tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325597190385948882024-03-16T23:52:39.661-07:00Im a blogger, Dottie...a rebelDonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-64548130560218129872014-10-07T10:40:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:25:05.633-07:00Tales From The College Program: Getting Fired. Part 2<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Getting my job back:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Since Rat Face had gone as
high as possible to get me fired, I decided to do the same when trying to get my
job back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ed Backlor was the VP of
Downtown Disney at the time, I decided to email him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A day later I received an email from Djuan
Rivers (who I just discovered is a Disney big shot <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djuan_Rivers">now</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ed was out of town and had forwarded my email to Djuan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arranged a time for him to call me the
next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty nervous as a sat
there staring at my phone waiting for him to call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know where the conversation would
go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Djuan was very friendly, he had read
my email and asked me some more questions about the firing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left out the part about how everyone eating for
free so I wouldn’t get anyone else fired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He told me the typical “well, I know it’s not a lot of money, but if
everyone gave away $3.25 worth of food, it would really hurt the company.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said I could reapply with Disney in 6
months and when I did I would most likely be asked to write a paper about how
sorry I was for costing the company money and the lesson I had learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him thanks, but my lease was up in
December and I wasn’t going to sign up for another year on the off chance I
could get my job back in 6 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Now I
just needed to figure out how to get into the parks for free for the next 3
months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rat Face Strikes Again:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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After I knew I was not going
to get my job back, I stopped by The Link to tell Missy the whole story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right when I walked in, she gave me a free
ice cream cookie sandwich. it was a very nice gesture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was telling her the whole story, Rat
Face came through the kitchen door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
he saw me, he dropped his head and high tailed it out of there as fast as
his rat legs could carry him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
pretty disappointed he ran away so quickly, I had already come up with a plan
in case I saw him again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going to grab him by the face look him in the eye and say; “I know it was you, you
broke my heart. You broke my heart!” Apparently, I
was really into channeling Al Pacino in September 2004. </div>
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If you don’t get the
reference, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcFlp6kl508">click here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Missy and I kept talking,
when I noticed 2 Disney Security guards were waiting at the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rat Face had walked out and immediately
called security on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished
talking to Missy and headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
followed me until I was off Pleasure Island.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Going to the parks for free:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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When I interviewed for the
College Program my friends Ralf and Steven also applied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did our interview together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ralf and I were two of only three people accepted from the 100’s of applicants from the University of Houston.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steven joked around so much during the interview, I was amazed Ralf and I were accepted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wanted to be a character. When he was told
those auditions were being held in New Orleans he
decided to run around the room like King Louie to prove that he didn’t
need to make the drive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Steven came to visit me for a
few weeks and ended up moving in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
wanted to prove to us that he could be a character</div>
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<br /></div>
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and wouldn’t
you know it, he got the job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had been
working about a month when I was fired.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When you are a new hire you
are issued a temporary work ID.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
basically the same one the CP’s get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead of being colored and having your photo on it, it’s just a plain
white card with your name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
90 days you are issued a regular ID.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Work ID’s are what Cast Members use to log in, get discounts, park, and
most importantly, get into the parks for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just like a guest ticket, the first time you go through the turnstiles
with your ID, it registers your fingerprints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Steven had no desire to go to the parks, and had never set up his
fingers to his ID. (In 2004 they were still using the weird “insert 2 fingers
and squeeze” system.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> My plan, set Steven's ID to my fingers.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I went to the Magic Kingdom Main Gate with
all the guests, inserted Steven;s ID, put my fingers in the machine, and
squeezed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My pulse was racing, waiting
to see if this plan would actually work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought maybe since it was the first time they would ask to see my ID,
but they didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few terribly long
seconds later, I was in the Magic Kingdom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The scam worked perfectly,
Steven and I even went to the park together once!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steven wanted to go to Epcot with me and a
friend, so we came up with a plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
friend and I would go in, then she would take Steven’s ID from me, leave the
park, give Steven his ID, then the two of them would go back in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Hey,
Steven’s fingers weren’t set to his ID!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That 2 finger system never worked right, I told Steven that when it
failed, tell the Cast Member that it never worked, then just pull out your
drivers license, when they saw the matching names they let him in, no questions
asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The timing worked out great;
I was able to go to the parks for free until I moved back to Texas in December.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I can’t even volunteer:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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I moved back to Houston that
December and started going back to school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A year or 2 later I noticed the familiar College Program Recruiting
signs all over the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to
watch the presentation; they try and become a campus rep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Campus Rep is a pretty sweet gig, you help
set up the presentations, put up signs, go to a couple meetings and as long as
you keep helping out you get a work ID/Park Pass.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I went to the presentation,
hit it off with the recruiter, she gave me her card and told me to contact her
because they needed campus reps. I sent her all my info and she called me the
next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a couple minutes of
small talk she asked me about my program and if I had ended it on a good
note.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her my program ended fine,
but that I had been fired while I was a part time Cast Member.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She then made me go through the whole long
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were on the phone for another
20 minutes before she finally said;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Well, you have a no re-hire status with the company, so we can’t bring
you on as a campus rep.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She knew the
minute she called me that she couldn’t hire me, she just wanted to hear what
someone could possibly do to be banned from working there forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well the answer is, cost the company $3.25.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There you have it, the long story of why I am permanently banned from working at Walt Disney World. If any of you run into to Djuan Rivers, tell him to give me a call, or if you see my old manager John, just tell him you know what he did to me! </div>
Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-9233087185551402612014-09-21T18:12:00.001-07:002019-07-23T09:59:44.278-07:00Tales From The College Program: Getting Fired. Part 1All of my College Program posts up to this point have been in no sort of order, until now. Today's post is written 10 years to the day, the day I was fired.<br />
<br />
When you're a CP, working less than 40 hours a week is pretty much unheard of, but when you're a part time Cast Member, 40 hours a month is a miracle. My program ended in January 2004, instead of going home I found an apartment a few miles away from Downtown Disney with my coworker Dan and his roommate, Rickli. During the next program Dan and I worked a couple days a week. It was almost no different than when we were CP's. When that program ended in the summer our hours dropped drastically. We were only working one or two days a month. Instead of getting second jobs, we started doing medical experiments for money. We'd spend a weekend at a facility in Gainesville and make a quick $1,000. This is how we were able to afford our apartment. <br />
<br />
My birthday (September 18th) came and I was finally scheduled to work. There was a new CP at The Missing Link who was still in training, his name was Steve. Steve was on the grill that night and he was having a hard time. I was the middle man (I worked the fryer and made the drinks) so I would jump in and help him. The Link was a pretty easy place to work. It was the only quick service restaurant on Pleasure Island, but with so many other food options at Downtown Disney we stayed pretty dead most of the night. Our big rushes would only last 15 minutes or so, but if you weren't organized at the grill you could get swamped fast. That was Steve's problem, he could only make one order at a time and he had trouble organizing the tickets.<br />
<br />
The next day I went to the Magic Kingdom with my pal, Matt Biddle. My manager John called me later that night and asked if I could work on the 21st. I hadn't worked 2 days in the same week in forever, I said yes. The reason he needed me to work was because Steve had called in. He had a class that let out at 5:00 which would cause him to miss the CP bus that would take him to work. I had ridden that bus for the majority of my program, I knew that wasn't true. The bus stop is literally 30 feet from the building where the classes are held. My thinking was Steve had hated working at The Link and he wanted to get out of it for a day.<br />
<br />
I went to Downtown Disney a little early on September 21st so I could buy Green Day's American Idiot album which had been released that day (This is the only reason I know the date of my firing). It was Missy and I running The Link that night. She took first break, and I had just started making myself some cheese sticks when Steve and his girlfriend walked in. I said hello, but inside I was thinking "What are you doing here? You called in, don't you know the first rule of calling in is don't show up at work later?" He said they were Downtown for a movie and just wanted to stop in for a snack. They ordered cheese sticks and a water. I took the cheese sticks I was making for myself out of the fryer and gave them to Steve with a cup of water. He offered to pay, but I told him "Don't worry about it, you're still in training, you eat for free." Obviously, this was not Disney policy, but The Missing Link was such a small place we always ate for free. Even at the end of the night, instead of throwing away the leftovers we were allowed to eat what we wanted. In fact, while I was a CP I usually didn't eat until I was at work. <br />
<br />
Steve left and the night dragged on. After we closed I was in the kitchen washing dishes, John came back from closing Cirque (Missing Link managers would manage Cirque and The Link, other nights just Cap'n Jacks). I noticed that he had a Cirque kid with him. This was odd because Cirque had been closed for a couple hours by this time. John asked the kid to take over washing my dishes and asked me to come upstairs with him. PI was kind of like Main Street, above The Link's second story facade were offices. Above The Link was John's office and a small office for Loss Prevention. As I was following John up the stairs, I jokingly asked "Am I in trouble?" He didn't say anything. Thats when I got nervous. 'Hey, John am I in trouble?" He said "Let's just go to my office."<br />
<br />
We sat down in his office and I was scanning my brain for anything I could have possibly done to get myself in trouble, I was coming up blank. John sat back in his chair and let out a long sigh, "I have been dreading this all night." Now I was really nervous, "What did I do?" I asked. John replied "Did you give Steve free chicken fingers and a coke?" It was at this point that I knew my Disney life was over. "No" I told him. John let out another sigh, this time of relief. "I gave him water and cheese sticks." John said "Well, someone saw you, and went over my head with it." I asked John who it was but he wouldn't tell me. It didn't matter, I knew exactly who it was...Rat Face.<br />
<br />
As I stated earlier, Loss Prevention was also located above The Missing Link. The guy who worked in that office looked like the health inspector from Ratatouille. (just. like. him.) <br />
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He always walked through The Link when going out to PII, instead of the back of the building where he would get a nice view of the Saratoga Springs construction. (This is always the best place to be at 12:00 New Years Eve because you can see the fire works from all over WDW at once) Missy would always say hello to him, and he would always ignore her. This really annoyed her, so one day she said something to John about it. John talked to Rat Face about it and he started giving Missy a very forced hello whenever he walked through. I knew he was the one who ratted me out. He did not tell John, he didn't even tell John's boss, he went as high as he possibly could. I mean, why wouldn't he, this was a matter of $3.25! Sure, you could say "Well, he was just doing his job." but he could have easily told John. HIs office literally 6 feet away, this was revenge for the scolding.</div>
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I asked John what would happen to Steve, he said that he would be fired too for accepting the food. I had to write down what happened and made sure to include that Steve had tried to pay more than once to help his case. Then the worst part came, John asked for my employee ID. This was also my park pass. In just a matter of seconds I lost every reason I had to be living in Florida, it was awful. John felt bad, I made him call Dan and tell him what he had done to me, which he did.</div>
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There was nothing left to do after that but go home. I got up and walked towards the door. Before I walked out I stopped and turned back, "Hey John." He looked up from his desk "Yes?" I told him "If it was gonna be anyone, I'm glad it was you." John's response was "You're going to make me cry." </div>
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Don't tell him, but I stole that line from Al Pacino in "Donnie Brasco." (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2xiwiWd_sM">watch the scene here</a>)</div>
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There you have it, the day I was fired. Since this post was long, I'm going to write a part 2 next week where you'll learn about how I tried to get my job back and the scam I used to keep going to the parks.</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-61424235692457776972014-03-18T16:37:00.001-07:002020-03-17T08:44:44.500-07:00Look What You Did You Little Jerk: The Macaulay Culkin IncidentLast night I saw Macaulay Culkin's band "The Pizza Underground" at the Hi Ho Lounge in New Orleans. If you aren't familiar with them, they sing Velvet Underground songs, but change the lyrics to be about pizza. You can listen to their demo <a href="http://thepizzaunderground.bandcamp.com/">here.</a><br />
<br />
Like everyone else on the planet, I love Home Alone. I saw it in the theater when I was 8 and have been a fan of Macaulay Culkin ever since. I live in Houston, so New Orleans is a 6 hour drive, but this was not something I was going to miss.<br />
<br />
<b>The Show:</b><br />
<br />
The Pizza Underground demo is 9 minutes long. If they would have come out, handed out pizza and played for 15 minutes I really think the crowd would have been satisfied. Instead they would leave the stage between songs and have someone else come out. First it was one of the members from Carte Blanche (one of their opening acts) who came out and rapped. Macaulay's girlfriend came out and sang a poem that he had written for her. One of the female members of Pizza Underground stayed on stage and sang a song by herself. There was even a Nirvana tribute performer named Kurt Cobained under the band name "Nevermound" who sang Nirvava songs in the past tense (Come as you were). The most bizarre of the side acts was Pussy Joel. The band left the stage and a video of cats played on their projection screen while Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" played over the P.A. all while the hashtag #PussyJoel would randomly appear on the screen. Like I said, I would have been fine with just 15 minutes of Pizza Underground, the side acts were a but much.<br />
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After the show the bar cleared out pretty quickly. Within an hour there were probably 20 people left, with most of them standing at the bar. Becky, Martha, Eddie, and I decided to hang around for a while to see if Macaualy Culkin would come out. A couple girls kept one of the pizza boxes the band had passed out and had asked one of the guys who was helping break down the stage to have the band sign it. He went backstage, had Macaulay sign it, then found the rest of the band and had them sign it too. I had brought my childhood Talk Boy with me hoping I could get Macaulay to sign it. Since the pizza box had been a success for the girls, Becky went over and asked him politely if he could ask Macaulay to sign the Talk Boy. He was pretty excited "Man, I haven't seen one of those in a long time!" Unfortunately though, he said he could not ask Mac to sign it. He told us that he was the bands manager. "But, when he comes out to leave, you can ask him to sign it." That was good enough for us so we waited around a few more minutes to see if he would come out. There was another girl who had been waiting near us, one of the bar backs came from backstage and told her that Macaulay had left. Martha had heard the bartender tell someone that the band had been practicing their karaoke earlier, so we assumed they went to a karaoke bar. When we left the Hi Ho Lounge, we saw one open bar across the street. We decided to try our luck and check it out.<br />
<br />
<b>The Karaoke Bar:</b><br />
<br />
The second we walked into the bar I knew we were in the right place. There was Anchovy Warhol (the bands mascot), and next to him was Macaulay Culkin. He was leaning against a pole in the middle of the bar. I honestly don't think anyone in the bar realized he was there. He was standing there with his manager and one of his bandmates watching people do karaoke. When the manager saw Becky he waved us over. He tapped Mac on the shoulder and said "Mac, this is my friend Becky." He turned around, avoided eye contact, quickly shook her hand and turned back around. I thought it was a really gracious of their manager to introduce Becky as his friend, giving us an opportunity to ask him to sign the Talk Boy. Becky gently tapped him on the shoulder. He turned his ear slightly towards her. Becky said "I really hate to bother you, but I have a Talk Boy in my purse and I was wondering if you could sign it for me." Without looking at her he said "Nah, no, no. I don't want to make a big deal."<br />
<br />
Now, I am not an unreasonable person, I understand his thinking behind that. Sure, you don't want to sign one autograph and get ambushed, but like I said before, no one was talking to him.<br />
<br />
I've loved Home Alone since I was 8 years old, here I am 2 feet away from Kevin McAllister, Im not about to pass up the chance to say hello to him. I didn't want to not take up too much of his time, so I decided to offer to buy him a drink. I tapped him on the shoulder and got the same slight head turn that he had given Becky. "Mac, can I buy you a drink?" He turned his head away from me, raised up a beer and said "Already have one."<br />
<br />
Becky and I went back over to Eddie. The three of us stood there like Charlie and Grandpa Joe at the end of Willy Wonka. "What did we do wrong?"<br />
<br />
That's when I noticed Martha talking to a very drunk, very angry woman.<br />
<br />
<b>The Incident:</b><br />
<br />
I walked over to Martha to tell her about our strike out. That's when the angry woman (I never heard her name, but let's call her Roxy) told us her story. I had seen her at the Hi Ho while we were waiting for Macaulay to come out. I had seen her go backstage. She told me "I gave him $75 worth of mushrooms and he didn't acknowledge or even thank me, just took them!" (I edited that a little, just drop an F bomb in wherever you want.) I can't confirm that she gave him mushrooms, but for the sake of the story, we'll assume she is telling the truth.<br />
<br />
Then she started yelling about how she was going to "grab him by his pony tail and slam his head into that pole." Becky and Eddie were still standing over by him and saw us talking to Roxy so they came over to see what was going on. Eddie said the whole time Mac had been bragging to his girlfriend about how how was the king of karaoke and how he was better than all these people. NFor some reason this made Roxy even more angry. Then Becky told her the talk boy story. At this point Roxy was boiling and walked away. Our group decided it was time to leave and headed towards the door. I looked over and saw Roxy screaming in Macaulay Culkin's face. Then she pointed at me, then back at him and started screaming at him even more. Macaulay Culkin looked right at me, I didn't know what to do, so I kept walking towards the door. Mac was still looking at me, that's when Roxy grabbed him by the ponytail and bashed his head into the pole he had been leaning against. Anchovy Warhol and the manager jumped in-between them and yelled "Get her out of here!" As the bouncer came to haul Roxy away, Mac started egging her on. Arms out telling her to "come on" with a smirk on his face.<br />
<br />
Martha and I went outside to look for Roxy so we could find out what she had said to him. She was already in the back of someone's car, but saw us and came out. First she had yelled at him about his lack of gratitude with her generous gift of mushrooms. Then she told us she said "Those people came all the way from Houston to see you and you won't even sign something for them?!" That's when she grabbed his ponytail. "Then Andy Warhol shows up and I tell him F**K you Andy Warhol, Your'e washed up!"<br />
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<br />
<b>The Conclusion:</b><br />
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Martha and I went back to the bar to find Becky and Eddie. They were inside watching Mac's girlfriend rub his sore head. It was almost 2 in the morning at this point so we decided it was best to leave. While we were waiting for a cab, The Pizza Underground left the bar. As they walked past us I heard one of the members say "We'll just do Karaoke when we get back to New York, and we'll make sure to get a private room." Then they crossed the street, got in their van and left.<br />
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Maybe he was drunk, maybe he had eaten Roxy's mushrooms and didn't want to be bothered. The truth is though, you were in New Orleans to play a show, your name is on the ticket. If you didn't want people talking to you, maybe don't advertise it as a Macaualy Culkin show. Let's be honest, he's the only reason anyone knows who this band is.<br />
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I've played the night over in my had a million times at this point. Was I overreacting? Is he just short with people? On stage he had been laughing and joking and seemed like a really pleasant guy. I checked twitter and one guy had tweeted about seeing Roxy slam his head into that pole. He also tweeted that Macaualy Culkin refused to take a photo with him. So, the whole time he was in that bar only a handful of people approached him and he was rude to all of them? How hard is it to just be nice to someone who took time out of their day to support you and your band?<br />
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He had told Becky he didn't want to make a big deal by signing our Talk Boy, but by not signing it, that's exactly what he caused.<br />
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<b>2020 Update:</b><br />
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Since "the incident" I have told this story a lot. If the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed. I mean, how many of you have seen a drunk woman attack a child star because he didn't thank her for drugs or sign a toy movie prop? I didn't think so. I wrote the story the day after it happened because it really bummed me out and I wanted to figure out why. I'm sure for most people this very brief interaction seems like nothing, but I was a huge Macaulay Culkin fan growing up. I saw The Nutcracker in the theater because he was in it! Did you even know he was in a theatrical version of The Nutcracker?<br />
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Around the time Mac was touring with The Pizza Underground, photos came out where he was looking pretty bad and people assumed he was on heroin. Maybe he was going through a rough time when the incident took place. He recently did an interview and photo shoot for <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a30680749/macaulay-culkin-interview-life-now-after-home-alone-2020/">Esquire</a> where he seems to be happy and looks great, and that makes me happy. I still love Home Alone, and if he ever comes to town you better believe I am bringing my Talk Boy.<br />
<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-13972228102553075172014-01-17T13:27:00.000-08:002019-07-18T18:26:30.809-07:00Tales From The College Program: Guinea Pigs and Sorority GirlsYou may find this hard to believe, but being a Disney Intern does not pay very well. It was because of this, that Dan and I decided to find ways to some make extra money. The easiest way we found was to sell our plasma. There were a few draw backs to this though. <br />
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1. It only paid $15. <br />
2. We had to pay $5 in tolls to get there. <br />
3. It was 40 minutes away.<br />
4. We had to sit in a waiting room with mostly homeless people for an hour.<br />
5. Plus another hour in the chair with a needle the size of a Capri Sun straw in your arm<br />
6. Dan took one of the plasma girls out on a date and never called her again.<br />
7. The one time Dan's roommate Rickli came with us, he got violently ill in the CiCi's pizza bathroom afterwards.<br />
8. One time they jammed the needle through my vein which gave me a hematoma that went from my shoulder to my wrist.<br />
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Eventually we found something much easier that not only paid more, but also fed us. We became professional guinnea pigs. Using the website gpgp.net (Guinnea Pigs Get Paid) Dan found out that we could make $1200 by simply staying at a resreach facility in Gainsville for the weekend. The three of us signed up, passed the physical inspection and before we knew it, we were locked up with 20 other lab rats. <br />
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Aside from Dan, Rickli, and I only 2 other people in the study spoke english. They were girls our age that went to the Universty of Florida. What they were doing there I have no idea, because they didn't look like your average guinea pig. One of the girls even bragged about a time that she made out with Nick Carter at a bar. <br />
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We checked into the facility on Friday morning, slept over Saturday and Sunday, then had to come back on Monday with our pee jug and poop journal for a final check up. This study was for high blood pressure medication, to test the effects on someone with normal blood pressure. It was also the only study we did that required us to pee in a jug and take notes on our bowel movements, but hey this story is supposed to be about a Sorority right?<br />
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We had become friendly with the Doctors who ran the facility and they knew we lived in Orlando. They offered to let us stay at the facility Sunday night so we wouldnt have to drive back and forth to Gainsville for 6 hours on Monday. We had nothing better to do so we took their offer. One of the girls asked us if we had dinner plans for Sunday night, we did not so she invited us over to her sorority house for dinner. We may have been guinnea pigs, but we weren't complete idiots, we accepted.<br />
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We had all day Sunday to ourselves, we grabbed our pee jugs and headed to the movie theater to see "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" then we snuck into "Euro Trip." Spoiler alert, both movies are awful. Our date with destiny was approaching so we headed back to the research lab to get ready for our big night.<br />
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Our host had told us to dress up, but when you know that for the next 3 days you're going to be peeing into a jug, wearing nice clothes isn't your number one priority. I borrowed a shirt from Rickli and we left. This was before GPS on phones and none of us had ever been to Gainsville before, so I have no idea how we found this sorority house.<br />
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As we approached the door we realzied that we didn't even know this girls name. Who were we supposed to ask for if she didn't answer the door? Eventually one of us knocked and a girl who wasnt Heather/Jennifer (pick your favorite sorority girl name) opened the door. Luckily instead of asking who we were there to see, she asked for our names. We passed the inspection and she had us sit in a holding area with some other dudes where she explained the rules to us.<br />
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Now, you may be thinking, "I've seen college movies, there are no rules!" Well, this sorority had one, "Guys were only allowed on green carpet." This meant we could be in the entry way, main room, or dining room, that's it. When you got to the stairs the carpet changed colors. After she was done explaining the rules Heather/Jennifer showed up and took us to the dining room. It was huge! I don't know how many walls they tore down, but this dining room felt like a school cafeteria. <br />
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We sat down and were waiting for our food when one of the head girls stood up to make announcements. Maybe I was extra hungry or tired of peeing in a jug, but the announcements went on forever. After the head girl was done, guys from neighboring Fraternities would come to the front to say something along the lines of "Hey Ladies, I'm Brad and this is Chad we're from (insert frat name here) we are having a car wash/party/bake sale/t-shirt sale/(whatever frats guys do) coming up and we want to invite you/sell it to you/get you drunk!" This was always followed by squeals of excitement.<br />
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Finally the announcements were done, time to eat. Nope, not yet. Now all the girls had to introduce their guests. The first girl stood up "This is Dave and Rick from (insert Frat name)." The guys names were also followed by squeals and screams, but those were nothing compared to the noise made when it was announced "And guess what ladies...Theyre SIIIINNNNGGGLLLLLLEEEEEEE!" The girls went nuts, apparently Sorority girls have a thing for single Frat guys. Do you want to guess how the next Frat guy intoduction went? The same, they just kept getting louder.<br />
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Dan, Rickli, and I looked at each other, we were all thinking the same thing. We turned to Heather/Jennifer and said "You know, we're cool if you dont introduce us." It was too late though, we had already been spotted. Maybe the girls had screamed themselves tired, or maybe it was because Heather/Jennifer gave us the worst introduction ever, but the girls reaction to the three of us was worse than we had expected.<br />
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Heather/Jennifer half stood up and in one quick breath said "HeythisisDanRickliandDonnie" she started to sit down when she remembered she needed to tell these girls about our obvious relationship status. "oh yeah, theyre single." She mumbled it even faster than she had said our names. The sorority girls were not pleased, they did not squeal, the did not scream, the did not make a peep.<br />
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We ate our spaghetti as fast as we could, stood in the main family room long enough as to not appear ungrateful then got the hell out of there. Since we spent the night at the research facility, we were the first ones checked out in the morning. We took our checks and headed back to Orlando, we never saw Heather/Jennifer again.Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-47106688752958383282013-09-09T13:55:00.003-07:002019-07-18T18:26:44.018-07:00Tales From The College Program: Smush and The Pretty OneI received a special request to write out this story, so here it is.<br />
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I was in my apartment at Vista Way when Dan called me "Some random girls just called my apartment and asked if I wanted to go to Tampa." At Vista Way calling an apartment was simple, you added a one to the first number of the apartment (1205 = ext 2205)<br />
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Dan started telling me about these girls he was talking to and their plan to go to Tampa. In the middle of our conversation I heard the click of another call coming in, I told Dan to hold on and switched over. On he line was a very Puerto Rican sounding girl "Hey, so jew wanna go to Tampa with sum sexy girls?" I told her to hold on and switched back over to Dan "Now they are calling me!" I told him. I switched back over to mystery girl and told her that one of her friends was on the phone with my friend, she told me that we should all meet up at their apartment. I walked over to Dan's and the three of us (Me, Dan, and his roommate, Rickli) headed over to meet these girls.<br />
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At this point, I cannot over stress that these girls spoke very highly of their physical beauty which probably should have been our first indication that we were in for an awful night. Let's be honest, pretty girls don't need to dial random numbers looking for dudes to go out with. When they opened the door it became apparent that they may have exaggerated just a little about how attractive they were. This is not to say that the three of us were some sort of catch. It felt like we had gone too far to turn back now, so we headed in. The Puerto Rican girl I had spoken to on the phone was the leader, I don't think we never actually heard her name, so we started referring to her as "Smush" whenever we told the story. <br />
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A plan was made, the girls would spend the night in Tampa while Dan, Rickli, and I would drive back that night. Smush and 2 of the girls rode in her car while Dan jumped into the car of the one we had named "the pretty one." Rickli and I rode together in his car. Now would be a good time to mention that it was 9:00 pm, foggy, cold, and mid November. And we're off!<br />
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The drive from Orlando to Tampa is about 2 hours, while Rickli and I discussed pop culture topics, quoted episodes of Seinfeld, and sang the Perfect Strangers theme; Dan got to hear all about the pretty one's boyfriend that she had back home. A few hours later we were in Tampa. We pulled into a parking lot and I walked over to the beach. It was so foggy and dark that you couldn't even see the water.<br />
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The girls decided they were hungry and we all headed over to some hole in the wall restaurant. Smush did most if not all of the talking, while Dan, Rickli, and I sat there wishing we were back in Orlando. It was dark, cold, late, and we were realizing that we had nothing in common with these girls. After dinner the girls decided they wanted to check into a hotel. A friendly homeless looking guy over heard and told everyone to follow him around the corner. He took us to the shadiest looking motel I have ever seen. If memory serves correctly, it was called the Diamond Motel. <br />
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It was around midnight and the motel manager who already gone to sleep, but our hobo guide knew she lived next door and he banged on her door until she answered. The woman did not seem to happy to be woken up, but she gave the girls a key and walked us all to their room. The motel was set up like a labyrinth, it was all outdoors with walkways that wrapped around buildings, and no exterior lighting. The inside of the room was terrifying. It looked like she had stumbled across an abandoned haunted summer camp and started charing people to sleep there. The one light bulb in the room hung from the ceiling without a shade and emitted so little light that a man with an axe could have been standing in the corner and none of us would have noticed.<br />
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After the owner left, Dan, Rickli, and I looked at each other, looked at the girls and simultaneously said "OK, see ya." The girls all screamed "No, stay!" and this was in no way a seductive "no...stayyyy" it was a "we don't want to die in this place!" We all stood in that creepy room trying to decide the best way to wake up the owner and tell her that the girls wanted their money back. We walked back to the restaurant, found the hobo, and Rickli explained our predicament to him. He woke up the owner, who was more unhappy than the last time and we got the girls money back. Now to find a suitable hotel.<br />
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Dan had joined Rickli and I in the guy car, and left the pretty one to talk to herself about her boyfriend. The girls pulled into a nice hotel while we sat in the car and waited. When we knew they had a room, we were going to floor it back to Vista Way. They came out with no room. Turns out all of the girls were under 21, and the manager would not give them a room. There was only one member of our little group that was 21, and it was me.<br />
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We drove down to the next hotel which was a Red Roof Inn. We told the girls to wait in the car, the plan was for me to rent the room with the girls money, give them the key and leave. Once inside, we let Rickli do the talking again. He told the manager about the awful hotel we had escaped from and how we had very little money but needed a room just for the night. He made no mention of the girls, just told the story as if it had just been the 3 of us. The manager sympathized with our tale and even offered to give us a managers discount on the room. The night was beginning to look up, then it happened.<br />
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In his joy of almost being rid of these girls, Rickli slipped. He said something to me and Dan along the lines of "I feel much better now that the girls will at least have a safe place to stay." After hearing this, the managers mood took a drastic turn. "I dont run that kind of hotel!" he screamed. We all jumped in "No, no, no, no, you don't understand, its not like that." I tried to calm him down by explaining "No, you haven't even seen these girls, they aren't even hot." He had already made up his mind, apparently Dan, Rickli, and I looked like some sort of casanovas brining a bunch of girls back to our hotel room. We tried to explain how they were not 21 and I was just getting the room when the manager picked up the phone and started to dial "I'm calling the police, this is not that kind of hotel." That was all we needed to hear, we ran back to the car and took off.<br />
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We started driving back towards Orlando with the girls following behind us. They pulled into a small hotel along the freeway. We sat in the car while they went in to talk to the desk clerk. They came back with a room key a few minutes later. The girls headed towards their room and we drove off in Rickli's car.<br />
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A few weeks later I received another call from Smush, she invited us over to their apartment for Thanksgiving dinner, we respectfully declined, I had to work on Thanksgiving. We never heard from the girls after that. I'd occasionally see Smush working at Pinocchio's at the Magic Kingdom, but she never saw me.<br />
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I found out later that it was my roommate, Dan's (a different Dan) fault that Smush called our apartment in the first place. For Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Dan had dressed up like a character he called "Dr. Love" and handed out business cards with his Vista Way extension on it. He gave one of those cards to Smush. I owe that whole night to him. Thanks a lot Dr. Love.<br />
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-31886830704284350252013-06-25T13:54:00.001-07:002019-07-18T18:27:26.587-07:00Honey, I Shrunk The KidsI remember being up early on a Saturday morning watching cartoons and seeing a trailer for a movie with Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors. I ran upstairs and woke my mom up. I told her there was this great movie coming out called Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and asked if we could see it. Without any hesitation she said no.<br />
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I was really confused by her answer, until a few days later when I saw the trailer again and pointed it out to her. Turns out she thought I had said Honey, I<b> Shot</b> the Kids.<br />
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After the movie was released my Saturday morning cartoons were interrupted by short segments about Disney's newest theme park, MGM Studios. One of these segments showed the backlot tour and how the "bee scene" from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was done.<br />
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In 1991 my family visited MGM Studios and while on the backlot tour my sister and I were picked to ride the bee from the film to show the rest of the tour how the effect was done. A Cast Member came up and asked my parents if my sister and I wanted to be part of the show. We said yes, obviously. They took us off the tour and onto a sound stage, and there it was, the bee! Until we saw the bee we had no idea what we had volunteered for. Having seen that special a few years earlier, I knew what we were going to do. The rest of the tour caught up with us while Katie and I walked up a ladder and onto the bee. From there fans were blown on us and we were told to act scared, but I remember just doing a lot of waving. When it was over we were able to watch the video of us flying on the bee, then return back to the tour.<br />
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Does anyone know what happened to the bee?</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-24238639360255239852013-06-11T06:58:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:27:38.884-07:00Tales from The College Program: 10 Years LaterWow, This week 10 years ago my friend Ralf and I were loading up his tiny car and heading off to Orlando for our jobs in the Walt Disney World College Program. It really does not seem that long ago but since I was 20 at the time and 30 now...I guess it was.<br />
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I've decided that todays post will mostly just be pictures from the year and a half I lived in Florida working for Disney. Let's see what has changed. <br />
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First of all, I don't think I could get away with this hair at 30. This is also the shirt I wore when trying to meet Hilary Duff.</div>
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I was also a big fan of wearing my Thriller jacket everywhere.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-h4xqb-SDs/UbcniMfJEZI/AAAAAAAABhU/Ju98-yVbb_c/s1600/thriller_0202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-h4xqb-SDs/UbcniMfJEZI/AAAAAAAABhU/Ju98-yVbb_c/s320/thriller_0202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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but as you can see, it no longer fits</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tM1BEoE5Z4c/UbcnpE4FEwI/AAAAAAAABhc/qR91cfSRvXE/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tM1BEoE5Z4c/UbcnpE4FEwI/AAAAAAAABhc/qR91cfSRvXE/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Back then I would collect Fast Passes off the benches in the locker room. Waiting in line was for the tourists. Unfortunately, you cant even use an hour old Fast Pass now, forget about one that's been expired for a year.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-awRVSJRnueo/UbcoIX3OiYI/AAAAAAAABhk/wc9Z3QOytDQ/s1600/4733269782_7006f2387b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-awRVSJRnueo/UbcoIX3OiYI/AAAAAAAABhk/wc9Z3QOytDQ/s320/4733269782_7006f2387b_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My workplace, The Missing Link Sausage Company has been torn down.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EgubH5IBuIA/UbcoQZCXW1I/AAAAAAAABhs/hYK-KpCOsbU/s1600/DTD+Link.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EgubH5IBuIA/UbcoQZCXW1I/AAAAAAAABhs/hYK-KpCOsbU/s320/DTD+Link.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's Dan cheesing it up (maybe for <a href="http://www.imabloggerdottie.com/2013/03/tales-from-college-program-road-dog.html">Road Dog</a>)</div>
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My beloved manager John is still working for Disney, if you see him in the parks, give him a big hug for me!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YN5toteis08/UbcobmmcHmI/AAAAAAAABh0/XqOoMyrxZQU/s1600/john_f_farr_and_donnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YN5toteis08/UbcobmmcHmI/AAAAAAAABh0/XqOoMyrxZQU/s320/john_f_farr_and_donnie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One time the dude in the middle told me the chick from Evanescence was a "Horses Ass"</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6If096PI-bw/UbcpGlXy5lI/AAAAAAAABiE/4acDeAReWko/s1600/link-_paul,_matt,_donnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6If096PI-bw/UbcpGlXy5lI/AAAAAAAABiE/4acDeAReWko/s320/link-_paul,_matt,_donnie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Remember the 75 Mickey's? Here is one painted like Kim Possible.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QMnMyUQtaBk/UbcpQ4KNZuI/AAAAAAAABiM/xiMcFPI9IkY/s1600/IMG_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QMnMyUQtaBk/UbcpQ4KNZuI/AAAAAAAABiM/xiMcFPI9IkY/s320/IMG_0016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Speaking of Kim Possible, does anyone know how I can get in touch with Christy Romano?</div>
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Can you still buy guns at Walmart? How did this photo even happen?</div>
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I was really skinny back then, even though my diet was all Disney food, ice cream and pizza...lots of pizza</div>
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Most of my time was spent with this fool.</div>
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My phone can take and send a better photo than this in half the time!</div>
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When Disney wasn't paying us enough we became professional guinea pigs.</div>
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When I was not busy dying my hair, we were at the Magic Kingdom.</div>
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Now we are both married, and Dan has a kid.</div>
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Adults..Pfff</div>
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Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-85513593156540409142013-04-26T08:53:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:27:52.307-07:00Tales From The College Program: Hilary DuffBefore I start this story, let me remind you that I was in the Walt Disney World College Program in 2003. At the time Hilary Duff was one of the biggest stars on the planet. Having said that, let's begin.<br />
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I remember one night when Dan and I were working The Link alone, I went home sick. I had a real sinus attack and the last thing people want to see around their food is a dude who can't stop sneezing. I went home and Dan closed down the restaurant by himself. The next morning I was awoken by a phone call from Dan. His roommate who worked at Blizzard Beach had called to tell him that Hilary Duff was at the park. Dan loved Hilary Duff, so we decided "Why not, take a crazy chance" and see if we can meet her.<br />
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I'll pause here to give you some advice if you ever plan on trying to meet a celebrity. The first rule should be "Dress in a way that is appropriate to your surroundings. So, you want to meet Hilary Duff at a water park, wear a swimsuit. Neither of us really thought about this ahead of time. Dan was dressed in his usual cargo shorts and sandals which i'd say isn't perfect but is the second best thing to a swimsuit.. At the time I only owned probably 2 pairs of shorts, I wore jeans and chucks everywhere. This was probably not the best choice, but I also decided to wear an Alkaline Trio shirt with this graphic.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0T2yZdhN8qE/UXqXw_9eJdI/AAAAAAAABfQ/5ZpnPSTp9xM/s1600/$(KGrHqZ,!lIE-lWQkBCBBP7HRBl8q!~~60_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0T2yZdhN8qE/UXqXw_9eJdI/AAAAAAAABfQ/5ZpnPSTp9xM/s1600/$(KGrHqZ,!lIE-lWQkBCBBP7HRBl8q!~~60_35.JPG" /></a></div>
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It didn't occur to us how badly we were going to stand out until we reached Blizzard Beach, and by then it was too late.</div>
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We arrived at Blizzard Beach with little to no plan. We just walked around in hopes that we would run into Hilary Duff. What would we say to her if we saw her? Most likely nothing. We assumed she'd probably have some sort of Disney entourage who wouldn't let a couple of street clothes wearing idiots like us anywhere near her. Hilary and I are both from Houston, so she would totally be cool with meeting a fellow Houstonian, right? Turns out tracking someone down in a water park that you've never actually been to is a lot harder than it sounds. </div>
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We walked around the park for a little while and stopped at a large area with chairs and bungalows for people to sun bathe. As we stood there discussing if we should continue walking around the park sticking out like sore thumbs or just call it a day, we noticed something. In one of the covered bungalows on the opposite side of the sun bathing area we were being stared at. Given what we (or I) was wearing this was not a big surprise. The surprise was that the person staring at us was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482335/?ref_=sr_1">Lalaine</a>, who played Hilary Duff's friend Miranda on Lizzy Maguire. </div>
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This created a somewhat awkward situation as the three of us just kind of stared at each other. The conversation between Dan and I at that point went something like this. "Why is she staring at us? Does she think we are here looking for her? Why is she still staring at us? Should we go over there and say "Hey, don't worry we are just walking around looking for Hilary?" No, that will surely get us kicked out and probably fired, let's get out of here....Seriously, she is still staring at us" </div>
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We decided it was time to leave, with no sign of Hilary and Disney security possibly on their way looking for the only two people in the park not wearing swimsuits. We don't even know if she even went to Blizzard Beach that day, but it was definitely an interesting adventure.</div>
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The is pretty much my<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mystery_of_Al_Capone's_Vaults"> Al Capone's Vault</a> of College Program stories.</div>
<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-88099827600405557242013-04-19T13:40:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:28:06.402-07:00Back to the Twilight Zone: Part 2<div style="text-align: center;">
After the clock tower, the most important set in Hill Valley is probably the cafe. </div>
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In the Twilight Zone, the area we know as being the cafe is a police station.</div>
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In 1985 Hill Valley, it's Lou's Aerobic Fitness Center.</div>
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The building has not changed that much since the Twilight Zone, all they really did was relocate the door and build that facade. Funny how Lou went from owning a restaurant to a fitness center 30 years later.</div>
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Mike Ferris also takes in a movie at The Savoy.</div>
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The Marquee (and movie selection) was changed when this area became Hill Valley</div>
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A close up shows, that those busts have been there for quite a while.</div>
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One scene that really threw me off, was when Mike walked past a drug store.</div>
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It looks like the clock tower is behind him, and the reflection in the window looks like the post office building, but something about the geometry just didn't make sense to me. I looked for more pictures of the set from this era and found out that an episode of Leave it to Beaver was also filmed here. This photo is from that episode.</div>
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Looks like the side of the Police station is also a drug store.</div>
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So there you have it, the story of two guys, who wondered down a lonely road</div>
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and ended up in the same place.</div>
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obviously, by that I mean...a phone booth</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-13569717598971667512013-04-12T11:53:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:28:21.770-07:00Back to the Twilight Zone: Part 1When you think about it, Back to the Future is a very Twilight Zone-esque movie. In the season one episode "Walking Distance" a man actually ends up back in his childhood town and runs into his younger self and his parents. Like Marty McFly, tampering with his past changes things when he eventually returns to the present.<br />
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"Where is Everybody?" is the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone. It's about an Air Force pilot who finds himself in an empty town with no recollection of how he got there or who he is. He spends the episode wandering around searching for signs of life, but only finds, mannequins, lit cigarettes, ringing phones, and an empty movie theater. This was the only Twilight Zone episode filmed on the Universal Studios backlot. Why is important, because the town of Oakwood that Mike Ferris stumbles into in The Twilight Zone is also Hill Valley in the Back to the Future trilogy. <br />
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I decided to take screen shots from Where is Everybody and compare them to Back to the Future, which was filmed about 25 years later. We'll start with the most recognizable landmark, the clock tower itself.<br />
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There it is behind our Twilight Zone character, Mike Ferris. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w3P-99AeNcE/UWg3DHw1v6I/AAAAAAAABaA/e2RnPPPAUGw/s1600/TZ+Court+House.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w3P-99AeNcE/UWg3DHw1v6I/AAAAAAAABaA/e2RnPPPAUGw/s320/TZ+Court+House.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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In Back to the Future, obviously they added the clock. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEONVT9P-FM/UWg3UR4fwVI/AAAAAAAABaI/S7xqdkVqcd8/s1600/BTTF+Court+House+and+Marquee.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEONVT9P-FM/UWg3UR4fwVI/AAAAAAAABaI/S7xqdkVqcd8/s320/BTTF+Court+House+and+Marquee.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the first signs of life Mike encounters turns out to be a mannequin sitting in a car.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRzA7E_iGYY/UWg3159GwSI/AAAAAAAABaQ/lsk_ZWp1LKM/s1600/TZ+Warehouse.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRzA7E_iGYY/UWg3159GwSI/AAAAAAAABaQ/lsk_ZWp1LKM/s320/TZ+Warehouse.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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In Back to the Future, this area becomes the Texaco Station.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwShU2Pa374/UWg5m92GR0I/AAAAAAAABaw/E6dyGfKwFd4/s1600/BTTF+Texaco+(Dummy+Area).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwShU2Pa374/UWg5m92GR0I/AAAAAAAABaw/E6dyGfKwFd4/s320/BTTF+Texaco+(Dummy+Area).png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mike looks inside the building but finds more mannequins</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8xVUHhCiTmI/UWg4gSquT1I/AAAAAAAABag/EnHE62uPXuQ/s1600/TZ+Delivery+Entrance.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8xVUHhCiTmI/UWg4gSquT1I/AAAAAAAABag/EnHE62uPXuQ/s320/TZ+Delivery+Entrance.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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It looks like this doorway is still there.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLAhyTPr_Yc/UWg7KWRjSVI/AAAAAAAABa4/yVwxDf1yQrs/s1600/mannequin+door.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLAhyTPr_Yc/UWg7KWRjSVI/AAAAAAAABa4/yVwxDf1yQrs/s320/mannequin+door.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a shot of the same area, as Mike runs to the ringing phone. The record store entrance is still there with possibly a facade built over the pillars.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jP8I6zqDfuc/UWg4_TudtJI/AAAAAAAABao/K2yXQcWCx3o/s1600/TZ+From+Phone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jP8I6zqDfuc/UWg4_TudtJI/AAAAAAAABao/K2yXQcWCx3o/s320/TZ+From+Phone.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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When Mike enters the phone booth, he looks around the town, which gives us a great view of the entire set.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCP_OeqUq_M/UWhIQWjPYII/AAAAAAAABbI/j-j2MR3k64Y/s1600/TZ+Phone+View+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCP_OeqUq_M/UWhIQWjPYII/AAAAAAAABbI/j-j2MR3k64Y/s320/TZ+Phone+View+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This area is behind Marty and Jennifer when she tells him how great his demo tape is.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i_6kBOk-Jxw/UWhLu3psguI/AAAAAAAABbY/W2kxeUOJRug/s1600/BTTF+Goldie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i_6kBOk-Jxw/UWhLu3psguI/AAAAAAAABbY/W2kxeUOJRug/s320/BTTF+Goldie.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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It looks like one of the oval window was converted/inspired the entry way when they remodeled the building.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4FIyyNom714/UWhLvGuamTI/AAAAAAAABbg/6Z_yfcP8sFs/s1600/BTTF+Goldie+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4FIyyNom714/UWhLvGuamTI/AAAAAAAABbg/6Z_yfcP8sFs/s320/BTTF+Goldie+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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In The Twilight Zone, the building at the end of the street is a post office</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Y-00gLeVWA/UWhPshmujFI/AAAAAAAABbo/ussZ9aF8DYI/s1600/TZ+Phone+View+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Y-00gLeVWA/UWhPshmujFI/AAAAAAAABbo/ussZ9aF8DYI/s320/TZ+Phone+View+3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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In Back to the Future, it's a Bank of America</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FqI0W8P83lE/UWhQGrJuHrI/AAAAAAAABbw/Wm8B2rq54gw/s1600/BTTF+Left+side+of+CH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FqI0W8P83lE/UWhQGrJuHrI/AAAAAAAABbw/Wm8B2rq54gw/s320/BTTF+Left+side+of+CH.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Aside from the third story, this building was brought back to it's Twilight Zone store front for 1955 Hill Valley.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fwDIuLgdLrk/UWhRxbmB95I/AAAAAAAABcA/1Bw6Gwmgsr8/s1600/BTTF+Shops+more.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fwDIuLgdLrk/UWhRxbmB95I/AAAAAAAABcA/1Bw6Gwmgsr8/s320/BTTF+Shops+more.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is a view of the whole street</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-36qN-u3iFUA/UWhQuzBwRkI/AAAAAAAABb4/5-6jI11vs-A/s1600/TZ+Post+Office+Street.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-36qN-u3iFUA/UWhQuzBwRkI/AAAAAAAABb4/5-6jI11vs-A/s320/TZ+Post+Office+Street.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The building at the end of the street appears to be a church, interestingly even though they tore it down by the time Back to the Future was made, the building they put in its place is also a church.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tspFiAQv-LM/UWhSNJoIwgI/AAAAAAAABcI/yqI5ZcHlsH8/s1600/BTTF+Hill+Valley+Sign+(Phone+Booth+Area).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tspFiAQv-LM/UWhSNJoIwgI/AAAAAAAABcI/yqI5ZcHlsH8/s320/BTTF+Hill+Valley+Sign+(Phone+Booth+Area).png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mike's phone booth is actually in the same place as the Hill Valley sign.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OXCQYbr20Fo/UWhStMlCTqI/AAAAAAAABcQ/YluZFdWh_-s/s1600/TZ+Running+to+phone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OXCQYbr20Fo/UWhStMlCTqI/AAAAAAAABcQ/YluZFdWh_-s/s320/TZ+Running+to+phone.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Stayed tuned for part 2 of Back to the Twilight Zone next week!</b></div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-79702009870939936702013-03-21T07:45:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:28:35.620-07:00Tales From The College Program: Road DogBelieve it or not back in 2003 there were Orlando locals who would spend every weekend hanging out at Pleasure Island. The most infamous of these "Islanders" (a term I just created) was a dude named Joe.<br />
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Joe was probably in his mid forties, and dressed like a dude from the mid eighties. Actually that isn't entirely true, most of the time he wore black jeans and a cut off black t-shirt. I can't blame him for the cut offs though, he had to show off the Superman symbol tattoo on his upper shoulder that read "Bon Jovi Forever" (that is 100% true). Joe had a good number of tattoos, off the top of my head I remember him having <a href="http://victoriastaffordapsychicinvestigation.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/2003_freddie_vs_jason_-robert-englund-as-freddy-krueger-and-ken-kirzainger-as-jason-in-new-line-cinema.jpg">Freddie and Jason</a> on his forearm. He also had Cartman from South Park, and of course, every member of KISS. Before I forget to mention it, and you probably would have assumed anyway, Joe had a glorious mullet.<br />
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Dan and I gave Joe the nickname Road Dog because (legend had it) he was the roadie for a bunch of 80's metal bands. We never called him Road Dog to his face though, because Joe was a total jerk. I think he still felt he was back in the 80's making demands for the lead singer of RATT. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7fUf-2uoPk/UUsSQLzfH5I/AAAAAAAABY0/3jYOfaMUKYA/s1600/Ratt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7fUf-2uoPk/UUsSQLzfH5I/AAAAAAAABY0/3jYOfaMUKYA/s320/Ratt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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RATT</div>
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When Joe would come into The Missing Link, he wouldn't walk down towards the register like all the other guests, he would stop right inside the door behind the grill. He would bark his order "2 chili cheese hot dogs, chili cheese fries." Joe never went to the register because he had no intention of paying for his food. I guess sometime in the past he had been given a free meal and had expected one ever since. This was the only conversation you could really get out of him. While his food was being prepared Dan and I would try to talk to him but he usually gave us quick one word answers. We eventually started putting on a real fan fare when he came in which he seemed to enjoy, but didn't get us any closer to the Road Dog. Our relationship felt like we were trying to befriend the school bully who was stealing our lunch money by laughing about it with him.</div>
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If there was on thing that you could say about Joe, it was that he loved KISS. I already mentioned the tattoo, but he also had a black corvette with the members of KISS airbrushed on the hood. He would park it front and center in the Pleasure Island parking lot, not even in a space. One night KISS played a show in Tampa, Joe had told Dan and I that he was going in full make up and that after the show he was driving back to Pleasure Island to show it off. We had the night off but Dan and I made a special trip to PI to see Joe all painted up. He made the 2 hour drive back from Tampa in his KISS make up and showed up just in time to be the person selected to do the nightly Pleasure Island New Years countdown. The DJ played a KISS song and he rocked out on stage feeding off the energy of the crowd like one of the bands he had roadied for so many years before.</div>
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After the fireworks Joe just walked around PI in his KISS costume, Dan and I went up to him and asked for a photo. This was the happiest I had ever seen him, I'm pretty sure we even called him Road Dog when we saw him. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2Utjblc-hY/UUsXjskXNjI/AAAAAAAABY8/dsbclqdcJQc/s1600/Road+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2Utjblc-hY/UUsXjskXNjI/AAAAAAAABY8/dsbclqdcJQc/s400/Road+Dog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It has been almost 10 years since I have seen the Road Dog, but I still have fond memories of his rudeness. Who knows where he has been hanging out since Pleasure Island is no more. Maybe he's a <a href="http://universalorlandoresort.ppblogs.com/files/2011/11/citywalk-orlando-universal-orlando-resort-florida.jpg">"City Walker"</a> now. </div>
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If you are ever in Orlando and see a KISS corvette illegally parked, just know that the Road Dog is near (and some poor employee is getting the brunt of his wrath). Hell hath no fury like a Road Dog scorned.</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-50730556297223596342013-02-19T13:07:00.002-08:002019-07-18T18:29:49.510-07:00Rushmore Day!Did you know February 19th is officially Rushmore Day in Houston?<br />
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Last week I went to a 15th Anniversary screening of Rushmore at The Alalmo Drafthouse in Houston. The films star, Jason Schwartzman was in attendance to meet fans and answer questions before the film. After the Q&A he was given a proclamation from Houston's Mayor naming February 19th Rushmore Day.<br />
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The reason for all of this was because Rushmore was filmed in Houston, and the director, Wes Anderson is a Houston native. If you have never seen the film, you are really missing out. Bill Murray is in it, what else do you need?</div>
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I wrote about the film a few years ago and took some "then and now" photos of the locations, you can see them <a href="http://www.imabloggerdottie.com/2011/07/rushmore-film-locations-part-1.html">here.</a></div>
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I also had the chance to meet Jason, here's the proof.</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-71118582194638277272013-02-11T11:40:00.000-08:002019-07-18T18:30:05.453-07:00Tales From The College Program: Ken's Hell DayMy primary role while working for Disney was at The Missing Link Sausage Company on Pleasure Island. A few days a month I would work at Cirque Du Soleil as a backer for the concession stand cashiers. The jobs consisted of filling drinks and getting popcorn buckets. It was very rare that someone from Cirque came to work at the Link. One day a coworker called in sick and Ken was the unlucky guy who was chosen to fill in. He would be working with me and Dan (the dream team).<br />
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The great thing about working at The Link was the lack of management. We would come in at 6 and spend an hour getting the restaurant ready for guests. Right before 7 our manager John would come in, give us the money for the drawer, then go up to his office for a few minutes before heading back to Cirque where he would spend the rest of the night. We probably wouldn't see him again until almost 1 AM. <br />
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The Link was so small that it only needed 2 people working most nights. Ken came in on a weekend when we needed 3. We spent a good portion of the night hazing him. I think we even stuck him on the grill that night. Dan and I were known to have to pretty messy water fights while working. I'd be up at the register and hear him call me into the back. No sooner had I left the guests view would I see Dan with a bucket of water flinging it at me. Our costume pants were black, and our shirts were also so dark and thick that you could be soaking wet and no one would notice (we also wore black hats). So, Ken spent a good portion of the night soaked.<br />
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A few days before this The Link had a new ice machine delivered. At the time it had not been hooked up yet. When it was time for me to go on break I told Dan, "In a minute tell Ken to check the new ice machine to see if it was working yet." While Dan went back up front I put a trash bag inside of the ice bin, climbed inside of it, and closed the lid. When Ken came back to check on the ice I jumped out just as he was opening the door and scared the crap out of him. He ran across the room screaming. <br />
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Just so you don't think that Dan and I are horrible people, we did let Ken eat whatever leftover food he wanted at the end of the night. Dan might have even made him his famous "Missing Link Sampler" which consisted of everything we sold wrapped up in a spinach tortilla.<br />
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I had asked Ken earlier in the night how he was getting home, he told us he was taking the bus. I told him "Don't worry about the bus, you can come home with Dan and I." (Notice how I didn't say ride) We all lived at Vista Way and as I have explained in previous posts, catching the bus at the end of the night was not easy. On this night however the timing to take the bus was perfect, but since we had already told Ken he could come with us he ignored it and kept walking through the parking lot. At some point he noticed that there were no cars to be found and Dan and I were still walking. He asked "Hey, where is you car?" I replied "I don't have one." That's right, Ken was going to walk home with us, and not only walk, he was going to run across I-4.<br />
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We took Ken to our spot behind the Hilton where we would jump a fence that would leave us right beside I-4. There was a tree we used to climb that was easier than hoping the fence on it's own, we let Ken go first. He broke our tree. After Dan and I were over, the three of us ran across I-4 with no problem. From there we just had to get Ken over the much larger, less sturdy fence that surrounded Vista Way. We eventually made it and Ken's hell day was over.<br />
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He told everyone at Cirque about it which really just made Dan and I more popular. From then on we could go to Cirque and do almost nothing to the amusement of all the other CP's, but that's another story.<br />
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Sorry Ken..... Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-91267581001263252832012-11-30T13:29:00.000-08:002019-07-18T18:30:37.341-07:00Tales From The College Program: The Christmas Parade (Part 2)Day 2:<br />
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There was one thing I did not mention in my previous post, the first day of Christmas Parade taping was hot. The funny thing about day two was the temperature dropped significantly. I went from jeans and a t-shirt to a coat and hat, so did the rest of the crowd. <br />
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Day two started off with Clay Aiken singing at the Main Street train station with a bunch of the characters. He started at the top of the stairs then walked down towards Main Street. After the first take the director picked up his bullhorn. "I'm going to have to ask you guys to take your coats off, you see, when we filmed yesterday everyone was in shorts, it's going to look weird if the people at the train station are in coats and everyone on Main Street is in shorts." No one listened, it was too cold to stand there and pretend you weren't freezing. Clay finished his song and my roommates and I decided it was too cold to stand around so we headed back to Vista Way. <br />
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Day 3:<br />
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Another early/warm morning at the Magic Kingdom. My friends and I decided to walk behind Main Street and see what was going on backstage. There were a few trailers set up in the parking lot so we approached one of the Disney VIP guides to see what was going on. He told us that Raven Symone was inside getting ready to film a segment in Fantasyland. He talked to us for a few minutes before asking if we were Cast Members. When he found out we were his attitude totally changed, he was borderline furious. Why else would we have been backstage? He warned us not to speak, wave, or look at Raven when she came out of her trailer. A few seconds later she emerged, naturally we waved. She waved back and said hello. VIP guy was pissed.<br />
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They loaded her into and SUV and drove off, we headed over to FantasyLand to see what she was going to do. We beat her there and when she arrived saw us and asked "Hey, how did you guys beat me?" I probably don't need to tell you that VIP guy did not like this either. I'm pretty sure he tried to have us removed, but we weren't doing anything wrong. He just scowled at us the whole time.<br />
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After Raven was done we headed back to Main Street to watch Regis and Kelly record their commentary. They were stationed at the end of Main Street just past Casey's Corner. We ended up standing right behind their podium, so if you have eagle eyes you could see me at 3 different parts of Main Street at the same time wearing 3 different outfits. By the time Regis and Kelly were taping their part all the parade floats had been filmed. Main Street was still lined with people though because they needed to see a crowd behind Regis and Kelly. Since there were no floats on the street everyone just started up at Regis. The director didn't like this. He jumped back on his bullhorn "When this airs on TV we are going to put the parade floats behind Regis and Kelly digitally, so I need you guys to pretend a parade is going down the street, wave to each other." The crowd followed these instructions for a few minutes but then focused all their attention back on Regis and Kelly, except when we all had to stare up at the sky and pretend to be waving at the Santa float.<br />
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This concluded my life long dream of attending a Disney World Christmas Parade, it wasn't quite what I expected but it was worth it. There were obviously performances and floats I skipped because of the cold or lack of interest. One of those was Jump 5 (whoever they are), I also missed a second appearance by my baby girl Christy Romano, but I had my picture so I wasn't worried.Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-54236139983770541482012-11-27T08:33:00.002-08:002019-07-18T18:31:14.035-07:00Tales From The College Program: The Christmas Parade (Part 1)Since we are getting into the Holiday season, I suppose it's about time I talked about the Disney Christmas Parade. When I was accepted into the College Program one of the things I was most excited abut was going to The Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day. As a kid I always watched the Disney Christmas Parade and thought about how great it would be to see it live. You can imagine my shock when the first week in December the CP Newsletter announced they needed extras for the parade taping. That's when I realized....They don't actually film the parade of Christmas Day. <br />
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This was 2003 before the boom of social media, I didn't get my news from the internet, so there was really no reason for me to think the parade was filmed on any day but Christmas. Anyway, back to the story.<br />
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The taping was done over 3 days. The first was an early day when only Cast Members could sign up. We met at the Magic Kingdom before the park opened and were taken to Exhibition Hall where they put us in groups and explained what was going to happen. On our way in a manager stopped me and asked if I needed help. It seemed strange to me since everyone walking in was a Cast Member, so I said "Oh, I just need to buy some film (because it was 2003 and people still used film)." She looked confused "Oh....well, uh, we are having an event right now and..uh" She saw me start to laugh and realized I was messing with her. She jokingly said "I hope you don't end up in m group." Naturally, I made sure I was.<br />
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Her name was Cathy, and she was one of the managers at the Emporium. As she walked us to our spot on Main Street for the taping, I caught up with her and asked who we were going to see. She pulled out a slip of paper and read off "Wayne Brady and Disney Channel Stars." I asked "IS CHRISTY ROMANO GOING TO BE HERE?!" She looked down her list, yes she was. I told Cathy that I had to meet her. She promised to do her best to help me and I took my spot on Main Street.<br />
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My roommates and I stood across from the Emporium, this was our view.</div>
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Things started to get underway. The first float was Wayne Brady, he rode down Main Street singing "You'll be in my Heart" from Tarzan.</div>
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When he reached the end (or beginning) of Main Street the music and his float stopped. Alright, I thought, who's next. The float then reversed back to it's starting point and he started over. If I had to guess I'd say that we heard Wayne Brady sing that 40 second clip 6 times. </div>
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He came over to our section to film some "We'll be right back" segments holding a baby that was in the crowd. Then he left, time for the Disney Channel Stars.</div>
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The Disney Channel kids didn't have a float, they just walked down a short section of Main Street singing a song. They consisted of the "That's So Raven" cast and Christy Carlson Romano (Star of Even Steven's and voice of Kim Possible." They didn't take as long as Wayne Brady (which is probably why I don't remember what they sang). They also filmed some promo shots across the street from us.</div>
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My roommate Dan had met Christy a few weeks prior to this, and he never let me forget it. He even had a picture of the 2 together that he would taunt me with. Here it is:</div>
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After they finished their taping, Christy and the other Disney Channel kids were hanging out in a roped off area by the Christmas tree. I went over to Cathy and said "That's her!" Cathy went over to Christy and said "There is a guy over here who would like to meet you." and what do you know, she came right over to me. </div>
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Before I tell you about this part though I need to explain a few things. My coworker, Dan (a different Dan) and I had just bought these children's sized Disney Channel shirts. I had Kim Possible and he had Lizzy Maguire. We also thought it would be a good idea to get our hair cut at Walmart, this resulted in me having to shave my hair as short as possible to correct the atrocity. </div>
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So, Christy comes up to me, compliments my shirt and we take this amazing picture together.</div>
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Do I need to point out how excited she looks in my picture compared to Dan's??</div>
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That was pretty much the end of day one. I was going to write about all 3 days in this one post, but it's already pretty long so I'll save it for tomorrow.</div>
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Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-43802906422182991992012-11-01T09:38:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:31:28.927-07:00Tales From The College Program: No SeatbeltWhen you're a CP without a car the parks are pretty much your only day off destination (not that I had a problem with that). The downside of that being, after riding the Tower of Terror multiple times a week, the thrill is gone. My roommates and I came up with a solution to this and we called it the Seat Belt Scam.<br />
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What we did was this; when we sat in our row we would pull out all the slack from our seat belts. We would then buckle them and sit on the slack. After the doors closed and the ride started we would wait till we reached the first drop and get off the slack. When the ride dropped we would hold the seat belt out as far as it would go and jump off the seat, this way we would fly out of the seat as high as the seatbelt. When the ride was over we would let go of the slack and the seatbelt would retract back in to the appropriate level of restraint. This was enough thrill for us, until my friend Steven came to visit and gave a whole new meaning to "Seat Belt Scam."<br />
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We had told Steven about the Seat Belt Scam and he was anxious to try it out. We were seated in the back row and Steven was given the middle aisle spot, which was perfect for what he had in mind. We all sat down and pulled out our seat belts waiting for the ride to start. When it did, Steven took his shirt off (which was something he would do on Test Track as a single rider to see the reaction of the strangers he was riding with). As we approached the drop Steven slipped out of his seat belt. As he did this, the seat belt retracted. This was why we always held onto the slack at the end of the seat belt, once you let it go, you can not get it back. Even if he wanted to, Steven wasn't getting back into his seat belt.<br />
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The doors opened, light flooded the elevator car and there was Steven standing in the aisle, shirtless and without a seat belt. I'm sure the other riders were terrified for him. Before the car dropped, Steven grabbed ahold of the metal ceiling grate. We all watched as he lifted his legs up, hanging from the ceiling as the ride dropped. He did this at every drop, jumping up and down laughing wildly. Needless to say, it made our Seat Belt Scam look like child's play.<br />
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The ride ended and Steven realized he couldn't squirm his way back into his seat belt. He put his shirt back on and sat back down placing his hand over his stomach to hide the fact that he had no seat belt on. The rest of the car just looked at him in shock. When the doors opened, we knew he was in trouble. Waiting at the exit were 2 Disney officials in suits and a Tower of Terror Cast Member. As we all walked off the ride one of them asked to speak to Steven. Steven sensing he was in trouble said "I'm glad your here, I'd like to register a complaint." He then started to go off about how he had a faulty seat belt. The managers (or whoever they were) obviously weren't buying it. "How did your shirt come off?" they asked him. He told them it was blown off. Surprisingly, he was not forced to leave the park. He was told that if they ever caught him doing it again he would be asked to leave. Steven still maintaining his faulty seat belt alibi assured them that he would not be riding the Tower of Terror again.<br />
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While Steven was talking to the Disney authorities, the rest of us stood at a safe distance and listened. When he rejoined the group we all ran to the photo area hoping to see the picture of a shirtless Steven hanging like a monkey from the ceiling. Unfortunately, the powers that be decided that our photo was "Lost in the Twilight Zone." Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-23775174232390403282012-10-15T13:35:00.002-07:002019-07-17T20:48:45.727-07:00Walt Disney's FBI File: Part 2Last time we looked at documents from Walt's FBI file that dealt with the various film and television specials. Today we will look at correspondences between the Disney family and J. Edgar Hoover.<br />
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The first is one Walt sent to Hoover after receiving a congratulatory letter about his Milestone Award.<br />
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Here is an exchange between Walt and Hoover discussing the FBI's cooperation with Walt's news reels.</div>
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Here is an interesting one where someone suggests that Hoover send an autographed copy of his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Deceit-J-Edgar-Hoover/dp/B003EHB30M/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350332203&sr=1-6&keywords=j.+edgar+hoover">Master of Deceit</a> to Walt.</div>
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Hoover listened, because here is Walt's reply.</div>
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The FBI took great interest in Walt's death. They clipped his obituary and Hoover even sent a sympathy letter to Lillian (not before a memo requested he do so first).</div>
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The letter suggesting Hoover contact Lillian.</div>
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The letter.</div>
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I find the letter to Lillian very interesting, especially the note at the bottom. Walt being a Special Correspondent on a first name basis.</div>
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They even kept record of his funeral.</div>
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Walt and Lillian weren't the only Disney's who received a letter from Hoover. Here is one he sent Roy after meeting him in DC. he even sent along a photo of them together (not shown in the file).</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-13395775168962425622012-10-10T11:52:00.001-07:002019-07-17T20:49:09.910-07:00Walt Disney's FBI File: Part 1About six years ago I read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disney-Hollywoods-Prince-Hardcover/dp/B00855G3EE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1349892952&sr=8-5&keywords=hollywoods+dark+prince">Hollywood's Dark Prince</a>, the most ridiculous of all Walt Disney biographies. It's actually worth reading just for the outrageous claims Marc Eliot makes. Just to give you an idea, the book says Flora was not Walt's mother, he was the illegitimate child of Elias and a mexican woman. Walt hid this whole life by hiring her as his house keeper. One of the biggest "revelations" though is that Walt secretly worked for the FBI giving them names of communists in Hollywood. The book has a few photos from pages of Walt's FBI file to back up the claim. Well, after reading the book I decided to get a copy of his FBI file myself.<br />
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Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) getting a copy of a persons FBI file is pretty easy. I made the request with FOIA and explained why I wanted to see the file. About 3 months later they replied saying that my request was approved; all I needed to do was pay them $15. Another 3 months went by, they confirmed that I had paid and about a month later I received a CD-R in the mail. Inside a blank card board sleeve where someone had written Disney,Walt were 2 PDF files containing the 495 pages of Walt's FBI file. <br />
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The first PDF mainly discusses The Mickey Mouse Club wanting to tape a news reel segment in DC. The quality is pretty bad. Most of the pages look like they were scanned, then photocopied and scanned again. There are also a good number of pages that are completely blacked out, but I'm getting ahead of myself. <br />
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Here's one of the pages on the Mickey Mouse Club.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jg0u-TAufPE/UHW-TTCBzEI/AAAAAAAABEo/4dqtsTSQsDM/s1600/Mouse+Club+FBI.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jg0u-TAufPE/UHW-TTCBzEI/AAAAAAAABEo/4dqtsTSQsDM/s400/Mouse+Club+FBI.JPG" width="306" /></a></div>
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One film the FBI was very interested in was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Pilot">Moon Pilot</a>. There are dozens of pages of correspondence about this film and cut outs from multiple news paper reviews.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4ee_iCpN14/UHW-4uTlOwI/AAAAAAAABEw/me_FiNPAl9g/s1600/Moon+Pilot+Blacked+out.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4ee_iCpN14/UHW-4uTlOwI/AAAAAAAABEw/me_FiNPAl9g/s400/Moon+Pilot+Blacked+out.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
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I wonder what was said here that they needed to black out. Funny how after it mentions UFO's and J. Edgar Hoover we are not allowed to read anything else.</div>
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Here's one of the reviews:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MvlFzwhsnmI/UHW_MzK-a2I/AAAAAAAABE4/26WwVKSL4-A/s1600/Moon+Pilot+Review.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MvlFzwhsnmI/UHW_MzK-a2I/AAAAAAAABE4/26WwVKSL4-A/s400/Moon+Pilot+Review.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
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One of the "proofs" of Walt's involvement with the FBI in <i>Hollywood's Dark Prince</i> was this newspaper article:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wx6C17VdljE/UHW_pUzXIXI/AAAAAAAABFE/kIoUX_gtZLE/s1600/DC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wx6C17VdljE/UHW_pUzXIXI/AAAAAAAABFE/kIoUX_gtZLE/s400/DC.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
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Since we are on the topic of film, I found this entry a bit odd:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2vPjxMbheJE/UHW_1fDoKqI/AAAAAAAABFM/L2IpAJKD2Fo/s1600/Child+Killer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2vPjxMbheJE/UHW_1fDoKqI/AAAAAAAABFM/L2IpAJKD2Fo/s400/Child+Killer.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
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The above entry details a conversation Walt had with an agent where Walt volunteers to make educational films about avoiding strangers and things of that nature. The way the agent describes it in the beginning though makes it sound like Walt had a real interest in a recent child murder.</div>
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There are also a few FBI memos discussing if the Bureau should accept Walt's invitation to the opening of Disneyland.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnD86_p8EIs/UHXAzSonE-I/AAAAAAAABFU/7Suva4OB_Qs/s1600/FBI+DL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnD86_p8EIs/UHXAzSonE-I/AAAAAAAABFU/7Suva4OB_Qs/s400/FBI+DL.JPG" width="303" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Unm1euXXxCc/UHXA35s0QgI/AAAAAAAABFc/wJH3dxcxroo/s1600/DisneyLand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Unm1euXXxCc/UHXA35s0QgI/AAAAAAAABFc/wJH3dxcxroo/s400/DisneyLand.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
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I do find it interesting that the FBI lists Walt as an SAC contact. SAC standing for "Special Agent in Charge." Did <i>Hollywood's Dark Prince</i> get something right? Was Walt really an FBI informant? In Part 2 we will look at Walt's correspondence with J. Edgar Hoover! </div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-90575222908095230892012-10-02T11:43:00.000-07:002019-07-17T20:49:37.164-07:00MGM Studios Ninja Turtles Show.Nickelodeon recently rebooted the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise, so what better time to share the pictures I found of the TMNT show at MGM. These are from the summer of 1990.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XfjSHzO67po/UGsz8uK5CWI/AAAAAAAABC4/DJtD6FYZgLI/s1600/turtles+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XfjSHzO67po/UGsz8uK5CWI/AAAAAAAABC4/DJtD6FYZgLI/s400/turtles+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'd love to know where this Turtle Van is now.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Uq2wnDhuXs/UGs1COR7ZcI/AAAAAAAABDY/FFmdd2KX6Ww/s1600/donatello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Uq2wnDhuXs/UGs1COR7ZcI/AAAAAAAABDY/FFmdd2KX6Ww/s400/donatello.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I know there is a picture of me somewhere with April, but I'm 99% sure I was wearing a fanny pack, so that one will probably never see the light of day (cut me some slack I was 8).</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-67923392228853026482012-08-01T12:36:00.002-07:002019-07-17T20:48:19.316-07:00Jumanji Film LocationsWhile I was in New Hampshire last week, I stopped in Keene to take some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumanji">Jumanji</a> comparison shots. <br />
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Let's start at the beginning of the film.</div>
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In the opening scene Alan Parrish rides his bike past a statue of his ancestor, Angus Parrish. I had been to Keene once before and knew there was a statue in this square, so I assumed they just attached a fake plaque to it, I was wrong.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xxSclFauxKc/UBl8J1EfLKI/AAAAAAAAA_E/gNDZnPWJh0w/s1600/DSC_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xxSclFauxKc/UBl8J1EfLKI/AAAAAAAAA_E/gNDZnPWJh0w/s400/DSC_0258.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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They built the prop statue on top of this rock fountain. Why not just use the existing one?</div>
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Here's another statue screen shot.</div>
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It almost looks like they tried to brush out the actual statue in the opening shot from the film.</div>
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This Parrish shoes ad can be seen briefly in the film and appears in the back ground of the second statue picture I posted. Here it is today.</div>
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Moving onto the stampede scenes.</div>
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Turns out Frank's Barber Shop is still there too.</div>
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So is this old coke mural</div>
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Run Kirsten!</div>
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Stampede!</div>
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In this shot you can see the statue that's actually in the town square.</div>
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There is a church back there, the trees are just too full to see it.</div>
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While trying to solve the mystery of the second statue I came across <a href="http://home.myfairpoint.net/dmshepnh/display.html">this website</a>. It contained a photo of the Angus Parrish statue and explained how it was made!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gew0m6uKaow/UBmDqjOfkpI/AAAAAAAABBM/h3OcHx5CCus/s1600/standard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gew0m6uKaow/UBmDqjOfkpI/AAAAAAAABBM/h3OcHx5CCus/s400/standard.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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<i>In the fall of 1994 a movie company came to Keene tofilm some scenes for the
movie <b>Jumanji</b>, starring Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst. The
following spring the company was to return to Keene to shoot some more scenes.
The spring time scenes would be set in the year 1969 and as the president of a
local car club I worked with the props manager to arrange for period correct
vehicles to be available. I was able to move around behind the scenes and
photograph what was goin on. One of the major background props for the film was
the large advertisement for Parrish Shoes which is still visible downtown.
Another major prop was a statue of General Parrish, ancestor to the character
that Robin Williams played in the movie. </i><b>(This is incorrect, but whatever)</b><br />
<i>The statue was created and painted to resemble a weathered bronze casting
upon a granite pedistal. The statue is actually a closed-cell foam carefully
carved and painted to give the effect of weathered bronze. The base is plywood
that was painted to match the granite in the existing fountain on Central
square. The "statue" was only in place for a few days during the the fall and
spring filming. After the filming was completed in Keene, the plywood base and
foam statue were essentially given to the city. Both components were being
stored at the Colonial Theater the last I knew.</i><br />
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Wow, thanks guy! Now I just need to go back to Keene and explore the storage area of the Colonial Theater.</div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-33591025505092480752012-06-14T13:00:00.003-07:002019-07-18T18:32:07.880-07:00The Blank Check HouseAfter the success of Home Alone movie studios did not waste anytime copying the formula (kid outsmarts bad guys). While the worst offender was probably Three Ninjas, Disney was also guilty with Blank Check. They even used it as a selling point!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk2pSjkyYMQ/T9o9WlpSyEI/AAAAAAAAA6o/Q1ZnOZQ3rds/s1600/1994-blank-check-poster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk2pSjkyYMQ/T9o9WlpSyEI/AAAAAAAAA6o/Q1ZnOZQ3rds/s400/1994-blank-check-poster1.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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I saw Blank Check in the theater, I remember because it was the only time in my movie going life that the theater manager came out and talked to us about how the movie was filmed in Texas (which is where I live). So, on a recent trip to Austin, I stopped by the Blank Check house.</div>
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Here is how it appeared in the film:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udB7DwYOl24/T9o-R8RstdI/AAAAAAAAA70/ghrbt7xKk6U/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udB7DwYOl24/T9o-R8RstdI/AAAAAAAAA70/ghrbt7xKk6U/s400/Picture+3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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And today:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m0Qc9zP07vM/T9o-udycryI/AAAAAAAAA78/jldwcO51TH4/s1600/DSC_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m0Qc9zP07vM/T9o-udycryI/AAAAAAAAA78/jldwcO51TH4/s400/DSC_0272.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see, they've done quite a bit of remodeling.</div>
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Not to mention the heavy plant growth which makes it almost unrecognizable.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J_r_WSorrFs/T9o_EI559UI/AAAAAAAAA8I/4EDG2amCP5o/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J_r_WSorrFs/T9o_EI559UI/AAAAAAAAA8I/4EDG2amCP5o/s400/Picture+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The old garage door is now a window</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQc2eKrm7pI/T9o_WsF6VjI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/IIhREWf1OS8/s1600/DSC_0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQc2eKrm7pI/T9o_WsF6VjI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/IIhREWf1OS8/s400/DSC_0274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The original entry way has been completely removed.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTFvtqj27LA/T9o_ofVQWcI/AAAAAAAAA8g/yQU9gbXiY80/s1600/DSC_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTFvtqj27LA/T9o_ofVQWcI/AAAAAAAAA8g/yQU9gbXiY80/s400/DSC_0276.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the front door now:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4OhxZWvbizA/T9o_6IyBO8I/AAAAAAAAA8o/m2VpNNdGIJo/s1600/DSC_0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4OhxZWvbizA/T9o_6IyBO8I/AAAAAAAAA8o/m2VpNNdGIJo/s400/DSC_0282.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I drove around to the side and found the back gate open. In the film, the back yard had a pool, go cart track, batting cages, and all sorts of bounce houses. The new owners must not have liked the water slide from the bedroom because the whole back yard is torn up.</div>
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I was hoping the workers would be out so I could ask them for a peek inside. That didn't happen though, this open window was my only glimpse.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zkd-upfEFLw/T9pBt76HmeI/AAAAAAAAA9E/kyQ4nt4M1KE/s1600/DSC_0277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zkd-upfEFLw/T9pBt76HmeI/AAAAAAAAA9E/kyQ4nt4M1KE/s400/DSC_0277.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a little info on the house, which is actually The Pemberton Castle</div>
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If you want to visit, the address is:</div>
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1415 Wooldridge Dr. Austin, TX</div>
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I guess the only thing that has changed more than the house is the actor from the film. Here is a current picture of Brian Bonsall.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QhKW0ygOl80/T9pnd7Po8sI/AAAAAAAAA9c/Hc2CjJ3iV28/s1600/brian-bonsall-arrested-again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QhKW0ygOl80/T9pnd7Po8sI/AAAAAAAAA9c/Hc2CjJ3iV28/s320/brian-bonsall-arrested-again.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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When he isn't out getting neck tattoos, or running from the law, he does a pretty <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXMcUA6RbZ0">descent acoustic cover of the NOFX classic "Linoleum".</a></div>
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<br />Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-90464103054446612932012-03-22T12:52:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:32:39.024-07:00America The Musical 1988.All of these shots are from the same trip in 1988. They were all together, but it's hard to imagine they are all from the same parade. Hippy Pooh and surfing Tigger seem really out of place.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zjMjKLt3LRw/T2uBQnpFSaI/AAAAAAAAA40/7LXg_aJMowU/s1600/Surfing+Tigger+88.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zjMjKLt3LRw/T2uBQnpFSaI/AAAAAAAAA40/7LXg_aJMowU/s400/Surfing+Tigger+88.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Surfing Tigger??!!</div>
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Practical Pig is never having fun....</div>
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Psychedelic Pooh.</div>
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I love "stern face" Captain Hook</div>
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Indian Chip n Dale</div>
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Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-33312694118813978172012-01-26T13:31:00.000-08:002019-07-18T18:33:49.456-07:0020 Feet Under The SeaDid you know that at Disney's Castaway Cay there is a sunken Nautilus from the old 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride? Did you also know that I went there in December and braved the cold water to take photos of it for you guys? Well, I did!<br />
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Here's a picture of a Nautilus in its glory days.</div>
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What's interesting is that the parts you could not see when the ride was open are now the only parts you see. Meaning, it is now upside down, sunken in the sand.</div>
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I also found this guy hanging out down there.</div>
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Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-47070586939055843302012-01-02T11:28:00.000-08:002019-07-18T18:34:47.415-07:00Film Cameras: Polaroid Sun 660Over the summer I decided the buy a Polaroid camera, this turned out to be harder than I imagined. The first problem is that most of the ones being sold online usually say "I think it works." which was a gamble I was not willing to take. Then, like a sign from the gods, I saw this on my Grandma's couch.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/---1HdtuZd04/TwH-Ol_rvTI/AAAAAAAAAxo/KPIfXzofGiQ/s1600/2d59959e1dea11e19896123138142014_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/---1HdtuZd04/TwH-Ol_rvTI/AAAAAAAAAxo/KPIfXzofGiQ/s320/2d59959e1dea11e19896123138142014_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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She was pretty surprised by my enthusiasm over her old camera, so she gave it to me. Next step, find film! In case you did not know, Polaroid no longer makes 600 instant film. This means that your main option is buying expired film online for $35 (and up) for one pack (which is 10 pictures). Luckily some die hard Polaroid employees started <a href="http://the-impossible-project.com/">The Impossible Project</a>, and they make the film now. </div>
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Their film will still run you about $30 (for 8 pictures) but they have some pretty awesome film options. I went with the Color Shade film because it gives the pictures a real 70's/80's look. The only problem was that it took me 4 pictures to figure out which way to push the light meter. In one video they said towards the light end which washed out my photos. You also have to shield the photo from light for the first 5 minutes, this meant that I shot the photo right into the film box. I left the other photos inside which caused a few blemishes on the developing picture. So, like I said before, it took me 4 of my 8 shots to get everything right. Was it worth it, I think so. I have already bought a few more packs to experiment with for my next trip. Anyway, enough chit chat, let's just look at the pictures.</div>
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My first shot was of the Mexico Pavilion. The brown spot is where the film hit the box...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--5pC9e9oyWY/TwIDHrzk_II/AAAAAAAAAyc/AhQqcSywbKk/s1600/Mexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--5pC9e9oyWY/TwIDHrzk_II/AAAAAAAAAyc/AhQqcSywbKk/s400/Mexico.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>
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The Imagination Pavilion. With this one I had pushed the meter more towards the light end because at the time the Mexico shot was not full developed.</div>
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The sun really got me on this one, and it was after this I decided to ignore the advice and switch the meter over to the dark side.</div>
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Things started looking up at the Haunted Mansion. It was after this shot I realized the picture had ran across the other 3 shots in the box (causing the brown spot) and took them all out before taking the next one.</div>
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Becky in Frontierland, we finally got it right.</div>
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Again in Liberty Square</div>
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Here'e me! (the white at the bottom was the box we were taking the pictures into, it was Becky's first try, cut her some slack)</div>
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She redeemed herself with this one.</div>
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There you have it kids. My advice, go buy a Polaroid 600 camera and some Impossible Film, you won't regret it. Plus, now that you know what not to do you can start off taking great pictures. I plan on brining the Polaroid every time we go to the parks now. Let's start a gang!</div>
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Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332559719038594888.post-70819874451954552252011-11-15T09:32:00.000-08:002019-07-18T18:35:37.972-07:001990 MGM Shows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are a few pictures from my families 1990 trip to Walt Disney World. It would appear that in my younger years I really enjoyed watching shows.</div>
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Maybe I liked shows so much back then because they were awesome. Rescue Rangers, Yes please. Although, Gadget does look pretty nuts. </div>
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Duck Tales and Gummi Bears! </div>
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Let's hope that with the new Muppet movie coming out in a few weeks Disney will dust off these costumes. </div>
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Don't forget about the Ninja Turtles, it wouldn't be a proper 1990 post without them!</div>
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Donniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967754816339025176noreply@blogger.com0