Communication.... 7% is verbal. 38% is tone of voice & inflections in the voice. 55% is visual... body language... Particularly your face & eyes. Where does that leave the written word? The power of the written word or pictures to invoke wrong interpretations is greatly increased with 93% of a person to person communication missing. So again... where does that leave the written word?
Around the world with 80 drinks. Ongoing Disney promotion.
This is a nice experience for the majority of folks that drink responsibility... no problems, no issues.
However, readily available alcohol every 100 feet, without proper server observation & control, with numerous multiple locations so no one server and monitor heavy consumption and judge intoxication levels... well, its a recipe for out of control drinking, drunkenness, and deplorable behavior detrimental to a family atmosphere. Couple this with less security than normal and managers that do no patrol outside the shops into open areas and you have less monitoring and even greater chances for abusive drunks. I have experienced this personally, several times, too many times. This especially seems to be a problem on Friday & Saturday evenings. My biggest problem is that not only is Disney aware of the problems, but does little or nothing to control & correct those that drink to an excess until a mayor problem arises, after its too late. Why? Beer, hard liquor, mixed drinks, wine, and the extensive promotion of alcohol make big money & profits. It's worse at Epcot... soon to spread to all the parks now that alcohol is in all the parks... even the "holy ground" of Magic Kingdom. But, draw from this what you will. Lots of folks drink responsibly, some do not... And this may not bother you. But I find drunkenness and foul language & lewd behavior distasteful & offensive anywhere, but especially at Disney.
Weather... record rainfall, flash floods, tornados, hurricanes... earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis... record heat, record cold, heavy snow, and raising ocean levels and tides. Dam failure, bridge failures, massive sink holes, severe wind damage, and lightening strikes. Wildfires, mud slides, and more severe thunderstorms. Just in our lifetime alone we have seen changes in the weather... more severe, more frequent, more devastation... yet it all seems to be an unexpected surprise. Science looks at hundreds, even thousands of years of climate & weather changes, so there should be no surprises. Weather will continue to get more severe, with greater frequently, and events will last longer... and our concept of normal will be changed for the worse. What was considered a 1000 year flash flood event in Ellicott City Maryland has occurred twice in just 22 months. Higher populations, urban expansion, and aging infrastructure adds to the increased potential for disaster. Heartbreaking loss of life and damage will be more frequent... surprising, no... devastating, yes... tragic, indeed. Frequently & intensity, most certainly. Emotionally heartbreaking.
Campfires are the best. The warmth of the fire, the smell of wood burning, the crackling of the burning wood, the light & shadows from the flames, and of course the telling of stories around the campfire. Scary stories to entertain the kids. Scary stories to unlock their imagination and scare them into sleepless nights. And what could make it even more scary... stone skulls over the flames. Get your stories ready.
Living with the rules...
1. Must have smoke detector... check, good idea.
2. Keep good batteries in detector... check, good idea.
3. Detector will chirp is batteries are weak... Great feature.
4. Battery will always... yes always go weak in the middle of the night between 1am and 4am.
Chirp... chirp...chirp...chirp...chirp... until you wake up, get out of bed, stumble around in the darkness, remember you are too short to reach the detector, find a ladder, remember how to get the detector off the ceiling, open it up, find a screw driver to unclip the hard fastened 9v battery, and have a sigh of relief... It's off... no more chirping... Wondering if you woke up your wife. So now you are wide awake to 4am. Of course your first impulse was to throw it out the door or window... but not a good idea... but it would make you feel better... at 4am... in the middle of the night... when you're wide awake. Arggg!
Yep... just one of those rules in life. Of course you could avoid this if you remembered to simply replace the battery every 6 months before the old one goes weak. Yeah... like that's gonna happen.
Or... go with plan "B"... hammertime! Oops... it accidently fell off the table along with the hammer.
Baltimore Favorite Restaurant.
Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown.
Opened in 1927... I remember going there from the time I was little to get their famous Coney Island hot dogs. The best in Baltimore. Slow cooked on an open steel grill right in the front window. Few things remain as good as they were years ago, but this is certainly one of them. Years of memories. We would all pile into the family station wagon, moms and kids... drive into the city for hot dogs and Coca-Cola from the old fashioned soda bar. Simply the best ever. Not much of a place, some would say a hole in the wall, but simply the best.
So... what makes you happy?
UPS... FedEx... USPS... and Amazon deliveries.
Puts a smile on my face!
Living in the country, surrounded by farms, with only a small town and limited places to shop... Amazon is a essential. We do have a Walmart & and a Lowes... but for everything else, there's Amazon.
Ancient Wonders. Fact... no ancient human ability was able to erect this 1,200 ton obelus to an upright position. So how we're they going to do it? How were other monuments quarried, transported sometimes hundreds of miles, then erected? In the absence of scientific facts, the only conclusion is that ancient man used thousands in man power to accomplish these tasks... no matter how improbable. The open minded person, realizing that ancient man nor modern man with technology could move 1,200 ton stone monuments, and realizes that some other technologies were used beyond our current comprehension or abilities. So where did it come from? Cold hard facts... there are none. Every ancient culture documents alien visitors to earth which were revered as gods... which is discounted as only myths. So what's more believable... ancient man moving 1,200 ton monuments... or alien technology and intervention? Theories are endless as are the possibilities. More and more...Science fiction someday will become science fact. Scientific facts and the unexplained will become common knowledge. So... what do you believe?
Tiny homes are finding a place in the retirement segment of society. Also popular with young folks seeking affordable housing. Most people can't conceive the idea of living this small, but you'd be surprised at how little space you really need. Having lived in a rv for the past 15 years (full time rving), I can say that you have all the space you need. Now, you're not going to have any big parties unless they're outside, but you have all the comforts of a regular home condensed to minimal space. But to each his own. But the appeal is certainly real. No big mortgages, no high utility bills, minimal maintenance, in some cases, mobility. I kinda like the two-story octagonal tiny home... but it will take a lot to get us out of our rv home. All the comforts of home in a compact space.
Mountain sunsets. Living 3 1/2 years on the Florida Gulf beaches and enjoying countless sunsets... ahhh... the beauty of it all. But to me, mountain sunsets are truly the most beautiful. The textured layers of the mountains and valleys, and after seeing the wonderful beauty of the trees, wild flowers, and wildlife, it all culminates with spectacular sunsets. Just sit and enjoy as the sun, its light, its shadows, and its ever changing colors, as it disappears across the valley and the mountains to the west. Priceless.
Disney always has terrific paradise. Some are really good, some are exceptional, and some stand out above the rest. The Magic Kingdom Fantasy Parade is certainly exceptional. Full of energy and colors. Here's a sample of its grandeur.
Separate? Church & State. It's a nice and vital concept, but its eroding more and more. Designed to keep religion in check as to its role in government. Not withstanding moral issues, not to be confused with religious issues, government is not suppose to be influenced by religion... any religion. Yet exactly the opposite is happening with alarming frequently. Religion remains active, and is ever increasing its influence upon government, so that religious beliefs are forced upon everyone via government policies and laws. Religious activity continues to lobby to dictate laws in accordance with religion. And while everyone is guaranteed the religious freedom to believe as you wish, and live their life as they so choose, freedom from religion is a fading if non existent concept. Freedom from religion to influence government and laws in theory sounds nice, but those that advocate freedom of religion, care nothing about freedom from religion. We all pay taxes to enjoy government by the people, for the people, that maintains and elevates our freedoms. Churches pay no taxes, yet want an active roles in government. Perhaps if they paid (via taxes) for the privilege of influencing laws that affect everyone, there would be less resentment of the churches role in government. So there it is... believe what you will. Think what you will. What gives churches & religion any rights to greatly influence government to rule everyone? Separation of church & state? In reality, not so much.
Hawaiian tragedy looming? How have some people gotten complacent about the eruptions and the dangers. Watched a news cast where the last exit road is going to be blocked.... no rescue will be possible... and people still want to stay in a danger zone. Sure hoping for their safety.
Street People... ya never know who or where, but its always a welcome surprise. Street people themed for the areas that they interact with guest in include Main Street in Magic Kingdom, Frontierland, Liberty Square. Somewhat similar to character meet & greets (photo ops), street performers are entertaining and interactive.
The Inner Harbor of Baltimore Maryland. A mecca for tourists filled with activities, shopping, and restaurants. Premier activities include the National Aquarium, the Science Center, and rounded out with some history... the USS Constellation and within a short drive Fort McHenry. Restaurants... Virtually anything you want but Maryland classics are always a good choice... crab cakes, crab soup, or steamed crabs. Shopping is varied and interesting ranging from market type shopping to unique gift shops filled with local flavor keepsakes.
Our favorite park at night time... Epcot. Great place to enjoy the evening, relax, enjoy the view of the countries and people watch. And while Magic Kingdom is also pretty at night and is good for rides and attractions... Epcot offers a variety of themes with the countries that is not only for relaxing, but great for varied food, snacks, and desserts. Plus there's more observation points to have great vantage points to view the evening fireworks.
Ice cream... what a delightful fun treat. And what makes it all the more fun... tell the girl behind the counter you forgot your glasses... could she name off the flavors for you. When she finishes, say I'm sorry, could you please be kind enough to repeat them slowly. (playing the old age card). When she finishes the second reading... look like you're in deep thought... deciding... then say... I'll have vanilla please while smiling 😃. Well... it was fun for me. Besides, I always get vanilla.
Thousand Memories... they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here's a collection of my photos that attempts that all at one time. Photos are from 2008, so some things are no longer at Disney. See what you remember, and find what's no longer there.
60 years ago we were given these and told to go outside and play. We were busy for hours & hours. Could you possibly imagine giving there to kids with the same instructions today.
English hass nevver bin a problom fur me. Teachshers on theother han diddnt share mi perspectave on the madder. Then thares all thoze funy qwirkie ruls bout silent leters that maks no cents at awl. Wordz that luk the same butt ar prononced diferently. Krazy, rite. And whi doo we even havve a "c" & "k" wen they sond the same? And wats up with "x", was it reely nesaadary? Whi doo I need to no partz and rools fur gramer. Useles rite. Then thars the idea that "ph" shood sound like a "f", butt only sum times. Idoeno. Words that lok and sound the same butt meen diferant things. Gotta bee a beter weigh.
Remembering The Great Movie Ride.
Gone into the vast amount of retired attractions. There are always changes... in with the new, out with the old. Fondly remembered.
Life here in these divided United States.
Sick of politics, politicians, political issues, the out of control media and their agendas, the tv shows that have political agendas, and Hollywood and it actors and their relentless rantings about their political agendas... who they hate and why you should too. Everyone is offended by seemingly everything and want everyone else to jump on their bandwagon and feel & believe the way they do.
No matter the media...
I DON'T CARE WHAT OFFENDS YOU... MOST RATIONAL PEOPLE DON'T.
Everything in politics has a place... it should not be in every place in our lives... in your face every where you turn. This is simply one point if view... And I don't care if it's yours or not... to each his own. Just keep it to yourself and stop fueling the fire of social division... social prejudice, social hatred... the the resulting violence that's partly a cause of all the media turmoil that perpetrates even more social division.
WHEN WILL ENOUGH BE ENOUGH? Seemingly...never.
Looking for a good book... an interesting book... fill with intrigue, adventure and mystery.
