Jack Attack!

After completing the World's Longest Blog Entry yesterday, I am pretty much out of things to say today. So here's a picture of my Jack Sparrow collection:

Yes, there is a Mickey Mouse back there, but he's dressed like Jack and even has two cute little chin braids! The collection is now ten strong (including the Mickey and the McDonald's Happy Meal toy next to him) and has moved onto its own shelf.

Date Day

Scott and I had a date yesterday. Apparently now that he's 30, our dates have to end before sun-down. (note: that was completely not true. I picked the movie time and I'm the one who prefers to eat out for lunch because it's cheaper. I am the old man in our relationship.)

Our date started with a brand new Japanese restaurant in a strip mall a few miles down 27. We got a menu in the mail about a week ago and after looking at the pictures I declared that we MUST GO at our earliest convenience. Which was yesterday. We got there very close to noon and were the only ones in the restaurant until 5 minutes before we left. The food was amazing. I got a vegetable tempura bento box (comes with sticky rice, won tons, and california rolls, plus miso soup and salad with ginger dressing) and Scott got the scallops tempura. Yum! I haven't had Japanese food that good and fresh since the place that Mom and I used to go to in New Jersey. And our total bill was $25 after tax and tip. Anyway, we are hoping that more people discover this place because we really would like to go back. It's called KUMO and is in the plaza with the new(er) Publix and Applebees on 27 in Davenport. If you're in the neighborhood, go!

And would anyone like to guess what our next stop was? That's right, AMC theater for a 2:30 DLP showing of Pirates 3. Finally I know how it ends (except for that major door they left for a potential fourth movie). When Pirates 2 came out, I was really disappointed. But then I saw it a few times on DVD and caught the things I missed the first time around and really liked it. This one I pretty much enjoyed the whole way through. I objected to the Captain Jack hallucinations (which is all I'll say about that for fear of giving anything away). I didn't feel like they added anything to the story. But other than that, I enjoyed the action, I enjoyed the story line, and I enjoyed all of the new pirates.

I have some free movie tickets (the kind you can't use in the first two weeks a movie is out) from work and we'll probably go see Shrek 3 next week. As for Spiderman 3, I never saw the second and have little desire to see the third. The next movie I plan on paying for is Ratatouille (although I'm still lobbying my bosses/Chefs to take us all and call it "team building"), and possibly Harry Potter 5.

After the movie, we spent way more money than we should stocking up on Pirates booty. I got a great shirt with Captain Jack's pirate flag, Scott got the new video game (which we've been playing ever since), we both got antenna toppers, and I got a travel mug and a new Captain Jack for my collection. Possibly a little sad, but we do love the booty!

Today was laundry day. And tomorrow I'm back at work. Woo hoo.

Yaaaargh!

Pirates 3 opens tonight at 8 pm. Sadly, I won't get to see it until Monday at the earliest. It is going to be so hard to not listen to everyone else I know talking about this movie until I get to see it (of course, this is the same reason I'll be at Wal Mart buying the last Harry Potter book at midnight the day it comes out).

Anyway, here's a Pirates fix for anyone else out there who might be in desperate need of one:

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Back At It

Today, I returned to the "real world." While there, I caught the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I highly recommend it, if only for the clip of Captain Jack and Davy Jones sword fighting.

(note - video quality on here sucks, but I wanted something I could embed. This link is better)

Amazingly enough, my office was still standing when I got back. In fact, there were no major issues for me to tackle at all. I had some correspondence to catch up on, and had to re-learn how to do my job (the brain is apparently still waterlogged), but it was basically business as usual.

Sadly, I returned to the news that my trainee (now fully trained and competent) was offered an amazing job opportunity in a part of the country she really loves. Her last day is April 13. And the Boss is going to be having much-needed back surgery in the coming weeks - with a minimum three week recovery time.

Perhaps I'll have a new trainee by the end of June. Perhaps he or she will last longer than 4 months.

I was about halfway through my shift today when I realized that I really do like my job. I dreaded going back because I was truly enjoying my life of sloth, but once I walked in the door, I was happy to be there. Of course, it helped that I was greeted with a whole bunch of "you were missed" stories from some of the others in the office. I dig the positive reinforcement!

Life is good.

Things

It's been a while. I know. Here's what you've missed:

* The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest -- it was ok. I over-anticipated it though, and no movie could live up to the hype I created in my own mind. Plus, we were sitting on the side of the theater (apparently 30 minutes early just wasn't early enough for this one) and I was having trouble making out some of the dialogue. My only real complaint was that for the length of the movie (2 1/2 hours), there were absolutely no plot resolutions. It really is the first half of a five-hour movie. And did I mention that the second half of the five-hour movie doesn't come out until next May? grr... I'm going to hold off on rating this movie until I see the next half.

* Last days of work -- I had a startling revelation over the past week. It's not the people I hated, it was the job. And I didn't realize how much I hated the job until I had a new job to look forward to. Of course, of the 100+ people I worked with, I will truly miss about 10. For my going away, Melissa baked one of her famous coffee cakes. Sandy and Marilyn both bought me Captain Jack action figures that they had seen. (now that I have three, it's officially a collection, n'est pas?) Karen gave me an angel keychain. And I got a card signed by the gang. The end was absolutely bittersweet, which I guess is how it should be. And of course I cried.

* Orientation Day -- I loathe new location orientation. I have been through them for 3 parks, security, the call center, and now a resort. YES, I know the 7 service guidelines. YES, I know what L.A.S.T. is all about. I don't really need a 2-hour property tour. Can't I take a pre-test and get out of it? Anyway, it was a short and boring day. On the bright side, our lunch was provided, and we got out around 2pm, though we were paid until 4.

I'm off today, and then tomorrow I actually get to start training in my actual job. Won't that be fun? Of course, I only have one day like that, and then the next day I have a class with the word 'basics' in the title. **gag** THEN I get to really get into the meat of the job.

Oh Captain (Jack), My Captain (Jack)

This is a big week for me. Not only did I get to ride the newly renovated Pirates of the Caribbean attraction today (more on that in a moment), but Scott and I are planning to catch an early showing of Dead Man's Chest on Friday morning before work. Actually, I have all sorts of random Pirates blurbs to share, so fasten your seatbelts and try to follow along.

The Video
Scott sent me a video clip of the POTC ride in California, complete with Captain Jack animatronics. And did I mention that Johnny Depp was riding the ride?? They actually let him go up and get face-to-face with one of the Captain Jacks. It's surreal. And he's so dreamy!

The Ride
Scott and I got up early to go sign Janette & John into the park today, and we went over to Pirates after lunch at Tony's (mmm... sundried tomato pesto...). The wait was only 15 minutes and it was worth every second. They really did a great job updating a Disney Classic and integrating parts of the movie. I understand the Disney purists being wary after the way they butchered the Tiki Room, but it was great. Two thumbs up from me.

The Tonight Show (yes, The Tonight Show, stay with me here)
Last night after Scott got home from work, he was flipping channels and all of a sudden got a big earful of "hey go back! I know that guy!" from me. Brian Herzlinger, star of My Date with Drew and fellow alum of Cherokee High School, was on with Leno. It turns out he's a sometimes correspondent.

Yes, but we were on a Pirates kick. What does one have to do with the other?

I told you to stay with me!

Leno sent Brian to the red carpet of the Pirates premiere. And while he didn't get to interview Johnny, he did talk to Orlando and Keira, plus the Governator, Linda Carter, Marilyn Manson, and others. Here's the segment if you'd like to check it out. I particularly enjoy the people booing Arnold from the audience. Ouch!

This means I can totally track my own six degrees of separation from Johnny. Me - Stacey (Brian's sister, who was in a bunch of my classes) - Brian - Orlando Bloom - Johnny Depp! With ties that close, I just may be on his Christmas card list.

The Movie
As I said, our current plan is to go see the movie Friday before work. Of course, we work at 3:00 and the movie is over 2 1/2 hours long. This means that we'll have to see an 11:00 or 11:30 showing. But Scott's got a co-worker who is doing the midnight show, so we'll have to see it before he goes to work or Mr. BigMouth will spoil everything for him. How's that for justifying a ridiculously long day? I'm so excited!!!

Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me!

Allergic?

I need to have this checked out at a doctor - I think I'm allergic to stupid people. Really. How else would you explain the 15 minute call with frustrated lost people followed by the hives that broke out on my neck??

OK, maybe they weren't hives. And it's much more likely that the blotchy redness was caused by the Coke I had with dinner. Every time I have a coke at work it makes my cheeks all red. My frustration with the stupid lady probably raised my blood pressure, which in turn blotched my neck.

At any rate, my co-workers were amused by my new allergy. Good thing I'm getting the heck out, huh?

On a completely new topic, my friend Tom T from high school is in town. I'm going to hook up with him this afternoon before work to drop off some park tickets for him and two friends. Then tomorrow we're going to have lunch. His treat. :o) Last time he was in town, I paid. We have a floating lunch. It works out.

And let's change directions one more time. Check out this picture from the Pirates premiere at Disneyland. No, it's not Johnny Depp. Oh... you wanted to him? OK. But seriously, that first picture... woah... it just makes me want to sing that Sesame Street song, "one of these things is not like the other..."

Rainbows of Fun

I was a little bored during my lunch break today. Bored with two variables to keep me occupied:
1) I just put new batteries in my camera, and
2) one of my co-workers gave me a 3" cheapie plastic kaleidoscope a few days ago.

So I took pictures through the kaleidoscope. I think they came out rather well.




Other than that, the only other excitement of the day was coming back from lunch only to find that my practical joke nemesis had replaced my beautiful desktop image of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow with an awful image of some schmuck dressed as Captain Jack (I can't find the original... you'll just have to believe me that it's worse than this one!). I laughed so hard I needed two tissues to mop up my tears.

Has anyone seen my husband recently? He was gone when I woke up this morning, and still isn't home. I hear I should see him for a little while tomorrow. That'll be nice.