We just got back from a very quick trip to Disney. In fact, most people were surprised to here that we were going down Friday night, doing only TWO days and headed back Monday. Well, it is what it is. First, it was pretty last minute and we are already taking nearly TWO weeks at the end of December for the holidays. Second, with the girls 8 and 6 they really only wanted to do the Magic Kingdom. Third, this is already their THIRD trip to Disney so it was not the 'once in a lifetime deal'. I guess I am bit spoiled when it comes to Disney in that we went several times a year as a kid and even going to the University of Florida it was a short ride in college so going there was not a major deal. However, I am a Disney guy. I really love it. I am always impressed with the STAFF everywhere and the unique ways in which they market themselves. I am NOT a Disney cult person with the pins and clothes, I just appreciate it for what it is and given the world today and MY world today it was a great SHORT escape and a good reminder that 'When you wish upon a star, dreams can really come true' - YOU just have to have the courage and dedication to make them happen.
So - the trip from TWO sort of different perspectives since anyone can find out how to 'tour the park' though I am an expert (you can ask for my FAST PASS strategy personally).
First, the economic angle! We stayed at Port Orleans (a moderate resort) and got a RIDICULOUS RATE. Let's just say we paid MOTEL 6 prices. We pulled in Friday afternoon and the parking lot was pretty empty, which surprised me given that it was Thanksgiving Week. On Saturday in the park it was downright EMPTY until about noon which says to me, not a lot of people were staying in the park like us. By the afternoon traffic picked up and Sunday was pretty crowded but still not the 60-75 minute long lines I expected. It may get more crowded as the week goes on but I definitely feel this is related to the economy. It was also the first time in a LONG time in Disney where I did not here a lot of foreign languages besides Spanish. Usually the park is full of Euro's...this surprised me. Lastly, I LOVED only having to spend a total of $90 round trip on GAS in the minivan. We are talking just over 900 miles so that was great.
Ok, onto the sports. You know me, I watch people and I like to observe, and well, I am drawn to sports.
Here is what I noticed Saturday:
1. tons of folks in college gear
2. Florida Gators stuff most prevalent and that is not being biased (I promise)
3. Ohio State #2 - I give these people credit, they travel WELL to everything. I did love letting them see my Gatorwear. Let's be honest though, if you lived in OHIO you would want out too, right?
4. Very little Florida State stuff
5. Georgia items were close behind the Ohio State people
Sunday took a different turn:
1. I couldn't believe the number of NFL Jerseys people were wearing. At one point I thought I was going to a PATRIOT tailgate. Ok, I am not a HUGE jersey guy (the shirts not the State, plenty of love for the State). I certainly own my share and will break one out for a game sometimes, BUT, to wear around Disney...hmmmm...
2. All of a sudden the FSU gear broke out - I guess they were waiting to see if they would win at Maryland on Saturday before showing their school spirit?
3. Jean shorts are not a University of Florida thing - they are a fat guy from the north wearing it with his NFL Team jersey thing, and in general they either are over 45 or they have pony tails and are looking for a smoking area.
All in all it was a great trip!
Happy Thanksgiving all, count your blessings, there is SO MUCH to be thankful for!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Catching Up
Thanks Alex for checking in and making sure I am still breathing! LOL
First and foremost REHAB is over! My knee 'tested' out LAST Friday and after 16 weeks I no longer have somewhere to go on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:00 AM. This is good and bad - good that the knee is 'getting well' enough to the point where I do not need supervision and coaching and bad that the knee is 'getting well' enough to the point where I do not need supervision and coaching :-)
What else, we leave tomorrow for 3 days in DISNEYWORLD with the girls. Cydney turns 8 on Sunday and we thought the trip was a better idea than a party...yeah right, still will be a party (on December 7th) but we are all excited. I just picked up Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E for new videos for the drive (now I just have to figure out how I can sit in the back...). Cydney also got her ears pierced and I hear she is already looking for diamonds - thats my girl!
After Turkey Day here in Atlanta I have a ton of fun and enjoyable stuff going on including some travel:
- SEC Championship is here December 6th and we have a group of friends coming in to enjoy another GATOR romp and a spot in the mythical National Championship Game (I told you it is the decade of Gil after the Phils won it all).
- the week after that I am going on a 'boys' trip to New York to celebrate Scotty's 40th. The weekend will include time to catch up, eat, see Manhattan, eat, drink and take in a JETS game on Sunday. Why am I going to freeze my butt of for a team I have no love for...I'm that kind of friend - LOL. Looking forward to catching up with ONE and ALL while I am there.
- from there we head down to South Florida for the Holidays and relaxation.
- maybe a trip back to MIAMI for a little football game for a nice big TROPHY on January 8th
- Not sure all the plans for the BIG 4-0 in January but I know my sis and her husband Mike and my nephew HENRY are definitely coming in for the weekend and that is present enough for me!
What else - the football thing has really taken off and I am now on the radio locally in Atlanta every Friday morning from 10:25-10:50 on 790 the Zone (www.790thezone.com) and it is also live on the internet on that site. This offseason should be packed with deals as things have really begun to take off.
More after Thanksgiving as I have 'Mickey on the brain'. Pictures to come I am SURE!
First and foremost REHAB is over! My knee 'tested' out LAST Friday and after 16 weeks I no longer have somewhere to go on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:00 AM. This is good and bad - good that the knee is 'getting well' enough to the point where I do not need supervision and coaching and bad that the knee is 'getting well' enough to the point where I do not need supervision and coaching :-)
What else, we leave tomorrow for 3 days in DISNEYWORLD with the girls. Cydney turns 8 on Sunday and we thought the trip was a better idea than a party...yeah right, still will be a party (on December 7th) but we are all excited. I just picked up Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E for new videos for the drive (now I just have to figure out how I can sit in the back...). Cydney also got her ears pierced and I hear she is already looking for diamonds - thats my girl!
After Turkey Day here in Atlanta I have a ton of fun and enjoyable stuff going on including some travel:
- SEC Championship is here December 6th and we have a group of friends coming in to enjoy another GATOR romp and a spot in the mythical National Championship Game (I told you it is the decade of Gil after the Phils won it all).
- the week after that I am going on a 'boys' trip to New York to celebrate Scotty's 40th. The weekend will include time to catch up, eat, see Manhattan, eat, drink and take in a JETS game on Sunday. Why am I going to freeze my butt of for a team I have no love for...I'm that kind of friend - LOL. Looking forward to catching up with ONE and ALL while I am there.
- from there we head down to South Florida for the Holidays and relaxation.
- maybe a trip back to MIAMI for a little football game for a nice big TROPHY on January 8th
- Not sure all the plans for the BIG 4-0 in January but I know my sis and her husband Mike and my nephew HENRY are definitely coming in for the weekend and that is present enough for me!
What else - the football thing has really taken off and I am now on the radio locally in Atlanta every Friday morning from 10:25-10:50 on 790 the Zone (www.790thezone.com) and it is also live on the internet on that site. This offseason should be packed with deals as things have really begun to take off.
More after Thanksgiving as I have 'Mickey on the brain'. Pictures to come I am SURE!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Race and the 'Obama Effect'
Ok, here we go kids, off onto politics and race - too VERY sensitive issues, but I think you will see I am looking through a little different lens:
First and I have said this before, I am a DEMOCRAT. I voted Obama in the Primaries and obviously voted that way again on Tuesday. My thoughts here are not at all about a black man becoming president, a woman being president or a Jew, Muslim or Mormon becoming President. I hope I will see all of them in my lifetime.
My specific purpose here is to examine the mindset of what this means in a 'white male dominated' society that is America. If you don't think we are a white male dominated society then we can have a whole different discussion :-). As a GROUP, whites like to look at what has happened since the Civil Rights Movement and talk about ALL of the progress we have made. WE like to hold up 'people' as example, athletes, entertainers, business people and politicians to say "hey, they have made it, we have broken through the racial divide". From a very myopic view this is CORRECT and yes things have changed from that perspective but have they really gotten better on the whole? More people live below the poverty line than ever before. There are more people in today's prisons than ever before. Illiteracy rates are at an all time high. Healthcare and access to basic needs are severely hurting in our urban centers.
Here are some statistics and facts I have learned in my own city that scare me:
1. 36,000 out of 50,000 KIDS in the Atlanta Public Schools are living below the poverty level (pop. is 85% African American)
2. Prison bed population is forecasted based on the # of kids FAILING 4th Grade reading. This sick and disturbing
3. It costs $18 Billion a year in the State of Georgia in servicing the high school drop out group. The State funds $14 Billion for education. Don't you think if we put more resources INTO education we could spend less on dealing with dropouts?
4. If person 'X' is found with a single piece of crack (personal use, problem or not) faces the same MANDATORY sentencing guidelines as person 'y' who is found with a POUND of cocaine in powder form (this would be for DISTRIBUTION purposes). Interestingly enough, crack is urban...pounds of coke - suburban.
What do these facts have to deal with Obama being elected President? My fear is that Obama will become held up, by the white community, as "they got theirs, it's all good". As John McCain would say, "My friends, it is NOT all good". Racism is still prevalent today. It is far different from the 1950's. Rarely do you see the Klansman running around burning a stake, but how often do you see a 'roll of the eyes' or people crossing the street to avoid one another?
There are no easy answers and we all come with our own set of prejudices, and that is ok. The issue with racism is systemic and institutional. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Can we change the education system, the healthcare system, the welfare system, etc all at once? Probably not.
I do think we can begin to make differences in small measures but the onus MUST come on us, the privileged class, to recognize this issue does not go away with an election. It is ok to talk about the issues and not deflect them. We can take ownership of the past, ask for forgiveness and work to make tomorrow a better place for everyone...
First and I have said this before, I am a DEMOCRAT. I voted Obama in the Primaries and obviously voted that way again on Tuesday. My thoughts here are not at all about a black man becoming president, a woman being president or a Jew, Muslim or Mormon becoming President. I hope I will see all of them in my lifetime.
My specific purpose here is to examine the mindset of what this means in a 'white male dominated' society that is America. If you don't think we are a white male dominated society then we can have a whole different discussion :-). As a GROUP, whites like to look at what has happened since the Civil Rights Movement and talk about ALL of the progress we have made. WE like to hold up 'people' as example, athletes, entertainers, business people and politicians to say "hey, they have made it, we have broken through the racial divide". From a very myopic view this is CORRECT and yes things have changed from that perspective but have they really gotten better on the whole? More people live below the poverty line than ever before. There are more people in today's prisons than ever before. Illiteracy rates are at an all time high. Healthcare and access to basic needs are severely hurting in our urban centers.
Here are some statistics and facts I have learned in my own city that scare me:
1. 36,000 out of 50,000 KIDS in the Atlanta Public Schools are living below the poverty level (pop. is 85% African American)
2. Prison bed population is forecasted based on the # of kids FAILING 4th Grade reading. This sick and disturbing
3. It costs $18 Billion a year in the State of Georgia in servicing the high school drop out group. The State funds $14 Billion for education. Don't you think if we put more resources INTO education we could spend less on dealing with dropouts?
4. If person 'X' is found with a single piece of crack (personal use, problem or not) faces the same MANDATORY sentencing guidelines as person 'y' who is found with a POUND of cocaine in powder form (this would be for DISTRIBUTION purposes). Interestingly enough, crack is urban...pounds of coke - suburban.
What do these facts have to deal with Obama being elected President? My fear is that Obama will become held up, by the white community, as "they got theirs, it's all good". As John McCain would say, "My friends, it is NOT all good". Racism is still prevalent today. It is far different from the 1950's. Rarely do you see the Klansman running around burning a stake, but how often do you see a 'roll of the eyes' or people crossing the street to avoid one another?
There are no easy answers and we all come with our own set of prejudices, and that is ok. The issue with racism is systemic and institutional. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Can we change the education system, the healthcare system, the welfare system, etc all at once? Probably not.
I do think we can begin to make differences in small measures but the onus MUST come on us, the privileged class, to recognize this issue does not go away with an election. It is ok to talk about the issues and not deflect them. We can take ownership of the past, ask for forgiveness and work to make tomorrow a better place for everyone...
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