Disneyland. Part two, Princess for a day

In part one I talked about the queue design in Disneyland. In part two, I want to talk about the employees of the park, or as they are known, cast members. The cast members at the Magic Kingdom are a special group of people. They do a good job in making the experience special, not by being all loud and boisterous, but in small subtle ways, and it was the subtlety that made it even more amazing. When we first walked onto Main Street, one of the first things I noticed, as did my daughter, was a row of cast members in uniform greeting us with giant, over-sized Mickey Mouse hands; a nice touch. When it came time to go on the rides, I was impressed the the efficiency and care taken by the operators. As a veteran of summer expositions populated by the good folks of Conklin et al., it felt nice to walk the park without being subjected to the "carnie wave" beckoning me, come hither. Some rides had pre-recorded messages for the riders, but a good number of them had the operators giving instructions in their own unique way. At one point we passed by the Buzz Lightyear ride and noticed it wasn't operating. There were cast members standing in front of the entrance announcing their regrets for this inconvenience. One cast member, when asked why the ride was not operating, confidently and without pause, reported that they had run out of batteries and were currently searching for the right ones to replace them; that made me smile.

First, wardrobe. Next, make-up...

Without question, though, the highlight of our interaction with the cast members, and indeed the highlight for me this entire trip was when our four-year-old daughter got to dress up as Princess Aurora for a day. My wife and I had arranged this to be a surprise for our daughter, so that morning she woke up to find a package at our hotel room door from Aurora. When she opened it, she found a Sleeping Beauty dress and crown that my sister, who had recently visited Walt Disney World had generously bought for this occasion. As we made our way into the park that morning, I caught onto something that had I had noticed our first day in the park when my daughter had worn a Rapunzel dress. It started with the cast member scanning our tickets. As good mornings were exchanged there was suddenly, "... and good morning princess! I hope you enjoy your day." Much like the batteries comment from earlier, this was done confidently and without pause. The next surprise was a princess make over that my wife had arranged at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. My daughter was attended to by a Fairy Godmother in training as they did her hair and make-up. Whilst in the boutique, my wife was addressed as Your Highness (which she loved!) and was asked if "the King" would be attending to see the princess as well. Again, it's the little things.

It's hard work being a princess

The king gets to see his princess

When the girls had finished at the boutique, we met up again and made our way through the park. Every time we went on a ride or interacted with a cast member my daughter was addressed, not just as princess, but as Princess Aurora. Usually my daughter becomes quite shy when this much attention is given to her, but even she could not help but smile.

The next big thing on our list was a lunch with the princesses. This is when the princesses come around to each table during the meal and give you opportunity to take photos with them. Each princess who came by was beautifully done up and played the part very well. Princess Aurora (the official one, not our daughter) said, "Oh look, it's my twin." when she came to our table. I must take this opportunity to mention Belle who gave special attention to our 22-month-old son, even giving him a kiss on his head.

Her Majesty, The Queen, flanked by the Princesses Aurora.

After lunch we continued with our rides and such, all the while being reminded that we were in the presence of royalty. This happened to to be our day to see the World of Color water show and the fireworks display, so by the end of the evening we had one tired princess. We knew, though, that she had a great day; so much so that the next day we were dealing with a bit of a princess hangover and insisted on wearing her Rapunzel dress the last day at Disneyland. 

As we spent our last day at Disneyland, I was once again impressed at how the cast members zeroed in on the purple dress and addressed our daughter as Rapunzel.

The perfect cure for a princess hangover? A giant Mickey Mouse cookie!

I can see how some might find this all very silly. Why have I made such a big deal over something as simple as employees calling my daughter a princess? All I can say is there was something very special that I saw in the face of my daughter when she came out of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Something that carried on through the day as she was recognized as Princess Aurora. There was something to her smile that showed through the usual shyness that overtakes her when strangers pay so much attention to her. It's for that smile that I thank the cast members of Disneyland.

For a father, the smile is all that counts.

Disneyland. Part one, The coolest place to queue up!

My family just got back from a trip to the Magic Kingdom! It was a great trip and there are any number of topics that I could talk about, but I have decided to focus on two that really stood out for me. Queues and Cast Members.

First, queues. Disneyland is a place where the art of the queue has been mastered. You may think that I am referring to the wonder of the Fast Pass; the ingenious system of getting tickets for a ride in advanced so that you can come back later in the day and skip to the front of the line. Indeed I was impressed with that, but I was more impressed with the design and architecture of the queue itself. I have two examples in mind. The Hollywood Tower of Terror and Space Mountain.

The Hollywood Tower of Terror is free fall type of ride that involves a car that gets raised up, and then drops, and then gets raised up again, and then drops, etc. It's a simple idea. This is a popular ride and each time I went on the estimated queue was around 30-40 min. Now, Disneyland, what can you do to entertain me whilst I wait? Well, first there's the facade, which is much more than simple flat frontage to hide the mechanics of the ride. It is, at least externally, a recreated full-sized hotel building. As you wind yourself around the stanchions you are greeted by music from the '30s piped through the speakers.

I can't wait to get settled in!

When you get inside the building itself you get to see this wonderful rendition of the lobby of this glamorous hotel way beyond its prime. At this point you are ushered into a study by a cast member in period dress.

Funny, it doesn't quite look like the brochures.

When everyone has filed into the study there is clap of thunder, a flash of lightning, all goes dark, and then a small TV flickers on in the corner with an into to the Twilight Zone in which the tale of the hotel is spun and the audience is informed that they are now the players who will see this story through to the end. Keep in mind, we haven't reach the actual ride yet.

That's the problem with hotel TV; nothing new is on.

The TV shuts off and then the queue continues through a set of doors into and area that is made up to be the boiler room of the hotel. You continue to snake around the interior with the lights flickering, an old radio on a desk playing static between stations, a pipes leaking water, the hum of machinery, and a set of maintenance elevators along the wall. All the while you taking in the amazing dedication to detail and mood created by your surroundings.

Are we there yet?

... oh, and through these elevator doors is the actual ride. Almost forgot about that.

Then there's Space Mountain. While the Tower of Terror is a fairly recent ride, Space Mountain is one of the classics that I remember from when I was a kid. The average wait time for this icon was between 50-65 min.(ouch!) Although the design of the ride has changed little, the surrounding architecture has gone though modifications over the years. The resulting structure is quite imposing. If the building were to be gutted, I could easily see it being used as a convention centre.

The location of this year's SAQ (Society of Appreciators of Queues) Convention

The queue is mostly outside the building, giving one plenty of time to appreciate futuristic spires, buttresses, and girders. As the queue continues inside, the launch announcements come over the speakers as one files down corridors that are sectioned off and labeled numerically (01, 02,03, etc.), with periodic screens showing technical displays.

The future will consist of corridors..

... endless corridors...

... and displays.

Finally one enters the launch bay (the ride loading area) and sees a model of a ship hanging in the center. As you get strapped into the car and move forward along the track, the last sight you see before entering the darkness (the entire ride is in the dark, lit only by a simulated star field) is a control booth above manned by cast members.

The Pink Floyd laser show is about to start!

Space, the black light frontier.

There were many other examples of creative queuing around the park; enough to convince myself that there must exist a group of people who show up not to experience the ride so much as to experience the queue. The secret is to incorporate the queue in such a way as to make it part of the ride itself. As you file along you are in a sense moving through and introduction and rising action of a story that ultimately results in the climax that is the ride itself.

Now I am not saying that such design alleviated the pain of queuing altogether, but I must admit that it did give me a feeling of anticipation that bolstered my ability to shuffle along with my fellow queue mates as shackled livestock to the slaughter, albeit in a kick ass abattoir.

Next: Part two, in which a commoner becomes a princess, much to the delight of her father.

Confessions of a reluctant runner. Part 4, States of matter.

My runs during the ridiculous freeze-thaw cycle that we've been experiencing in Edmonton this last little while have had me thinking about the different states of matter... don't look at me like that. Anyway, this in turn, got me thinking about how these different states of matter are associated with my runs (look, I'm fairly certain you're not buying any of this, but if you could play along, it would be very much appreciated.)

First off, there is solid. Bones, muscles, tendons, my entire body absorbing impact and propelling me at the same time. The intermittent patches of solid water (i.e. ice) that challenge my footing. The variations of asphalt, concrete, brick, gravel, dirt, and wood as I progress through my run.

So many parts, so many opportunities for pain

Next is liquid. The perspiration that has me soaked by the end. The seemingly endless supply of phlegm that my lungs produce. The before mentioned patches of solid water that have transformed into miniature glacial lakes. The squish of my shoes and socks as I return from slogging in said lakes.

*volume of water and physique of runner may not be exactly as shown

Then there's, gas. The water vapour that forms from my breath. The steam that rises from my body as perspiration evaporates into the cold air. The, um, other gases that, um...alright, there's no getting around this one. Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Carbon dioxide, Oxygen, and of course, Methane; they're all present and accounted for in varying percentages. Running is a very jarring activity and with that one's insides get quite a vigorous massage. Looking to "cleanse" your body? Between the flatulence, the burps, and the phlegm, there's nothing like a good solid run to make you feel like you've exorcised more than a few demons. Speaking of the foul, a lung-full of vehicle exhaust as I reach the top of the stairs. The cigarette smoke as I pass clutches of smokers huddled around the various entrances to buildings. That one particular spot along the trail where the scent of sewage is perennial and potent.

I shall use the  Rosetta Nebula as an illustration of the interplay of gases... close enough, damn it!

Finally, plasma. Ummm... If it's not too cloudy, the sun feels nice. That's about all I've got for that one. Oh, like you even considered plasma in the first place.

I bet you're considering my ionized particles now, eh? Ka-POW!

So, the next time you're out and about on a early Spring day, take some time to appreciate the wonders of matter, in all it's states; and remember, the triple-point of water is not, in fact, 0°C

Meditations of a false yogi

I practice yoga; somewhat. I am not in tune with my chakras, nor the life force energies that emanate from them. I have no grand ideas about attaining higher consciousness, nor escaping the wheel of saṅsāra. Alright, so maybe I don't practice yoga. I do yoga; on Wednesdays; at lunch; have been for about a year; love it!

Yoga is like guerrilla exercise - you don't really seem to be doing much, but the burning in you muscles, the strain on your tendons, and the sweaty impressions left on the mat betray a very different reality. While yoga has quite a history of mysticism and spirituality behind it, I approach it purely at the level of physicality. For me, it is an exercise that improves my strength, flexibility, and balance. It's a chance for me to test my limits while maintaining a sense of control over my body. You can't rush into a position, or you will find that you won't be able to maintain it for very long, or "express" the position fully.

While I do not subscribe to the idea of internal energies whizzing around in my body (quite different than the electrical charge carried by neurons), I am able to effectively use visualization to assist me in my yoga; that is, mind over matter. It's about picturing an image of my body and getting certain muscles to relax so I can reach just a little further. It's about focusing on a static point so I can maintain my balance without being pulled by movement in my peripheral field of view. It's about mentally checking in with the positioning of my body and adjusting it so as to have an even distribution of weight. So I guess what I'm getting at is that yoga really is about mindfulness, but it's hard to discuss ideas like mindfulness without going too far into mysticism. I'm talking about mindfulness in terms of awareness, not in terms of a spirituality, just as I mean awareness in terms of awareness of my senses (just the five of them) and my body's position within it's immediate space, not awareness of some other state or reality. Sigh.

I like doing yoga. I enjoy the physical challenges it presents. I like that it's something that I do that doesn't really seem like something that I would do. I don't feel I have to buy into the whole spirituality of the yogic tradition in order to find benefit from the exercise. As with most systems, be it martial, or corporate, or political, or what have you, this is how I tend to approach it:

I'll attend the party. I'll munch on the snacks. However, I will not be drinking the Kool Aid.

All Ski Bunnies, please report to the tow rope.

It's been an long winter, and it's not over yet.  Here we are, beginning of March and we've been hit with another cold snap.  Sigh.  So far I've done pretty well, but I have to admit that I'm starting to get the cabin fever; not so much during the week, but I'm noticing it on the weekends.  I'm sure there are things I could be doing outside with the family, but the idea of having to go through the effort of bundling up a four-year-old and a 20-month-old to go outside only to have them lose interest after five minutes, well it just seems like too much hassle.

Although, sometimes it is worth the effort.

A couple of weeks ago, to celebrate Family Day, my wife and I and our two children met up with my sisters-in-law and their families for a day of skiing.  It was shaping up to be a pleasant day weather-wise, but to be perfectly honest, I was dreading the trip.  When we had tried this last year, we went through the trouble of renting equipment for my daughter, who was three at the time, just so she could have the experience of being on skis.  The experience didn't last long and it wasn't long before we were back in the lodge.  Although we did do some sledding near the end, it did make it a long day trying to coax my daughter back onto skis to no avail.  Add to this experience the domestic disaster that transpired as we tried to get out the door that morning, mostly due to my inability to properly prepare the night before; I did not have high hopes.

This all changed when we reached the hill, much to my delight.  While my wife looked after our son in the lodge, I took our daughter and myself to get outfitted with skis.  Once she had her skis on, she was excited to hit the slopes!  Yea!  We started on the practice hill, which was a small plot of slope that you had to walk up.  Ouch!  In order to have her go down with my help I had to first ski uphill myself, pop my skis off, run back down the hill, and then push my daughter uphill.  This was a workout in itself!  After a couple of practice runs of her in front and me holding her under her arms, I was relieved to move on to the tow rope.  We just had to get there first.

Traversing is shite

The overland trek to the tow rope is not an easy one.  We first tried the ski pole tow method, where I would ski in front and my daughter would hold on to one of my poles and glide along behind.  That didn't work, so instead we went side by side, hand in hand.  I'm sure it looked sweet and so the pain was worth it.  Progress was slow as we shuffled over flat land to the tow rope.  Finally we made it to the tow rope and got in line.  I was worried that my daughter might get scared about using the contraption, even though I would be behind her the whole time, but she wasn't (alright, maybe I was the one who was worried about her falling down with me being dragged over top of her).

The Mighty Tow Rope

As we got into position I kept repeating to my daughter, "Skis straight, stand up. Skis straight, stand up..." Our first tow took us halfway up the slope.  We got into position and down we went.  It was fantastic.  My daughter was yelling with glee the entire time!  As soon as we got to the bottom, "Again! Let's go again!"  This is exactly what I had wanted to hear. We did another run from halfway up, and then it was to the top.  My daughter was so excited to ski down from the top. Each run we did I kept repeating as we went down, "Skis straight, stand up!"  I wanted to get her ready to go down by herself.  After a couple of runs from the top, I asked my daughter if she wanted to try to ski down herself.  She was more than willing!

Carving the Bunny Hill

The first run was from a quarter of the way up.  I got my daughter into position and then let her go.  I skied along beside her, repeating the mantra, "Skis straight, stand up."  After that first run, she was ready for more! She did several runs with a couple of breaks in between.  She had made it as far as halfway up by the end of the day.  Not bad for having only put on skis once before, and that was last winter.

Victorious skier

As we packed up to leave, I was so very, very proud of my little girl.  She was positive and excited for most of the day.  She had fun and was not afraid to just go for it.  I was happy we came out to the hill and I found myself thinking about why we don't do these kind of outings more often.  This question was emphatically answered by the sound of my 20-month-old son screaming at the top of his lungs because his day had ended about 2 hours ago, and he was letting the rest of the lodge know that he didn't see any use in us hanging around any longer.  Oh yeah.

Confessions of a reluctant runner. Part 3, [addendum]

Well, I ran my half-marathon and came in at 1:54:19.  It was a beautiful day, but the roads were icy as all hell. Each step was an open invitation to slip, a fall, or a severe groin pull.  Given the shite conditions, I am pleased with my showing.  I had a great time and although my legs were complaining by the end, my cardio was none the worse for wear, which is always encouraging.  The introduction to music via my new iPod made a significant difference in the enjoyment of the run.  I also did my best to keep positive throughout the run, disregarding my self-perceived ranking (although there was there was that one guy whom I passed earlier and who subsequently passed me by the half-way mark.  I was irked by that, but I chatted with him after the race and felt better for doing so.)

So with another winter half-marathon in the books, I look forward to the full marathon in the summer.  To say that my showing last summer was a disappointment would be a grotesque understatement, and as such I have a score to settle with the road; and while I may be out for revenge, I am not out for blood.

Confessions of a reluctant runner. Part 3, "Aw crap, it's next week?"

The day of my next big run is fast approaching and, once again, I am woefully under-prepared.  I will be running a half-marathon (21 km) this week and I have done almost no distance training over the winter.  More evidence that I'm not a runner (see other "Confessions of a reluctant runner").  I could make excuses about time, weather, etc., but if I'm being perfectly honest, I really just have a hard time committing to the preparatory effort.  It's like my running has become a metaphor for all the finals I every wrote through high school and university.  If this run is like my other ones, I'll show up that morning feeling anxious but mostly confident that I will finish the run in a descent amount of time.  I'll start off a little stiff, but fine enough.  Come the halfway mark I'll know pretty much how the rest of the run will go; whether I'll be able to hold a good pace and carry through to the end with a tolerable level of discomfort, or if it'll be a torturous slog that'll have me questioning myself every agonizing step of the way, "Why couldn't I just put in the effort to train properly?"

Why indeed.  It's such an odd thing, though maybe not.  I do not centre my life around running, I sure as hell am not being paid to do this.  It's just something I started to do a few years ago and now, well, I just seem to sign up every year.  Yet every year, after I cross the line, I get the same feeling of disappointment that I didn't do as well as I could have (again, just like school).  Previously, the solution has been to rededicate myself to getting ready for the next run.  I would tell myself that I'd take a week or so away from running and then get back into it properly.  Suffice to say, this never works out as planned.  Perhaps it's because I don't feel any sense of urgency; I never was one to start a project, paper, etc. until it was just about due.  Maybe it's a fear of success; if I do exceptionally well this time, then any subsequent run must be equal or greater than this outcome in order for me to stave off disappointment.  Then again, it could simply be that I'm lazy.  Whatever the reason, or combination of reasons, I need to adjust my expectations.

I want to continue to run these races, I really do.  I think I'd feel bad if I stopped showing up to these mass gatherings of masochists in expensive footwear.  What I need to do, though, is stop putting so much emotional pressure on myself.  Now it may sound like I am accepting mediocrity in the face of sustained effort; so be it.  What I'm really looking toward is actually enjoying myself at the this and future races.  I think this has been missing from my runs in the past.  Sure I get excited, and moments before the start I'm energized and focused, but I'm not sure I've really been having any fun.  That being said, this week when I show up for my half-marathon I will be looking forward to a good run.  Nothing more.  If I do well this year, I will be pleasantly surprised.  If I don't quite get to where I was last year, then I will try not to be disappointed.  I'm not a professional athlete, so why pretend to be one?

In the end, whatever the result, I can still end the day by telling myself that whereas the vast majority of people have never run a half-marathon, this is just another one for me.