Christmas Grill!

I woke up Christmas morning to find a new grill under the tree! This one's a beautiful charcoal water smoker. It has a great charcoal basket, two doors to access the meat or add fuel, and three vents (two on the bottom and one on the top). One of the nicest features of this grill is that you can remove the two upper sections and use it for direct grilling. This should be the perfect form factor to take camping. I can't wait to get it fired up!

The rest of my grill family looks like this:

• Beefeater 3-burner gas grill
• Char-Griller Smokin' Pro offset smoker
• Weber Smokey Joe

Big Boys Christmas

Last year I started a tradition of getting my brothers a toy for Christmas. Something cool and frivolous. Something with a remote control...

We don't have a lot of time to spend together on Christmas anymore, so it had to be something relatively easy to use and something we could get instant gratification from. Just 10 minutes of pure fun was my goal.

Last year I bought remote control helicopters. They were a huge hit! It took us a while to figure out how to fly them, but once we did it wasn't long before we were making kamikaze runs at each other.

This year I got these cool Air Hogs Zero Gravity cars. They drive vertically on walls and upside down. They are way cool and totally fun. After dinner, we raced above our family on the living room ceiling.

I started this gift tradition because I wanted something fun we could do together on Christmas Day. Something that brought back the excitement of Christmas past. Gift cards or new Christmas sweaters don't pack the same punch.

If the "big boys" in your family are anything like me and my brothers, give this gift approach a try. Remember, you're not looking for something they'll necessarily use all year long, just 10 minutes on Christmas Day.

Disney Christmas Wish

If I had a Christmas Wish to bring back one extinct Disney attraction what would it be? Easy. I'd want the Journey Into Imagination With Figment to be restored to it's original glory.

This ride was great! In it, Dreamfinder and the product of his imagination, Figment, takes us on a tour through the process of creativity and ingenuity. "One Little Spark" may be my favorite all time ride anthem and the characters and ride scenes were vivid and alive.

As good as the attraction was itself, the ride exited into ImageWorks, an awesome interactive "playground" where you could continue your exploration into music, art, and color. It was a lot of fun! This area encouraged you to really explore the limitless potential that exists in each of us and playfully create something. Did I mention it was a lot of fun!

Part of the reason I want this attraction back so badly is that its replacement is so bad. I enjoyed other now-gone Epcot attractions like Horizions and the World of Motion, but I also enjoy their replacements (Mission: SPACE and Test Track). I cannot say the same for the newest "Imagination" version. I'm not even sure why they still call it "Imagination" as the ride now deals more with the five senses - meaning things you experience through sight, sound, or smell. Contrast this with the original version which encouraged you to follow the conviction of your own ideas - things you must "believe in" to create and share with others.

Associated with the new current attraction is ImageWorks: The What-If Labs. It is similarly uninspired when compared with the original.

WDW Radio explored the history of this attraction in great detail (start listening at the 39 minute mark).

I get a little sad when I take my daughter into this attraction and realize all that she's missing. I also feel this way in the new Tiki Bird attraction which is equally bad when compared to the original.

If only...

Disney Tip Idea #2 - Share Stuff

I've heard the idea to share fast passes a number of times and I had the opportunity to try it on our last trip.

We had gotten 3 fast passes to Peter Pan earlier in the day, but as the time for SpectroMagic and the fireworks approached, we realized we wouldn't make it back to Fantasyland in time to use them. We found another family of 3 and asked if they wanted them. They couldn't be happier! It was fun to see their excitement as they raced off toward the ride.

*****

Another time, as we sat waiting for SpectoMagic a family sat next to us and offered my daughter an extra sucker they had just purchased at the candy store. It was a sweet gesture (pun intended) and we had a nice conversation while waiting for the parade to start. What a simple way to to make fast friends!

*****

On the first day of our last trip, we bought my daughter a Mickey balloon - one of the large double balloons where a Mickey balloon floats inside of a large, clear, outer balloon. Anyway, this thing lasted the entire week! We knew we probably wouldn't be able to take it on the plane home, so we told my daughter to find another little kid who looked like they could use a balloon and pass it on. She found a little boy and he was really happy to get it. His parents were touched by my daughter's gesture and it was a good lesson in sharing.


For some reason, this type of sharing and openness comes more naturally for people in Disney World. I can't believe all the nice people we met while waiting in line or on the buses traveling to the parks. It gave us a good feeling to make these new friends. We've been trying to follow some of these simple sharing techniques now that we're back home.

Stealin'

My car was broken into on Sunday. Nothing important was taken - just some CDs, the car's owners manual, and a few Tim Horton bucks.

Apparently the thieves didn't think most of the stuff was worth stealing either - they ditched the CDs and owners manual in the front lawn.

I don't know what to feel worse about - that my car was broken into or that my stuff wasn't even worth stealing!

Re: 7 Wonders of Walt Disney World - Cast Members

In the last installment of his 7 Wonders of Walt Disney World series, Lou Mongello and the guests on his show discussed the Cast Members as the key component which make Walt Disney World a truly special place to visit. It's the way we're treated - the little personal touches, the courtesy and respect, the passion all the cast members have - which allow these "strangers" to become such an integral and important part of our family vacations. For frequent visitors who see some of the same cast members on each trip, these people become an extended family. This story is one of many I've seen firsthand which demonstrate this unique bond.

On our first trip to Walt Disney World, we took our daughter to see Beauty and the Beast, Live on Stage. We got to the stadium early and had some decent seats. We watched some "stagehands" bring out some mics for the show, do a sound check, and then - completely to our surprise - burst into song! We were completely duped by these guys! It was so cool! We loved the "main" show itself - it was a highlight of our vacation - but it was the surprise of the preshow that really stuck with me.

My parents joined us on our next trip and I knew they'd enjoy this "surprise" too. I also learned that this was going to be one of the last performances for this group (Four for a Dollar) as their contracts were ending. Apparently a lot of other guests also heard the news - the stadium was loaded! My poor parents were a little confused when the guy who brought out the first mic for the show received a standing ovation. The ovations and frequent calls to the guys lasted more or less the entire show. This extended ovation was a testament to all the great memories these guys provided to families through the years. That so many people would turn out to personally thank these guys and let them know they would be sorely missed was an obvious sign that this group became a big part of many vacations - which possibly started the first time these guests were also "duped" like I was. It was a "meeting" guests looked forward to every time they visited Walt Disney World - like seeing an old friend. They will certainly be missed on my next trip.

Other places can try and duplicate the attractions or the theming, but it's the Cast of People working at Walt Disney World which truly sets it apart from other destinations.

Christmas BBQ

Maybe it's a little irreverent, but I thought up this song on my way home last night with some BBQ takeout (sing to "Christmas Shoes")

Sir, I'd like some barbecue
For my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and she really wants some ribs
Could you hurry, sir,
Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been hungry for quite a while
And I know these ribs would make her smile
And I want her to be really full
So can Mama eat barbecue tonight?

The BBQ was good by the way.

Disney Tip Idea #1 - Pack swim suits for kiddos in the parks

I've read a lot of Disney travel tips (and will repeat my experiences following some of those), but one we've stumbled into on our own is pack swim suits for your kids in the parks.

All the parks have water areas where kids can cool off when it's hot out. Usually, these "fun fountains" squirt water randomly up from the ground over a rubberized surface. Our daughter loves to play in these and gets totally soaked.

We've started to pack her swim suit and bring it to the park each day. We're usually the envy of other parents in the area - especially those who must tell their kids that they can't get their clothes wet because they are close to a dining reservation.

So even though you don't plan on being near a pool, don't forget pack your kids swim suit everyday! Your kids will thank you!

Lost Season 5

I've started to see promos for the next season of Lost on TV (1/21). To be honest, I almost lost interest. I still love the story, but last season was fragmented with the writer's strike and now there's this horribly long (8 month) layoff between seasons. The producers of Lost attempted another Alternate Reality Game during this down time, but I never got into it much and it ultimately failed.

Then I found http://www.sl-lost.com containing...

• a Mr Friendly message for Jack
• a count of all the times Hurley said "dude" in 4 Seasons
• a series of "In preparation for Season 5" videos
  
• and some new videos from Damon and Carlton
  

Great stuff!

It's got me thinking again...

• Why is Locke now known as Jeremy Bentham and why do they need to take his dead carcass in order to return to the island?
• Can Ben go back to the Island? It didn't seem like it when he left.
  
• Where is the island?
• What about dead Michael and dead Jin - do they need to return to the island? What about Desmond and Frank?

All this and the usual smoke monster, where are the kids, what is DHARMA questions....

Old Enough for Disney?

When discussing the right time to take kids to Disney World for the first time, I often hear "I want them to be old enough to remember it". I don't prescribe to that line of thinking. This summer I entered a contest and tried to describe why I think taking little ones to Disney is a great idea. Here's that entry...

Last spring I planned a trip for my wife and 2-year-old daughter to Walt Disney World. I got plenty of "advice" leading up to the trip on how my daughter was too young and wouldn't remember anything. While that may be true, nothing could ever compare to the memories I'll carry with me - experiencing The Magic through her young eyes.

Cinderella was my daughter's favorite movie then, and I could almost feel her eye's bulge out of her head as she spied The Castle for the first time. While we explored the mosaics under The Castle and rode the carousel, nothing prepared me for what happened when we dined with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare that first night. It was a while before Cinderella made our way to us, and we watched with eager anticipation as she visited with other diners and posed for pictures. It was truly hard to eat our meal. When our turn came to meet Cinderella, it wasn't my daughter's silence that surprised me the most - it was my wife's! My wife was wide-eyed with her jaw hanging open (I so wished that Mary Poppins was there to say "Close you're mouth Miss, we are not a cod fish"). Anyway, to try and help break the awe of silence - I attempted to make smalltalk with Cinderella and asked if she was wearing the glass slippers? Even though I had seen the movie about 100 times, she proceeded to patiently explain how one slipper had broken and she could no longer wear them anymore. Oh the horror! Now I was red faced and wanted to crawl under the table. A quick picture and autograph, then Cinderella was on her way. We looked at each other and giggled at how we had acted.

Over the course of the week, we experienced (and fell in love with) all the parks. We especially enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast Show at Hollywood Studios, playing in the jumping fountains outside the Imagination pavilion in Epcot, and experiencing the Animal Kingdom's Festival of the Lion King. In addition, we probably rode (and re-ride and re-ride) both Dumbo and It's a Small World about a dozen times each.

My favorite memories though, are of our last day. We knew we had just spent a most wonderful week together - one that would be difficult to ever duplicate. It was a very tender morning in the Magic Kingdom. We started with a final spin on our Fantasyland favorites (which was just about everything). On our way toward the front of the park, my daughter spotted Winnie the Pooh (who we had not seen yet that week). She looked up at me and said "Daddy, I'd really like to meet him" - so of course we got in line. She had the patience of an angel - pen and autograph book in hand - never lifting her gaze from Pooh for the 10 minutes we waited. She approached him gingerly, without my hand, and gave him a big hug. I have a hard time expressing the emotions I felt as I watched my little girl grow up - just a little - in that very moment. Our final moments in The Kingdom were spent at the foot of Main Street sharing some popcorn and ice cream as we watched other families excitedly begin their vacations.

After eighteen months, my daughter still talks about how she met Pooh, and we laugh about our starstruck experience with Cinderella. Recently as we've been talking about and planning our next visit, I'll catch my daughter humming the Small World theme. When I ask her what she's doing, she replies, "Just thinking about Disney World, Dad". I cannot thank Disney enough for giving me these wonderful memories of love, tenderness, and fun with those closest to me - even if my daughter doesn't remember any of it.

Millennium Trenching (West Seneca, NY) - Review

I recently hired Millennium Trenching owned by Larry Boll to install some drain tile and gutters. I've never had a worse experience hiring someone to do work at my home.

Larry gave me an estimate to install 390 feet of drain tile. The contract called for the drainage system to tie in the 7 downspots from my house and connect to the culvert at the road. The estimate also included a price to install gutters on a portion of my house.

First of all, Larry shorted me on the amount of drain tile installed - installing only 350 of the 390 feet of drainage specified by the contract. He neglected to tie in one of the 7 downspouts on my home and did not tie the system into my sump pump line. All of these items were specifically called out in the contract.

I've never seen a more amateurish gutter installation. The downspouts were "attached" with a 3 inch gap from the siding. There was none of the strapping that usually reinforces the downspouts to the house. The contract also called for Larry to install a "leaf guard" system on the gutters, which he did not do.

Adding insult to injury, Larry's workers cut into and removed a portion of my very expensive, previously installed LeafGuard gutters. There was no need to do this. The guys simply did not follow instructions, causing unrepairable damage to these gutters (and voiding the LeafGuard warranty).

I was ultimately forced to take Larry to court to gain settlement for the uncompleted work as well as the damage to my home.

DO NOT HIRE LARRY BOLL OR MILLENNIUM TRENCHING!!!

The Look

I've become a big fan of all things Disney. A BIG fan. Almost an addict.

It all started when I planned our first trip to Disney World a few years ago. I was looking for planning tips in order to make best use of our vacation time and I discovered an enormous community of fan sites and podcasts devoted to nothing more than helping people like me have better vacations. It was unbelievable! At that time I didn't quite understand why people would donate so much time and energy to talk about a theme park. It didn't take long to figure out that Disney World is much more than a theme park

At the same time, I was introducing my daughter to all the classic Disney movies and characters... Cinderella, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Mickey and the gang. I hadn't watched these movies since I was a kid myself, and had forgotten all but the broadest storylines. When Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Nemo were released, I was in high school or college and didn't pay much attention. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed these movies when I finally made time to watch them with my daughter.

My love for Disney was firmly cemented when we finally visited the parks. The stories are so complete and alive there. Every little detail is attended to. Sure there are attractions based on the movies, but there are also stories built around the non-movie attractions. I experienced a mixture of excitement and embarrassment last week when I realized I knew the name of the mythical town where the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is - Tumbleweed. I knew that. Yep, I got it bad...

What could possibly possess me to remember that little fact? In part it's all of the things above, but more so it's the look on my daughter's face (and sometimes my wife's and I'm sure mine) when a character in a parade waves directly to you (or blows you a kiss). You. Like you're the only one there.

There are hundreds of places in the parks which can produce this look.... when you turn on Main St and see The Castle, when you take off on Soarin', or when you play Toy Story Mania. All elicit that look. Every time.

I even saw the look on my parents faces when they joined us for a trip this fall. And they're old. They've seen it all a hundred times. I know, because they told me all about it when I was growing up. They had the look too!

That look - a mixture of awe, wonder, excitement, and pure joy. Everyone gets it at Disney. And it's the feeling I get when I see that look that's got me hooked.

Superior Remodeling (West Seneca, NY) - Review

For the most part I feel John Ianello and Superior Remodeling did a good job on our addition, but the stress involved in working with John (if your a hands on type of person) is not worth it. There are some things in the way John conducts his business that really shook my confidence in him (and therefore his work).

If he doesn't want to answer a question, he won't. He'll double talk you, tell you that you have nothing to worry about, ignore your request, or tell you that this is not the right time to think about it. The thing is, it's never the right time for John. He'll dictate to you what is done and when.

• Before we signed a contract, I wanted to hear his approach for how he'll tie the new gutters into the existing ones. Granted, it was a relatively small detail, but I wanted to work though it. John brushed me off. This should've been a red flag that I'll have a hard time talking to him to get details on information he's not ready (or unwilling) to give... which turned out to be true.

• John showed up at our house to start work a month before his anticipated start date. We didn't have our financing in place yet and asked him to delay starting. He didn't, and we scrambled to get something in place to pay for the rest of the job. We settled for a higher interest loan to fund things until we could put better financing in place. This added a lot of stress to what should've been an exciting time at the beginning of the project.

• After they started digging the foundation, they ran into a septic pipe that ran next to the planned foundation. They hand dug around the pipe, but the next day I came home to find the entire hole filled with cement. My concern was that they encased the pipe in the cement. When I called John and asked him how they dealt with the pipe, again I got the runaround and he didn't answer my questions directly. He did call back later and explained in detail what they did, but I always felt uncomfortable that he needed to call me back before giving me the full story - like he needed to concoct something. I still don't know for sure what happened.
  
  I would've liked him to call my wife or I outside before filling the trench to say "Look, this is how we're going to deal with this situation". And then either explain "this is a good idea because x, y, z" or ask "what do you think".
  
  Yet more stress at the beginning of the project.

• We had a vacation planned and made John aware of the dates well before he started. We made it clear that we didn't want any work being done while we were gone. Of course he starts 2 weeks before we are to leave - again dictating that either the house will be open and exposed to the weather while we're gone or he's going to continue work.
  
  The day before we leave, there are big questions with the electrical plans. The electric planner who came out said that some limbs need to be removed to make way for the new service run. John also told us that we need to upgrade to 200 amp service (which turned out not to be true). He said that "he knows a guy" to do the tree and the electric work and gives us some ballpark estimates... and then asks us what to do? We tell him that we need actual estimates and we spend the day before our vacation scrambling to line up people to come out and price the work. It turns out John's "ballpark numbers" were off by 50% in both instances. Of course, John got his way (again) and continues work while we're gone.
  
  This is a stressful way to start and spend a vacation.

• The original job was also supposed to include installing 4 vinyl replacement windows in the rest of the house. In the original estimate John insisted in keeping these out - estimating the addition only. He assured us that he would complete these as part of the overall work. My wife had the windows measured and priced by John's window distributor and had yet more "ballpark estimates" for installation from John. We thought everyone was on the same page, but when the addition windows were delivered there were no vinyl replacements. Once we realized this oversight, John told us the lead time to order the windows was an additional 2 weeks (well after they were to complete the original job). John also wanted to re-quote the price. It was little surprise that new estimates were close to $100 more per window than John's original "ballpark" price.

• As the job came to a close, we asked that they not hang our new ceiling fans until we had a chance to paint the ceiling. As they would be working on a job we referred them to at our neighbors, they readily agreed.... until they realized this would push back their completion date a few days and they would need to wait for final payment.
  
  There were 4 items that needed to be completed before they were done - install the fans, final electric inspection, the electric wires outside needed to be raised (tightened) back to their original level (John lowered them to move the service), and the dumpster for the job needed to be removed. John wanted us to make full final payment before any of these things were complete. When we refused to pay until all work was completed (we did offer to make a partial payment early), he insisted on installing the fans to get the electrical inspection done. He said that the dumpster would be removed Friday, but still insisted on payment Thursday.
  
  He said that the electrical service was not his responsibility - the electric company was in charge of that sort of thing. My reasoning is that he lowered the wires on his own and that the job was not complete until all these services were back to where they're supposed to be. We disagree on this point.
  
  Yet again, we should be excited to be in our new space but are frustrated by John's insistence on being paid before the job is complete. More stress.

Again, we're happy with the new space but I don't feel that the added stress that comes in dealing with John offsets the cost of dealing with a more professional contractor. It definitely wasn't as bad as some of the contractor horror stories you hear, but it wasn't a great experience either.

The other thing I fail to understand is why John was so insistent on being paid before the job was complete. He knows our future plans call for a complete kitchen remodel (and installing the above mentioned windows). My father also asked John to look at some work at his house. His stubbornness and ignorance cost him at least 2 future jobs. Why would he risk that by insisting to be paid a few days early for a job he hasn't completed yet?

Lost Returns!!! (finally)

I'm really excited about the Lost premiere tonight. It's been a long time coming. I'm excited to learn the series of events that leads Jack to such despair and why he now desperately wants to get back to the island.

I'm a little bummed because ABC has been marketing it as a 2-hour event. Looking at the TV listings, it looks like a 'clip-show' followed by 1-hour of new content. I was greedily hoping for 2-hours of new content.

I watched ABCs rebroadcast of last season's finale. There was some text added to the bottom revealing some back story and easter eggs in the episode. I didn't care for it. Many times I was so drawn in my the story that I was ignoring the text and needed to "DVR back" to read the text. I didn't feel like it added that much... "Oxycodine is a powerful and addictive drug"?? Thanks. I sort of figured that out but why do I care?

One thing I had forgotten about in the finale was the reaction (or non-reaction) of the hospital staff when Jack told the new Chief Surgeon to go upstairs and see how drunk his father was. It seemed like everyone in the hallway dismissed that remark even though Christian Shepard had been dead for some time. I don't know, I guess I would've expected a different response. Why did Jack even say that anyway? It just seems weird.

I've also been following along in the new Lost alternate reality game, find815.com. It's no where near as engaging as the previous Lost ARG, but it's at least something. I'm wondering if the freighter where the game takes place will tie back to the freighter coming to rescue the survivors?