I'd Read It.

Wouldn't this be a great parody?
Stop by and visit www.passamaquoddy.blog.com today.

Caption This #12

Cornelius failed to impress the judges on this weeks ‘Humans Got Talent’

From mgreene: "Hey, can somebody bring us some flea spray?!"

From joggerblogger: "It said on the bottle Strawberry Blonde!"

From Basil: "The judges panel shows that the new season of Monkey's Got Talent is off to a rough start."

Have You Voted?

First things first. If you have not voted for in this years Podcast Awards drop everything and go there right now. Voting will be ending soon do not delay.
http://www.podcastawards.com/

And in other news have you heard that this years Half Marathon course has been changed? The starting gate is now located east of Epcot and our pal Huey will be out on World Drive rather than west of the Richard Petty Experience. These changes place the mile 6 marker near Cinderella castle rather than over by Splash Mountain.

Old Course

New Course 2009

Congrats to Deb for dropping in on our mutual pal Donald this weekend. Stop over and congratulate her yourself. http://www.debwdw.blogspot.com/

Structure: I Need It.

I need to make some changes. Over the past month I have been relying on biking rather than weight bearing exercise to get my mileage in. The result is that I go out on the weekend for a long run and my feet(especially my left arch)are not really prepared for it. I end up wlking around sore for a day or two. Beginning today I need to use the bike only to add miles instead of replacing them. Otherwise I am not going to be as prepared as I'd like to be in January.

One thing that should help is the Des Moines Half Marathon which is on the 19th of October. Truthfully I had been on the fence about doing this. Two things changed my mind. I need the motivation and my office paid for my registration.



As for recent training I went out this past Tuesday and pushed too hard too fast and injured my left arch. I hobbled around Wednesday and Thursday. It feels much better today even after this mornings short WOG. Incidently this mornings outing let to a new discovery for me and something to work on. When entering into jogging today I was much better about rolling my foot from heel to toe. The result was a quicker and smoother pace. But I do not have the stamina to maintain that pace. I was jogging sub 9s. The realization is that when I go have been going out at a steady pace I am running primarily on the ball of my foot. Hence post run discomfort. I have the weekend off and will do some experimenting with my jogging. Don't miss todays update over on the AATC.

Special thanks to Bryan and Jonathan for playing AATC2 on Episode 76 of the All About The Mouse Today. Mike and I had fun working on that.

Marceline Part 3

After touring the area around the former Disney Homestead, Trace drove us down to see the Walt Disney Elementary.

The pictures above and below are of the school's entrance lobby.

Out front is an Official Winter Olympics Flagpole from 1960. Walt Disney Chairman of Pageantry

Next it was time for a visit to the Disney Museum.

Lots of great things to see in here. No pictures are typically allowed so I left my camera outside. We found that pictures were allowed with regard to a Disneyland minature exhibit located upstairs. Many of the shop windows have items in them. This photo is from Lisa's flicker collection. A couple others of hers are posted here today. Thanks for sharing Lisa.

Another room held a large amount of railroad memorabilia. There were many props and lobby cards from the Disney film The Great Locomotive Chase. This is a film that I have never seen. I had hoped that it might be for sale in the gift shop. Sadly it was not. Note to staff, If this film is available this is a missed opportunity.

Here is a brief scene I found online.

After our tour it was time for a little R&R back on Main Street and the Uptown Cinema. Please note the "red carpet" sidewalk leading there. This was a nice touch. Someone in town apparently "gets it."

We arrived just in time for the Cartoon Symposium. This years guest speakers were David Coverly "Speed Bump", Jan Eliot "Stone Soup", Greg Evans "Luann", Michael Jantze "Normal", and Tom Richman.

This was much more interesting that I imagined it would be. Each artist had something unique to offer. Greg, Jan, and Michael are known primarily for comics strips. Michael is currently working with youtube and discussed the difficulties, rising costs, and solutions of bringing cartoon panel charactors to life in a video format. View one solution his studio came up with here. David Coverly discussed the challenges of doing single panel comics. Tom Richman is a free lance artist who's characature work can be found in many magazines including MAD.

During an intermission and again afterward we visited Ripley Park.

The Dancing Grannies were out in full force.

A closer shot of the "original coke a cola corner"

Sometime around 5 we made it down to the Beer Garden and I grabbed something to eat. We just sat around and talked about various things. Lisa had been recording throughout the day and she even interviewed me for Those Darn Cats. Shortly thereafter everyone was heading back to Walt's barn for a tree planting ceremony. It was at his point of the day that I bid farewell to my new friends and headed back to Tundraland. It would have been nice to stay longer but then again there is always next year. Marceline is a wonderful town to visit. You can easily sense why Walt had such a nostalgic love for this town.

I close with this tribute to Walt Disney (from YouTube not my work)

Marceline Part 2

Hope you liked the video. It was my kind of parade, short and sweet.

Seeing all the kids wandering around town in their pirate and princess outfits was fun, and then there was Lil’ Miss Marceline, Jr. Miss Marceline, and Miss Marceline. I thought it was nice that three girls could have a special day like that.

After the parade passed we continued on down Main Street. Our next stop was Walt’s Dreaming Tree and Barn. I hopped in Trace’s car along with Lisa and Wayne and away we went toward the northern edge of town.

What a crew!

After signing his name up in the rafters, Trace poses with Flat Stanley

The interior of the barn is filled with well wishes and signatures from visiting guests. You may even find a familiar name or two.

The picture above is my favorite scenic shot from the trip. It makes a great wallpaper.

On the way out I stopped to think for a bit under Walt's Dreaming Tree.

Over the years the Disney homestead has had some additions. I looked for an original picture online and could not find one. There is one on display at the Disney Museum. Throughout Marceline and again while standing here you just can not escape the sound of trains. It's no wonder they held such a meaningful and nostalgic place in Walt's heart.

I will conclude tomorrow with some more pics and thoughts.

Marceline Part 1

In front of the castle with Lisa and Trace.

I have wanted to visit Walt Disney’s boyhood hometown of Marceline Missouri for a few years now. I had been trying to figure out when would be a good time to visit and when Lisa and Jennifer had Trace on Those Darn Cats to discuss Toonfest, my mouse ears perked right up. I figured that a visit to Marceline would be the most fun during Toonfest and if I could be down there and meet some like minded Disney fanatics, then that was all the better. Marceline is only about 3 ½ hours away from my home. (how I wish Orlando was that close) Friday I went to bed early and after six hours of sleep I left home around 3:45 am. My drive down was spent listening to Those Darn Cats, WDW Radio, All About The Mouse, and Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me. Sadly I must inform you that there is now one less coyote running the plains along the Missouri Interstate. At 6:00 I pulled into a McDonalds parking lot in Cameron, Mo. to assess the damage. Some minor damage to a driving light assembly but that was it. My co-pilot Flat Stanley gave a cheer and we set back out on the road.

Arrived in Brookfield at about 7:10 and stopped at another McDonalds to stretch my legs. Around 7:25 I left a message for Lisa and her entourage that I was in town and then I drove on into Marceline. I stopped for gas and collected my first souvenir. (A receipt that says Marceline) While waiting for Trace and Lisa to arrive I snapped this picture of The Lamplighter Motel.

Shortly afterward they came down the road and I followed them to Main Street.

We walked along Ripley Park and had breakfast at “Susie’s.” I had an omelet with wheat toast. Here are a few Main Street Pics.

One interesting thing that occured throughout the day was how often we ended up taking pictures of someone taking pictures. Susie's is located in the corner of the building behind Lisa.

Down From Susie's is the Emporium. Lots of antiques and a plethora of vintage Disney collectables.

A little further down the street is the Uptown Cinema House. It was closed this early in the morning but we had plans to come back later in the afternoon.

Across the street is a building that is currently a bar and according to Trace tis is the place that inspired Coca Cola Corner. If you enlarge the picture and look behind the building you will see a faded Coke ad that was painted on the brick work.

As ten o'clock approached we claimed our own little area for viewing the parade. I will post more pics and details tomorrow.

Caption This #11

"And you thought WIPEOUT had big balls..."
or perhaps
"The Big Ball Awaits!!!"

From Craig: "I'm telling you...we parked under the golf ball!"

From sambycat: "Golf - The Final Frontier"

From MikeF: To qoute the late and great Rodney Dangerfield: "All I know is I gotta a lotta balls".

From Chris: "Hmmmmm....what would Indiana Jones do.....RUUUUUN!!!"

From Rae: "The Finish Line!"

From Big Brian "FORE!"

Big Weekend Coming

This is going to be a busy weekend for me. First, our very dear friend Deb is sponsoring the Michigan Apple Harvest Fun Run with 10K and 15K events. This will be our second virtual Team Voice run. My records indicate that so far 9 of you have signed up for the Sept 20th event. There is room for plenty more. Please let Deb and Myself know if you are interested and we will put you up on the roster. To post your times for this event feel free to leave comments over on All About the Corn but please email Deb or leave comments directly on her blog as I will actually be out of town that day.
Due to travel plans I will be running on Friday. If you plan to participate and need to run on Friday or Sunday instead, again I ask that you let us know.

Click either image to enlarge
So what am I going to be up to this weekend? Well I plan to be in Walt Disney's boyhood hometown of Marceline for the 10th annual Toonfest celebration. This is a trip that I have wanted to make for about two years now. What better time to go than when other Disney fans will be hanging around having a good time. I am very curious to see the original Mainstreet which inspired Walt Disney as he developed Disneyland. It's about a 3.5 hours drive from home so I am planning on getting up very early in order to arrive by 8:00. Hopefully I will find myself in a Mainsteet cafe enjoying breakfast with Lisa, Trace, and whomever else is hanging out with them. At 10:00 there will be a parade on Mainstreet.

A few years ago Big Lou from the Beyond Mainstreet Podcast visited here and he posted video on his show. Check out episode 23. Hopefully Lou will be stopping down again this year.

Anyone else planning on being here that I am not aware of? Jeff from MO perhaps?

Football: Updated 9/15 with quote answers

Admittedly I’m not a huge sports fan. I could let the entire NFL season pass without seeing a single game. But I have been known to tune into the Super Bowl. Mostly just to see how Bud Light is stacking up against Bud each year. They always seem to both end up in the Bud Bowl together. This year I’m rooting for Michelob Ultra. Hey, you never know, they could go all the way.

News coming out of the Microbrew League this year indicates that they are tired of being considered second class. Personally I like a good Microbrew. Some are actually much better that the large national brands. If Bud is to the NFL what Micro Breweries are to the Big Ten, then I will take the college team. College is always more fun to watch anyway. Who wouldn’t want to see Tommyknocker’s Big Butt Bock take on the Golden Pheasants of the Slovak Republic?

Of course there are High School brews out there as well. As the occasional Home Brewer I fit into this category. I would be on the JV team but I know three guys who are on the Varsity team. (Oddly enough they are each named Jeff.) Jeff O’Neal won a blue ribbon win at the Iowa State Fair this year. Congrats Jeff.

High School games can be fun to watch as well because you never really know what to expect each year. Unlike college and the NFL your average local High School is made up of kids from your local communities. These are kids you know and that makes the games more fun to watch. Chances are you’ve been watching these kids grow up right along side your own. It’s great fun to cheer on your own kid or even your neighbors each week.

This past Friday we had a home game. Our DCG Mustangs against the Ballard Bombers. I like to attend as many of these as possible and be supportive and this was to be one of those good rivalry match ups.

It had been raining all day and would continue late into the evening. Armed with our Stadium chairs, large umbrella, and most importantly our Sea World parkas we went to the game. Quarter after quarter the rain came down in a steady drizzle. The concession stand suffered a bit because few people wanted to eat in the rain. In fact for the first time ever I made it through a game without hearing the announcer hawk the “world famous super nachos” That just does not happen, after all we are talking about experiencing the ultimate in Nacho Nirvana.

The field was so wet that often an extra few yards were gained during tackles as the players slid on the grass forcing a wave of watery foam out in front of them. Receivers on both teams could not find a grip on the ball all night. As we entered double overtime the score remained 0 - 0.

We managed to finally draw blood with a running play that secured a home team win.

Here are the quotes updated with the answers.

“Whoa, Nellie! He’s wearing the white shoes” The Best of Times

Now that's what I call high quality H2O. The Waterboy

" tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper." Knute Rockne, All-American

"U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi! You ugly! You ugly! Yo momma said you ugly!" Wildcats

"You're 5 foot nothin', 100 and nothin' and you have nearly a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football team in the land for two years. And you're gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself." Rudy
"Hey, unless you're gonna kiss me, get your hands off my ass." Any Given Sunday

"I love Brian Piccolo. And tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him." Brian's Song

"Ladies, ever had a quarterback sandwich?" North Dallas Forty

"All right, men, now here's the play we're gonna use. I don't think the guards know this formation. It's called 'incidental punishment after the ball is blown dead.' Remember, any man you tackle gets an elbow, knee or kick in the mouth." The Longest Yard

"Show me the money!" Jerry Maguire

“The most important thing to remember is to protect your quarterback - me!” The Longest Yard

We will be perfect in every aspect. You drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You make a fumble, I will break my foot off in you John Brown hind parts and then you will run a mile. Perfection. REMEMBER THE TITANS

This is national TV. So don't pick your noses or scratch your nuts. North Dallas Forty

One day, not today, not tomorrow, not this season, probably not next season either but one day, you and I are gonna wake up and suddenly we're gonna be like every other team in every other sport where winning is everything and nothing else matters. And when that day comes, well thats, thats when we'll honor them. We Are Marshall

After this it's just babies and memories. Friday Night Lights

This isn't going to work. You're playing football with a bunch of butlers! Heaven Can Wait.

Wally call me crazy but I've got a funny feeling about tonight's game. Maybe we've got a shot. Necessary Roughness

You don't know how to spell 'Mustang'? You have GOT to be SHITTIN' me! Gridiron Gang

Let's open up a can of kick ass and kill 'em all, let the paramedics sort 'em out. The Program

People don't want heart Dick, they want wins. Invincible

That's it, I'm leaving the country. I'm moving to New Mexico. Little Giants

I raised you to be a winner, so dammit boy, win! Varsity Blues

Will the real Charlie please stand up?

"Contestant number one what is your name please?"
"My name is Charlie."

"Contestant number two what is your name please?"
"My name is Charlie."

"Contestant number three what is your name please?"
"My name is Charlie."

Ok Charlie may not be hard to pick out, but who can name the other two gentlemen and the common interest they shared with the actor who played Charlie?

Updated: 9/10

This dose of trivia may be a bit much for those of you that did not grow up in the seventies. The two pictured gentlemen were very well known in their day.

I'm going to leave this one up a bit longer. Certainly, one of our resident Docs can answer this.

Updated 9/11

Lisa you win your red light challenge and mgreene you are correct, That is indeed Marlin Perkins.

Marlin Perkins & Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
This nature show preceded “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday Nights
Marlin narrated the show and rode in the helicopter while Jim did all the dangerous stuff.
http://www.wildkingdom.com/nostalgia/bio_marlin.html



As for the gentleman in the middle perhaps this picture would help...



Jacques-Yves Cousteau – World Famous Oceanographer.
http://www.ecophotoexplorers.com/JacquesCousteau.asp

Jean Michel his son carries on the Cousteau legacy and in 2003 joins with Disney/Pixar and forms “Ocean Futures Society”
http://www.oceanfutures.org/press/2003/pr_07_17_03.php

Can you name the narrator of this Cousteau documentary? Yes there is a Disney connection.



By now, you may have guessed that the common factor between these men is a love of nature and the animals that populate our world. Between 1971 and 1977, John Forsythe served as narrator on the syndicated nature series, “The World of Survival” This show ran on Sunday mornings. I had hoped to find more information on the web about this show. All I could find is this brief mention.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066726/

Oh and Mr. Forsythe has a Disney connection as well. He was one of several Hollywood stars attending the Grand Opening of The Disney MGM Studios.

He even left his handprints.

Rain is for Ducks

Encouraged by Debs 11 miles run this morning, I set out tonight for a long run myself. I made it out the door at 9pm. The Temp tonight was 67F with no wind. My run was going nicely when at about mile 2 I began to feel some very light sprinkles. By mile 3 it was more of a drizzle but it felt good. I briefly entertained the idea of cutting my run short somewhere around mile 5 as the drizzle turned a steady downpour. But I thought to myself "shucks I'm already soaked so why not continue." So in the true spirit of Team Voice I continued onward.

Soon I was running through the occasional puddle and my shoes felt like sponges.(for those wondering yes I was wearing my new shoes. Hey I had not expected the rain)

At mile 7 I tried a product called Sports Beans by Jelly Belly. I tried the Fruit Punch flavor. One pouch provided three mouthfulls. I can't honestly say they did anything for me. But at least they never made me sick like the raisins and sports gels do. I suggest following these with water.

Around mile 8 the rain really began coming down hard. I was beginning to get a chill from the heat leaving my body due to my drenched clothing. Thankfully I had used powerglide and my heavy clothes did not cause any discomfort. I found that to be safe I had to make a couple of course changes that would have taken me along some roads. I was concerned about decreasing visibility. The heavy rain continued until mile 10 and then it stopped. The drizzle returned about a mile later.

The heel strikes ankle issue occured four times during this run.(last run it was more like 20-30 times) I do not know why this is happening. I kicked my ankle so hard at mile 11.5 that I let out a strong verbal exclaimation. I finished at 12.4 miles. This run challenged me and I am happy to say I made it though.

One interesting thing that helped pull me along was the sound of the rain. I could hear it pouring into storm drains and gutters. The cool part was approaching the sounds and then hearing them fade away behind me. The rain falling on the trees and on the corn(yes corn)was nice to listen to as well.

But the highlight of the evening was not the run itself. It was returning home to a nice and very unexpected surprise my daughter had cooked up for me. How cool is this?


Not only are these cookies Mickey shaped, they are made following the official Disneyland 50th Anniversary cookie recipe. Oatmeal,Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips. Yum, and no I do not want to know how many WW points these are worth.

In the Virtual Run Dept.

A new addition to our virtual runs is being added for the weekend of September 20th.
Deb and I should be announing further details within the next 24 hours. I am actually planning on being in Marceline on the 20th. So I will be doing my run on the 19th and submitting it to Deb.

And in the right back at you music department:

Sugar Hill Gang - Rappers Delight Pt.1



Sugar Hill Gang - Rappers Delight Pt.2

Never Under Estimate Yourself Or Others, Never Ever Stop Pursuing Your Dreams.

In 2007 Paul Potts stepped onto the stage of Britain's Got Talent. The judges initial thoughts were "here we go again" Then Paul Potts opened his mouth and sang. I am not an opera fan but Paul's story and voice moved me.

Paul Potts – BGT Audition



Paul Potts – BGT Finals



Paul Potts – Announced as BGT Winner



Paul Potts - Royal Variety Performance 2007



One last bit from Paul is an operatic version of REM's Everybody Hurts.

Announcing The Next Virtual Team Voice Run

I have yet to firm up a date for this event. I was thinking about Oct 25th as that is the date for Disney's TOT13K. I know some of you (Rae and Chris) have runs planned for the weekend of the 12th. Click the link below to visit the AATC. More details coming soon.

Children Of The Corn, Grain Elevator of Terror 13K

Mall Walkin'

Some days you just need to come up with a plan. We recently rearranged hours at work again. My 3 day week of 5am to 2pm is now a 5 day week,(which I'm currently on)and one of my two 8am to 5pm weeks is now a 3 day week. Actually it's a 10 day week. M-F 8-5, Sa-Sun 11-8 and then M-W 8-5. And yes I still have a week of 1pm to 10pm. I hate this schedule it gets me all screwed up. I'd like a better structure to my work week. Someday, Maybe, I hope. I do get an extra day off with pay for putting in the odd hours during the Olympics. That was a nice unexpected thing.

Because of some plans involving my daughter tonight, I knew that I would not be able to get a proper run in and get the rest I needed to get up at 4:00. As it worked out I decided to mall walk while she was busy. I got 5 miles in at a pace of 15. Not bad, at least it puts miles on the board.

On another note my wife inherited some things from her parents estate and we have been moving furniture. One item she received was an oak curio. We had another smaller curio which I have moved to our basement. I decided to have a little fun with my kids just to see their reactions. Rae you would like this.