Broke Hoedown

Mr Broke Hoedown (aka Collateral Damage) is fond of pointing out that Rhode Island has become a standard measurement of land mass. A few examples, courtesy of Quahog.org:

Space-derived materials that survive entry into the Earth’s atmosphere are called bolides. The largest known bolide impact occurred 32.5 million years ago at the present-day Chesapeake Bay. It made a crater twice the size of Rhode Island and deep as the Grand Canyon.
Virginia Museum of Natural History, “Virginia trivia: Have any large comets ever hit Virginia?,” May 18, 2000.

[...]

[Hong Kong] is Earth’s most crowded place, a territory one-third the size of Rhode Island, with seven times the population.
The Commercial Appeal, “Ruling Likely To Stuff More Humanity Into Hong Kong,” May 2, 1999.

[...]

[Iraq's] southern fields are spread across an area about the size of New Jersey, while the northern fields are smaller, about the size of Rhode Island, Pentagon officials say.
Associated Press, “Reviving Iraq’s oil empire a top U.S. goal for post-Saddam period,” by H. Josef Hebert, January 31, 2003.

Well, as a Google news alert subscriber, I’m always amused at the various contexts in which Disneyland is used as a standard measurement as well: A standard of cleanliness, beauty, and entertainment, either held up as a goal (”it’s gonna be just like Disneyland!”) or a contrast (”this isn’t gonna be Disneyland, kiddo”). This usage shows up in headlines a bit more frequently than in the body of the story. A few example from Google news alerts I’ve received:

[headline:} It's not Disneyland, but tourists are coming
At contaminated Hanford site, nuclear history is the draw
[from SFGate.com]

[headline:] Peaks in the valley: mogul’s dream, ‘Alpine Disneyland’
[from the Otago Daily Times]

“Another shocking thing I hear from one official is that ‘[the funeral parlor] going to look like it’s Disneyland’. Come on, death is something that should be dignified, not a Disneyland concept. So that was another disappointment for the residents.”
[from the Singapore News]

Interestingly enough, the term “Disney World” doesn’t seem to have attained this sort of status, perhaps because Disneyland is of course the original, and because its image still retains a bit more of that 1950’s idealistic vibe.

I was sitting in an airport lounge yesterday afternoon when I saw the news that California’s Supreme Judicial Court had ruled that same-sex couples have a right to marry, under the state’s Constitution. I know there are still some hurdles, I know that there are plenty of groups working to stop this and that the Pope disapproves . . . I am sometimes tired and bitter and worried that there will be backlash, but all the same I choked up with tears to see the couples rejoicing, to read about a woman calling her partner of 19 years to finally propose marriage, to see my friend and musical collaborator Allison on TV talking about the California ruling with her legally-wed, Massachusetts wife.

I was in the middle of the airport, surrounded by people who couldn’t understand the depths of my joy. It felt as if a national holiday had suddenly been declared, and nobody but me knew about it. Thank goodness for the twitterverse and my crackberry . . . I could text and twitter with likeminded friends. One of my buddies had a great question for me on twitter: Will Disney do something special for the first same-sex couple to wed there? And I have to say, while I doubt Disney would go out on the political limb to do anything officially special, I’ve just gotta believe that the first time a same-sex couple is legally wed on Disney property, there’s gonna be Cast Members there who really get that this is a historic moment, and I’m sure plenty of them will go out of their way to find just a little bit of extra pixie dust. After all, same-sex couples can use the wedding facilities at Disney World (and maybe the non-US parks too?) . . . but can’t be legally wed in that state.

Twenty nine days from now (assuming same-sex marriage foes don’t find a way to stop it), same-sex marriages will begin in California. And honey, we all know that this isn’t enough time to plan a wedding! But hey, if anybody out there hears when the first same-sex couple has arranged for a Disneyland wedding, please please please drop me a note. I wish I could be there to throw rice, but at the very least I can celebrate with them in my heart.

JeanineY, a guest blogger at AllEarsNet, wrote recently about her trip to Tokyo Disneyland Resort. She’s got great pictures and descriptions of DisneySea, which I especially enjoyed since I missed that park when I was at Tokyo Disneyland.

I laughed out loud reading her description of the flight to Japan (presumably from somewhere in the continental US):

On a 12+ hour flight in coach, the evolution of attitude goes like this:

Hour 1: Well this isn’t bad! We left on time and everything! The grand adventure has begun!
Hour 2: There isn’t much space in these seats, is there? Well at least the meal was…included.
Hour 6: If this guy in back of me shakes my chair one more time, I am turning my vent full blast towards him. Also, I can’t feel my feet anymore.
Hour 10: We will grow old and die on this plane.

For some reason, one of my fondest memories of the flights to and from Japan was the Cup of Noodles that the flight attendants brought around for breakfast. (The worst memory, on the other hand, was hitting 3 hours worth of severe turbulence on the flight home, and watching the horizon disappear above and below my window as we rocked back and forth. The more experienced trans-Pacific travelers seated around me snored all the way through.)

I was totally envious reading JeanineY’s description of the DisneySea show, The Legend of Mythica, which clearly must be seen:

The only thing you can imagine is that someone decided to throw everything anyone might like to see in a show together into one glorious spectacular. There’s singing, dancing, characters, floats, fire effect, water effects, drumming, jet skis, kites, fireworks, and more. There must be a phenomenal number of CMs working on this one show, and it all goes to form an extravaganza that’s unlikely to be matched in any US park.

I did read recently in Blue Sky Disney that there’s a super-cool show planned for Disney’s California Adventure, in Anaheim. I doubt it’ll be quite as cool as The Legend of Mythica, but it sounds pretty nifty nonetheless:

Did you know how much of the Pier will actually be used for these fountains [for the new show]? Most have said that it will just be in front of Mickey’s Fun Wheel. No, no…

Try the entire water area of the Pier. That big. Really. When the PP goes down next year to be drained so that construction can begin on the new extended area and the placement of the water and lighting system is put in it will be extensive. This will have some form of fountain display all across the whole of the area. It’s no wonder that the area around Ariel’s Grotto is talked about being enclosed. Guest will get drenched sitting out under those exposed canopies. The WOC show will be very intimate for audiences. As well as that, when the displays and water jets are shooting up into the air, expect to see a very familiar Disney character floating in the Pier as he’ll be part of the festivities. Mickey Mouse? Nope. Donald Duck? Nooooo. Ariel? No, but technically she’ll be there(more on that in a minute).

Chernabog.

A giant Variation of the demon from “Night On Bald Mountain” will inhabit the PP show if everything goes as planed.

Back to Tokyo . . . I have to wholeheartedly agree with JeanineY about how fabulous the Winnie the Pooh attraction is at Tokyo Disneyland. I’m not a big Pooh fan, so I could have easily just walked by this one, but I’m glad I didn’t.

Pooh is deservedly one of the most popular rides in Tokyo Disneyland because of its unique trackless ride system which has you skittering around in honeypots seemingly at random–first spinning around in circles, next appearing to crash into other pots, then zooming up to a woozle (or a hefflelump?) to get smoke blown at you. It’s a great ride and puts the Anaheim Disneyland version to shame.

I desperately want to get back to Tokyo, and not just for Disneyland! I want to wander the streets of Harajuku again, maybe pick up a few copies of the Gothic and Lolita Bible. I want to hop on the Shinkansen down to Kyoto, go back to Arashiyama Monkey Park. I want to see some of the Tokyo neighborhoods I missed, like Akihabara, where the electronics stores reign supreme and you can have lunch served to you by cosplay wait staff. And yes of course, I want another spin on that Winnie the Pooh ride, another picture of my dear son in front of the Castle, another chance to hear Rex pilot the Star Speeder 3000 in Japanese.

Reuters reported yesterday that a man jumped from the 14th floor of the Disneyland hotel, in an apparent suicide.

The man, who was in town on business and not immediately identified by authorities, was killed in the 14-story fall from his hotel room balcony. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Right now it is certainly looking like a suicide,” Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez told Reuters. “He was seen leaping off the balcony.”

Martinez said the man, who was in Anaheim on business and appears to be in his 30s or 40s, also left evidence in the room that suggested it was a suicide.

My thoughts and prayers are with the man’s family.

Well, the official title of the event is Bats Day at the Fun Park . . . but plenty of us call it Goth Day at Disneyland. It’s the Year of a Million Screams! A thoughtful blog reader left me a comment yesterday to let me know that this year’s dates are November 8 and 9. That’s good news for those who prefer not to be wearing heavy black clothing in the August sun, as they did when I was there for the festivities in 2006, but bad news for those (like me!) whose travel schedules are dictated by our kids’ school vacations as well as our own business commitments.

It was great fun to see all the goths in the parks, especially those in the Gothic & Lolita fashions I love so much (they’re also a staple at anime conventions, since they grew out of Harajuku street fashion). There’s also a great shopping venue, the Black Market, where goth attire and tschotkes are available from independent and corporate vendors. It was really cool to meet one of the artists behind the Haunted Mansion comic books, I picked up a few odds and ends, and I deferred explaining some of the merchandise to my then-10-year-old son (I’m not sure he wanted his mom telling him why they were selling whips anyway). I’ll confess that I felt a bit out of place . . . I didn’t have the appropriate wardrobe as I’m not a goth myself, though given the circles I run in I definitely consider myself a spiritual kin. It was sweet and amusing how some of the vendors spoke to me, in the gentle tones of a kind soul explaining an alien culture . . . I’m sure they didn’t realize I was throwing up at CBGBs and dying my hair blue when they were but a twinkle in their mom’s eye.

If you’re going to be anywhere near Disneyland when Goth Days are in session, I really recommend heading over to check it out. If you have any goth or metal aesthetic at all, the Black Market is a great place to support independent vendors and pick up awesome stuff at decent prices. And, of course, the people-watching on the main day at Disneyland is phenomenal. And even if this isn’t your cultural thing . . . it’s still a great day to be in the park, as I commented on last year after reading a Disneyland Cast Member’s comments at Progressive U. I wish I could be there myself!

I’m feeling weary this Monday morning, so it feels quite apropos to take a moment to link to my Jentasmic! column from last week. In this column, I sing the praises of taking a break in the afternoon while visiting Disney Parks, even when circumstances make it difficult. Here’s a snippet:

At Disneyland Paris, for example: We were staying for just one night, so on our second day we didn’t have a place to crash before getting on the train that evening, heading back to the City of Light. It was rather convenient that Downtown Disney was just a few steps away from the parks; we had a nice quiet lunch in the air-conditioned Annette’s, the only table-service restaurant we indulged in during that trip. Given the exchange rates, I probably wouldn’t have spent any time at a sit-down meal at Disneyland Paris at all . . . but I’m glad our “afternoon break” philosophy forced my hand. After lunch, we had to pace ourselves carefully, having had only a brief break, and took in the shows at Walt Disney Studios before venturing back into the intensity of Disneyland Park.

StudiosCentral has pictures of souvenir popcorn buckets themed to the upcoming Toy Story Mania atraction, and apparently destined for distribution at all of the Disney Parks. Waaah, I can hardly wait! I am a total sucker for Toy Story swag. Plus, as an avid reader of icanhascheezburger, I have a certain attachment to bukkits.

Plus, The Disney Blog has some cool YouTube videos of Mr Potato Head, currently entertaining Guests at Disney’s California Adventure. I started to watch one of them . . . and then resisted the urge. I am trying trying trying to stay reasonably spoiler-free!

The Disney Blog has a story this week about a proposed new monorail for Anaheim. Not just for Disneyland Resort mind you . . . for the whole tourism area.

Stop the presses. Did someone just propose a monorail transportation system in Southern California? Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle (doesn’t that name just make you crave junk food) just proposed building a monorail that would connect Anaheim’s growing transportation hub with its established tourist zone.

I haven’t stayed far enough away to need an Anaheim monorail in recent memory; the furthest I’ve stayed is the HoJo’s, about an 8 minute walk from the main gates. But I’d consider staying much farther afield if I could rely on monorail transit to the parks, and if the fees were lower than the ART shuttle buses. Despite having not yet ridden the ART shuttle buses, I’m skeptical and don’t want to pay the fees. (I can’t even blame my medications for this, unlike the sudden desire to purchase Annette Sings Anka that arose earlier this week.)