Month: July 2004

Spontaneity

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I love being spontaneous. Good things always come from spontaneous, fun choices. Saturday was a spontaneous day for me, and it certainly worked out well.

Inspontaneity can be good, too, when it comes to planning things. Here’s what I have to look forward to, not including today’s New York Philharmonic Brass concert (which was totally fantastic… I volunteered and got to see the show): New York Philharmonic (full ensemble) Monday in Central Park if it doesn’t rain, a drum and bugle corps show at Giants Stadium (where I am volunteering and will get to see the whole show from the field), Avenue Q, a Yankees game, and who knows what else. Before the summer is over, I’d like to have added at least one more concert and at least one weekend getaway.

Unrelated to spontaneity (of course), I put some pictures online from a drum corps show earlier this month.

This Is How It Should Be

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Yes, I am home now, back in the wonderful state of New Jersey. The weather forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms for a week or so. I miss southern California already. So, in the spirit of something I do every so often here on Aaafter Effect…

Things I Learned This Vacation

  • Music, music, music! The Indigo Girls were awesome. I wish I had copied their CDs from people I’ve dated who have owned them. I’ll be adding some of their music to my wish list.
  • I’ll also add Shawn Mullins’ music to that list. I had heard two of his songs on XPN a few years ago and used them when making compilation CDs for people, but I like his other music as well.
  • Southern California — the beaches, the mountains, the weather, the mountain lions and coyotes — is beautiful.
  • I wouldnt want to live in most of downtown Los Angeles.
  • My brother, once a hyperactive maniac, is now quite a cool person. Spending time with him and his girlfriend was nice. She’ll be a good influence on him, as well.

That’s all for now, but take a look at my photos from Laguna Beach and Disney if you haven’t yet.

Diz-Nee

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I spent a whopping thirteen hours in Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure yesterday, and enjoyed every minute of it. Here are the photographs to prove it. Some of the highlights include the Tower of Terror, Muppet*Vision 3D, the Electrical Parade, the Indiana Jones Adventure, test-driving a Segway HT at Innoventions, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were closed.

The best thing in the parks is called FastPass. Using this saved me and Becca more than an hour of waiting time. Instead of waiting on line for the popular rides, we picked up a ticket for each. The ticket told us what time to return when we could move close to the front of the line. Between receiving the FastPass and our return time, we did some activities that did not require a wait.

At the end of the night we saw the fireworks. It had to be one of the most beautiful displays of fireworks I’ve ever seen, and it was timed well with the music. It was also probably the most expensive fireworks show I’ve seen put on, and they do it every day. That’s amazing… but I guess it’s just part of the magic of Disney.

Eddie (Not Really) From Ohio

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Well, I was quite impressed with Eddie From Ohio tonight. I decided to stay for the late show, even if it meant byuing two CDs, letting Joe’s Pub losing my credit card, and taking an hour and a half to get from the 9th Street PATH station back to Newark. Note: I got a voicemail from Joe’s Pub. They found my card, but they want me to pick it up tomorrow. That will be difficult since I will be en route to California.

Anyway, I’m very glad I went to the concert. Not only was I introduced to great music, but M——’s friends are quite cool. Now, to start packing.

Exciting Times Ahead

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I decided to catch up with an old friend from summer camp and attend an Eddie From Ohio concert at Joe’s Pub tonight. Tomorrow, I’m heading off to Orange County, California (by way of Los Angeles) to get away from New Jersey for a week. Shortly after arriving, Becca will be joining and the plan is to have some fun until she flies to Portland for Beth’s wedding.

I’ll be flying out from Philadelphia at 10:00 am tomorrow, and you can track my flight in real time and make sure I land safely. I’ll be returning next Thursday at 6:30 pm Eastern Time, and you can track that flight as well.