Bay Lake views

2010-04-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

So if you're tired of not reading long boring posts on here, maybe you can read short, pithy news headlines on twitter @TheNewsHaiku. And I've actually been doing well keeping up with my News & Record blog, too!

In an amazing development, I'm mostly done with my trip report about our visit to Hilton Head. I'll post it here shortly.

Getting the hang of it

2010-03-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

OK. So I've got two real, live posts up on the paper's Web site. Why is it that I feel like for some reason that it is more legit and nerve-wracking because it is there? It's not like people are going to FLOCK to that blog either - historically the paper's blogs have not been a real hotbed of readership.

But I feel a lot more exposed putting it out there than putting this out here. I guess this is just a little more anonymous. I mean, I don't have it blocked. (I DO have my facebook and twitter blocked, so that's a little more private.)

Anyway, I SWEAR I WILL post my trip report from Hilton Head soon. I wrote down a rough synopsis with Jay when I got back from Jersey on Monday night. So as soon as I post my school assignment this week, I'll start it. :)

I did it!

2010-03-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

OK. I finally did it. And this is a little bizarre. Now I'm putting up a blog post on my personal blog about starting a blog for work. And then it's going to post on Facebook so that people can come to my personal blog, but there will be a link to my blog at work. I think eventually, our brains will actually ooze out of our heads.

If you go to the site and give me hits, I might not get laid off this year. Please and thank you. :)

Here's the link: http://www.news-record.com/blog/scenic

Gulp.

2010-03-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

So the IT folks have created the logo for Scenic Route, and the copy is finalized for the title.

Looks like I'll really be launching it on the paper's Web site sometime next week! I'm really excited, but also a little nervous. What if nobody reads it? What if people read it, and they think it is super lame?

Also, if I am doing it as part of my job, am I going to resent having to do it?

I guess I'll just have to wait and see. For now, I have a list of ideas to write about to get me started, and lots of stories from AP that I can post in case I can't come up with anything. So that's comforting. :)

One down, one to go

2010-03-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

So I just sent my final project for one of my classes this semester, which means I'll finally be able to catch my breath as my second class gears up. Terrorism is over. Sustainable living is next. (Yes, I WAS taking a diverse class load this semester).

This one is over in late April. Then one class over the summer and one in the fall, and I'm done!

So, now that I'm down to one class, I'll be able to start work on the travel blog for work, which should be operational soon. AND, I'll be able to write a mini trip report from our fabulous trip to Hilton Head, which may be the strangest place I've ever been.

Pretty, yes. But it's just so elite and so private, I can't imagine living there. I guess that's the draw for a lot of people. But I can't imagine living somewhere where there is a $5 gate fee for people to come into your neighborhood. Seriously?

Hilton Head awaits

2010-02-19T14:40:00.000-08:00

Before we go on our Hilton Head getaway, I have lots of school work, laundry, packing, etc. to do. And I have absolutely NO planning done for this vacation. Which is a very odd experience for me. Usually, I have some kind of itinerary in my head. So I figure I'll be a little more like an average tourist, and we'll go where the days take us.

We leave Sunday and come back Thursday. But we're super excited to be staying at one of the properties included in our Disney Vacation Club. But in the meantime, wish me luck while I'm cracking the books. I hope to write about our trip when I get back to get in the habit for the travel blog.

Uh-oh...

2010-02-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have committed to an actual blog-writing project for work. This means I will actually have to write on a regular basis instead of just reading other peoples blogs and making snarky comments or clicking "like."

Ruh-roh.

The good news is, it's something that I actually am interested in, and pitched - a travel blog. So now I can get paid for something I enjoy. Isn't that what people say you should do?

It's gonna be called "Scenic Route" and it'll be linked to through the paper's web site, www.news-record.com in a couple of weeks. Gulp. Ideas from those of you who do this are are appreciated. Thanks!

Bad, bad blogger

2009-10-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Let's not even really say I'm a blogger, ok? I mean, technically, I seem to have, well, I guess you can call this a blog, but to call one's self a blogger, one has to, well, blog. (How many commas were in one sentence?)

And since according to this, I haven't posted since Aug. 31, I think I should have my license revoked or something. I AM posting some - but mostly about the topic at hand as it relates to school stuff - on the blog for my class this semester. (emergingpowers.blogspot.com) I guess that doesn't really count.

Besides, folks, any of you guys who are reading me already know everything that's going on, right?

Relaxing at the beach - is there anything better?

2009-08-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

OK, so I can't say enough about how much fun we had on our beach vacation. Trip report to come.

In the meantime, here's the view from our porch! I mean, seriously, I took this with a point and shoot camera.

More to come with pictures - and hopefully pictures from my kayaking trip, too, if I can get the pictures from the waterproof camera processed in a reasonable amount of time.

Beach trip ahoy!

2009-08-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

So this is my last Saturday at work before our beach trip! I can't wait! We're staying at a house on Emerald Isle, right on the Bogue sound, facing the sunset - so it should be beautiful.

We're hoping to relax, read, beach, eat great seafood, visit aquariums, play board games, etc. And I really, really want to go kayaking - perhaps around Cape Lookout. Jay will get some good runs in, and I can't wait to do some sun salutations out in the backyard.

Then it's full steam ahead planning the trip to Disney for Holly's birthday!

Also, I think I really need to be a better blogger. Only one post a month doesn't really create a following, does it? :)

School and work and busy, oh, my!

2009-07-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

So, the dog days of Summer are supposed to be laid back and easy - but for some reason, my July has been uber busy. My global economics class is crammed into five weeks, I've got a big project at work coming to a head, and (this is fun and good) I've had lots of social things with friends.

But boy, am I gonna crash out tired the first weekend of August. Luckily a trip to the beach is only three weeks after that. Whew.

Planning trips is fun!

2009-06-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

So the thing that keeps me sane at work is looking forward to new vacations.

For a long time, I was thinking I would have to wait until August for our super fun beach trip with friends. I'm really looking forward to it - and thank goodness it's only two months away.

But now, Jay and I are thinking about a three-day weekend, with a drive down to the lake house. Ahhhhh... That would be relaxing.

We're also full steam ahead planning our September Disney trip for birthday celebrations for a friend who has NEVER been! Where do I start? I want to show her everything! But don't want her or her husband to find out what a true Disney dork I really am. No matter - I'm trying to plan a great, relaxing time - and that relaxes me! Good all around.

Now, what shall we plan for October???:)

Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Disney in the rain is better than work - Final installment

2009-05-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Postscript, final thoughts and magical memories
Best thing about our trip: Spending time together at our new vacation home – and knowing that we'll get to do it for the next 49 years!
Worst thing about our trip: Being soggy

So we finally got our luggage delivered from AirTran. But not without a rigamarole. I called the dispatcher at 11:30 a.m. Friday morning, and they told me it had come in on the first flight of the day, and would be here within four hours. I hadn't heard anything by 4, so I called and got an answering machine. Shortly after, I got a call from the delivery service, saying that they'd be leaving Raleigh just before 5. Sigh. He finally delivered it around 7 p.m. By the time I got it upstairs to take the laundry out, I realized that the bag was also pretty badly damaged. The supports that hold up the handle from the inside were completely snapped in two. Great.

So we're still working that out.

But overall, we had such a wonderful vacation. Kidani Village is still growing into itself, and I think it will get even better with age – as the flowers and trees get settled and more people discover how wonderful it is.

The cast member at check in said they were 90 percent booked (but only 2/3 of the resort is open so far.) Still, with that being the case, we never had to wait in line for anything, and no public spaces ever seemed very crowded – even with the rain that kept some people in.

The details like the artifacts and proverbs on the walls and the carvings on the walls into the library are classic Disney.

There were lots of quiet spaces, too, like the library and the porches with rocking chairs overlooking the savanna.

The attention to detail greets you as soon as you walk in the front entry.

There were little things about the rooms that might need a tweak for future designers – the fans in the bathroom turn on and off based on motion, which is great, except at night, when they took a while to cycle off. The room in the bathroom with just the water closet needs a picture or something. It's like a jail cell. An extra hook or towel bar would be handy in the studio bathroom. There needs to be a nightstand on both sides of the bed. And mostly, we need a covering for the path to the buses.

The service was top-notch Disney, and nearly every cast member we encountered – both at AKLV and other places – lived up to our expectations. It's one reason we return again and again, much to the bewilderment of many of our friends and family. But it truly is an escape, and the people who work there really do go out of their way to fulfill any reasonable request that you have. They know you're dropping a lot of money there, and they want you to come back. We certainly will.

And we wish we had bought into DVC much sooner. The advertised rack rate for the room we stayed in for four nights was $450! So that's worth $1800. Now, would we ever have actually stayed in a room that cost that much? No way. But even assuming that we would have likely stayed in a moderate resort, that would have been $150 a night. ($600). We each got $100 off of annual passes, and got several discounts on some restaurants. So using conservative estimates, this trip would have cost $1000. Not too bad when you consider this will be around for 50 years, and it will have paid for itself in five or so years. We'll have enough points to take another trip in the fall, too.

Anyway, for those of you who actually read this much, congratulations. Trip reports really do give me ideas for future trips and psych me up to go, so I wanted to offer the same for y'all. Thanks! See ya real soon!

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Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Disney in the rain is better than work - Part VII

2009-05-30T13:18:00.002-07:00

Thursday, May 19: The long journey home
Miles walked today: 7.1 miles
Best thing today: Soarin'
Worst thing today: Leaving WDW

One final wake-up call from Mickey and Stitch and it was time to start packing. We looked out the window and saw a tiny patch of blue sky, but it was still mostly cloudy.

We left a credit card on file, so there was no need to check out. We went to check our luggage in, they tagged it and gave us our boarding passes. The idea was that we wouldn't have to deal with them again until we reached our final destination.

Then we checked our carry-on bags with bell services who would hold them while we played in the parks.

It was the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, but with the cloudy/rainy weather, I knew we wouldn't get a chance to explore most of the exhibits. The real reason we were headed over was to ride Soarin'. After arriving and passing under the world's largest silver golf ball, we checked the tip board and saw that fast passes WERE still available for it. Score! So we headed over there, and discovered that the fastpass time was 3:35-4:35, and our shuttle from the hotel was leaving at 4:30. No way we'd make it.

So we decided to have lunch, and then come wait standby. The rain held off long enough for us to head over to England for some Harry Ramsden fish and chips at the Yorkshire Fish House. Not healthy or gourmet, but very fresh, hot and delicious.

We also added to our growing pin collection by getting the 2009 Flower and Garden pin as we walked over. (Did anyone else start collecting pins, thinking it would be a "cheap" way to collect souvenirs? I bet our pin collection would buy another 25 DVC points! )

We pondered this year's poster, but the colors didn't go with our house. What was neat, though, is that the artist who did this year's poster had a booth set up with her other work. Clever.

We trekked back to the land for our 60 minute standby wait at Soarin'. It ended up being about that, but again, we met some nice people in line to pass the time with, and Disney had group interactive games set up in part of the queue, which made the time go by quickly. After an exhilarating hangglide ride over California's majestic landscape, filled with sounds, smells and wind, we landed safely on the ground.

We still had just a little bit of time left before it was time to go, so we visited with the dolphins, sea turtles, spotted rays and manatees over at the Seas with Nemo and Friends. We also saw Turtle Talk with Crush, which was super fun. How do they do it?

When we have a rental car, it's also our tradition to go to Ghirardelli at Downtown Disney for a going-away ice cream. Call it softening the blow of driving away. Since we knew that wouldn't be possible, we stopped for a Mickey Bar on the way out to the bus back to the hotel.

We got back to the resort at about 4 p.m., took some final pictures and chatted with another lovely cast member working out on the savanna. Goodbye, animals!

Here are some final images - the rain held off long enough to get some of these:

The bus rolled up exactly at 4:30, and we were the only ones from Kidani. Another several families joined us at Jambo House, but by then the bus was only about ¼ full. That changed when we made a final pickup at Pop Century. We were glad that the bus picked us up three hours before our flight, as loading took a while. Finally, at about 5:15, we were on our way to Orlando International.

They showed a cute movie about going through security, and things to do to kill time, including getting that last minute Mickey doll. (Or, as Donald suggested, a Donald Duck toy, instead.)

A quick bite for dinner and we boarded our flight to Atlanta. We called the hotel in Raleigh to let them know that we'd need a pickup later that night, at about 11:30. They told us the service stopped at 11 p.m. Doh! I had been told they'd pick us up! Oh well. At least we knew at that point that we'd have to take a cab from the airport.

The connection to Raleigh was uneventful, and we headed to the baggage carousel. Our first bag was one of the first off the plane. Hooray, we thought, magical express worked great! But then the other bag never came.

Turns out, it wasn't Disney's mistake – AirTran tracked it down, and it was still in Atlanta. Sigh. Luckily, that was the bag with all of the dirty laundry, and nothing valuable. The clerk wasn't amused when I suggested that they could deliver it to us after doing the laundry. Nothing we could do, so we filed a claim, and they said they'd deliver it on Friday. Luckily, I had taken the day off off work for some appointments and to do laundry, unpack, etc.

We called a cab, which took us back to the hotel. Loaded up the car and drove the hour and a half to our warm, cozy home, and were greeted by our two kitties. Tired from a day of travel, we fell asleep pretty quickly that night.

Coming next: Final reflections

Attached Thumbnails

Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Disney in the rain is better than work - Part VI

2009-05-30T13:18:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, May 20: Hidden treasures and old favorites
Miles walked today: 5.2 miles
Best thing today: California Grill and cab rides
Worst thing today: Obnoxious bus people

(Sorry - no pictures from today)

It was a day for Jay to run – so he went and did that while I did some yoga and straightened up the room. We knew we would never make our 11 a.m reservation at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian, so I cancelled that. The only thing left on our schedule today was a reservation at California Grill at 9 p.m. for our last night in town. (Another tradition for us). We feared that the 9 p.m fireworks show would be rained out, but we were crossing our fingers.

After an uneventful ride over to the Magic Kingdom around noon, we walked in and noticed that The Castle looked especially pretty. The blues on the tops of the turrets were especially blue – maybe because the sun was out and grey sky was the background. We headed to Jungle Cruise to get a fast pass, figuring that that outdoor ride was one we wanted to do early on.

We were hungry, and on our way to Pecos Bill, we stumbled upon El Pirata y El Perico, across the street from Pirates of the Caribbean. We usually come in the winter season, and this place isn't always open, so we decided to try it based on the raving recommendations we had from friends. There were literally three things on the menu: beef tacos, vegetarian tacos and a taco salad. Jay had the veggie tacos and I got the taco salad. You basically get the shell and whatever your base is, and then you head to the toppings bar for all of the tomato, lettuce, salsa, cheese you want. It was simple, it was cheap, it was fast and it was DELICIOUS!

After lunch, we still had a few minutes before our fast pass time, so we stayed in the neighborhood to ride Pirates. Short wait for the old classic.

Then it was time to turn in our fast passes for Jungle Cruise. It's a good thing we used them when they did, 'cause it was starting to drizzle, and you could hear thunder in the distance. As we left the dock, there was an announcement to those waiting in line that the ride could be shut down at any time for thunder and lightning storms. A GREAT skipper, with some new corny jokes we hadn't hear before. As we went into the tunnel part, he started whistling the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme song, followed by It's a Small World. Very funny.

By the time we reached the docks, it really did resemble the rain forest. We jumped off, threw on our ponchos and headed to one of my must-dos – Haunted Mansion. On the way, we passed the Hall of Presidents, which has a huge scaffolding with a facade around it. I'm guessing as they install President Obama in the attracton, the building itself must be getting a facelift.

The line at the mansion is underneath a covered awning, so there was a little bit longer of a wait than usual, but before long, we were hanging out with the grim grinning ghosts. The tall, skinny one joined us in the Doom Buggy to follow us home.

The rain was just not letting up at all. So we headed for another indoor attraction that has become one of our favorites – Mickey's Philharmagic. There was also some sort of fake wall up around Small World, but with the rain, we didn't stop to investigate.

We hit philharmagic just right, with very little wait and had a blast. My favorite part is the apple pie scent. It's just so well done. As we left, the rain was so heavy, and had been for so long, that almost all of the sidewalks were just flooded. In some places, the water was up to our shins – so we knew that our day was winding down. It just wasn't fun any more. We decided to do Buzz Lightyear and maybe Laugh Floor and call it a day.

So we swam over to Buzz Lightyear and rode it twice in a row, 'cause there was no line. The first time, I beat Jay handily, but the second time, he found the mother of all targets – and ended with 999,999 points!!! Yikes. We rounded the corner to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and saw another interactive show. I love some of the new ways they've incorporated technology into attractions. By this time, the rain had slowed a little, and there was just one objective for the day that we hadn't accomplished – going to Aloha Isle for some Dole Whips.

So we scurried across the hub to Adventureland, and I had a Pineapple Dole Whip float and Jay had a straight up Dole Whip swirl. The blend of the pineapple and vanilla ice cream soft serve just can't be beat. We found shelter next door and sat down and ate our treats. Then, as if we had angered the tiki gods next door, the thunder, the lighting and the rain intensified to an almost frightening pace. It was time to make our exit, stage left.

A small break in the deluge, and we headed toward Main Street's emporiums – as did everyone else in the park. Most people were just using the stores as shelter, but along the way, people were making small purchases. We walked back out to main street near the fire house, took a final look back at The Castle, and headed out to the buses.

We're so glad that we had been there before – we felt so bad for the families who had never been here before and were having to go through this weather for their whole vacation. Thanks to DVC, we know we'll be back, and since we've been so many times, before, we really can pick and choose without disappointment. We feel so lucky to have had these chances to get away to this magical place.

A quick bus ride home to get ready for our dinner. I also paid the bag fees to Disney, who would then pay them to Air Tran for our Magical Express service when we checked out on Thursday. You have to do this the day before your fly – something good to remember.

Thanks to the cab voucher, we made great time to the Contemporary and got there about 8 p.m. - about an hour before our reservation. We decided to take a 'round the world ride on the monorail, and took in the sights around bay lake. Only about 20 minutes later, we pulled back into the station and killed some time in the shops on the fourth floor. Finally, we checked in at about 8:45 and were taken right up on the elevator. We waited in the lounge for a few minutes, and were seated just as the lights dimmed in the restaurant. We took our seats and watched Wishes. As always, the fireworks were amazing. But not as amazing as the meal!

Jay and I don't drink a whole lot (though it seems I did have a mixed drink on most nights of this trip), but the California Grill is a place where I want to have a glass of wine – after all, it's what they're known for. Our waiter heard my request for a sweet, light, white wine, and brought me a glass from a California vineyard. I think it was called “Conundrum.” It was exactly what I wanted. Then we began ordering the main event.

We wanted to split an appetizer and a sushi dish. Jay and I never really liked sushi until we had it at California Grill several years ago, and now it is a must when we go. The Spicy Kazan Roll is amazing! Crab, shrimp, bay scallops, tuna and fireball sauce. We split a Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, shiitake mushrooms and basil. Yum.

Then Jay had the filet of beef with cheesy Idaho potato mash, buttered asparagus and teriyaki barbecue sauce. Fantastic. My seared pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta, button mushrooms and zinfindel glaze ranks in the top 10 meals of my life. Seriously. Good stuff. It's a good thing we walk so much at the parks (and to get back and forth from the lobby). It's also a good thing we save money all year.

As a complete side note, I "blame" my parents for my expensive taste in meals and fine dining. As an only child, I was lucky enough to be able to travel with them - and when I was a kid, they brought me to places like "The Top of the World" (the predecessor to The California Grill) and "The Empress Lily" (It was on the same boat that Fulton's Crab House is now on, but it was much like Victoria and Albert's. They basically raised me so that if I was well behaved, I'd be able to come to fancy dinners. Seems like a no brainer.

We left at about 10:45, begrudgingly, and headed downstairs. Unfortunately, our cab voucher was only good for one way, so we knew we'd be a while getting home with bus service. But we had no idea what we were about to encounter. We walked toward the bus stop, and there must have been 50 people there – 35 of them were kids between the ages of 4 and 16. And they were climbing up the poles, beating each other up and screaming. It was a seriously scary scene. The adults were either oblivious to the fact that other people were around, or just didn't care. It was so bad that when a bus DID come after a long wait, we didn't get on, figuring we'd just wait for the second bus. As it turns out, they couldn't all fit on the bus, so there were about 10 people left from group, but with fewer numbers, the obnoxious factor dropped slightly. We just stayed to ourselves along with two other parties that kept our distance as we boarded the bus.

We finally made it home after switching buses at Downtown Disney at about 12:30. After some reading and prepacking for our departure on Thursday, we finally went to bed around 2. It may cost more money, but because we like to go to other resorts - especially for fine dining, I think we may be renting a car from now on.

Coming next: Disney's Magical Express IS magical. AirTran, not so much.

Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Disney in the rain is better than work - Part V

2009-05-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 19: The biggest water ride ever at DHS
Miles walked today: 7.94 miles
Best thing today: Great meals
Worst thing today: Transportation glitches

Waking up, stretchhiiinnnggg.... walking over to the curtain to see the animals and the bright, sunny Florida weather? Yeah. No. Very threatening clouds and a drizzle were the appetizer to the weather buffet we would take part in today. But we'd make the very best of it – after all, we were very lucky to be together on vacation, in a wonderful resort. Who can complain?

We dodged the raindrops over to a 10:45 breakfast reservation at Boma. Now, as previously mentioned, we love the place for dinner – but had never been there for breakfast. Boy, was that a mistake. It might have literally been the best breakfast buffet we've ever been to. Everything was super fresh, and had been made in small batches. Their “signature” juice, called West African Frunch, was a blend of lemonade, pineapple juice, guava juice and papaya juice. Refreshing and delicious. I highly recommend the Brioche (sort of like french toast with a cinnamon raisin bread?). Other not-to-be missed items? Chocolate chip muffins. Those, my friends, are the zebra domes of breakfast. MMMmmm.

Full from breakfast, we headed back over to the resort, took a tiny nap (yes, we took a nap after breakfast. It's vacation!). Then we got ready - and there's tons of room to get ready in the bathroom, and lots of nice details - even in the studio.

Though it's only a single sink in the studio, there's lots of counter space and plenty of storage space.

The shower curtain is colorful and the water pressure was pretty good, too.

Fun animal print details in the tile, too:

Then we got it in to gear to head to Disney's Hollywood Studios. (As a side note, I will only call it DHS because that's the official name now. In my heart, it will always be MGM Studios, trademarks be darned!)

On the way in, we met a familiar face – a former cast members at the Adventurer's Club, who was transferred when the club closed. Many are working in other shows, but some are working “streetmosphere” at DHS. It's obvious that we had been there too much, as when he recognized us, he shouted “Kungaloosh” and gave the official club salute.

(For those of you who never had the pleasure, you put your hand above your belly button, shake it like a fish, act like you're taking a swig and then raise your hand to the heavens and say, “Kungaloosh”).

We talked briefly about his new gig, (that was now outside, during the day, in the rain or heat, and without many of the folks he'd worked with for years.) But he really was having a good time interacting with the guests.

The rain was coming down pretty steadily now, making us wonder if we were on a real film set with a rain machine. We checked out the tip board and saw, with great sadness, that all of the fast passes for Toy Story Mania had already been given out!

We decided to go get fast passes for Rock N' Roller Coaster and check out the line for standby at Toy Story. We passed by, and it was more than an hour, and much of the queue was outside. In the pouring rain, by this time. We decided to head on to our next destination – MuppetVision 3D. Very fun as always. Kermit was inspirational, because by then, were were starting to feel like amphibians. We backtracked, saw the line had gotten even longer for Toy Story Mania, and then it was time to rock and roll with Aerosmith. We grabbed fast passes for Tower of Terror on the way and then blasted off into a great coaster. Amazing as always!

There were three things left we wanted to do - Tower, The American Idol Experience and Toy Story Mania. And still, then rain poured down, more than any water dump at Kali River Rapids or Catastrophe Canyon. Figuring that sitting in the hotel room would be a waste of our time, we decided to motor on. It was time to enter the Twilight Zone. Wheee!!!!

To kill time before the next Idol show, we caught the Indiana Jones show – at least it would be a dry place to wait. We always expect this show to be more exciting than it is – and are almost always disappointed. But like I said, it was dry, and vaguely entertaining. Next, I begrudgingly went with Jay to the American Idol Experience. We had watched the show years ago, but not lately (Though I will say that Chris Daughtry IS from Greensboro!). But I was kind of over the show, and feared the attraction would be hokey. I've got to say – Disney did it right. The casting of the judges, the Ryan Seacrest character, the lighting, the music, the interview segments, were all just right. And the three singers we saw weren't half bad.

We didn't stay to see if the guy who won our show made it through the final at the end of the day, but it is a neat concept. Whoever wins the day's competition gets a “dream ticket” to bypass the big audition lines for next season's shows, and goes straight in to audition for the judges.

By then it was about 5 p.m., and we hoped the rain had driven people away -- and it had – so the line for Toy Story Mania was only posted at about 50 minutes. It only took us about 35 or 40, and in the meantime, we had a lovely chat with a family from Iowa. After a fun ride, we headed back to the resort to get ready for our reservation at Flying Fish.

Before we had left DHS, we checked at the dining services kiosk to get our time pushed back from 8:00 to 8:50, as I feared we wouldn't make the earlier one with all of the bus switching. It's a good thing- as it took an hour and 45 minutes to get from AKLV to Boardwalk! Our bus had to stop at Jambo House, then both stops at Downtown Disney. Luckily, there was a Boardwalk bus there waiting, but first it had to stop at Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan AND Dolphin. Yikes! We got there at about 9:15, but they were very gracious about seating us anyway, as the restaurant wasn't busy.

Once we got settled in, dried off, and de-stressed from our harried travels, we had a lovely meal, with a wonderful server. Jay and I split the “Flying Fish Cafe Crisp Peekytoe Crab Cake with savory vegetable slaw, roasted red pepper coulis and ancho chile remoulade.” I also got one of their yummy “adult” beverages. Something pineapply and girly. Yum!

For his entree, he had “Our Chefs' Fish Thunder Special: Grilled Florida Orange Swordfish with rock shrimp and lemongrass basmati fried rice, a stir fry of seasonal vegetables in a brown butter-yuzu emulsion and sweet soy drizzle.” (When I went to write this trip report several days later, we couldn't remember what Jay's dish was called, so he called Disney. What the heck. After going through main dining, they transferred him to the restaurant, and the greeter at the Flying Fish podium transferred him to the kitchen to talk to one of the chefs! Turns out, the chef he talked to was the same one who was working the night we visited. Mike described the dish to Jay, asked how he liked it, and said he hoped we'd be back! How funny is that? Where else in the world would that happen? -- P.S. I have since found that menu, so I've included the full menu description.)

I had the Oak-grilled hand-harvested Maine scallops with English pea, pecorino, basil and mascarpone-laced risotto di carnarolli, with proscuitto di parma cracklins. Oh. My. Gosh. MAG-I-CAL.

We were full, but were also thinking about our favorite ice cream shop next door, so we got the check, made the mortgage payment on it, and thanked them for a great meal. Once next door at Seashore Sweets, we began planning our “salads.”

The first time we were there, the cast member told us that building a sundae there was just like being at the salad bar, and we could take as many toppings as we wanted. Salad=ice cream base, dressing=hot fudge, croutons=sprinkles, etc. But they have LOTS of toppings to choose from and use Edy's ice cream.
We usually love to sit out on the boardwalk with our “salads” and relax and people-watch, but with the pouring rain, we made our way upstairs to a lounge with empty tables, and the barkeep said he'd be happy to have us use a table – to make ourselves at home. Nice. We meandered around Boardwalk, making a mental note of how much we liked this place, and that next time we made a DVC ressie, it should be there.

Then we had to take the long trip home. Luckily, a Downtown Disney bus came pretty quickly, and an AKLV bus was nearly waiting for us at the hub. The rain had also slowed to a sprinkle at the times we were transferring. Finally warm and dry in our room, we tuned into the news channels, and got hooked on the local stations that were covering the weather like a hurricane.

Turns out, an actual tornado had touched down in the town of Casselberry, the sewers were WAY overflowing in much of the area, and they were predicting many more inches of rain over the next few days. The weather anchors were using their super double magic doppler technology like kids playing with Legos. Luckily, no one had been seriously injured in the storms. Finally, after being reassured by two weather teams that Lake Buena Vista would be spared that night, we drifted off to sleep around 2:30 a.m.

Coming next: Why we'll always rent a car from now on.

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Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Disney in the rain is better than work - Part IV

2009-05-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 18: Nice surprises
Miles walked today: 5.38 miles
Best thing today: Lots of animals
Worst thing today: Everest shutting down

I apologize that we don't have a whole lot of photos from the parks - with the rain, we didn't take our camera.

It was a "running day" for Jay, so as he started with a run in the fitness center, I tidied up our hotel room, showered and got ready for our day at Animal Kingdom. (Seriously, he runs every other day, without fail, since December. Amazing.)

We had gotten up a little later than planned, so I called over to Tusker House to see if they had a later lunch reservation – and they did. I took it, so we wouldn't be so rushed.

We had packed ponchos, but it was the kind of day that an umbrella would work for small showers – but of course, I hadn't packed one. Luckily, the Johari Treasures store at the lodge had one (only $10).

We walked out, and a bus to the AK came right away. We had good and bad bus karma on the trip overall – today, it was good. We met a mom and her daughter who were on their way to meet the rest of the family – as it turns out, we also ran into them at the restaurant, and on the bus on the way home. A lovely family with three kids from Atlanta, who had also recently bought into DVC. They were also really happy with their purchase. It's great the nice people you meet waiting in lines, riding on buses, etc.

We got to AK, turned in our annual pass vouchers (DVC members get a $100 discount on each pass, so it's a great value for us. We know we're going back in September to take some friends, and in January for Jay's race.) The cast member was great and we walked into the park under dark clouds and a drizzle. We kept our ponchos on or umbrella up most of the day, but we were inside or under cover for the main downpours.

As Jay checked us in for lunch at Tusker House, I went and got us fast passes for the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride. Turns out the fastpass time would be about an hour from them – perfect for after lunch.

We were seated shortly thereafter, and headed toward the several stations of food. We hadn't been there since it was converted from a quick service to a sit-down buffet, and we thought this was much improved. Lots to choose from, great sirloin and pork from carving stations, plenty of veggies and salads, and the most amazing lemon bars in the world. Two of us, with drinks and tip (and a $4 DVC discount) cost about $45. Not terrible pricing for Disney standards.

Then on to a cloudy, but wonderful safari ride. Many of the cast members we talked to said that because the weather was a little cooler, many of the animals would be more active. On this safari, that was certainly true. We saw more hippos than ever, lots of crocodiles that were actually moving, okapis, birds, an elephant, giraffes, lions and lots of other critters.

The rain was still just a drizzle, so we walked through Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and lingered with the hippo and the gorillas. Then we went to Expedition Everest and got a fast pass on our way to see the Finding Nemo show. It is still amazing what they can do with these stage productions. Very enjoyable.

Back to Everest to use our fast pass. There was a family behind us taking their first ride, and we were trying to tell them it was fun - not scary. Unfortunately, they never got the chance to find out because the ride was shut down just before we got on. Don't know if it was weather related or not, but they gave us a fastpass good for anytime before the end of May. (We never did get to use it – and forgot to give it to someone else. Next time.)

We then walked through Maharajah Jungle Trek and noticed how much the Komodo Dragon had grown since our last visit. The cool weather had the Malayan Tapir up and around and much more active than he had been on past visits. The fruit bats and flying foxes were mostly sleeping, but also trying to stay dry and wrap themselves under their wings. Only one tiger was out and about, but we did see the Elds deers standing straight up on their hind legs to get the leaves from the trees.

We also spoke to a cast member in the bird sanctuary who told us about one breed of ducks that were there – the male had a blue bill – but only when it was mating season. Interesting. Another set of birds just had a full nest hatch, and AK has an agreement with other Zoos across the country for mating programs. Very interesting stuff.

The rain started to come down a little harder, and it was getting close to closing time by then. We tried to get on “Tough to be a bug” but we just missed the last show. We meandered through some of the shops, and had to exchange the umbrella we purchased that morning, because the carrying strap had already broken. But they exchanged it with no questions. We headed back to the bus depot and met back up with the family from Atlanta to ride back to the lodge.

I don't know about other DVC owners at AKLV, but I'll pay an extra $25 in dues this year if they'd build an awning or some other kind of shelter from the hotel out to the bus stops. Every other DVC has a covered walkway to the buses – can we get one, too?

We went back to the room to read out on the balcony, relax and check out some more animals. (I'm ashamed to admit it, but my girlfriends finally got me to read Twilight, and it made for great trashy vacation reading).

Our balcony:

When we got back to the room, there was a lovely tray of Zebra Domes and a nice “Celebrate Today” card from Brandon Howell, the resort's private dining manager, wishing us a happy 9th anniversary. There was also a nice message waiting for us from Judy Kaufman, one of the first DVC consultants we ever spoke to.

The card went nicely with the flowers in our room:

Jay went down and rented us a board game from the community hall (it was the new, electronic version of LIFE-Twists and Turns) so we'd have an option later in the evening. Before Pleasure Island closed, we would have been heading to the Adventurer's Club almost every night, so we're glad that DVC offers lots of alternate options. It also means we're making later dinner reservations, which usually works out, because it's easier to get a table, and the restaurants are sometimes quieter.

While he did that, I went to the Concierge desk to ask about estimated cab ride costs to get to Boardwalk and/or the Contemporary, as we were dining at those places the next two nights. Noting my “Happy Anniversary” button, the cast member quoted me the prices, and also told me about how to take which busses to get to Flying Fish, but she gave us a cab voucher for The Contemporary the next night so we didn't have to slop around the world in fancy clothes in the rain. What a considerate gesture! Unexpected, unnecessary, but so much appreciated!

I also took a walk back through the library, which is beautiful.

It was almost time for our reservation at Sanaa (pronounced sah-NAA), on the ground floor of our resort. It was raining antelopes and zebras, so it was nice to not have to go out into the elements. A short wait after we checked in, and we were escorted into the restaurant with intimate lighting, cozy nooks and lots of artwork. Our server said that she and the rest of “team Sanaa” had been training there for a month before opening, learning all about African spices, cooking techniques, etc.

It paid off. She was very knowledgeable and made great suggestions. A treated myself to a Malawi Mango Margarita- yummy. We split an appetizer of Mustard Seed Crusted Scallops - with a coconut cream sauce. Jay's entree was Tandoori Shrimp with basmati rice, and I tried one of the “slow cooked, simple and well seasoned” combos of beef short ribs and chicken with red curry sauce. Both of our meals were fantastic.

After a DVC discount and using a Christmas gift card from my cousin and her husband (Thanks, Jen and Dave!), dinner only cost about $44. Nice!

We played some air hockey and driving games on the way back at the arcade, got some drinks for our refillable mugs, and headed up to the room. We enjoyed a midnight snack of our Zebra domes from the afternoon that chilled nicely in our fridge, and played LIFE – probably staying up too late to do so. Lights out around 2/2:30 a.m., after a fun, soggy day.

Coming next: Is is supposed to rain this much? Are those animals pairing up near that boat over there? Are those weather guys using super-double doppler?

Also, thanks, y'all, for all of your nice comments. I figure you guys are the only ones who will actually read all of this.

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Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Part III-B

2009-05-30T13:11:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 17: Welcome Home! (Continued)

As we finally got to our room and put in our “Key to the World” card, we walked in past the kitchenette and bathroom, were greeted with a butterfly “towel animal” on the bed with a proverb. It says “A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has its place.” -Ghana, Akan Proverb.

The colors were vibrant and lovely. Lots of Hidden Mickeys in the furniture, the carpet and the linens. The sheer lace curtains had characters from The Lion King.

Then we went to see the stars of the trip. As we walked out on the balcony, we were greeted by two ostriches, followed soon after by several of the five reticulated giraffes on the savanna and then some Nyala (a kind of antelope).

We took in everything in the room, from the wall hangings to the Wildlife Field Guide provided in the room – telling us about all of the animals on the savanna – what we had already seen, plus greater kudu, impalas, elands, antelopes, blesbok, ankole cattle, Thomson's gazelles, waterbuck, white-bearded wildebest and a host of birds.

Then we were off to explore the rest of the resort. We took lots of pictures out on the savanna and spoke to a cast member from South Africa who told us she had been there for 11 months and was eager to return home to her family and fiancee.

But she said she had a wonderful time while she was here, and was especially reminded of home when she worked at Kidani Village. Jambo House, she said, WAS grand and impressive, and great for guests. But the feel of Kidani reminded her of being home, with a cozy, smaller scale – more like actual lodges in Africa.

The savanna viewing area was a little smaller than at Jambo House, but it was still big enough to get out and see everything. Our exploration continued to the Samawati Springs Pool, Uwanja Camp for kids and Maji Pool Bar area. We had been warned that the pool would be small, but it seemed like a decent size to us, and the kids play area looked like it would be tons of fun. The “Survival of the Fittest” health club had a wide range of weight machines, three treadmills and a couple of elliptical machines.

Soon we headed back inside- hungry for a snack after a long day of travel, and still several hours before our dinner at Boma. We bought a small snack and refillable mugs ($12.99), which we used through the entire trip. I think Jay filled his up four times that afternoon alone. We headed back up to the room to get ready for dinner, and at that point, our luggage was waiting for us in the room.

What a great service Magical Express really is. Then a knock at the door, and the Disney Florist presented Jay with the DVC Floral bouquet in a mug that I got him to celebrate our first trip/anniversary. We both thought they brightened the room, and the cobalt blue coffee mug was nice and sturdy.

Shortly thereafter, the rain began. It wasn't heavy, but that afternoon would be the last time we would see the sun at Disney during the trip. We walked over to Jambo House and checked in for dinner at Boma. MMMMmmmm.

It is our tradition to eat at this wonderful African-themed extravaganza as our first meal at Disney. And it didn't disappoint. Delicious soups (try the butternut squash soup), wonderful hummus (hard to choose between the sun-dried tomato, the kalamata olive and the white bean variety) and salads, a wide variety of proteins, and new rich flavors in everything.

As always, the straws at AKL are made of paper – not plastic, so the animals don't accidentally get one if someone were to litter. It's touches like that that make this place special to us. (Also, as a warning to parents, you can't bring helium balloons to the resort – for the same reason- the animals could be hurt if they were to swallow the deflated balloon.)

Finally, the Zebra Domes (a confection made with a base of spongecake, kahlua/espresso mousse covered in white chocolate ganache, and a milk chocolate drizzle to make the zebra stripe), pineapple upside-down mini-tarts, and other desserts were divine. We also got some of the chocolate chip cookies “to go.” (OK, OK. You caught me. I was like my grandmother. I put some cookies in a napkin and put them in purse for a midnight snack. ) Tasty goodness. (Fyi, the price has gone up slightly, to $30.88 a person plus tax/tip. Still a great value, and it includes a beverage, but we're guessing that they finally figured they could charge more for such a great, popular spot.)

We rolled out of there like hippos. We had a nice walk back to the resort, checked out the “Safari So Good” arcade, the community room and the library. No books in the library yet, but a lovely chiminea fireplace, a wall hanging with the names of DVC owners, and quiet spaces to read. There was also a balcony with rocking chairs outside. The community hall had nearly 100 board games to borrow, Wii and Playstation 2 to use there, a Foosball table, a pool table and crafts. We never got around to using the tennis courts or shuffleboard courts, but that's where you get the equipment for that, too.

Earlier that night, we had checked out The Great Muppet Caper from the free DVD library, so we settled in to watch Kermit and the gang spring Miss Piggy from the slammer and solve the jewel heist. While we watched we finished up some of our “Fairy Godmailer” postcards. Since we don't have kids, but love the youngins' of our family/friends/coworkers, we'll sometime arrange with the Princesses or Mickey to write them postcards – then I just address, stamp and mail 'em.

Finally, at about 1 a.m., it was time for bed. We got ready and climbed up into the giant, comfy bed with soft, crisp linens and plenty of pillows. Tomorrow would be a wet and wild day full of surprises.

(Speaking of which, it's getting kind of late, now, so I'll try to post more tomorrow.)

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Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Part III-A

2009-05-30T13:09:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 17: Welcome Home!
Miles walked today: 3.44 miles
Best thing today: Finally staying at our DVC Home resort with our “wild” neighbors
Worst thing today: Getting little sleep the night before.

The wake up call came early (for us) at about 7:45. Neither of us had slept great. (Maybe it's the “we're too excited to sleep!" factor). We showered, got ready and headed downstairs to the lobby of the Wingate Inn by Wyndham near the airport. There was free breakfast, and a free shuttle to the airport. As it turns out, nothing in this life is truly “free.” More about that later.

We had already printed our boarding passes, and there was no line, so we just checked our luggage in with the friendly AirTran folks and waited for our flight after a quick trip through security. Neither of us were tagged by security this time. The first leg to Atlanta was uneventful, and the connection to Orlando was a breeze.

Because we used Magical Express, we didn't have to pick up our bags at the airport – we just proceeded down to the shuttle buses and were on our way. It was a pleasant ride – and THEN the movie that came on as entertainment was “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” Tragically, we didn't get to see the end of this fine cinematic achievement. (OK, it wasn't as bad as we had thought it would be, but I don't think we'll be adding it to our Netflix list anytime soon. )

We dropped off some people at Jambo House (the new name for the original AKL resort) – and then we were the only ones left on the bus. The driver looked at us curiously, and we told him we needed to be dropped off at Kidani Village. He said he hadn't been there yet, so he was interested to see it, too.

Driving up to the resort, it was bigger than we expected. The first sight we had on our drive up was a sort of blank brown/green wall. Part of the resort facing the parking lot is stark and industrial. Maybe as the trees grow a little, that will get better.

We were super-excited. Getting off the bus and heading into the Porte Cochere and lobby, we had big smiles on our faces – they really got it right.

The Imagineers really captured the flavor of the main lodge, but made it more intimate and personal.

The huge picture window onto the savanna, so familiar from Jambo House, is still there, but maybe 2/3 as big. Still grand.

The African artifacts, the proverbs painted on the wall, the fabrics and the furniture were all just right.

We had a quick, pleasant check-in. “Welcome Home!” the cast member told us.

What happy words! She wished us a happy anniversary, and gave us “Happy Anniversary” pins and we got a great map with both resorts, and all of the quick info with hours, services, phone numbers, etc.

We headed up to our room - #7550, facing the Sunset Savanna. It was on the fifth floor, she told us. So we started walking. And walking. Turns out, it was a quarter-mile from the lobby to our room – but it was also very close to the end of the hotel that was closest to Jambo House. (From the 1st floor elevator in Kidani to the lobby of Jambo House, it was about a quarter-mile, too.)

Coming next: More exploring in the lodge

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Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Part II

2009-05-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 16: “Running” around to get ready
Miles walked/run: 6.2- Jay//3.1-Janet
Best thing today: Jay finished a 10K in great time!
Worst thing today: Cleaning the house

Finally! We're on vacation. OK. We're not at Disney already, but we're off from work - so that's vacation!

I have a sort of retentive habit of wanting to clean the house before we go on vacation so the house isn't a wreck when we return. (Also, so our pet sitter doesn't report us to the SPCA for neglect of our two cats (Merlin and Sam. )

So we spent the morning/early afternoon cleaning up and getting finished packing.

The other reason we had initially taken off on Saturday was so Jay could run his first 8K race. He started running in October and has run several 5Ks, but his ultimate goal is to run the Disney half-marathon in January – so he was looking to up his mileage in races through the summer and fall. Unfortunately, the 8K was canceled. But luckily, he found out that there was a 5k/10k walk/run on Saturday.

It started at 6:45 pm. It was the Leapin' Lizard race, as part of the sesquicentennial celebration of the city of High Point, just a few miles down the road from us.

We squared everything away for the trip, and headed out. For his previous 5Ks, I had simply been a spectator and taken pictures. But I figured since there was a 5K walk option, I'd get a little exercise while he ran the 10K course. After heavy clouds during the day, the late afternoon sun peeked out and a nice breeze came along. As race festivities started, the music blared, and the mascot “Sesquiwhoo” came out. The funny part is that the owl “costume” wasn't quite complete. The guy wearing it had hairy legs and flip-flops poking out! Imagine human, hairy legs sticking out of the bottom of a Disney character!! Here's what he was supposed to look like:

It was a hilly, but pretty course. Jay did great and I finished the walk in a respectable time. We won several door prizes and had a great time. We headed home, showered and got in the car for the 1½-hour drive to Durham.

By this time, it was about 10:45, and we were hungry for dinner – luckily, we knew that the Cheesecake Factory was open until 12:30 a.m., so we went and had a great meal. After running 6.2 miles, Jay was certainly entitled to great food – and I got to come along too. We finally checked into the hotel a little after midnight, tired, and ready to get a good night's sleep to really start our vacation the next day. We were on the hunt for zebras. Zebra domes, that is.

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Our first DVC trip to AKLV: Disney in the rain is better than work

2009-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Our trip dates: May 17-21
The characters: Me (aka Janet, 34, the trip planner), Jay (aka the best husband in the world, 38)
Leaving from: Kernersville, NC (between Greensboro and Winston-Salem)
Our destination: Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas- Kidani Village
Parks we visited: Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot
What were we celebrating: Our ninth wedding anniversary (a few weeks late) and our first stay at our DVC resort.

Pre-trip background:
Jay and I have been going to Disney at least twice a year since 2001, and it has truly become a retreat for us. We both work at a newspaper in North Carolina, and getting away from the daily grind and the “bad” news that happens all over the world is a much needed respite.

So we have considered buying into the Disney Vacation Club community for years, but could never justify spending the money. We took the “tour” at Saratoga several times, but in October of 2008, we happened to be walking by one of the kiosks at Downtown Disney, and the cast member there told us about special incentives. Instead of the minimum 160 points, you could now buy in for 100 points – AND they'd offer special financing and incentives. Hmmm. Intriguing. And wouldn't you know it – before long, we were signing documents for another “mortgage!” and getting a “deed” to our new property in Florida.

As the newest owners at Kidani Village at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, we would be eligible to stay there as soon as it opened on May 1, 2009. So we booked a studio room for Sunday May 17-Thursday May 21. Jay and I work a weird schedule at the paper – Tuesday through Saturday, on second shift. So it works out great for us that DVC rooms use fewer points on Sunday-Thursday.

Soon after, we bought our tickets on AirTran to fly from Raleigh-Durham to Orlando, and signed up to use Magical Express! Many tickets are cheaper from Raleigh or Charlotte, but the problem is that when we work second shift, we don't get any sleep by the time we're ready to go to the airport. So we both took off Saturday, thinking that we'd do last-minute packing and relax. But would we really end up relaxing that day?

The Official Story - Gaby Ibanez today

2009-01-26T22:36:00.000-08:00

The 1985 film “The Official Story,” directed by Luis Puenzo, tells the story of an affluent family living in Argentina in the early 1980s, during the aftermath of the “dirty war” and the military coup in the mid 1970s. The movie examines truth, family and the role of the “official story.”

Alicia Marnet Ibanez is a history teacher, married to a wealthy businessman who has what appear to be dealings in shady government business. He is well connected, so when they are unable to have children on their own, he is able to find a child to adopt. Roberto Ibanez tells his wife not to ask questions. And she doesn't – until she starts to see other people questioning the conventional wisdom. An old friend returns from exile, a student challenges history as it is written and people protest in the streets against the kidnapping of their loved ones.

Eventually, Alicia is led to the likely truth – that her daughter WAS taken from a mother who did not give up her child willingly – and was herself then taken. The child's grandmother meets up with Alicia and suddenly, the truth is out there.

At the end of the film, we see Alicia walk away from her husband who lied to her, and then gets abusive with her after she confronts him with the news. Gaby, meanwhile, is at her grandmother's house, in a rocking chair, singing softly to herself.

Here's where she might be today, at about age 25.

“Gaby Ibanez is busy working for Amnesty International, one of her first jobs after graduate school at Columbia University in New York. The Argentinian woman is married to a Brazilian man she met in New York while interning at the United Nations during graduate school. Her undergraduate degree is from Harvard.

Ibanez was raised by her adoptive mother and maternal grandmother for many years in Buenos Aires. Her father was killed when she was 8, but she doesn't talk about him often. He left a sizable estate to both women, so she was well taken care of.

She did spend summers with her paternal grandparents and cousins, and remembers fondly how they had a great time, even without many creature comforts.

Gaby learned at a young age that she was actually one of the “los desaparecidos” or “the disappeared ones” during the “dirty war” in Argentina. Her mother, Alicia, was very straightforward with her about the situation after she learned about the circumstances under which the adoption was granted.

Ibanez and her mother moved to the United States during her teenage years, as her mother became more active in Human Rights Watch and later Amnesty International.

Most recently, the young woman has been involved in monitoring the civilian court trial against retired army colonel Luis Alfonso Plazas Vega for his alleged role in the disappearance of 11 people in Argentina in 1984.

Both women are involved in services each year for “The Day of the Disappeared” which “started in 1983 by the Latin American non-governmental organization FEDEFAM (Federación Latinoamericana de Asociaciones de Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos) at a time when disappearances arose from authoritarian rule” according to Amnesty International.

A UN group reports that there are more than 41,000 pending cases of disappearances in 78 countries.

***Popcorn tidbits***

I thought it was strange that Anna and Alicia were drinking egg nog at their house while they were getting drunk. It didn't seem like it was Christmas – so I wonder if it wasn't a seasonal drink in Argentina.

I wonder if the subplot with the English teacher was intended to make Alicia look like she was growing, or that she would have been naïve enough to have an affair with him?

I liked that the film was left open ended. We assume that Alicia left her husband for good, but we don't know. And we don't really know what will happen to Gaby (thought I took a leap to write her biography above.)

The scenes with the English teacher and the students acting as they were reading the script reminded me so much of parts of “Dead Poets Society.”

Paradise Now deserved the attention it received

2009-01-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Director Hany Abu-Assad falls into the damned if he does, damned if he doesn't category. As has been happening for centuries, people are very passionate about their beliefs about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. And with his film, “Paradise Now,” the debate continues – this time onto the silver screen in a Golden Globe-winning film.

Many films that fare well in the Golden Globes end up getting recognized with Oscar nominations. (We'll see if it is the case this year, as the Academy Award nominations come out on Jan. 22.) This was also the case for “Paradise Now.” And some people weren't happy about that. And there is where we begin our discussion about the protests against this film.

“Paradise Now,” focuses on the story of two Palestinian friends who are recruited to be suicide bombers. Certainly, we have a unique perspective here – it's being told through the eyes of these men who have recently lost their jobs, are not in committed relationships and feel trapped and oppressed living on the West Bank. The people who are recruiting them sense that this is an opportunity that the men will take because of these circumstances. It is a difficult topic, with many raw emotions. The end result in the film is that people in Tel Aviv, Israel will be killed.

After it was nominated, a petition was written by the victim of a suicide bombing, urging the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to withdraw the nomination, saying it glorified Palestinian suicide bombers.

“Granting an award to this kind of movie gives the filmmakers a seal of approval to hide behind. ... By ignoring the film's message and the implications of this message, those that chose to award this film a prize have become part of the evil chair of terror and accomplices to the next suicide murders – whether they kill 17 people or 17,000 people,” he wrote.

News reports said the petition received more than 36,000 online signatures.

But there are several reasons why the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was correct in nominating the movie for an Oscar.

First, there's the issue of the First Amendment. Past “Best Picture” awards went to films like Schindler's List (1993), Platoon (1986), Ghandi (1982) and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). All of these films dealt with conflicts, politics and the death of many people on one side of the conflict or the other.

I agreed with Academy spokesman John Pavlik, who told Aljazeera.net that “We're not going to disqualify films because some people don't like the content.”

A counter-petition said the film depicts “how a life of desperation can lead to an act of desperation.” Whether you agree with that statement or not, the other point it makes is that “art should not be censored in any shape or form.”

Secondly, Abu-Assad is showing viewers a world which many of them have never seen and won't ever understand – but it is important to look at many sides when having a debate about difficult issues like war. And I thought the idea that it glorified suicide bombing was actually not true.

The characters are portrayed as men who have reservations about what they are doing. Said asks Khalid if they are doing the right thing, and asks if he is scared. The leaders of the ring must know that people may have reservations about what they are doing – which is why they strap the bombs onto the men with a tamper-proof lock, so they can not take it off without it exploding.

Even during the filming of their martyr tapes, there is some hesitation. During the first taping, Khalid is only reading the script tentatively, and seems to not completely embrace it. The more he reads, the more he buys into it, but as Said watches his friend, he tears up.

Suha is certainly a character that brings another layer of depth to the film-and she shows that there are people who try another way, without violence. Khalid is finally convinced. Unfortunately, Said is not.

Ultimately, the movie just makes people think. And films like that are rare. No matter what side of the political spectrum you find yourself on, it was the right thing to do to nominate this film for the awards it got.

***Popcorn tidbits***

When Said comes to see Suha in the middle of the night, she makes tea. When she asks how he takes it, she says, “Why to people in Nablus take so much sugar in their tea?” I took it as a counter to the way many of the people there live – that sugar at least brings them happiness.

In a crowd scene, as the people in Nablus are blocked from going through a road block, they simply walk down another path. As they do so, there are explosions in the background. They just keep walking, because it is just a part of normal life there.

When Suha breaks Khalid's watch, it struck me as being symbolic for being out of time. Much like Said and his victims are about to be.

Two of the saddest small moments, for me, were the fact that Khalid's family made him a sandwich to take with him as he left for his mission, not knowing what he was doing. And when Said's mother looks inside his teacup, there are no tea leaves at the bottom. She says, “Oh my God. Your future is blank.”

One flaw in the story is when Said comes back. He is still wearing the bomb and they are riding around the city to get it taken off. I really think he cared about Suha, and he wouldn't have let her ride in the car with him while he had that on.

Analyzing “The Day I Became a Woman”

2009-01-07T23:04:00.001-08:00

Marzieh Meshkini's “The Day I Became a Woman,” is a modern-day look into the life of a woman in Iran. I was pleasantly surprised by how frankly and openly she is able to tell this story.

The film was a winner at the Venice Film Festival when it appeared in September of 2000 and continued winning awards around the world – it works in every country because it is shot so simply.

To look at three specific scenes that were particularly important or revealing, let's look at one scene from each act. Women at three different ages could actually be the same woman – we don't think they do, because they have different names, but the story arc could have represented the life of an average Iraninan woman.

In the first section, the true coming-of-age scene isn't when Hava's mother measures her for the new Chador, or even when she is sharing candy with Hassan – with whom she won't be able to play any more. It is by giving away her head scarf to the other boys. She watches the scarf, and the boat, and her childhood sail away. The dark scarf can also symbolize the shadow that goes away from her makeshift sundial. “Good-bye, Hassan,” she tells her friend. “The shadow is gone now.”

The second section about Ahoo, has several very strong moments. But the one that struck me the most was after her husband divorced her and she turned her father away. The next batch of men that come after her are tribal elders who warn her that God will punish her if she doesn't get off the bike (that her husband called “the devil's mount.” And they tell her that after turning away even her father that “This is a tribal matter now.” There is a split second of doubt in her face. She slows down ever so briefly. And then picks up steam and rides on.

The key scene in the final act, starring Hoora, is that even after she has been able to buy every material item she never had before, there is still something missing. She worries about her rooster with no water, and can't remember what the last string on her finger is for. It's so sad that she's been able to fulfill every need she thought she would ever need with her inheritance – but one. As she sails away on her bed, you can almost see the sadness in her eyes – knowing that fulfillment has eluded her yet again.

*** Popcorn tidbits ***

The candy that Hava gets for she and Hassan to share is sour. Much like what she is going through that day. And the sharing of the candy was very intimate, yet innocent at the same time.

Each section had a separate subtitled meaning at the end. Hava was “Eve,” Ahoo was “Gazelle” and Hoora was “Black-eyed Beauty.”

As she is riding in the bicycle race, Ahoo passes a sign that says, “You are here,” on a map. I wonder if it was meant as a reminder that she was stuck there, or as a way for her to imagine herself going somewhere else.

I thought it was interesting that the men warned Ahoo, “Think of your dignity.”

I fear the fate of Ahoo and wish were were given a little more of a hint about her fate.

The kids playing with the toys and appliances were just a hoot. The boy vacuuming the sand made me laugh out out loud.

Another out-of-class movie note - Doubt

2009-01-05T22:55:00.000-08:00

So we finally saw Doubt last night - and it really does live up to all of the Oscar hype. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are the real deal.

Not exactly a cheery topic, but the performances are amazing.

-jbr

Our fates are the same - and other thoughts from Raise the Red Lantern

2009-01-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

Zhang Yimou's "Raise the Red Lantern" was a beautiful, sad movie. The cinematography was rich and developed like the seasons and as the main character's hope dimmed. You could definitely see why Zhang Yimou was tapped to do so much of the opening ceremonies at the Olympics.

That being said, I hated the way the movie ended.

But let's back up. The whole tone of the film is truly set up in the first two minutes, when the tears start falling down Songlian's face. Both her parents are dead, she has had to pull out of the university and her stepmother sends her to be a concubine. And then, the first mention of fate is made - "Let me be a concubine," the 19-year-old says. "Isn't that a woman's fate?"

The movie quickly descended into the most bleak version of Wisteria Lane. But these "Desperate Housewives" weren't fighting to be the head of the hospitality committee - they were literally fighting for the affection of The Master - with which came great power over the other women and servants.

***Spoiler alert for those of you who haven't seen it yet.***

There are some movies that you want to see tied up in a bow to have the couple get together in the end, or to have the hero win. Sorry to be morbid, but I really think Songlian would have killed herself. She would have climbed up to the roof, possibly with a flute, and hanged herself next to Meishan.

Here's why. Her independent streak stayed with her from the moment she carried her own luggage into her house until the end, when she relights the lanterns at her house. The morning after her first night with The Master, she looks at herself in the mirror and it's like her spirit has literally died.

Songlian is fascinated by the death house, and wants to know who died there and why.

About halfway through, Meishan tells Songlian, "Our fates are the same."

After her maid, Yan'er, dies, Songlian says, "She's lucky to have died."

It is clear that the bones in the death house have been there for a long time. And when the black lantern covers are taken out, they are covered with a lot of dust - maybe the same amount of time's worth. It stands to reason that the last person who had her lanterns extinguished also had their own life ended.

Finally, after she has learned that she is peripherally responsible for the death of Meishan and Yan'er, I figured one of two things would happen. She would rule the roost more completely, leaving one fewer wife in her way to regain The Master's presence. Or, what I was sure was more likely, she would rob The Master of another wife by ending her own life - something that she was in control of. Perhaps she's found hanging from a lantern, or underneath one of the black lantern covers.

Would that be morbid? Yes. But her going crazy leaves so many more loose ends.

For more cheery commentary, check in with me next time. :)

***Popcorn tidbits***
(these are in no particular order)

*As they began the first foot massages, I had a terrible feeling that they were about to bind her feet (though at that point, she would have probably been too old for that to work). Then I had a terrible thought that they might hobble her ala "Misery" so that she could learn her place or something. Luckily, it was much less sinister than that.

*I was really intrigued at the giant horns they had to blow out the lanterns. Clever invention.

*Weren't all of those lanterns a fire hazard?

*It was probably foreshadowing that Songlian missed the transport to the palace - and had to walk there herself. It was the first time she would not follow "custom." But it would not be the last. I think that streak of independence definitely led to her eventual undoing.

*At the end, when she has gone crazy, she is wearing the same clothes she did when she first arrived at the palace. I was kind of surprised that they let her stay, too.

*I wondered what the role of Feipu was. Initially, I thought that maybe Songlian would have an affair with him, that then might lead her to the same fate as Meishan, but that relationship never developed. He introduced the concept of the flute into the plot, but there could have been other ways for Songlian to remember that she had brought her father's flute with her.

Another good, random movie site

2009-01-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the tip, Jay!

www.boxofficemojo.com has box office receipts for tons of films. It's just sort of interesting to see what's out there.

"Earth" meant for a wider audience

2008-12-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

Deepa Mehta's film “Earth,” about the partition of India 1947 certainly had different impacts on the two reviewers we read during this assignment.

Zarminae Ansari, writing for MIT's newspaper in October 1999, characterized the movie as “a story of a child's confusion about the partition, which embodies the confusion of the millions who are eventually affected by it.”

C.J.S. Wallia's reaction is that the idea of shooting the movie through the eyes of the young Lenny-baby is “simplistic” and says “Mehta manages to distort the complex history of the partition an din the process depicts the role of the Hindus and Sikhs falsely and negatively.” But the criticism goes deeper – to Bapsi Sidwa's novel on which the film was based. Of “Cracking India,” Wallia says the book “does not come to grips with the events of the partition of the Punjab and the historical roles of the British, the Muslims, the Hindus and the Sikhs.” Wallia goes on to say that a “more skillful writer” might have been able to expand on the ideas.

From my perspective, getting the entire history of conflict in the region captured in one book or one two-hour movie would have been nearly impossible. For historians and scholars, I'm sure the depiction of the events does seem thin – but for the average viewer – especially a Western watcher, boiling the complicated events of that time down to the eyes of a child may actually be a better portal into the idea.

Certainly the movie isn't intended for children, and the issues are challenging to handle – even for adults. Grasping the concept of 13 million people migrating and 1 million people dying is hard to understand – and seeing the conflict build through the eyes of one child and one small community is more accessible than trying to use a wider lens.

Wallia wanted a more comprehensive look at what happened – which I understand – but as a wide-release movie, I have to agree more with Ansari's look at “Earth.”

Popcorn Tidbits

The stuffing that comes out of Lenny-baby's doll when she tears it apart is black. Not significant, just an odd observation.

The quote, “Some Independence they gave us. Soaked in our brother's blood,” could have come from our previous film, “Before the Rain.” It could also have come from any number of films about the American Revolution, and other movies still to come.

The kite flying scene is such a beautiful bit of the film. Such a stark comparison to the train car full of mutilated bodies that comes rolling into Lahore later in the film.

The gun that Lenny's father brings to his wife is in a satin-lined, green velvet box – more of a museum piece than a savage weapon. It's almost like a gesture – but still a safe neutral one.

Handy Tools

2008-12-29T23:15:00.000-08:00

Dr. Jones, I'm sure you already know about this, but for the rest of us, I've been using a great site to find lots of reviews for these movies.

It's a little less cumbersome than getting them through UNCG's library site. It's www.mrqe.com (sorry, I can't this this link to work), which stands for Movie Review Query Engine. It's not comprehensive, but it's a great place to get different ideas.

And of course, there's always metacritic.com, which then scores movies based on score by all the reviewers. For example, "Earth" received a 71 out of 100, which is really high for that site.

Out-of-class movie topic - Benjamin Button

2008-12-29T20:03:00.001-08:00

So I'll admit. I really didn't want to see that movie all that much. Three hours? Really?

But it actually was a really sweet movie, and fascinating to watch. As interesting as it was to see Brad Pitt get younger - I think the effects making Cate Blanchett older were just as great.

It definitely had a very "Forrest Gump" quality about it, in that it traced historical events, the main characters got together at different points in their lives, and in this case, a hummingbird took the place of a floating feather. But that didn't really distract me from it.

So well worth the price of admission. Especially at student discount prices. :)

About popcorn tidbits

2008-12-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

You may notice an addendum at the end of my last blog entry called "popcorn tidbits."

I sometimes notice odd details in a movie that are funny, off, or just odd. There's usually nowhere to include them in an intelligent discussion or review - so I figure I'll just include them there if y'all would like to read them.

-jbr

Time doesn't wait and the circle isn't round

2008-12-28T23:50:00.000-08:00

The title of this post, which is also a tagline for the film, help explain away one of the biggest criticism's of Milcho Manchevski's “Before the Rain.” The plot twists can't actually work in a linear time frame, but the story is better told by appealing to the tradition of suspension of disbelief.

Buying into that loophole to get to the meat of the story is ultimately the reason why I have to say I enjoyed the movie - despite it's often overwrought qualities.

From my perspective, there are several ways to look at this film: as a social commentary, as a story and as a film.

As a social commentary, “Before the Rain” absolutely deserved all of the awards and attention it received.

What better way to illustrate a bloody, ancient conflict than to boil it down into family units and personal struggles. By showing the demons between people who are close, it makes it easier to understand how ethnic battles can escalate quickly.

In his March 10, 1995 review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert laments that the North American media hasn't done a great job of explaining exactly what has been going on in the Balkans. He boils down the average thought by saying "They are basically all a lot of people who hate each other, and the United Nations can't do anything about it." OK. Maybe that's oversimplifying slightly, but it wasn't far from the perceived truth.

The struggle did tear apart villages and families. And as Aleksandar says that he had to take sides, The theme of “taking sides” emerges in almost every story line. The Macedonians and the Albanians is the overriding struggle, but in so many ways, it works as a more intimate story between people. Aleksandar has to choose “sides” when dealing with Anne, Hana, his family, Samira and even his own beliefs. At the very beginning of the film, Kiril must choose between his priestly life and his country and protecting Zamira. Hana has to choose between her affection for Aleksandar and the safety of her children.

As a story, the three parallel parts are a clever way to dramatize the events. The mystery certainly holds the interest of viewers. I agreed with Variety's Sept. 7, 1994 review by Deborah Young that the movie, "owes part of its disturbing magic to its challenging structure."

As a film, I have a couple of complaints that contradict what seemed to be conventional wisdom at the time. In that same review, Young says there are "high production values." Maybe in the context that they were in the middle of nowhere, but there are several directorial selections that took away from the simple message of the story. The shooting of the cat scene was WAY over the top. At some point, it pushed past shocking and ventured toward the seam of ridiculous. I felt the same way about the level of gratuitous shooting in the restaurant scene.

There is a shooting star put into the back night sky at one point when Kiril is returning back to the monastery from the funeral. It was a forced entry. When John Simon wrote on April 3, 1995 in the National Review of the "pretentiously artsy concoction" of a movie, I think these are the kinds of things he's talking about.

I also agreed with Simon that with the exception of Aleksandar, the movie "fails to create rounded believable characters." I didn't really care much about the characters as people. Perhaps it is just that the chronology interrupted that facet of the film.

Overall, "Before the Rain" accomplishes what I think it set out to do: offer a window in an often misunderstood world filled with unbearable violence.

***

Popcorn tidbits:

* As Aleksandar is riding his bike up the hill after being home for a day, he is singing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head."

* There are two repetitions that are made for effect in Parts 1 and 2, but I couldn't find in "Words." I previously mentioned the Beastie Boys song in my discussion post, but there is also a turtle in both scenes.

* The line about "War is a virus" comes from a medical doctor.

Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree

2008-12-26T23:03:00.000-08:00

I was so proud of myself for getting my blog up before class started. Turns out, I should have been on Santa's naughty list for being a member of the nation of idocracy. Ohhhh..... Class started on the 19th?? I was sure it was the 29th. Oops.

Sorry I'm late to the game, folks. I'll be posting more this weekend.

Hello, fellow Reel Worlders

2008-12-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

I look forward to this class with you during our Winter Session.
I'll bring the microwave popcorn.