Out of Pocket...Sort Of.

It has been a few weeks since I updated, you, my loyal reader, with the exploits of Doc. Or as I am sometimes known, "The Other Doc". It all depends on who I am with when screen names are mentioned. But, let this serve as a quick update.

I have been spending the last few weeks getting in shape for an event I am taking part in. No, I am not speaking of the Half Marathon or anything of that nature. No, this is much much bigger than that. But it is something that did require I take my physical health seriously for a change. So, after three and a half weeks, I am happy to report that I have successfully lost (and kept off), 2 pounds, 4 ounces. I have also reduced my waist line by nearly 1/32 of an inch. I know. I know. You're asking, what is his secret? I am not saying.

But I am loving life and feeling good. And that, is a good thing.

So what is this event? Oh, I am a proud member of Team Piranha in the new Survivor: Passamaquoddy! We're taking on Team Sashimi. "Sashimi! It's whats for breakfast." I thought I would share my bio as it posted on Doc Terminus' blog, just to keep you up to date. But really visit Passamaquoddy and read about all the participants and be sure to follow all of our adventures in the weeks to come. You'll be glad you did.

But my Survivor biography...

"A little about me, uh? Well, let me see. I have been in P’quoddy for a little over a year now. You can usually find me at the back table over at Sand Dollar Ella’s enjoying, well, you know, and thinking about how I should write something. I don’t get ‘round to it as often as I should, but when I do, it is usually something very poignant. That is the right way to spell poignant isn’t it? I am happy to be selected for the first Survivor: Passamaquoddy. Do I expect to win? Not really. Hey, just like the lottery, you got to play to win, and I’ll probably be at my usual table thinking about it and end up missing the challenge. But when I show up, I will probably do something very poignant. Just late. But should I win, it will be based on these two qualities: perseverance. I will persevere through anything, like the time I ate my weight in snow crab legs over at Ella’s. Sure, I was sick for two days afterwards, but I stuck to it. Just like the time I refused to leave the “it’s a small fin” attraction when it broke down and I was stuck there with this little clown fish singing “it’s a small fin after all” over and over and over. Anyone else would have jumped ship and made for the exit. No, not me. I stuck it out. So, if I win, it will be based on that. That, and the fact that I don’t mind wearing the same T-shirt for several episodes if necessary as long as it is a cool T-shirt.

"Oh, and the second quality? I usually write something very poignant.

"Team Piranha: We Got Teeth and We’re Not Afraid To Use ‘Em."

So, there you are. I am lovin' life in P'quoddy for a while my friends. Oh, and to give credit where credit is due, I swiped the graphic from the Passamaquoddy blog.

More to follow...

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Let's Play!

Okay, so it really isn't that millionaire game. But it is a rerun of the most recent Where In The World. A long time ago, on December 6th actually I posted the picture you now see to the left. Interesting isn't it.

So far there has only been one guess on where we may find this colorful tribute to Les Miserables (no it has nothing to do with the book or the musical; just a parallel to the Red and Black). Some of you were recently in the park and perhaps you passed this item while you were there.

Lets leave this up for another week and see if anyone can place this photograph. If not, then maybe a clever hint can be your starting point.

The Future Has Arrived

In the 501 days since The Disney Obsession began, if I have learned anything at all, it is that writing a blog is not an easy task! This spoken by someone who posts with no regularity whatsoever. But it isn't; easy that is. I am continually faced with the question of what to write and will it be worthwhile. After all, writing and maintaining a blog is an investment in time and energy.

This then begs the question. With so many excellent blogs available that cover almost every conceivable aspect of Disney, why another? Well really that question has been answered in that I did start TDO. So perhaps the question should be, should I continue working on the blog? Do I need to continue agonizing over what to write or whether or not it is being read? Are there other things that would be a better use of my time? I could draw or paint, or perhaps start writing my memoirs.

If this sounds like a familiar question, it is because I have asked it before. Only this time I have come surprisingly close to packing it in, shutting it down, shipping it off, and so forth.

Just the other day someone asked me to describe The Disney Obsession. Wow. I was stumped! I couldn't articulate what it is I am doing here. I could perhaps give an object lesson on how not to go about writing a blog, and live with the associated anxiety of trying to. Um. Maybe that should be my next blog. But I could not sum up in two or three sentences what this is. Not and make it sound interesting to my mind.

So.

I began to think seriously about what it is I have been doing here and what I would like to do. What I have been doing is writing about my relationship with Disney; pretty much how and what I feel. I try to explore the emotions I associate with not only being in the parks, but with being a fan away from the parks. Yes, I throw in the assorted photos from time to time and ask you to guess where it is. Yes, there is some exposure to my attempts to capture the parks at night. But there can be so much more. True, I have more to write concerning my feeling on Disney. But there are other things I want to share about life in general.

That is my answer! How do I describe my blog? It is about my passion for Disney and for life! I don't want to limit myself to trying to come up with something about Disney all the time. No, I want to share some of the wonders of life that I enjoy. My family, music, the odd film here and there. Basically just about anything that I feel like sharing. After all, this is my blog right?

Yes, you can look for be a nice piece ( a series actually) about Illuminations; say something about the composers. Or perhaps we'll address the fact that Doc once had long hair (the Belle photo). We may explore the when and where of my falling in love with the parks. But too, we may take a look at The Beatles (remember, I am a pre-Shea Stadium baby). Maybe some reflections from when I lived in Europe, or playing with Legos with my grandchildren.

There is a great big beautiful tomorrow and yes, it is filled with things other than Disney. And truth be told, I am rather obsessed with those things too; my family, my friends. I am also happy with all the adventures I have had, and more importantly, those adventures that are yet to come.

I suppose we can call this my New Years resolution for The Disney Obsession, or "Doc's Decision". From here on, The Disney Obsession isn't just about Disney anymore. It is about life...with a generous dose of Disney of course.

For those of you who have been following this blog, I hope that you'll stick around. It is not that I have changed - I am just taking the blinders off. To me a blog is simply another way to share our lives with our family and friends (yes, my family reads this). It is because I blog that my circle of friends has expanded beyond what I would have imagined. And this is great. Mind you, I so much appreciate my old friends as well. So again, I hope you stick around as the ol' Doc tries out a few new things.

Oh, and you can look forward to my posting with the same degree of irregularity that you have come to know and respect from The Disney Obsession. If you wonder what is happening during those gaps, well, I may be drawing or reading a book, I may be in Disney World, or fishing on a lake in Michigan. It could be that I am riding bikes with my grandchildren or taking a walk with the love of life, Mrs. Doc. In short, I'll be out living and loving life.

I'll get back to the office every so often. But right now, I am going to read Inkheart.

Photo Credit: Cropped Screen Shot from Meet the Robinsons Disney Pictures website.

Twenty-four Seven, Three Hundred and Sixty-Five

Happy New Year! I felt that since this is my first post of 2009 I should start by wishing each of you a belated but Happy New Year.

Christmas is a difficult time for me and my family. It is difficult for me because I am so excited while it approaches and then I hate to see it end. It is difficult for my family because they have deal with me. I am, according to some, as bad, if not worse, than some of my grandchildren. I am not sure about that, but I do know that the kids and I enjoy opening our presents and seeing what each other got. I am still being bothered about opening my Tinker Toys. Not to mention my Buzz & Friends Pixar Character Train from a few years back.

Last year I had my one of my hands badly nicked by a light sabre. So this year I had to ban light sabre duels in the living room. "Let's take it to the dining room kids!"

Since Christmas is something I look forward to all year, and beginning planning for even as I am throwing all the wrapping paper out (sounds like a Disney trip doesn't it), I decided to have small bit of Christmas year round. Christmas with a little Disney mixed in.

So, to close out the holiday so that I can begin looking to the future of The Disney Obsession, I give you the Doc Disney Christmas Tree.

And what Christmas tree would be complete without a few items under it?

Boxing Day 2008

Two weeks off from school for Christmas; that in and of itself was a gift. I do seem remember though a certain tinge of excitement about the first day back in class after the holidays. This was the day that you got to find out what your friends got from Santa and tell them what you got.

I recall a Christmas during the late 60’s when my parents got me a 1/48 scale model of the Saturn V rocket. This was during the Apollo era and our race to the Moon. I was so proud to have that model and worked very methodically putting the model together, pretending that the table in my bedroom was the Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Kennedy. If memory serves it was also a white Christmas that year.

A lot of years have passed and I can’t recall whatever happened to that rocket. It now lives in my memory and on a mental list that I call, “Things I Had Then That I Wish I Had Now.” It is a very long list.

That was then and this is now. Though I have grown older I have tried hard not to grow up. Fortunately for me my family knows and accepts this. So in addition to books and music, my Christmas usually includes a few gifts that are labeled “Suitable for Ages 3 and up.” Oh, and being something of a Disney geek, the over arching theme of most everything is definitely Disney.

So, in honor of this 2008 Boxing Day, and since I don't have a first day back at school to look forward to, I thought I would share just a bit of what found its way under Doc’s tree. And I know my family reads these blog every now and then, so to them, thank you. Thank you for how you bless me and for allowing me to share your lives. Thank you for making this a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Boxing Day!

Postscript: George, you'll notice a few of your recommended titles made it under the tree. I feel that The Alchemy of Animation, Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends, The Illusion of Life and Walt Disney's Nine Old Men will keep me busy for a few days at least.

December 25, 2008

The gifts have been opened and I am watching the 25th Anniversary Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade while enjoying yet another cup of coffee. Then it occurred to me, I wanted to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. It is my hope that this day is filled with more magic than you can possibliy imagine, with just hint of all the hope and promise of the coming New Year.

"For we need a little music,

Need a little laughter,

Need a little singing

Ringing through the rafter,

And we need a little snappy

"Happy ever after,"

Need a little Christmas now.

Need a little Christmas now."

We've Gathered Here Tonight...

This will, I am sure, be the first of many posts that will in some way or another allude to my MouseFest experience. And it has taken me to this point to write the first word due to two reasons. First, the trip was filled with so much activity, occasions to be with friends and make new friends that it is hard to know exactly where to start. Second, and more to the point, is how quickly real life takes over once you leave home. All this and catching a severe cold this past Wednesday hasn’t helped matters.

Plus. Well, the list of reasons could go on and on.

I do want to write something though just to begin the process of telling my MouseFest adventure. For this first retelling I wish to highlight the friendships celebrated. Yes, I know, I sound like a broken record, but it is true. And while MouseFest can mean many things to many people, it has come to mean friendship for me. In truth, that is a lot of what Disney has come to mean to me. So, this past weekend was an opportunity to be with friends; to laugh, to eat, to sing, to share, and on some occasions to experience.

For me a measure of true friendship can be found when you can spend time with a person without saying a word and feel that it is time well spent. I have known this depth of friendship on a few occasions in my life. I like to think that the friendships I have made and will continue to make will be of this caliber. While time and distance separate each of us physically, it does not separate our hearts from each other. In truth, I think the distance enhances the friendship as it causes us to work hard for something that is worth having.

Let’s be honest, it is easy to be friends at the happiest place on earth. The real test comes when we’re away from home, working at our jobs, raising our families, dreaming our dreams, and pulling together the money we need for the next trip. It is in these times that our posts, our emails, our text messages, our “writings on the wall”, and our phone calls move our friendships to a more appreciative level.

Though our times together increase the depth of our relationships, there are not many moments of silence when friends gather in The World. But, there are moments approaching silence, such as when a group of friends gathered “around the fire” on Saturday night in Epcot. We gathered to watch a show that many of us have seen more times than we can count. Yet, for me, this night was special. In those few moments It was enough to be present, to be silent and to experience the moment with your best friends.

That moment was my MouseFest. While I came away with many wonderful memories, none will compare to that.

“Good evening and welcome. We’ve gathered here tonight around the fire as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousands of years before us to share the light and to share the story; an amazing story as old as time itself but still being written. And though each of us has our own individual story to tell a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one. I hope you enjoy our story tonight, Reflections of Earth.”