (no kids)
I was really pleased to see "American Adventure" since I've never seen it before and the fact that we saw behind the scenes yesterday.
We ate at the Mitsukoshi Teppan Yaki Dining Room which is located in Japan. The food was decent but I was disappointed on several levels. 1. No fire, 2. No Fried Rice (I can't even believe that one!), 3. crappy sauce (it was ginger/soy and some mustard concoction, 4. No Teriyaki Sauce
The highlight of the evening was the Illuminations Fireworks Cruise. This is a VERY difficult reservation to get. Only 5 pontoon boats plus the Breathless (a reproduction of a 1930's ChrisCraft Runabout) per night can do this! That means that there are only 6 boats available each day. You can see why they go fast!!
I busted my ass for this reservation. It requires calling Disney Recreation as soon as they open exactly 90 days in advance for the date you want. If you call at 7:01am (Eastern) you're already too late! My calling began at 5:55am (local) and you have to redial, redial, redial, until the "our office is currently closed" message changes to "press 1 for this and 2 for that" then press the number for Recreation and wait on hold for a Cast Member. You can do all of that... and if 5 other people did it faster, they win, you lose. I called for the 16th, no luck... The next day I woke up early again and I called for the 17th, no luck... Finally, the third time was a charm. There are so many people who don't get the reservation that there are Disney fan sites that let you get in touch with others who do have reservations so they can share boats with you!
So, we didn't get to do it on our Anniversary but it was Sweetest Day (we got married on Sweetest Day) so that was nice too.
After the Illuminations cruise we were dropped back off at the Boardwalk Dock. We strolled down the boardwalk hand in hand heading for Jellyrolls. Jellyrolls is a bar with dueling piano players. We drank and watched the pianists do their stuff.
Tomorrow we're back home after a morning at Magic Kingdom. I'll update tomorrow night!
Backstage Magic
Dinner Reservations: Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
Weather: low 80's
TOUR DAY!
Today we did the Backstage Magic tour. I found this description of it... "The 'Rolls Royce' of all tours covers every conceivable area of support and backstage experiences at Epcot, the Disney-MGM Studios, and the Magic Kingdom. The ultimate tour for the ultimate Disney fan!" That pretty much covers it. This is Disney's most extensive tour. It's 7 1/2 hours long. We figured this would be the opportune time to take a tour since no kids are allowed. This tour is pricey, but we did get a discount since we're Annual Passholders.
Our tour guide was "Bobbie" and our driver was "Roger". It began in Epcot, headed to MGM and wrapped up in Magic Kingdom.
In Epcot we got to go backstage and see the inner-workings of "American Adventure" and check out "Body Wars" from below the ride. We also got to see several other areas including Epcot's main wardrobe shop.
After Epcot we headed to the Disney World Florist and see how the team there gets things ready for weddings, parties and other special events. The head florist gave all the ladies a freshly cut rose. (Bobbie claimed it was the first time that has ever happened)
At Disney-MGM Studios we headed to several costuming areas & the tour included lunch at Disney-MGM Studio's Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano.
In the Magic Kingdom area we were taken backstage to see where they keep the floats from their current parades including SpectroMagic. We spent a lot of time in the Central Shops where the magic is built.
The Tour wrapped up on Main Street USA where Bobbie told us the stories of it's creation and we watched the parade.
The tour was very cool and we're looking forward to checking out some of the other Disney tours in future visits.
Dinner was Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (formerly the Polynesian Luau) I haven't done the Luau since I was a kid. When we went to Disney in 2000 I actually made it all the way to the Luau Cove but that's the day I started to feel real sick and I went back to the hotel. A shame because there aren't refunds and I lost like $45 but that sickness actually lead to be quitting smoking so I can't say missing the Luau was a bad thing!
Anyway... the luau was... well let me be honest here... the entire thing sucked except for the fire dancer guy which was saved for last. I hated the food and if you don't like pineapple... go to the Hoop Dee Doo instead!
Tomorrow we're off to Epcot where it's Day 1 of the "Food & Wine Festival"...
Sorry it's up so late... I typed most of it out but fell asleep before I had a chance to get online and update it.
Breakfast Reservations: Cinderella's Royal Table
Dinner Reservations: California Grill
Weather: another perfect day!
Our 10th Anniversary!
We started the day with a special breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table, which is inside Cinderella's Castle. This is the hardest character dining reservation to make. So popular in fact that you have to pay a deposit just to hold the reservation!
After breakfast we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean to get Nicholas the sword he wanted and on the way we made a stop in "it's a small world" We then headed out of the park and waited for a boat to take us back to the Wilderness Lodge. After a few moments to relax, we headed to World of Disney located in Downtown Disney to shop with our 10% Annual Passholder discount.
After blowing our daily budget... we stopped for a drink & an appetizer at the Rainforest Cafe then headed back to the hotel.
Since our dinner plans were for California Grill, which is at the very top of Disney's Contemporary Resort we hopped on a boat to get us there. We arrived early and sat at the bar to get liquored up before dinner. Did you know that you can walk on top of the Contemporary? There are viewing areas on the very top and you have to take doors which are in the restaurant. Well... I'm not sure there are words to describe how beautiful the view was! (Though I'm sure Jess could come up with a few lol) There was another Not-So-Scary Halloween party going on (it wasn't originally scheduled but they added tonight to the schedule due to demand.) and there was tons to look at. In one turn of the head I could see the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom and if I turned around I could even see Epcot!
Okay... enough of that.
Back at the bar I decided to let the hostess know that we're here (albeit early). It was already noted on our reservation that it was our 10th Anniversary dinner and she said she didn't know if we'd be able to get a table facing the Magic Kingdom (because people were there and they weren't leaving). Those tables right on the window facing the Magic Kingdom are the best tables in the house because of the view. Not to mention that you can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks while you eat! I told the hostess to 'do the best you can' because I wasn't going to let it ruin my night just because I couldn't get the best table... special occasion or not.
About a half hour later our coaster/pager thing lit up and the hostess had a big smile on her face. She guided us to the BEST TABLE IN THE HOUSE!! Needless to say... we were both VERY pleased! We both had the filet and several drinks! When the fireworks started, I was too antsy to watch them from the table so Valerie and I went on to the outdoor viewing area (about 20 steps from our table) and watched them from there. Now it wasn't the new "Wishes" fireworks show but it was the "Fantasy in the Sky" with the Halloween ending that we saw on Tuesday. The view of this from the Contemporary was simply breathtaking! (I'm using that word too much in these reports... I know lol)
We're in for a busy day tomorrow starting with "Backstage Magic"... Stay tuned.
I took this picture at the Breakfast in Cinderalla's Castle on our 10th Anniversary
Disney-MGM Studios
Dinner Reservations: Fantasmic Dinner Package
Weather: Absolutely Picture Perfect!
After a late start (didn't even wake up till 10am) we headed to Disney-MGM Studios. I can't say we were happy with the time it took to get to the park. The ride took 1/2 hour since it stopped at Ft. Wilderness after it picked us up.
The headache I woke up with got worse by an infant on the bus crying uncontrollably. (This is where Craig goes into his anti-infant rant) I absolutely HATE parents bringing infants to Disney World! We waited till Nicholas was 2 before we took him. I think all parents should do that! I'm sick of the rude parents who take their babies into attractions which go completely dark or have scary moments and they don't bother to leave the attraction when they start crying. Not to mention all of the "near dead" infants we saw during our June trip, but that's another story! Good thing the weather isn't June Hot! Ok, small rant over. After 2 tylenol, all was well.
Among normal favorites, Great Movie Ride, Voyage of The Little Mermaid, etc. we were able to check out a couple we've never experienced like "Sounds Dangerous" & "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Play It!".
We walked out of the Haunted Mansion movie set (very cool!) and right into Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Play It! My score wasn't high enough to make it into the hot seat. (thank god!) Though the free Disney Cruise would have been nice! ;-)
It pissed me off that The Magic of Disney Animation (which we've never done because of the kids) was closed for refurb but I suppose they've gotta fix/maintain/refurb sometime.
For dinner we tried the Fantasmic Dinner Package (Tier Three). The Restaurant was the Hollywood Brown Derby. With the dinner package we can avoid standing 90 minutes in line to get a good seat for Fantasmic. I had the filet and Valerie had the grouper. Both were very good but the service was so slow (not that we really minded) that they didn't charge us for Valerie's meal package, which saved us $37! I ordered this lemonade liquor drink, it was ok but what was cool was the lit up ice cube they put in the glass. Valerie ordered a 1/2 bottle of wine to enjoy with her fish.
Fantasmic was a full house! And get this... Valerie ordered a beer!! She hates beer! (guess she wanted to keep her buzz going from dinner but at Fantasmic they didn't serve any alcohol except beer. ) The show was as awesome as I remembered it. It's not every day you get to see a dragon start water on fire!
After MGM we took a boat to the Swan/Dolphin hotels so we could walk to "Fantasia Gardens" mini golf. It's a very cool course but it took us a while to find because we were given crappy directions. (if any of you decide to go, drive there!) After the game (I won) we headed back to Wilderness Lodge. Instead of walking back to the Swan and taking a bus to Downtown Disney then transferring to the Wilderness Lodge bus (transportation gets complicated after all of the parks are closed) I decided that we'd take a cab back. The $8.75 was well worth the price to avoid that hassle!
Tomorrow we're up early for breakfast in Cinderella's Castle! Stay Tuned...
WE'RE REPORTING LIVE FROM DISNEY WORLD!
The Magic Kingdom
Dinner Reservations: Liberty Tree Tavern
After tossing and turning all night in anticipation, I woke up at 4:30am. Our flight was scheduled to departed at 9:05am (United). Since I'd rather sit at the airport for 2 hours than spend the whole ride to the airport worrying that we may miss the flight (especially in rush hour with my dad driving us), we arrived at the airport at about 7:15am. We gave our luggage to the SkyCap, and headed into O'Hare. We were able to check in online and print out our boarding pass from home (pretty cool) so we headed straight for security. After minimal hassle (sir, hold your arms out like an airplane), we headed to our gate, grabbed a muffin and something to drink and waited till boarding began. After a mostly smooth flight (with no food, no movie and only mini pretzels for a snack) we finally arrived at MCO.
The $64,000 question was whether or not our Limo driver from Happy Limo would be there, (we've never used them before, but read good things) but no fear... there he was! We took our bags from the carousel, and off we went. After a quick grocery stop to get some soda and snacks we finally arrived at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort.
While I've researched the crap out of it, we've never actually been inside this hotel. The closest we've been is that episode of Great Hotels. I think I've actually seen that episode twice! lol
The limo pulled in front, the bell service assisted with our luggage and we made our way into the lobby. Let me try and describe the lobby to you in one word. KICK ASS! No wait that's two words. How about HOLY SHIT! Again, two words... ok... BREATHTAKING! There we go! During check in, we were happily surprised to be able to get our room early.
I initially was upset since it seemed that they didn't honor any of my room requests, but in reality, they met all but one... not only that... they upgraded us to a "Courtyard View" for free!
After some exploring and a drink at the pool bar, It was off to the Magic Kingdom.
The park closes at 6:00pm but reopens again at 7:00pm for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Which is a specially ticketed event. (meaning we have to pay extra to go to this)
The Not-So-Scary Character Dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern was good although sadly liquorless. (the Magic Kingdom is a dry park)
I must say that the new Mickey's PhilharMagic show was BEYOND KICK ASS! It's VERY impressive! The BEST 3D show I've ever seen!
After a long and mostly exhausting day, we headed back to the hotel to call it a night. Very much to our delight there was a surprise inside the room... it's a balloon/anniversary card from the Hotel, personally signed to us by Mickey & Minnie Mouse!
Here's a couple pics...
They gave us some Disney chocolate too, but I can't show them to you... they're long gone!
Weather was in the 80's and there was about an hour with a light drizzle... otherwise, a perfect day!
We're off to Disney-MGM Studios tomorrow... so stay tuned!!!
Tomorrow morning Valerie & I leave for Disney World to Celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary. Our trip is 5 nights/6 days so we'll be back Sunday night.
My friend Kay recently asked me... "Why the hell would you go to Disney World for your anniversary?" Well for starters... we like Disney, always have. This is my 8th trip and Valerie's 5th. There are entire books out there dedicated to 'Doing Disney without the kids'. There's a lot to do! Also... as some of you are already aware, we purchased Annual Passes for the trip we took in June. Therefore, it won't cost us anything for park tickets!
This is the most structured trip we've planned by far. Very little is 'up in the air' we know what we're doing and where we're eating every day of the trip. During our trip, keep checking the blog to see what we're up to. I'm bringing my Powerbook and I will be posting our Trip Reports to the blog at the end of each day. My 'Pic of the Day' will hopefully be pics I've taken that very day. Gotta finish packing, look for the update tomorrow night!
P.S. If you're interested in seeing the hotel we're staying at, tomorrow's "Great Hotels" on the Travel Channel is airing their "Wilderness Lodge" episode at 11am central, be sure to check it out!
Weather forecasts are pretty worthless lol
This is the forecast as of 5:49 AM for Orlando, FL
Today, I confirmed all of our reservations for Disney. We're all set and ready to go. I just hope the weather agrees with us!
Nice... they hung a line jumper!
Taken at Fright Fest, Six Flags Great America
"Stung by criticism over lax software security, Microsoft Corp. disclosed plans Thursday to update its flagship Windows operating systems early in 2004 to make consumers less vulnerable to hackers."
Read the full article here.
About damn time!
"On Trilogy Tuesday, December 16th, New Line Cinema presents an unprecedented marathon of back-to-back presentations of the Extended Editions of the first two films in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy -- "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" -- followed by a special early screening of "The Return of the King." Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to see the Extended Editions in theatres while experiencing the trilogy in a once-in-a-lifetime back-to-back marathon the night before the official opening of the final film, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.""
For those in Chicagoland, it will be playing at AMC River East 21. Tickets went on sale yesterday so for all I know, it's already sold out.
This is what happens when you load 3000lbs on lumber on top of a Volkswagon Jetta! I first saw this pic a few years ago but it still makes me laugh so I figured I'd share.
Article Here.
MacNN reports... "Apple is expected next week to debut iTunes for Windows and a Windows-compatible version of its online music service at an event scheduled for next Thursday (October 16) at San Francisco's Moscone West convention hall"
Since that date falls on our 10th Anniversary, we'll be in Florida then so I hope you all e-mail me to tell me what you think of it!
Academy Award-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson has joined the ensemble cast of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."
Full Article Here.
As a lot of you know, I'm a big Harry Potter fan. While I AM concerned about the 3rd movie's adherence to the story, at least they're making good casting decisions! Frankly, I'm more concerned about the Goblet of Fire movie in 2005. Either they're going to cut out most of the story (ruining it) or they will have to make it a 2 parter a la "Kill Bill". I vote for the latter.
"Black leaders are outraged over a new board game called "Ghettopoly" that has "playas" acting like pimps and game cards reading, "You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to crack. Collect $50."
http://www.ghettopoly.com/
CNN Article
Personally, I find this hilarious... is that wrong? Let me know what you think!
Siegfried was on Larry King last night and he put a spin on this whole story that I didn't expect. He claims that the tiger "...attempted to help his trainer offstage after Horn fell down...The tiger put its jaws around Horn's neck to lift him as a mother cat does with her cubs..."
Read the whole article here.
That either means that we'll have to wait a long while for Terminator 4 or they'll just make it without him.
iCal 1.5.1 gives you more power than ever to manage your life, with new features like the Info Drawer, which shows you all the information about your scheduled events at a single glance; enhanced alarms that not only alert you to critical events but are capable of launching an application or running a script; robust time zone support; keyboard shortcuts for anything you use your mouse for. And more.
iSync 1.2.1 now has calendar synchronization for the Sony Ericsson P800, Nokia 3650 and Nokia 7650 smart phones. With these phones iSync also syncs the Address Book picture to the contact info, so you can see a picture of the caller when the phone rings. In addition, iSync now supports two new Bluetooth phones from Sony Ericsson, the T616 and the Z600. Finally, .Mac users who sync their bookmarks can now view, edit and use them from any browser by visiting bookmarks.mac.com.
"Mac OS X is the world's most advanced operating system, blending the power and stability of UNIX with the legendary simplicity and ease-of-use of the Macintosh. Mac OS X version 10.3 "Panther" contains over 150 new features and provides significant enhancements to its modern, UNIX-based foundation. Panther includes iChat AV for personal video conferencing, Expose for instantly finding any window, and a new Finder for easy access to everything you need. It's like having an all-new Mac."
All Apple Stores will be holding a "Night of the Panther" Launch Event from 8pm to Midnight.
There's a lot out on DVD today. It's one of the largest release Tuesdays of the year. Among the ones I'm interested in are...
The Lion King (2 disc)
Deep Space Nine Season 5
A Christmas Story (2 disc)
Vegas Vacation (widescreen)
Christmas Vacation (widescreen)
Prince of Darkness
They Live
and yet another version of Halloween III
... and I'm all out of bubble gum!
Lots of people paid over $100 for this DVD on eBay because it was out of print for a long time. While I like this movie, there was no way in hell I was going to pay over $100 for this DVD! Today, I'm glad to be able to buy it for $11 and change.
Only 8 1/2 more days till Disney! I took this picture during our 2000 trip.
A 9-year-old white tiger attacked Roy Horn of "Siegfried & Roy" during a Friday night performance on the Las Vegas strip -- the magician and trainer's 59th birthday. 
Bill & Todd over at the Digital Bits have FINALLY released their long awaited book, "The Digital Bits: Insider's Guide to DVD". If you're into DVD or would like to learn more about the most popular video format in the world, buy it here.
Per the Digital Bits...
"It's coming on 1/6 (SRP $59.98). Extras on the 4-disc set will include an audio commentary for one episode on each disc (featuring the likes of Shawn Ryan, Michael Chiklis, Benito Martinez, Glenn Mazzara, Kurt Sutter, Scott Rosenbaum, Kim Clements, Barbara Fiorentino, Rebecca Mangieri, Kevin Reilly and Eric Shrier), 38 deleted scenes (with an introduction by Shawn Ryan) , the Scene Evolution: Connie Gets Shot feature with commentary, 3 featurettes (Wrap Day, Director's Roundtable and Raising the Barn) and a teaser for Season Three."
If you don't watch this show you're missing out on one of the BEST cop dramas ever created!
This evening, I helped Dave set up his new hp psc 1210 all-in-one printer. It copies, scans & prints. I must say, it's amazing what you can get for $90 (after rebate) these days! This is a cute little printer. I'm going to suggest that Valerie get it for her computer when we come back from Disney.
I saw this on TechTV yesterday...
Alaska Air Baggage handler Bill Boyer invented a revolutionary in-flight entertainment system called digEplayer. It can contain 20-30 full length movies, hours of music, TV shows & more! The battery lasts up to 10 hours or plug into the airline power port so it will have power even on the longest of flights. It can also save the airlines millions a year compared to installed systems!
When we flew to Vegas in January, the movie they were playing was "Sweet Home Alabama" since that movie sucked, let me tell you, I'd EAGERLY give the airline $10 (or $8 if you book the flight with digEplayer in advance) to have a choice of 20-30 movies on the flight! I can only hope that more airlines adopt this technology!
I took this picture during our January 2003 Trip while staying at this hotel.
