12 posts tagged “qotd”

How far from your last home do you live? Why did you move and are you glad you did? 
Submitted by Matthew 25.

We currently live in Orlando, FL which Google Maps tells me is 2,359 miles from our old house in Henderson, NV outside of Las Vegas. That is by far the biggest move I've made in my life.

We moved to the Las Vegas area because prior to 9-11-2001 the town was booming. Not just from tourism, but it was also experiencing the beginnings of the housing bubble and some overflow from the dot-com bubble. In our industries we thought work would be plenty, living would be easy, and we would raise our happy family in suburban bliss.

Unfortunately, that fairy tale had a nightmare ending. The one bright spot is that we managed to sell before the housing bubble burst so our transition east to Orlando was made easier.

Why Orlando? We'll we wanted to be close to a Disney theme park. We couldn't afford to live in Southern California in the lifestyle we wanted. We didn't want to learn Japanese or French, so that left Orlando.

All in all it's been a pretty good choice for us. We have a good neighborhood, good schools, I love my job, and we've found some old friends and made some new ones. Do I miss being able to drive to Disneyland on a whim. Sure. But I don't miss Las Vegas and I don't miss SoCal traffic. Ask me again in three years.

Who's the most surprising rookie in the NFL this year?

I'm going to have to go with #7 in the draft Adrian Peterson from Oklahoma (although as an Oregon Duck fan it pains me to say that). 1-6 haven't made much of a splash and Peterson is helping the Vikings stay competitive in the league. Sort of like Reggie Bush and the NOS last season, but without all the hype.

What's your favorite appetizer to order at a restaurant?

If you're talking about frequency, then it has to be the Calamari. If you're talking about in terms of taste and pleasure then I would say broiled Yellowtail collar as an appetizer before the real sushi eating begins.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?  Why? 
Submitted by abcdefg81.

Right now I live about 6 miles from The Walt Disney World resort. It's a nice neighborhood, lots of activities, etc. But I think I'd give that up to live 6 miles away on property at the resort. If not in one of the parks, at least in a nice flat at one of the nicer hotels.

This would never happen, because if I lived on Disney property they'd have to allow me to vote in their Reedy Creek Water District elections which would give me some sort of say in how things are run at the resort (land use, taxes, etc). Disney actually carved out a section of the RCWD when it created Celebration. Since that's as close as I could get to living on Disney property right now, Celebration FL would have to be my answer.

What's your morning beverage of choice?  Coffee, tea, juice?  Homemade or store-bought?

Anybody that lives in Burbank, CA will know this one. NuttyDoodle Coffee from Priscilla's. Alas, I'm 3000 miles away right now, so I'm left with a regular cup of joe. 

It wasn't the most shells or the largest booms that made my heart flutter, but seeing the familiar shape of three circles lit in the sky for the first time that made this display so memorable. The year was 2000 and the world had just seen display after display of amazing fireworks to ring in the new millennium. I particularly remember the Paris display on the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney display. But spectacle does not always add up to the best. Sometimes it's anticipation.

Rumors of a new Fireworks show at Disneyland had been growing for sometime. The park had been open for 45 years with many of those years capped nightly by the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks display.  This new display was rumored to be choreographed to music and to even feature a giant hidden mickey in the sky. 

One night I was at the park for a special event with a group and we were asked by management to stick around for fireworks. They ushered us into our own special roped off area on Main Street, dead center right where the fireworks control booth is located. We knew we were in for something special.

The new show was called 'Believe...There's Magic in the Stars" (LP,Wikipedia, YouTube) and it was Steve Davison's Disneyland masterpiece (and he'd had a lot of very successful productions already under his belt). Unfamiliar with fireworks, but with a knowledge of theatre, Davison used some new technologies developed by Imagineering to 'paint' the sky with fireworks and tell a story that tugged at the heart strings and got at the root of what all this Disneyland magic was about. Then when I saw the giant Mickey Mouse shape explode into the sky for the first time I broke into tears.

What song was #1 the day I was born?

In the USA:  Honky Tonk Woman - Rolling Stones
In the UK: In The Year 2525 (Exordium And Terminus) - Zager & Evans

I'd say my life has been shaped much more by the In The Year 2525. In fact, it's one of those songs that I'm constantly humming in my head. I had no idea it had a connection with my birthdate. Very cool QOTD.

On the Atari 2600 the only game I was really good at was Frogger. I loved playing Mule on my Commodore64 in high school. By the time College rolled around, it was all about Tetris baby. I can still see those blocks falling when I close my eyes.

As an adult I have a playstation 2, but only play Swing Away Golf on it. How lame is that?

Would you believe Brad Pitt.... no me neither. I most often get Oliver Platt and John Belushi. For Belushi you have to imagine me with sunglasses and a black fedora. And maybe squint a little.

It would take me 25 minutes to drive from work or home to Downtown Disney. I would take half the money and buy tons of toys and games for Toys for Tots and other local children's charities at the Disney toy store, and half the money and buy as many collectibles that would go up in value as I possibly could. Alternatively, I'd take the second half and buy a membership in Disney's timeshare so my family could stay there when they come and visit.

Mushy and honest at the same time!