Leisure King

2011 Brown Bear Awards

2012-01-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Movies of 2011:
1) 50/50
2) Drive
3) Fright Night
4) Attack the Block
5) Hugo
6) Winnie the Pooh
7) Captain America: The First Avenger
8) Rise of the Planet of the Apes
9) Rango
10) Crazy, Stupid, Love

Further Rudloff approved titles:
Super 8, Bridesmaids, War Horse, Paranormal Activity 3, and Don't be Afraid of the Dark

Worst Movie of the Year:
Tie! Cars 2 & Apollo 18

TV Show of the Year:
Game of Thrones (and COMMUNITY!)

Best New Non-HBO TV Show of the Year:
Death Valley

Wow, Brad Neely Actually Got His Own TV Show Award:
China, IL

Outstanding Achievements in Acting:
John Lithgow - New Year's Eve
Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones
The goose - War Horse

Most Superb Subplot Undeserving of The Film It Is In:
The Krill in Happy Feet 2

Biggest Disappointment:
The Muppets

Most Sleep Inducing Film of the Year:
The Adventures of Tintin

Most Forgettable Movie of the Year:
The Sitter

Best Movie with Penguins:
Mr. Popper's Penguins

Outstanding Achievement in Internet TV:
The Guild Season 5

Best Person of the Year:
Donald Glover

Song of the Year:
"Love on Top" - Beyonce

Everybody Knows You Now and You Are Great Award:
Michael Fassbender

Everybody Should Know You Because You Are Great Award:
Michael Shannon

Fantasy Onscreen Duo of Greatness:
Michael Fassbender & Michael Shannon

Catchphrase of the Year:
"Treat Yo Self"

Continued Excellence in Excellence:
Ron Swanson

Most Anticipated of 2012:
Cabin in the Woods, Game of Thrones Season 2, The Innkeepers, Batman, that new Wes Anderson movie, the voice over work of Danny DeVito as the Lorax, Danny DeVito's live action performance in Always Sunny, more Ron Swanson

Recreation Adventure: My 1st Disc Golf Experience

2011-10-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Taking advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I decided to engage in the recently popularized sport of disc golf. I chose this activity because it has been something I wanted to do since I first saw a disc golf course many years ago at a camp on Catalina Island. Despite the intrigue, I never played, but it had always been in the back of my mind as something that looked super fun and awesome. Recently, the popularity of disc golf as a recreational activity and professional sport has exploded. In the last 2 years, 4 disc golf courses have been established around my hometown of Escondido, California! Previously there were none! It’s new found ultra-popularity rekindled that memory and a desire to play. Needless to say, I had been anxiously waiting for an opportunity to partake in the frisbee chucking pleasures of disc golf for sometime. Unfortunately, there are not any disc golf courses around Santa Monica, but this assignment gave me the boost I needed to head out to the closest one in the beautiful city of Sylmar.

The origins of disc golf date back to the 1960’s when flying recreational discs were first invented, but it’s popularity really took off in 1976 when Ed Headrick established the Disc Golf Association Company. Soon after, a group of enthusiasts formed the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). Steadily increasing popularity over the years, disc golf is played around the world and there are now more than 3000 courses to choose from. 87% of those courses are free! The PDGA has made disc golf every bit as professional as traditional golf (Palmeri, 2008). Much like traditional club and ball golf, the goal of disc golf is to complete a course of 9 or 18 “holes” in as little amount of “strokes” as possible. Trees, obstacles, and hills make the courses difficult and unique. Instead of a hole, the target is a large chain basket that catches the disc. Also as in traditional golf, serious players will have a set of discs, each being used for different distances and conditions. There are distance drivers, mid-range discs, and putters of different qualities and weights. Unlike traditional golf, disc golf is much more affordable as the discs are generally priced between $10 and $20, plus the courses are usually free or charge a very minimal fee to play.

My disc golf experience began with a trip to Sports Chalet where my fellow first time opponents and I had gathered for the event. Eric, Matt, Lindsey, and I each purchased a necessary disc. Being the poor twentysomethings that we are, we only purchased distance drivers. “Orcs” and “Valkyries” by Innova for $8.99 were the discs of choice. We will have to test out the mid-range and putter discs another time. Next we headed out to the lovely Veterans Memorial Park in Sylmar, California. Originally home to a veteran’s hospital that was destroyed in the 1971 Sylmar Earthquake, Veterans Memorial Park was dedicated in 1979 after ownership of the land was transferred to Los Angeles County. The park’s disc golf course was established in 1980 (L.A. County Parks and Recreation, n.d.). This course is definitely not a product of the recent disc golf craze. A description of this course according to the website Disc Golf Course Review says, “Very challenging, with lots of trees and hills in the lower portion of park. Some rough walking terrain.” (DGCourseReview, 2011) It is probably not a course for beginners, but I wanted the authentic disc golf experience!

On this cloudless, sunny day we pulled up to the mostly empty parking lot of the Veterans Memorial Park Disc Golf Course around noon. Upon arrival I was surprised to see a “pro shop” of sorts. This particular course has a $2 fee for all day play, which I was more than happy to pay. Entering the little pro shop was a perfect beginning to the experience because I was immediately immersed in a world where disc golf discs line all the walls from floor to ceiling. New discs, used discs, discs of every color, it was certainly a site I had never seen before! We each paid our $2 and received our official scorecard and mini pencil, just like in real golf. There was no need for an official tee time though.

We made our way to the first tee where another group of two burly, tattooed men were just starting their game. This was an intimidating introduction to the sport! First of all, both of these guys were no strangers to the game. They were fully equipped each with official disc carrying bags filled with multiple discs. It is important to note here that these holes are not any shorter than traditional golf holes; we are talking about 200-400 yards each. When you stand at the tee, that basket is a tiny metal spec in the distance, but when these burly semi-professionals “teed off” with running starts and powerful throws they sent those discs with incredible speed and precision most of the way down the “fairway”. There was no way that my throws were going to look anything like theirs. I am sure we looked extremely amateurish there, each with our one disc, watching on in awe. But we were amateurs. There always has to be a first time!

In an impromptu precision disc toss to determine the starting order, it was decided that I would tee off last. I watched my competition make their first disc golf throws. They were nothing like the tattooed semi-pros, unimpressive, fading left and right, and going a fourth of the distance. Despite my colleagues’ less-than-stellar first attempts, I stepped to the tee with confidence. I am pretty good at throwing a traditional Frisbee, so how much different could this be? Well, turns out a lot. With a hop-skip and a mighty fling my disc takes a hard right fade, crashing into the dirt and lands a quarter of the way down the fairway. No more impressive than anyone else’s, this would be far from my worst throw of the day. Back and forth and through the trees we traversed the first hole, finally putting our discs into the basket with 4 chainy jangles. On a course designed exclusively with par 3’s, our scores for this hole would be Lindsey with 8, Eric with 6, and Matt and I with 5’s. The amount of times that anyone managed to toss a 4 and get out of the 5-8 range could be counted on one hand. No one ever made par. Thus began our rousing game of disc golf!

Play continued across the hilly course unimpressively, although it was Matt who appeared to get the early jump on the learning curve. His throws seemed to hover straighter and land neatly. One aspect of this game that we found mildly frustrating was that the baskets at many of the holes were hard to find. This lead to much consultation of the course map, running ahead to look for the basket, or simply teeing off and hoping we were sending the discs in the right direction. We searched the

longest for the basket on the 10^th hole. It ended up literally being in the middle of a large bush. That was a cool surprise. Unlike a traditional golf course of perfectly manicured greens and precisely trimmed grass, the only set up required for a disc golf course is the placement of baskets and some kind of tee indicator. The native flora is left largely untouched which makes for a beautiful natural setting. This is a very appealing aspect of this sport to me. Although the 10^th hole was hard to find, this made me consider the possibilities for creativity in course design. I am looking forward to visiting different courses in the future for their natural scenery and design.

Growing more comfortable with the game, the back nine took on a somewhat different feel. Frustrated with her disc throwing abilities, Lindsey bowed out after the first nine. It was now a three-man tournament. Eric and I began inching higher on the learning curve, evening out the playing field. Also contributing was the fact that Matt was feeling the fatigue on his body earlier that Eric and I. The back nine were also more strenuous and difficult with a lot of up hill holes and close proximity to a fence and road that made precision more essential. Definitely improving with each disc I threw, I received my first and only 2 “birdies” on holes 15 and 18. As a testament to our communal rookie-ness, we each received a score of 50 on the back nine! Winning our match all came down to who caught on the quickest in the beginning, that of course was Matt. After approximately two and a half hours of play, we were only separated by a couple of strokes. Matt won with a 96. I came in second with a 98. Eric barely fell behind with a 99. After such a rousing tournament, Jack-in-the-Box tacos were in order to celebrate Matt’s triumph in our first ever game of disc golf.

Overall I would have to say that my first disc golf experience was fantastic! I kind of already knew that it would be because of how much I loved the idea, but I am glad to know that it lived up to my expectations. It is an excellent recreational activity and a disc golf course would be nothing but an

asset to any community. Because the set-up of a disc golf course is so simple and easy to maintain, I believe it is an idea that has survived government budget cuts as well as largely escaped commodification (Hurd & McLean, 2012). With zero to $2 course fees and minimal required equipment, it is an activity that is available to almost everyone. Also, it can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels, from amateurs to pros who take it to the serious leisure level. I am sure that all of these reasons are contributors to the recent rediscovery and resurgence of disc golf in many communities. This is a movement that I fully support and am very happy to be a part of. Joseph Lee and the other recreation founders would be proud!

Despite the fact that the Veterans Park course could do a better job distinguishing the basket locations with a simple rehab job, I enjoyed every second of my disc golf experience and definitely plan to do it again soon. I think what made the biggest impact on me was watching the buff semi-pros and realizing how serious and professional disc golf can be. I am also intrigued by the potential for creativity in course design as well as the scenic natural setting the game is played in. I am very much looking forward to testing out different courses as well as trying the mid-range and putter discs. Fueled purely by intrinsic motivation and enjoyment of the game, I definitely have physical, social, and psychological motivators pushing me to journey farther into the world of disc golf (Hurd & McLean, 2012). Unfortunately, the nearest disc golf courses to my Santa Monica home are a 40-minute drive away; otherwise I could see this being a frequent weekend activity. We should encourage the Los Angeles parks and recreation department to set up some disc golf courses, although the lack of natural land could be a problem. In any event I will definitely be checking out one of the many disc golf courses that have appeared near my parents’ house next time I visit. I am very thankful for this assignment for finally giving me the motivation to be proactive about seeking out the magic of disc golf.

References

DGCourseReview: Sylmar (Veterans Park) (2011) Retrieved October 3, 2011 from

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=909&mode=ci.

Hurd, A. R., & McLean, D. D. (2012). Kraus’ recreation and leisure in modern society (9^th ed.).

Sadbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Palmeri, J. (2008). The Origins of Disc Golf. Retrieved October 3, 2011 from http://www.pdga.com/history.

L.A. County Parks and Recreation: Veterans Memorial Community Regional Park (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2011 from http://parks.lacounty.gov/Parkinfo.asp?URL=cms1_033269.asp&Title=Veterans%20Me

Happy Hour: Candyland, Red Light District

2011-08-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Martinis (and a shooter) that would make Willy Wonka proud:

Jolly Rancher
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Chilled Stemmed Glass
1 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Watermelon Pucker
1 oz. Sweet & Sour
Splash of 7-Up

Green Candy Apple Martini
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Chilled Stemmed Glass
1 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Midori
1/2 oz. Sour Apple Pucker
1 oz. Sweet & Sour

Caramel Apple Martini
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Chilled Stemmed Glass
1 1/2 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
1 1/2 oz. Sour Apple Pucker
1/2 oz. Triple Sec

Oatmeal Cookie
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Shooter Glass
1/2 oz. Goldshlager
1/2 oz. Kahlua
1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream

Mmmmm....I want candy now!

LeisureTech: NetGen Disney Everything Wristbands

2011-08-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a frustrating time to be a Disney Parks fan with so much construction going on at the parks and the promise of next generation technology just out of reach, but one super exciting bit of tech that DizFanatic has just reported on are RFID wristbands. Apparently, Disney is in the early stages of testing these colorful accessories, but once these babies get put in to action, we will have a whole new way of experiencing theme parks. The possibilities of the RFID wristbands are endless: it will serve as your ticket, your hotel room key, enhanced Fastpass, enhanced Photopass, meal plan, credit card, interact with things in the park, and even offer personalized theme park experiences based on your profile. See pictures and read all about the possibilities here. Despite some Big Brother-esque undertones, I cannot wait! Disney's technological innovations are one of the main things that keep me coming back year after year, and I'm looking forward to when Mickey customizes my visit to my stats! We can hopefully look forward to new information about this tech released tomorrow at the Disny Parks panel at the D23 Disney Expo.

Happy Hour: Cocktails for Real Americans

2011-08-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today we begin a continuing series of posts in which I present to you recipes for non-traditional alcoholic beverages, linked thematically of course. Appropriately, today I completed phase I of my self-constructed leisure education, I graduated from the National Bartending School. I've got drinks on the brain! To celebrate the completion of my extensive two-week cocktail academics (and America), here are a few America-themed mixes for you to try next time you visit your local watering hole (test your bartender's mixological knowledge) or try making them your self!

Boston Tea Party
Serve in a Collins Glass
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
Fill with Cranberry Juice
Splash with 7-up
Float 1/2 Bicardi 151 on top
Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

The Boston Tea Party is a member of the "Ice Tea" Family and a variation of a Long Beach Ice Tea, by adding the Bicardi 151 on top it becomes a Boston Tea Party. All "Ice Teas" are served in collins glasses and garnished with a lemon wedge.

G.I. Joe
Served in a Collins Glass
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Midori
1 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
Fill with 7-Up
Top with Coke
Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

By adding the Coke, this "Ice Tea" evolves from a "Tokyo Tea" ( or "Nuclear Ice Tea") to a G.I. Joe. The Midori makes the drink green and the brown-colored Coke on top trickles down creating an aesthetically pleasing and novel camouflaged colored drink.

L.A. River
Served in a Collins Glass
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Blue Curacao
1 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
Fill with 7-Up
Top with a Cherry Liqueur
Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

Another member of the "Ice Tea" Family, the L.A. River starts as a blue drink (due to the Blue Curacao), which then turns brown when the Cherry Liqueur is poured on top. You can substitute Coke if you do not have any Cherry Liqueur on hand, or top with Baileys Irish Cream to make is especially L.A. River-like!

There ya go! Have a drink this weekend and check back next week for a new set of delicious mixes, perhaps we will depart from the "Ice Tea" Family. ...but they are so fun to make (and mess you up)!

Restart of the King!

2011-08-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce the triumphant return of The Leisure King! Welcome to Leisure King V. 2.0!! It’s good to be back.

Last you heard from me was a little over a year ago when I was complaining about not being able to attend Comic-Con all 4 days because of my demanding TV job. So allow me to get you up to speed. Firstly, I didn’t get to go to Comic-Con at all this year because of how impossible they made it to get tickets (No reward for 10 year member loyalty eh?), but that’s ok. I don’t want them, if they don’t want me. Secondly, after working a couple years in the stressful and frustrating Hollywood world, I decided that it was not how I wanted to spend my life. Besides, I worked with the greatest crew in TV history anyway (Smallville Season 10, WHAT WHAT!!), so where can you go from there? As the TV season came to an end, I applied for grad school and here I am, 2 weeks from starting a 2 year academic adventure with a Master’s of Science of Recreation and Tourism Management the goal. Turns out I am not as passionate about making TV as I am watching it. What I AM passionate about though is improving quality of life for all by promoting the importance of leisure, recreation, play, and travel! And one of the easiest ways I can do that is by blogging about all things leisure related for whoever is interested. My hope is that Leisure King 2.0 improves on its original incarnation with more frequent and diverse posts to create a true Internet leisure kingdom. Here you will find reviews of attractions, lodgings, and restaurants, musings on the leisure world, the latest leisure news, travel deals, and a cornucopia of anything else that I decree worthy of posting in my leisure realm. I have started by creating a brand spanking new "Links" section full of fantastic resources for enhancing your leisure experience. Check it out on the right hand side of the page. If you have any suggestions for great links that I have not listed yet, please let me know. New posts and updates coming soon!! Please, enjoy my blog...but only at your leisure.

**“Restart of the King” is the title of the final episode of the hilarious web series The Legend of Neil (a parody of The Legend of Zelda) created by Sandeep Parikh. I don’t want to take credit for that title, but I do want to support awesome people making cool things off the mainstream grid. You should watch it. …also I worked on it, pre-Smallville.

Summerbreak '010: Disney FTW!!

2010-06-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

With Disney's new nighttime spectacular, World of Color, in it's second week of blowing minds over at Disney (Finally-There's-A-Reason-To-Go-There-Even-If-You-Don't-Have-An-Annual-Pass) California Adventure and this week's release of Pixar's Toy Story 3 capturing hearts with record-breaking box office and critical success, I think it is safe to say that Disney is winning the summer entertainment race. In terms of storytelling, quality, and technical innovation, John Lasseter (with a little bit of Bob Iger) is the second coming of Walt Disney as far as I'm concerned. It's an exciting time to be a Disney fan because those imagineers and storytellers haven't been pushed to their full potential in a while. And they have to be. Competition has never been so fierce. Universal's much anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter also opened this month, and to universal (more than just pun intended) acclaim. Those lucky enough to have already experienced it are consistently praising it as the most immersive theme park experience yet. Who will win the epic battle of theme park awesomeness? Well, hopefully no one. It's the competition that is the best news for my fellow leisure-ites and enthusiasts. The fiercer the competition, the more incredible the attractions will be and they'll be unleashed at a faster rate too as both powerhouses continue to one-up each other. It's a great time to be alive! Anyway, I won't be able to make it out to the Wizarding World until November (but you can look for my thoughts on it after Thanksgiving), but below I'll be sharing my thoughts on Disney's new summer offerings.

Toy Story 3
What is there to say about Toy Story 3 that hasn't already been said by every fan and critic across the country? Nothing really. It's a trilogy so finely crafted and superior to most everything else in every possible way that choosing one installment over another is simply impossible. Every second and inch of the frame is utilized to maximum effect, there is never a wasted moment. The Toy Story saga is an unbelievable triumph of storytelling...a true gift from the movie gods that will be timeless and beloved for as long as stories and goodness exist. I must say though that one of my favorite aspects of this film were the new characters, specifically Bonnie's thespian toys, and I feel like we could have been given a little more time with them. Obviously a lot of work went in to making them immediately likable with the likes of Timothy Dalton, Bonnie Hunt, and Jeff Garlin voicing Mr. Pricklepants (the German hedgehog), Dolly (the doll), and Buttercup (the unicorn) respectively. Not to mention the voice-less, yet already lovable, Totoro. And they had to be great characters too, because they weren't given much time to be developed, yet by the end they were fully fledged members of the core Toy Story gang. Oh well, I already have something to look forward to in the inevitable Toy Story 4. Even though TS3 is an ideal conclusion to an exceptional trilogy, I can see Woody and Co. going on plenty more adventures and as long as those adventures are crafted with as much love as the first three, you won't hear any complaints from me.

Jeff Garlin loves Chocolate Rain

World of Color
After years of much anticipation, World of Color does not disappoint! It's a dazzling, epic, technical and artistic spectacle to behold. The color and projection of these high-tech water fountains are so unbelievably vibrant that photos and video could never do it justice. And the water fountain choreography is unlike anything ever seen before. It definitely keeps the audience awestruck for its 25 minute running time as it dances through the various "movements" featuring favorite Disney movie moments, as well as some surprisingly obscure characters and songs. Gotta love that classic Wonderful World of Color theme song remix. It is a truly spectacular show Disney has created, especially considering they pretty much only need one cast member to press a start button 3 times a night for it to entertain thousands. Having said that though, WOC is not perfect. I have minor gripes: The only Mickey Mouse presence in the show is the face on Mickey's Fun Wheel that serves as its backdrop. The much hyped Alice in Wonderland sequence featuring new paper cut-out animation is basically cut from the final show. The viewing area is definitely not adequate for the size of the crowd. You will get wet. As much as I loved World of Color, I still prefer Fantasmic!. Although the plot is very thin, there is still a logical flow and storyline to follow in Fantasmic! and live actors really do add an important component to a show. When it comes to a Disney show finale, you really can't beat a heroic Mickey shooting sparks from his fingers. Plus that finale music is so incredibly magical and triumphant as the Mark Twain filled with dancing characters comes rolling out from behind Tom Sawyer's Island! ...it's the best. But World of Color is pretty damn good too! ...and there is a really cool pre-show that precedes it...but I'll let you experience that delightful bonus for yourself.

Glow Fest
Glow Fest? What the whaaat? What all those World of Color advertisements don't tell you is that you have to get to the park when it opens and stand in a long line to to get a coveted WOC Fastpass just so you can stand in an area where you can actually see the show. For everyone who doesn't get to see WOC (and also everyone who did), Disney invented Glow Fest as a distraction from the disappointment. And it ain't such a bad deal, it's a lot better than nothing. Glow Fest is an all evening dance party that takes place in the Hollywood Backlot area of DCA that includes dancers, lasers, a DJ, remixes to pop and Disney music, video screens featuring Disney video remixes by internet-famous DJ Pogo, and I think it starts off with some sort of show with musicians...I don't know, I wasn't there for that part, waiting and watching WOC and all. Also, there are multiple "bars" set up down the backlot area selling glowing alcoholic (and non-acoholic) beverages to drown those WOC-less blues away. And I must say, it's a pretty freakin' sweet thing they've got going! I have never been on Disney property and watched multiple dance circles form! It was just plain fun, everyone pumped up from the music and booze and bright colors. I wouldn't mind seeing this as a permanent fixture of DCA, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up....it's not particularly small-children friendly either.

To conclude this post, Disney has some pretty sweet stuff going on over at California Adventure this summer, with a lot more awesome new stuff coming in the next couple years. We may not be too far away from DCA growing up into a real Disney theme park someday! So get over there! Glow Fest won't be around forever, although you do have some time with World of Color as I'm sure it will be a permanent fixture of the park for the next 20 years. And go see Toy Story 3 immediately, its a true masterpiece! Great job, Disney.

DJ Pogo's Alice Remix

Leisure on!

Leisure Academy: The Art of Deconstruction

2010-04-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Deconstruction, first introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida, is often considered the highest form of mastery of a particular field or art. It has perhaps become popularized in our lexicon thanks to cooking competition shows, like Top Chef, where competitors are often presented with the vague challenge of deconstructing a particular dish. Somehow though, we have reached a point in history where deconstruction of our media has become all the rage in web video comedy. I just want to point out this moment to you all because this fad won't be around for long. Once it's done there is no where for it to go. Now deconstructionists have been at work in the movie world for a while, mostly for parody, for example Mel Brook's films or the Austen Powers movies. Scream immediately comes to mind as my favorite deconstructionist film. However, there is usually more substance in those movies than just straight up deconstruction. This is probably why this latest resurgence of the fad is confined to short online videos, the deconstruction itself is the joke without any meat to sustain a longer form of entertainment. The current fad can probably be attributed to the superb "Trailer for Every Oscar-Winning Movie Ever" that emerged last month.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon The Onion's deconstruction of fluff news pieces:

Breaking News: Some Bullshit Happening Somewhere

And today brought me "Generic Rap Song":

I'm left with a few questions. What will be deconstructed next? And, more importantly, once we've deconstructed all of our societal scripts from contemporary media, where do we go from there? Anyway, it's an interesting moment we have found ourselves in, but the joke is getting old and overdone real quick, so let's get back to creating new and innovative entertainments rather than picking apart the old.

Leisure Review: O Captain! My Captain! EO!

2010-04-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

During a recent trip to Disneyland I had the pleasure of experiencing two newly re-opened nostalgia filled attractions: the fifth generation "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" and "Captain EO: Tribute". I thought I would offer my two cents on both...

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Mach 5)
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln has not been a crowd drawing E-ticket attraction since its debut at the World's Fair in 1964, many see it as a 20 minute air conditioned break, but what it has been for decades is the last sliver of earnest, not entirely Disneyfied, American patriotism that Walt would be proud of. This latest incarnation continues the technologically impressive "edutaining", history lesson's legacy. The presentation begins with a well-made 10ish minute film about the Civil War featuring period music, historical photos, new artwork by Pocahontas animator John Pomeroy, and Paul Frees narration that combines elements from past versions with new material. The screen and curtains pull back to reveal not-quite-perfect robot Lincoln on an elaborate set with dramatic lighting and a classy background that changes from day to colorful sunset to starry night. Robo-Abe delivers the attraction's original speech crafted from segments of actual Lincoln speeches handpicked by Walt Disney himself and recorded by Royal Dano in the 60's. The recording, of course, has been digitally restored and sharpened for an improved presidential experience. There is an epic finale that concludes with a soaring eagle and the unabashedly patriotic ballad "Golden Dream" originally written for the classic Epcot attraction "The American Adventure". As you exit the attraction the hallway is filled with portraits of other important/influential patriots....such as George Lucas...and that is really the only negative thing I have to say about the experience...I have to see 'ole George being revered in the same manner as the Great Emancipator. Overall this is an excellent incarnation of the classic attraction, way better than the 2001 rehab that required you to wear headphones so they could simulate your hair being cut, aurally. More importantly though, Disneyland would be incomplete without this attraction, it will hopefully always be there in one form or another. Walt would want it that way. The park is filled with nostalgia for the past, even nostalgia for an old-fashioned view of the future, but this is the only instance of real historical preservation and true patriotism...which was always part of Walt's vision for the park. Grade: A

Captain EO: Tribute
I must preface this by saying that I have no recollection of seeing this in its original form (although it's quite possible that I did), only downloaded on my computer. While waiting in the queue to enter the theater, the audience is treated to the original pre-show film, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Captain EO featuring George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and a bunch of dancers whom it mostly focuses on. Not a particularly interesting video, except in the sense of a historical document. Then you enter the theater and the real fun begins. A cast member gives a tidbit of history and directs the audience to put on their 3D glasses, and then we jump right in to the original 4D theme park movie experience featuring Michael Jackson and Angelica Houston. The plot is thin, the effects are old fashioned, and Michael is a laughable space captain, but all of that is irrelevant, because you are watching an enhanced/extended Michael Jackson music video, and everyone loves a Michael Jackson music video! Most of the original 4D effects are back in action, plus the new added bonus of the hydraulics equipped seating that simulates the ship's movement and (my personal favorite) bounces with the bass heavy pop tunes! The 3D looks great and the puppets and physical effects are much more charming than their lifeless CGI counterparts that would inevitably be in their place if it were remade today. As Captain EO sings, dances, and turns evil cyborgs into rainbow clad dancers via lasers from his hands, you can't help but bob with the music (literally) and have a great time! Despite being the first 4D movie ever produced, it still holds up remarkably well as a Disney theme park attraction, a testament to the dedication of its creators (or maybe MJ is just timeless). In any event, it is a refreshing change from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience which was really showing its age with the early 90's CGI and youthful Rick Moranis (Seriously though, what 8-year-old today has seen a "Honey, I Shrunk..." movie? I hope it doesn't return when Captain EO runs it's course). So in conclusion, despite its corniness, its solid theme park entertainment and definitely worth checking out next time you're there. Grade: B+

Great Job Disney, I can't wait for "World of Color" this summer!
Leisure On, folks!

Idol Follow-Follow-Up: America Jumps the Shark

2010-03-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's official guys, thanks to your votes, American Idol has officially jumped the shark! Katelyn, Lily, and Alex, worthy competitors and talented musicians, did not make it into the top 12 (and Todrick too). All while Paige, Tim, and Lacey continue on....I guess Votefortheworst.com really does have an influence. Katelyn and Alex really didn't have a chance of winning, but they were good musicians as opposed to half of the contestants moving on. Lily was one of the most creative and original talents Idol had seen, but I guess America doesn't value originality, talent, and musicianship. Or maybe they all thought she was for sure safe and gave their votes to less deserving favorites that looked like they could go. In a final lineup filled with singer/songwriter girls, I guess there just wasn't enough room for all of them, it just should have been Lacey to go, not Lilly. With the votes getting divided up among the singer/songwriter types, the door is left disturbingly wide open for Katie, Paige, Aaron, and Tim to go a long way. I suddenly have a sinking feeling in my stomach that Tim Urban could actually win this thing with his Disney Channel looks. When the only demographic of voters for Idol are girls 9-12 the show is officially over, and if Tim wins that will be the case. I just don't know about this show anymore....at least we still have Crystal and Siobhan making things interesting. Let's try to keep them in the race, please!

Leisure Academy: What I Learned at Joshua Tree

2010-03-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

A friend and I recently went camping for two nights out at the beautiful Joshua Tree National Park, and it fully delivered the leisure experience we were looking for. The scenery was incredible, huge rounded rock piles bulging out of the ground to climb on surrounded by the idiosyncratic joshua trees, like a beautifully painted background in a Disney movie or something that was placed 2 hours east of L.A. The park was not crowded at all in the middle of the week and we had a huge campsite area all to ourselves, if only the wind hadn't picked up so much on the second night it would have been perfect. All you need is a loaded Ipod and travel Ipod deck, a campfire, beer, and snacks and you are livin' easy. They have 28 miles of hiking trails there too if you are in to that. We explored a smaller 2-3 hour hike to the top of Mt. Ryan that I would highly recommend, not too strenuous with amazing views. The park is so big though, we only saw a fraction of it. The park rangers were all real friendly and helpful too. Anyway, here is the knowledge I gained on the trip that I would like to bestow upon you now:

Jump Rocks campground is the best, don't waste your time with the Hidden Valley and Ryan campgrounds, just drive on past 'um. (Joshua Tree specific)

Bring a ton of firewood, you need a lot of fuel if you want a warm fire all night. We were lucky to find a place in the Joshua Tree town that sold it when we ran out.

If you are cooking a meal at night, prepare everything during the day, in the light, and have it ready to go. It's much easier.

According to the park ranger, rock climbers are party animals, so if you wanna party, befriend some rock climbers.

Wrap some Pillsbury biscuit dough around some chocolate chips, put a stick in it, and cook it over the fire. In 10 minutes you've got yourself a warm chocolaty biscuit ball. Our own variation of the "Woof-um".

Don't buy generic coals if you plan on cooking things over them.

Don't heat gummi bears over the fire and eat them, they take on the consistency of Gak...and are gross and probably harmful to your insides.

Large fires + strong winds = not safe.

3(ish) words: FLAME HEATED POP-TARTS.

Our Sweet Campsite Nestled Among Jumbo Rocks

...yeah, that's it. Short post today. Go camping. Explore nature. Leisure on.

Idol Follow-Up: America Still Extremely Racist

2010-03-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

Just as I predicted in my last post, the first person voted off American Idol this week is John Park, the only Asian on this year's show. But America, not to be outdone, took no shame in booting Jermaine Sellers (African-American), Michelle Delamour (Puerto Rican?), and Haeley Vaughn (African-American) out of their show. Apparently no time this season will be spent appeasing the minorities. Todrick (gross name!), Paige, and Andrew are all that's left, and Andrew is really the only one from that group with a chance to go far, but only if he stops theses lackluster performances that fall so short of his awesome "Straight Up" cover. However, each of these singers did have legitimate reasons to be voted off (anyone that sings a Creed song should automatically be disqualified), but white contestants do too. Of course, Tim Urban, the worst contestant this show has had in a long time, wasn't even in the running to be voted off...but it's ok, he prays before every performance. Now he has the Bible vote in addition to his cute white-boy looks appealing to NASCAR America, Idol's largest voting demographic. Also, last season's Danny Gokey, perhaps the whitest contestant Idol has ever seen, performed his new single.

Anyway, I don't want to bore you with another recap of continued horrible guy performances, Seacrest Vs. Simon, and Kara hate, though it all was still very much there, all still indicating to Idol's self-destruction. (If you do want to read a good recap check out the blog at VoteFortheWorst.Com, they watch the show with a similar eye as I do, but are better writers.) But I do want to focus on the budding Seacrest/Didi (Dicrest?) relationship taking place. I've never seen Seacrest so sensitive to a contestant's emotions in the real, non-TV-personality way that took place last night. Before introducing Didi's video, Seacrest was all over her, in an obvious flirty way. And then after an emotional judge's comments, Ryan was all holding her and looking into her eyes and reassuring her and holding her...there is clearly something going on between them. Maybe Seacrest isn't gay afterall? Just another subplot on America's favorite reality show.

The good news: Siobhan Magnus delivered another out-of-left-field performance, this time of Aretha Franklin's "Think" and blew the judges away with an amazing note. Man, she is sooo in her own world, but I LOVE IT!!! I really hope she goes a long way in the competition with her vocals because her lovable weirdness has boosted her to my #1 favorite spot. Crystal Bowersox, after being hospitalized the day before, tore up the Idol stage with a truly professional and engaging gospel-y version of CCR's "Long As I Can See The Light" making her the clear front runner for this season, plus everyone loves CCR. In a sea of terrible guys, Alex Lambert redeemed his excruciatingly hard to watch performance last week with a solid John Legend cover, he has a very pure and listenable voice, the best of the guys, if he can keep his nerves down I can see him go far, and I hope he does. He's already got the sympathy vote, so he has a good chance. The night's biggest surprise for me was Katelyn Epperly's back-to-basics cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist." She went from forgettable nobody to top 12 front-runner without changing the song in to some incomprehensible/inferior version. The judges really need to stop encouraging this musically destructive behavior, the songs can be great without changing the melodies and whatnot every single time...I mean, the show has survived for 8 seasons without this excessive nonsense!

Anyway, great job America for your continued racism, and truly great job Katelyn Epperly for stepping up your game and making your place on the grid known. ...and Go Siobhan!

End of an Empire: American Idol is Falling Apart LIVE in Primetime

2010-02-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

"The end of an empire is messy at best." - Randy Newman

For everyone who tuned in to the 5 hours of American Idol spread over 3 days this past week, we were treated to the most awkward, uncomfortable, and, frankly, quite sad 5 hours of live reality TV ever produced! The most obvious reason for this train wreck is that this year's finalist just aren't very good, Simon knows it, Randy knows it, and Seacrest knows it, and it shows. Kara is too busy being self-involved and Ellen is too new to know any better. But simply having weak contestants is not justification enough for how incredibly uncomfortable watching America's most popular TV show was this week. Adding to the sucky singers, were weird contestant personalities, production mishaps, the unbearable Seacrest/Simon rivalry (sexual tension?), Kara's continued awfulness, the oblivious producers' desire to send this show way over-the-top into self parody, and blatant American racism created a bizarre week of Idol! All these signs seem to suggest that American Idol is imploding, and we get to watch it all fall apart, live, three days a week, making this perhaps the most interesting season of Idol yet! The fall of the Idol empire is nigh, and it is a spectacular mess to behold.

Tuesday's show, the decidedly least insane, began with some predictably unforgettable performances from mediocre vocalists...though not horrible. Then Lilly Scott came on with a top notch indie cover of The Beatles's "Fixin' a Hole." It was at this point when I thought "hey, this might be a pretty good season," unfortunately, it was by far the high point of the entire week. Haeley Vaughn, the African-American country-singing teen, countered with a groovy, though not quite all together version of The Beatles's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" that the judges for some reason weren't that into, I dug it though. Katelyn Epperly murdered The Beatles's (sensing a theme?) "Oh Darling!" and Kara said something heinous. The show went along with a few more forgettable karaoke performances and wannabe Ingrid Michaelsons (for some reason this season is rigged for an indie female win). The only real weird occurrence was the wonderfully named, glassblower apprentice, Siobhan Magnus's haunting version of "Wicked Game." Her world-of-her-own personality and dark song choice made for a very un-Idol 7 minutes, I hope she stays in the competition for a while, Idol has never seen anything like her. So, for the most part, the signs of destruction weren't glowing too brightly on the first night, other than the fact that the contestants are pretty week and Simon knows it. His harsher-than-usual comments suggest a deeper annoyance with the declined quality of contestants and I think the fact that he has to deal with Kara and Seacrest 3 days a week is really getting to him. But it was the second day that truly showed the rumblings of the Idol empire's foundation.

Wednesday's guys' performances were unbelievably terrible! Either the producers are stacking the deck so an indie girl wins this year, or America's talent has taken a significant downhill turn, and Simon is pissed and done with it. Last season's contestants, which were easily the best of the show's run, just make this year's shitty-ness all the more apparent. Starting the show was Todrick Hall's unrecognizable hip hop rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone," an omen that foreshadowed the out-of-control spiral that followed. Things really started going sour after Jermaine Sellers's amateurish version of the Idol standard "Get Here," led to a weird interaction where Sellers fakes making up with Michael ("Who's Michael?"), the reheasal leader, which then led to true animosity between Seacrest and Simon. Seacrest then forgot to announces the number for which to vote for Sellers; Sellers was mad. Of course, we returned from the commercial break with Seacrest awkwardly righting his wrongdoing. "Cute," yet last minute contestant, Tim Urban, singing the wrong notes to "Apologize" was the most unbelievably horrid performance of the night, all the judges seemed truly embarrassed that someone so untalented made it this far (and didn't get voted off during the results). No confidence, Alex Lambert, gave perhaps the most uncomfortable performance to watch Idol has ever offered. After 70's left-over Tyler Grady's outrageous "American Woman," the only two performances that even reached typical Idol quality were from Casey Jones and Andrew Garcia. Casey Jones's performance was, unfortunately, over-shadowed by Kara's uncomfortably obvious sexual attraction to him and Andrew Garcia, I'm afraid, will never live up to his ballin' cover of "Straight Up" during Hollywood week. Simon's obvious annoyance with the whole show was an underlying theme as well as his mutual hate for Seacrest which is clearly coming to a boiling part...and it's all live!

Thursday's results show offered even more signs of a crumbling giant. Firstly, the group number was terrible. Then there was the uncomfortable cut to Kara's husband...who was apparently there to stop his horny/crazy wife from jumping Casey Jones on the spot. The most disturbing, yet predictable, occurrences of the entire week, however, were the eliminations of Ashley Rodriguez and Joe Munoz. Although they both gave forgettable performances, their vocal abilities were definitely in the top half of this rag-tag group of contestants and really the only explanation for their departure is that America does not want a Hispanic Idol. There are people on this show that are far worse (but far white-er) then them, and it is truly a shame to see them go on while Ashley and Joe get sent home. As Ashley got pulled on to the stage as one of the last two girls with the obviously safe Didi Benami, her anger was fuming. It was much more than the usual disappointment you see as the hopefuls normally get sent home, Ashley was clearly doing all she could to quell her rage and not punch Seacrest in his much-deserving face. As Joe took the bad news with dignity, his parents' disappointment flooded into thousands of homes across America. But not disappointment for their son, disappoint for the fact that the Idol voters would rather vote for some cute white boy who can't sing, than their clearly more talented, Latino son. It was a sad week for American Idol and a sad week for America. I won't be surprised to see the semi-talented John Park (this year's only Asian) get booted next week.

As crazy as all this was, my biggest issue with Idol this year, is that they are encouraging the contestants to really make songs "their own," but it's not turning out well. Unlike fan favorites David Cook, Chris Allen, and Adam Lambert, this year's contestants just don't have the musical talent to make good versions of the songs we all know. Too many of the week's arrangements were over-the-top and unrecognizable. It really is ok to sing a song the way it was written, especially if you lack the ability to change it in a good way. Although, I wonder how much of the arrangement is dependent on the contestant or if the producers have something to do with it. The fact is that this year's batch of Idol hopefuls are barely passable contestants who mostly lack the musical training and talent to create their own arrangements, so lets stop this silliness right now! Actually let's just jump ahead to the top 5, because Lilly, Crystal, Didi, Casey, and Andrew are the only contestants who actually have a realistic chance of winning this thing...and Didi and Casey are pushing it.

I have to hand it to Ellen though, she is the only one holding this burning wreckage of a once great show together. Despite her lack of musical training, her comments are loaded with intelligence and humor that bring an interesting and entertaining element to the show, someone who truly stands their own against Simon. After the incredible mistake of allowing Kara to be a judge last season, bringing Ellen on to the show is the best decision the producers have made yet. She's certainly an upgrade from Paula. If this show continues on to a 10th season, it will be carried entirely on Ellen's back, and it has already got to be buckling with the weight of Randy and Kara already riding it. However, with Simon's announcement of this being his last season, I can't imagine this show returning next year and if it does it will be a seriously inferior reincarnation. As the great Randy Newman once sang, "The end of an empire is messy at best," and lucky for us, we get to see that mess televised three nights a week. (Speaking of Randy Newman, when are they going to have Randy Newman week on Idol?)

On November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was assassinated. A month later the Beatles's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was released in America and after a few Ed Sullivan appearances the four lovable mop-tops pulled our grieving country out of a national depression. Eight years later, The Beatles had completely imploded, crumbled from the inside out, leaving behind a rich musical legacy that impacted our culture in a huge way. On September 11, 2001 terrorist forces destroyed the World Trade Center, perhaps the greatest tragedy in our nation's history. The following summer American Idol: The Search for a Superstar hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman premiered on Fox and pulled our grieving country out of another national depression. It is now eight years later. Now I'm not saying American Idol reaches anywhere near the greatness that is The Beatles, but history does repeat itself and Idol has made a huge impact on our culture, for better or worse. Now we just have to ride out its slow, inevitable decline. This season of Idol won't be good, but it will certainly be interesting. All things must come to an end, and although we had some fun moments with Ryan, Randy, and Simon, it's time to say goodbye.

Leisure Academy: No Day But Felicia Day

2010-02-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

Thinking back to last week’s “controversial” Vanity Fair cover featuring the magazine’s picks for Hollywood’s next-gen starlets, it dawned on me that there was one glaring omission, and no it has nothing to do with color, in fact, the exact opposite, the fairest, most pale-skinned actress I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, Miss Felicia Day. Now Felicia Day is certainly not a household name or even a face that you may be familiar with unless you are a Whedon-loving nerd like myself, but rest assured, if the hypothesis that I will shortly pose is correct, and Miss Day wishes it so, you will. First let’s get you caught up on your Felicia History. Felicia Day is the award winning actress/writer/musician/comedian/mathematician whose first notable recurring role was as a potential slayer in the 7^th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Having earned degrees in music and math (!), Felicia writes and stars in her popular web series The Guild as well as appearing in numerous other shows on TV and the web. She is perhaps most famous for co-starring as Penny alongside Neil Patrick Harris in the revolutionary web musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog. Felicia, a professional-level violinist, has recently made the transition into the world of comics writing with an adaptation of The Guild and performs monthly with her improv group Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, all while maintaining an entertaining and interesting twitter stream.

**WE NOW INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SECHEDULED BLOGPOST so I can pimp the folks of Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em. Now I have never been a fan of improv, I believe that watching bad improv is one of the most terrible situations you can ever have the great misfortune of finding yourself in, but on a recent outing to see Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, my perception has completely changed. These people are f**king funny! And now I can respect the medium as a viable form of entertainment worth my time. The group is comprised of crazy talented people whose names you definitely won’t know if you don’t know Felicia Day, but who I sincerely hope to see succeed in a big way. They include the incomparable Jeff Lewis (The Guild), the soon-to-be-comedy-juggernaught Sandeep Parikh ( The Guild, The Legend of Neil), and the gorgeous/hilarious Tara Perry (aka The Movie Maven)*. Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em are awesome, and I highly recommend you check them out every month at the Knightsbridge Theater if you are in the Los Angeles area. Plus they are just good people who seem more than happy to chat with you after the show. WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOGPOST**

Where was I…oh yes…Felicia Day. It is no secret that her popularity among the geek community can be attributed to her memorable appearances in the Joss Whedon canon (Buffy, Dr. Horrible, Dollhouse) and her vocal love of video games. Girls admire her as a positive female/nerd/gamer role model and guys love her because she’s attractive and plays World of Warcraft (and a bunch of other reasons too, I’m sure). Given this information, and my broad (possibly untrue) generalization that geeks are the primary consumers of entertainment on screens (they certainly control the internet/blogosphere, and there must be a reason movies based on comic books are so popular), my theory should seem natural. And that theory is that Felicia Day has the power to be the biggest star in Hollywood and a major player in the entertainment industry, if she wants it. Simply by securing this niche of geek dream gamer girl/BFF, Felicia has the nerd community in the palm of her hand…and next the world. She’s not the best actor around (but she’s good, and hasn’t really been given the Emmy-winning opportunity yet) and she’s not the best writer (although her talent is definitely growing), but this is irrelevant because of her pop culture standing alone. Already having a huge, fervent fanbase of dedicated followers who vigorously consume her every tweet and even dress like her at conventions, she’s on her way to Grauman’s hand-print status, and she hasn’t even starred in a movie yet.

Now maybe this is all just wishful thinking on my part since it’s no secret by now that I am a member of the Felicia-infatuated army, but hopefully there’s a little bit of truth to it. Having had the pleasure of talking with Felicia, I can say that she is truly a kind, grateful, and hardworking person fully deserving of her many accolades and (hopefully) numerous future successes. The thing is though that Miss Day’s rise to power needs to happen soon, because she is not getting any younger (please take no offense Felicia if you’re reading this! I love you!) and it’s only going to get more difficult to compete with the Amanda Seyfrieds and Emma Stones of the Hollywood world. Currently the ball is in Felicia’s court and I hope she takes advantage of it. It’s going to be very interesting to see what she does off the success of The Guild. As much as I would love to see her on the big screen, all she has to do is keep doing what she’s doing and I’ll be happy. You are awesome Felicia Day, keep on using your lovable persona and multi-talents for quality entertainment and you will go far. We love you!

*The laughs of Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em are also provided by Alex Albrecht, Tony Janning, Eddie Repanich, and Brooke Seguin

Leisure Academy: Board Game Round-Up Part 2

2010-01-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

Holding the title Leisure King, it is a necessity that I love games. Video games, sports games, word games, mind games, card games, travel games, party games, and particularly board games. Games are an extremely popular leisure activity. In the last few years I have taken a special interest in strategy board games, or "gamer" games, German-made games that you won't find at Target. To read up on the characteristics of these award-winning German-style games check out my previous post. But today I would like to continue my discussion and promotion of strategy games with a look at some new ones I have tried out over the last few months.

Agricola:
Agricola, Latin for farmer, is a complex game in which you must grow and maintain a balanced farm, harvesting different crops, raising a diverse collection of animals, expanding and improving your house, and growing and providing for your family. Released in 2008, it won top awards at Germany's Spiel des Jahres and Deutscher Spiele Preis, kind of like the Oscars and Golden Globes for boardgames (minus politics, corporate backing, obscenely expensive clothing, and bullshit). Most impressively, Agricola took the crown for highest-rated board game on BoardGameGeek.com away from Puerto Rico*, which unwaveringly held that spot for the previous 5 years. This is actually quite understandable considering that it is extremely similar to Puerto Rico in goals and game play, but perhaps even more complex (who knew that was even possible?), with more game elements/variables, a more aesthetically pleasing design, and with new strategies to explore. The game is restricted to 14 turns only, which adds a dimension of anxiety, but also makes you focus and stops the game from going on too long. After the few times I have played it I must say that it is quite fun and challenging, but definitely not for the beginner strategy board game enthusiast. It took my friend and I a good 6 hours to read through the rules and understand the game, and we're pretty smart guys. I think the burden of having to explain the game to new players has prevented us from gaining new competition, but I am really looking forward to playing it with more than one opponent. Highly recommended, highly complex.

Shadows Over Camelot:
Serge Laget and Bruno Cathala's Shadows Over Camelot is a very unique game in which all the players are on the same team playing against the game itself, unless one of the players happens to have been secretly assigned the role of traitor and is allied with the game. Players take on the role of one of King Arthur's famed knights of the round table and each turn must introduce a new evil element into the game as well as attempting to combat it (unless, of course, you are the traitor, in which case your are being evil all the time, secretly). A cool aspect of the game is that there are a lot of things going on at once and you must use teamwork to beat the board, at any given point you might be questing for the Holy Grail, while another teammate is vanquishing invading monsters, while another player is fighting a dragon, and someone else is searching for Excalibur. That said, the game can get repetitive and putting everyone on the same team takes a slight bit of competitive fun out of it. I think the game is designed to be best played with a larger group of 6-7 players, and I have only played with at most 4, so that might also be contributing to my opinion. ...but try convincing 6 of your friends to commit a few hours to something so geekily titled as Shadows Over Camelot, not an easy task. It is definitely a unique, interesting, and new gaming experience, and for that I must recommend it.

Ticket to Ride Europe:
This is the same game as Alan R. Moon's original Ticket to Ride*, but with a new board and a few new game elements. On first play through, the Europe board seems much less balanced than the original America board, there are only two 6-train connector routes and one 8-train route that will earn you a whopping 21 points if you secure it. I then realized that the new element of the Station, which allows players to use opponents' connections, adds an entirely new dimension and strategy to the game allowing you to reach many more destinations than typically possible in the original game. I really enjoy this new element and will definitely be testing its limits in the future. The other new elements (tunnels and water routes) do not really change the game. I recommend this for veteran Ticket to Riders interested in new ways to play, but might suggest playing the American version first for the n00bs.

Chez Geek:
Unlike the other games featured, Chez Geek, is a simple, fast-paced, American made, card game, but has just as much "gamer" cred. It was created by Jon Darbro and Alain H. Dawson with help from gaming powerhouse Steve Jackson (famous for creating the game series Munchkin). Bursting with humor, the award-winning Chez Geek is a race to attain "slack" (aka leisure time) by doing various activities such as watching TV, playing RPGs, and getting nookie while your roommates (aka the other players) try to thwart you to reach their own "slack goal" first. You can also gain slack by calling fun people to come to your "room", getting a Live in S.O. (significant other), or purchasing booze, weed, and shrooms, but watch out for unwanted house guests. With cards delightfully illustrated by John Kovalic, it is quite fun and on-the-nose relevant to this blog and the post-grad slacker lifestyle (which I am currently enjoying). Highly recommended for people who like having fun, could possibly be a great drinking game, but not for younger audiences...I suppose it would probably have a PG-13 rating for drug references and sexual references.

Alright, I hope this gets you interested in checking out some fun and challenging alternatives to your Monopolys and Apples to Apples.

Leisure on! Play Games!

*Read my thoughts on Puerto Rico and Ticket to Ride here.

Leisure Decree: Conan Forever!

2010-01-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Since late night TV is a pretty big aspect of the leisure life style, I guess I should write a blog about all this late night hullabaloo. Being a 23-year-old male it should come as no surprise that I'm on Team Conan. I've been a fan of the man since about 6th grade when I could only watch on Friday nights, so he's been part of my life for quite a while. So I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon here, I have some emotional attachment to the silly red head. I was there for Andy's (1st) last show, I was there for the first "Year 2000", I was there when Triumph visited the Star Wars lines, I was there for every "Arnold" appearance, and I was there every time Joel brought Asian hookers into the announcer booth. So hopefully some corporate TV market researcher will find this blog post and I'll be added to the growing "Conan is freakin' awesome" data, and that will be how I support Coco. Now I don't really want to talk about how retarded, underhanded, and disrespectful the NBC execs are being towards Conan and the legacy of The Tonight Show, or what an unfunny asshole Jay Leno is. I just wanna take time to reflect on some of my favorite Conan moments, a man who has brought much laughter to my life, because in the end Conan is going to be just fine and the end result of this whole debacle is that we will be watching him on another network and the integrity of late night's most respected show will be forever tarnished. So without further ado here's some funny videos...for reflection...

Speaking of Triumph at Star Wars...remember his first visit to The Clone Wars line, that was one of the funniest things I've ever seen...on Late Night or anywhere...

Here's some classic year 2000 with Duchovny...

And a message from Max Weinberg...

Remember when Conan hosted the Emmys...that was pretty cool...

I love Andy, but Joel was a great announcer...too bad this is the only Joel video I could find...just look at that excited face!

A classic Conan monologue:

...and remember when Andy had an awesome sitcom that Conan took his shirt off on and then some stupid execs canceled it...

Conan has been a supporter of my favorite band since the beginning! Their first U.S. TV appearance was on his show.

and finally here are some classic Conan clips for your pleasure. Thank you so much Conan for being awesome! Keep doing a great job, I know I will be watching you for years and years to come!

Leisure Decree: 2009 in Review

2010-01-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

Now that 2010 is in full swing it is time for the Leisure King to tell you what pleased him most last year. Keep in mind this isn't a "Best of" list, picks were chosen simply by my level of enjoyment and that's all.

Top 10 Favorite Movies

10) Jennifer's Body
Universally panned by critics, inappropriately marketed, and mostly unseen by all audiences, Diablo Cody's sophomore writing effort delivers a satirical, hilarious, and sometimes scary teen horror dramedy that totally should be given a chance by fans of the genre. Cody's signature dialogue fits better in the mouths of Amanda Seyfried, Meagan Fox, and Adam Brody than Ellen Page and Michael Cera. Competently directed by Karyn Kusama...whoever that is.

9) Coraline
A beautifully animated and designed "Through the Looking Glass" type movie that just makes a perfect 90 minute family movie going experience. I didn't see it in 3D though, but I'm sure that makes it even cooler.

8) Up in the Air
Everything about this movie is quality. Jason Reitman is one of the most reliable figures in Hollywood, I look forward to his future projects with much anticipation.

7) Zombieland
A very funny and original movie featuring perhaps the greatest cameo of all time. Woody Harrelson and Emma Stone are pretty great too, Eisenberg though...meh.

6) Inglorious Basterds
Every scene builds in relentless suspense that hurts sooo good! I hope this ushers in an era of alternative history films.

5) Adventureland
I love theme parks and the 80's and just graduated college, so it's only natural that I would love this coming-of-age tale about post-college life. Ryan Reynolds is the stand-out actor for sure.

4) The Princess and the Frog
The best Disney musical since The Lion King. A 2D Disney experience that captures the essence of Walt's greatest cinematic achievements...but there's also a lesson of hard work and perseverance that accompanies the magic in the best way possible. Randy Newman's soundtrack is the true star of the film and now I have a whole new Disney album to sing along to.

3) Drag Me to Hell
The greatest horror movie I've ever seen in a theater. Sam Raimi's return to his roots delivers the scares and laughs as only he can, and it's non-stop horror magic from the classic Universal opening to the retro Universal Studios commercial end tag.

2) The Brothers Bloom
A fantasy caper full of fun and movie magic. This is why the movies exist, to take us to places we cannot go in reality. I was not a fan of Brick, but Rian Johnson's sophomore writing/directing effort is sooo immensely enjoyable. Four excellent performances by the leads Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, Rinko Kikuchi, and Rachel Weisz (perhaps my favorite performance of the year)!

1) Watchmen
Having just watched the uncut complete story version of this movie, I can say that this is the greatest Watchman film that could have or ever will be made. The film is almost as dense as Alan Moore's revolutionary graphic novel and everything Zach Snyder put in to it was fully intentional. A masterpiece of costume/set design and an almost perfect ensemble cast. Every detail! Perfection!

Favorite TV Shows

1) Dollhouse
What started out slow became classic Joss Whedon awesomeness! The unaired season 1 finale and the Sierra-centric episode are modern classics!

2) How I Met Your Mother
Comedy writing at its finest, and performances to match.

3) Party Down
I know barely anyone has watched this Starz program, but it is truly hilarious with a great ensemble cast...not to mention a host of great guest stars.

4) Dexter
Man, John Lithgow was freakin' awesome!

5) Parks and Recreation
Season 2 of Parks and Rec has probably been the thing I look forward to watching most each week. I love Nick Offerman!

Best New Show
Modern Family
It's just so well made and has so much heart, like what Scrubs was in its first few seasons.

Runner Up: Community
This show started out real weak, but it hit its stride in the most recent episodes delivering some incredibly hilarious moments.

Best Reality Show
Normally I would say Tool Academy, but this years Survivor was so incredible! Russell is the sole-Survivor, there will never be a better player than him. Period.

Favorite Performances
1) Rachel Weisz - "The Brothers Bloom"
Pure delight.
2) Danny DeVito - "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
Everything he does is comic gold.
3) Paul Rudd - "I Love You, Man"
What a great man.
4) Ken Marino - "Party Down"
This man should be a star!
5) Rinko Kikuchi - "The Brothers Bloom"
She's like modern day Azn Charlie Chaplin!

Most Worthless Cinematic Experience This Year
Tie: Terminator Salvation & Extract

Favorite New Songs
1) "Boombox" - The Lonely Island
2-9) All of Randy Newman's work on The Princess and the Frog soundtrack
10) "I Wish Christmas Was Here Today" - Julian Casablancas
Also of note are the Beatles Remastered albums, which sound incredible!

Best of Youtube
1) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Review
This epic 70 minute analysis of the biggest disappointment in cinematic history is more compelling and entertaining than any of the prequel films and fills every OT fan's dreams of making manifest all the terrible things about Phantom Menace. Really great job!

2) Mr. Chi-City
Just watch this and you will know why..
...and he also gives back a lot to the community!

3) Kittens Inspired by Kittens

4) Saturday Morning Watchmen

Best Video Game
Beatles Rock Band! Yes!

Alright, I guess that's it for now....maybe I'll add to this if I think of some other awesome things from '09.

Why is Joss Whedon on My Shirt?

2009-11-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

The Leisure King has been on hiatus due to non-leisure commitments, namely, figuring out my future, and will continue to be until all grad school applications are submitted. But I am here to bring you a very personal and special blog post today that I just could not hold back. It was prompted last night when I was asked "Why is Joss Whedon on your shirt?" Since I continually get questions like this by those who cannot understand my dedication to the man and his work, I have decided to briefly outline why Joss Whedon is so special.

Now I'm not going to discuss Joss's high level of integrity and dedication to quality that equals that of Pixar's. I'm not going to discuss his boundless creativity, originality, and media innovation. I'm not going to discuss his fully realized characters, immersive worlds and mythologies, or skills as a good old-fashioned storyteller. I'm not even going to discuss how his talents cross all media, from comic books, to cinema and TV, to music composition. I'm going to discuss the one thing that separates him from all other writers and contributors of pop culture: Joss Whedon knows that life really sucks.

No matter who you are, life is unrelentingly hard and filled with horrible, endless pain, but the moments and memories of happiness you can find in it make it all worth while. This very simple, universal idea is the crux of everything Joss writes and it is what makes his work so meaningful and endearing to his fervent fans. His characters are always in pain, anxious, fed up, scared, uncertain, and worried about the future, but they press on. Just like you and me and every human on this planet. Life never gets easier, it only gets harder and more complex.

For example, let's look at Buffy The Vampire Slayer because it is the most blatant allegory for life. The Hellmouth-topping-town of Sunnydale and the constant stream of demons and evil forces that attack it are the fantasy manifestation of the problems and terrible crap that we must face ourselves every day. It is Buffy's destiny to be the protector. There are no loop holes, no way out, her job for the entirety of life is to destroy demons and keep evil at bay. This is not unlike our own lives in which we have to constantly deal with the shit that life so graciously provides for us and there is no way out and no end. It is our destiny. In the Whedonverse, if someone tries to short cut out of life problems, everything gets much, much worse, and it's the same in real life. In an effort to keep this spoiler free, let's just say look at Willow's story arc for the best example of how terrible things are the result of cheating life. Buffy's greatest desire is to just be a "normal" girl and never have to deal with vampires again, but the vampires never stop coming. In most ways she is very "normal." Angel is constantly tortured by his past, Spike is always in love with women that he hates, Captain Mal is still fighting a war he cannot win, and Dr. Horrible, well, he's just really messed up. Every single Joss Whedon character is constantly battling their demons and their biggest enemy is always themselves, no matter if they are a hero or a villain, complete and total peace, happiness, and contentment is simply not possible in the Whedonverse and in life, despite our constant struggle to attain it.

In addition to the constant barrage of suffering we must face, Joss also knows what the most painful thing of all is, and he exploits it for our entertainment, captivation, and reflection. The most painful thing is the universe is when we are hurt by the ones we love, or when we hurt those who love us. This idea is played out time and time again in the Whedonverse. These are not complicated philosophies I'm discussing here, it's just a simple truth and Joss Whedon expresses this pain more elegantly and humanly than any other writer I've ever experienced. This is why, in my opinion, Season Six of Buffy is the greatest season of television ever created. It's all about pain and love and the best and worst things we face everyday.

Now I don't mean to be such a downer and I'm not just a painfully tortured person, in fact I've had a pretty damn good life compared to a lot of people and I'm very grateful for that, but I still face my demons, I still face the fear and and discontentment that life's problems never stop sending me. I can only imagine how much more Joss's work means to those who have really experienced suffering in their lives. But there is still another aspect to Joss's work that validates the pain, and that is hope and finding the good where ever you can. There are a lot of writers that can tell you how shitty life is (Noah Baumbach comes to mind), but Joss also shows us hope and the merit of pushing on through all the crap, it's what we are made to do. There are still friends, and family, and joy, and laughter, and love, and it's all worth fighting for, even though the pain is around much more often than the good.

I think Joss's incomparable understanding of the human condition is best summarized by lyrics from the musical Buffy episode, "Once More, With Feeling".

"Why is the path unclear,
When we know home is near.
Understand we'll go hand in hand,
But we'll walk alone in fear. (Tell me)
Tell me where do we go from here."

I think that's pretty self explanatory. We are all searching for the ultimate contentment, our "home", our place in the universe, but we don't really know how to get there and we never will. No one knows what the future holds, but we're gonna get through it with the help of our loved ones, unfortunately, the pain is always gonna be there and only you can face yourself.

So that is why Joss Whedon is on my shirt. That is why I truly respect and adore this man's work and can only hope to create something half as good. He expresses the painful reality of life in an earnest, non-condescending, and inspirational way that resonates with me and the millions of other Whedon-loving geeks out there. Joss is definitely one of the good things in this demon-ridden world.

Now I can't force you to be a Whedonite, all I can say is that I've never met someone who disliked his work that actually spent some time discovering it. Keep on fighting the good fight, I sure will. Until next time...

"I will walk through the fire,
because where else can I turn.
I will walk through the fire,
and let it burn."

Leisure Academy: The Art of Appropriation

2009-09-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Appropriation emerged out of the modern art scene sometime in the early 20th century, today it exists most obviously in the world of DJ mash-up music and fan-made Youtube parody trailers. But is appropriation art? Is it kitsch? Can it be both? Or is it just post-modern garbage? ...well, I say who cares as long as its entertaining! And I'm sure everyone who has attended one of mash-up artist Girl Talk's popular live shows would agree. But for the sake of...academia...let's take a look at some of my favorite recent appropriations...

The Curious Case of Forest Gump

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos

Now I don't know if you would call this a mash-up....but it does have something critical to say about the creators of Benjamin Button. ...and it's definitely entertaining...but is it art?

Buffy Vs. Edward

As a Joss Whedon fan and fan of things that are just good in general, I really enjoy this mash-up. The creator has taken two popular teen vampire entertainments and combined them in a way that highlights the pro-feminist vision of Buffy mixed with the antiquated gender roles of Twilight and becomes a commentary on two apposing views of gender roles today.

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

I don't think this video is official, but the music is the important part (although the visuals do add to the experience). I don't have much to say about this other than, it's clearly awesome dance party music. And it's something totally new comprised of things that other people already created.

....So let's just record scratch and cut to the chase here. I guess my conclusion is that mash-ups and appropriation are most definitely art...and it's awesome. Which is why when things like this guy getting sued for millions for mashing up Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds, and not selling it I might add, infuriates me! How dare they prevent art from happening! The guy is not even selling his musical mash-up, just putting it out there for people to enjoy, corporate bullshit! BAH! At least Girl Talk is an inspiration to mash-up artists everywhere, he sells his mash-ups and no one sues him because he's so well regarded in the music community and just great at what he does.

Anyway...why did I write a post about appropriation? Well I recently tried my hand at mash-up music..and I must say..I'm proud of myself on this one. And you are just going to have to visit my Myspace artist's page to find out what it's all about, let's just say I would probably get sued by the largest, most powerful entertainment corporation in the world if I sold this. Just call me DJ Browntown...I'm available for hire...please.

Oh, BTW, more shameless self promotion, this was not my first attempt at appropriated internet glory. Youtube recently restored the audio for my mash-up fan trailer that re-imagines Miyazaki's Totoro as a horror film. Enjoy!

Leisure on!

Extreme Leisure: Half-Dome for Dummies

2009-09-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

A 17 miles, 14.5 hour hike up and down a rocky mountain with a 4,800" elevation gain is not typically the first thing that comes to mind when you think of leisure. However, since most Half-Dome climbers aren't getting paid to scale that beast, I suppose it technically is. ..and this is the story about my recent experience making the trek without having any training, being over weight, having had 4 hips surgeries, and in the company of 4 dads.

If you read an guides on climbing Half Dome they will usually suggest buying hiking shoes and gear long in advance so that you can break them in and test them out. I bought my shoes, Camelback, trekking poles, and water bottles 4 days before. I recommend not doing this. This should give you a good idea of just how prepared I was for this venture.

Parking to Trail Head
We arrived at our parking space around 6 a.m., sunlight was just barely peaking over the valley walls. The first portion of the Half Dome excursion is the excessively long journey from the car to the trailhead, for some reason there is no parking close to the beginning of the trail...so...this was a fun portion of unneccesary walking with 50 pounds on your back that I was very much looking forward to on the way back...at least there was no incline.

The Mist Trail
The actual trail begins with steep yet paved trails up through the valley. It was at this portion of the hike that I was most discouraged and feared that I would not make it very far. My faulty hip was getting too tired to fast, fortunately, no other portion of the hike (exluding cable climb) was as rigorous. The paved paths turn into rocky man-made steps up along the cliff next to 2 water falls. The motion of my leg climbing steps is much easier on it than climbing stepless inclines, so I was reinvigorated by this new section and by the natural beauty of the stunning waterfalls. Here is where you meet a lot of kids on unserious hikers just making the couple hour journey up to see some waterfalls. There were also some non-English speaking Japanese people, clearly not dressed for this activity, that became our hiking buddies for a goo portion of the Mist Trail.

Little Yosemite Valley
When you reach the top of the waterfalls there is a bathroom. A bathroom that signals the beginning of the flattest portion of the trek, something I'm very grateful for. It was at this bathroom that a very fit dad and his two kids warned us of the "Step of Agony" refering to the sub-dome portion of the trail we had yet to face. This was definitely the part of the trail I was fearing the most, much more than the cable climb, and these kids only sealed the deal. The valley portion of the trail has soft sand for the mule riders taking their trip up to the dome in luxury. The sand his hard to walk through but if you're lucky a harder trail will have been blazed to the side. It was at this portion that it was obvious that the beefy spaghetti sauce we had all eaten for dinner the night before may not have been the best idea. ....so much farting...John Muir would be displeased by our pollution.

Switchbacks to the Sub-Dome
After you hike through the valley you reach a endless trail of swithback leading up to the mountain's crest. Taking lots of breaks you meet a lot of different people passing you and we also met our first people coming back down. There was a pair of young guys who had been on the top of the dome for sunset. A guy and his dad who had been hiking for 30 days at that point, starting from Oregon and heading to their destination, a wedding in Mexico. By this point I was a machine in constant movement of the hills, the rest stops became the hardest part of the climb because starting up again was getting too difficult. On the mountain's crest we could see perhaps one of the most beautiful landscapes my eyes had ever seen.

The Sub-Dome
This was by far the portion I was most fearing, but as we sat on a log resting before tackling this portion we were taken aback by a man wearing flip-flops. He was French and obviously in excellent physical condition. He is also most likely the only person to ever refer to climbing Half Dome as "some little steps and zen a cable thingy." Those crazy French! So we began the dome ascent, and it turns out that it is not at all the most terrible part of the hike, an actually quite fun! Just don't trip or it will be a very steep and painful fall. I was extremely invigorated by how easy this portion of the trail was and ready for the real dome.

Some little steps and cable thingy.

The Dome
After hiding my trekking poles under a rock, I put on my gloves and attacked the dome. Pulling my self on the metal cables between wooden 2 x 4's, It seemed simple at first. It was only half way up, as my arms were starting to get tired and the rock was only getting steeper with the end seemingly getting farther, I realized that I had put myself in a life threatening situation. It's a long way to fall. And the scariest part is when people are passing you on their way back down. But I finally made it just in time before my arms fell off. And actually, the view from the top of the dome wasn't that spectacular and the top is just a rock, nothing too beautiful. The view from Glacier Point which you can drive to is better, which isn't to say it isn't beautiful atop the dome, it is, its just nothing more amazing than something you can drive too. The only reason for going to the top is for the accomplishment of saying you have made it there, and the honor of buying the shirt in the gift store when you return to the bottom. It was at the top of the dome that I realized the only thing more terrifying than coming up the cables, was going back down. Almost 90 degree angles of slick rock while you cling to a slick cable. One mistake equal dead, one mistake for someone above you also equals dead for you. But I got down, after some real breath-losing moments. And I can say that I will never be climbing those cables again, I want to live, there is no reason to risk my life like that. If you choose to climb the cables be absolutely sure you can, if you have any qualms don't do it! I wouldn't recomend anyone do it, I think there should be more warnings as to the difficulty of this task, but watching so many people going up and down constantly can give a false impression of how easy it is. You have your life and others in your hands. I fully endorse hiking up to the bottom of the cables, because it is amazing and beautiful and exhilarating, but the cables, meh.

Down the Mountain
Going down was pretty uneventful other than viewing the bear that we probably got too close too. Also there was a group of kids going up that were planning on being on top of the dome for sunset...stupid! Anyone who is going to climb those cables in the middle of the night is just stupid.

John Muir Trail
When we reached the bathroom at the top of the mountain we had a nice chat with two actors on their day off from the Rancher Ned show and we game them beef jerky. Here we chose to take the John Muir trail to the bottom rather than the Mist Trail passed the waterfall, it is a couple miles longer but much less steep. Although we finally got back long after sunset in the dark, I am so grateful we took this path. This ended up being my favorite part of the trail. It consists of epic Lord of the Rings style paths carved into the cliffs and as we passed some epic vistas at sunset while a forest fire bured on a far off mountain side I wished I had brought a boom box with me so I could blast that epic Lord of the Rings score...I'll have to do it next time.

We finally made it too the bottom alive, a bus happen to go by that took us right to our car, and then we had an amazingly delicious mediocre meal. ...and then we bought our t-shirts 10 minutes before the store closed.

Here is what I advise if you plan on taking the ultimate casual hikers excursion. Go on some practice hikes, take a lot of water, take a lot of protein bars and energy foods, don't push too hard, just "stroll with a goal," rest every hour or so, and get some trekking poles if you can, I probably wouldn't have made it to the top without them, they take so much pressure off your legs. Have a positive attitude, talk with the other people on the trail, you should have a great time, just don't climb the cables unless you know you can handle it.

In the end I proved to the world, my family, and myself that I can do a 17 mile hike without training and that I'm maybe in better physical condition than one might think, at least in better condition than my dad. I'm ready to hike some more.

Leisure on!

Leisure Academy: Top 10 Disneyland Secrets to Enhance Your Visit

2009-08-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Being funemployed has many perks, one of which is being able to go to Disneyland, a true leisure kingdom, on a fairly regular basis. On my most recent trip to the House of Mouse I was taken by my fellow amusement seekers' Disney procedure ignorance. Now my friends are not hicks from Montana who don't know there Fastpass from their standby lines, I'm talking about Southern California Disney veterans. So, this made me think that if they don't know these things, there are probably a ton of other people who don't either. So without further delay, here are my top 10 Disney not-so-secret tips and tricks to make your visit a little more magical.

#10: The Gift of Tortilla
Everyone knows that at the Mission Tortilla Factory inside Disney's California Adventure (DCA) every guest receives one free delicious sample tortilla, but did you know that if you have a birthday button they will give you a bag of about 8! You can share them with your friends, you can enjoy them all at once as a meal, you can save them as snack to eat throughout the day, or you can take them home. It's up to you, it's your birthday after all!

*Bonus Tip* Birthday buttons don't have dates, so once you get one, it can be your birthday every visit!

#9: The Daring Adventure to the Parking Structure
At the downtown Disney tram stop there are two tram loading stations. Everyone lines up at the first, closest tram loading station creating lines of 2-3 tram fulls deep. If you're not paralyzed by the end-of-Disney-day coma, walk 50 more feet to the the second tram loading dock and sit right down in your seat. Enjoy the fact that you are going to be back at the parking structure 15 minutes before all those lazy/dumb people you just passed.

*Bonus Tip* Don't leave right at the end of the fireworks or a Fantasmic! performance, or else risk making the journey back to the car much, much longer.

#8: The Dyson Dryer Experience
At DCA they just installed a new bathroom in the old San Fransisco st. area across from the old Golden Dreams Theater/new Voyage of the Little Mermaid construction site. What is so special about this bathroom you ask? Well it features the amazing new Dyson hand-drying airblade contra pti ons that turbo dry your hands while giving them an air message. Not only is it a unique drying experience, but it is hygienic (it cleans the air before blowing it on your hands!), takes less energy to use than a normal hand drying, and you never have to use a paper towel. It's fun and green!

#7: Right is Right
When your line comes to a fork in the road, always take the path on the right. At Pirates of the Caribbean the right side of the line is shorter. On California Screamin' and Indiana Jones, ride vehicles that leave from the right boarding station will usually end at the opposite left boarding station closer to the exit, which means you do not have to climb up and down the stairs to get over the track and exit the ride.

*Bonus Tip* Disregard this tip when it comes to the Matterhorn, for more details read #4.

#6 Easter Every Day on Toy Story Mania
Every screen in Toy Story Mania has a strategy and a hidden Easter egg bonus that if triggered can get you the big points. Gain the envy and respect of everyone in your party by knowing how to unlock the secrets to high scoring. This arti cle will tell you everything you need to know.

#5: Tortilla Joe's
By far the best food deals I have ever experienced at the Disneyland Resort are from the walk up window at Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney. For about 6 bucks you can get an enormous nacho platter covered in carnitas or beef enough to feed at least two people. They also accept the 10% discount if you are a season pass holder. So you can get that enormous nacho platter for less than 6 dollars! The other menu items are also pretty good and reasonably priced (for Disney).

#4: Getting the Most Out of Your Bobsled Run
Despite having opened in 1959, the Matterhorn Bobsleds can be the most fun and intense attraction in the park when approached correctly. The first step is to always choose the Tomorrowland side of the mountain, it is faster, longer, and more fun. The second (and most important) step is weight distribution. The best bobsled run I have ever been on we had 2 people in the very front seat of the first car, one in the back seat of the first car, one smaller person in the front of the back car, and no one in the back of the back car. Or more simply, put all the weight in the front, it will create more momentum. Weight in the back slows it down. And my final ride advise is to ride it at night, not only is it cooler looking (as everything at Disneyland is at night) but the track gets lubed up, decreasing track friction, from the bobsled splashing into the water every rotation all day long. Heed this advise and your Matterhorn run will be more insane than Space Mountain.

#3: Up Into the Castle
You can go into Sleeping Beauty's castle. Inside you will find dioramas depicting the story of Sleeping Beauty. This attraction originally opened in 1957 and the dioramas were in the style of Eyvind Earle, production designer on the 1959 Disney animated film version. In 1977 they changed the style of the dioramas to look more like the window displays on Main Street. After September 11th, 2001 the castle was sadly closed down out of fear of a terrorist attack at the Happiest Place on Earth. Seven years later it reopened with all new dioramas in Earle's original style and new technology to enhance the experience. It is a classic Disney attraction full of retro-sheik charm and there is hardly ever a line.

The Art of Eyvind Earle

#2: Happiest Happy Hour on Earth
Ariel's Grotto restaurant at DCA has a FULL BAR. I'm sure the prices are excessive and there is no actual happy hour at The Cove Bar, but the novelty of downing a whiskey coke at a place where you can meet Prince Eric is too awesome to pass up!

*Bonus Tip* DCA also has a wine place (I know nothing about wine), a margarita stand (they aren't very strong), and a Karl Strauss beer truck that sells six of the company's handcrafted brews, including a seasonal selection.

Now go watch the Brother Bear Totem Ceremony!

#1: Knowing The Intricacies of the Fastpass System
The amount of Fastpass ignorance I have experienced is astounding. The absolute most important thing to know about your Fastpass is that you can use it ANY time after the designated ride time, not just within the hour long window printed on the ticket. Disney just puts those times on there to try and control you, but they have never, ever stopped me from entering a Fastpass queue because I was four hours later than my ticket reads. This is important to know so you don't have to stress about reaching your Fastpass ride on time when you are waiting in another huge line on the opposite side of the park. The second thing to know is that you can get your next Fastpass either at the designated ride time of the previous ticket you received or two hours after you picked up the previous ticket, which ever comes first. The time at which you can pick up a new Fastpass is printed right on the ticket. The third thing you should know is that Fastpasses for Disneyland and DCA are mutually exclusive, the time restriction of getting your next Fastpass is only valid inside that park, but go to the other park and you can get another immediately. This tip is for the extreme park hopper only.

Well that's it, I hope these tips take a little stress off, save a little more time, or add a little more fun to your next trip to the Disneyland Resort in beautiful Anaheim, California. They have always worked for me!

Until next time, leisure on!

We took the right side.

LesiureRewind: Comprehending the Cultural Standing of Tom Petty and Huey Lewis

2009-08-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to spend my funemployment time writing about two popular bands from the 80's that I enjoy immensely, Huey Lewis and the News and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I have dedicated a significant amount of my leisure time to these guys, listening to their albums, playing their music, collecting their LP's, impersonating them in karaoke, and debating their pop icon status. Although both artists have well-named back-up bands and have produced impressive catalogues of excellent pop songs and creative videos, one is clearly dominating the other today. The question that I will be grappling with is: why does Tom Petty perform in the nation's premiere concert venues, selling out highly priced tickets, while Huey Lewis preforms in a dirt lot built for monster truck shows, free with admission, at the Ventura County Fair?

First lets examine the facts:
Tom Petty has never had a #1 hit single nor a #1 album, Huey Lewis has had 3 #1 singles ("The Power of Love", "Stuck with You", "Jacob's Ladder") and 2 #1 albums (Sports and Fore!). On average Huey's singles and albums rank higher overall.

Tom Petty has never written the theme song to a mega blockbuster movie. Huey Lewis has.

Tom Petty has never starred in a movie. Huey Lewis has.

Tom Petty has never been parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Huey Lewis has.

Huey Lewis is a much better vocalist than Tom Petty.

Based on a list of accomplishments Huey Lewis should be making his acceptance speech the the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame right now, and yet his LP's are banished to the bargain bins at Goodwill, while Petty's are excessively priced collectibles. What went wrong? When the Apatow gang announced that Lewis would be writing the theme song to last year's Pineapple Express, the interwebs were buzzing with the possibility of a Huey Lewis renaissance, but, sadly that plan failed (especially because of the criminal absence of the song from the Academy Award's eligible nominee list). Why? The song was great!

Perhaps the answer to universal Tom Petty love and Huey Lewis ambivalence, lies in the style of their music. The News merge blues, pop, and doo-wap style vocals into synth driven power ballads and pop anthems while maintaining a subtle, cynical sense of humor, often criticizing the culture of corporate America. The Heartbreakers are a "heartland" rock band, often producing simple, acoustic guitar driven, tracks with a message of social injustice. Too put it more simply, Lewis is fun, irreverent, and does not take himself too seriously. Tom Petty is trying to change the world through serious blue collar music. Both philosophies are equally valid and I respect and enjoy them both, however, the populace does not agree.

If you were to make a graph of these two bands careers, you would see Tom Petty's slowly but steadily increasing up until the late nineties where it levels off at a substantial height and never decreases. Lewis's graph would be more like a mountain that reaches it's peak around 1986. There is no doubt that in the mid-80's Huey reached a level of fame higher than Tom ever will, but that is not the case today. The music of the Heartbreakers has permeated even the youngest generations of today, everybody know the chorus to "Free Fallin'", and has ingrained itself into the nation's musical consciousness. It somehow has a transgenerational appeal that may prove to be timeless. The music of the News, however, as was made so evidently clear while I waited in line with the Bluetooth sporting dads to be as close to the band as possible, will most likely die off with Mr. Lewis and will only be remembered in reference to Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and flux capacitors.

Perhaps its the heavy synthesizers, which give the News their distinctively 80's vibe, that make them out-dated and uncool. Or maybe the nation is just into socially conscious music, but I don't think so. I'm pretty sure the average listener is not analyzing Tom Petty's messages of moral decay or recognizing the hidden wit of Huey Lewis. It all has to come down to the music. The News sounds outdated, the Heartbreakers have a simple rock foundation that makes them sound contemporary in any musical climate. Also, both bands emit auras of different kinds of cool, unfortunately, Lewis's style has become somewhat of a punch line these days, while Petty's remains culturally relevant and hip. I obviously knew the answer to my question long before I started this blog post, but it was fun to write about and anyway I can promote the dancetastic, feel-good melodies of Huey Lewis is worthwhile. I guess all I can do to close this post is to tell you to familiarize yourself with both of these fine musicians, if you aren't already, because they are awesome! I can only hope these aging rockers continue to rock long into their Rolling Stones, geriatric ages! And remember: You don't have to live like a refugee and it is, in fact, hip to be square.

Leisure On!

Leisure Academy: German-Style Board Games

2009-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the last couple years, I have had the great fortune of stumbling into the world of strategy board games. Previously unknown to me, and to probably most of Earth's population, is a vast collection and subculture of expertly designed, aesthetically pleasing, and intellectually stimulating board games. We are not talking about your Monopolys, or Apples to Apples, or Magic: The Gatherings here, we are talking about the kind of game that most people will only experience as a shelf filler on the lower most, out-of-the-way, endcap at Barnes and Noble. These games are typically found at local board game, hobby, or "educational" toy stores...a place where only geeks have ventured, but I assure you these are games that anyone who enjoys playing a good game with their friends should know about. And the most highly regarded of the strategy board games are the German-style games. I'll let Wikipedia define them further:

German-style board games are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, high levels of player interaction, and attractive physical components. The games emphasise strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military themes, and usually keep all the players in the game until it ends. German-style games are sometimes contrasted with American-style games, which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama.

German-style games are usually less abstract than chess, but more abstract than wargames and traingames. Likewise, they generally require more thought and planning than party games, such as Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit, but less than strategy games, such as chess and Go. Their rulebooks are typically four to twelve pages long and playing times are on the order of 30 to 120 minutes. These games appeal to a wide range of ages, though generally not very young children. The audience includes casual gamers, who play with family and friends, as well as more serious hobby gamers.

Another cool aspect of these games is the designer as an auteur. You've probably never heard the names Klaus Teuber, Alan R. Moon, or Andreas Seyfarth, but in the world of boardgames these men are rockstars. There are a number of game designers who have developed quite the following of players who will buy their products simply because of the name of the designer. We're talking Steven Spielberg status. Germany loves it's boardgames so much that they award the coveted Spiel des Jahres ("game of the year") to the year's most excellent game. It is hard to imagine this bizarro land where boardgame designers are so revered and respected, but I think it is pretty sweet for such creativity and ingenuity to be recognized. Thanks to Xbox's release of virtual versions of some of these game titles, German-style games are reaching new audiences and gaining more and more popularity. Personally, I'm just a n00b in the German board game world, but I intend to explore it further and I encourage anyone who enjoys games, but is frustrated with the lopsidedness and luck factors of American games like Monopoly and Risk, to head out to your local hobby shop and pick out a German game. I promise it will be a more rewarding and stimulating experience than sitting around watching Top Chef. And now I will provide my thoughts on some of the most popular games I have enjoyed, but these are just the tip of a humongous iceberg.

The Settlers of Catan:
Klaus Teuber's Catan is often considered the "greatest game ever made" and I'm not one to disagree. The perfectly balanced board, multiple avenues of winning strategy, aesthetically pleasing elements, and just the right amount of luck make this resource management and trade game one of the crown jewels of boardgames. The game builds in intensity as each player tries to develop their colony on the new found island of Catan. The expansion sets also add new and fun ways to play, Seafarers of Catan is probably my favorite way to play.

Puerto Rico:
Like Catan, Andreas Seyfarth's game is a race to develop your colony of the recently discovered New World of tropical Puerto Rico. Unlike Catan, however, Puerto Rico is completely void of the luck element, and winning is entirely based on out-strategizing the opposing players. This makes the game more difficult to learn and master, while also proving frustrating when there are different levels of players competing in the same match. There is also a lack of fun and colorful game elements, but that does not mean its not a worthy challenge when engaged in a heated match between similarly experienced players.

Carcassonne:
A personal favorite of mine is a game based on the French Medieval town of Carcassone. Players take turns placing randomly chosen pieces of land to form the Medieval city and create their own castles, cloisters, and farms without having them stolen by encroaching players' "meeples." This unique gameplay mechanic makes every game a unique puzzle. With an endless supply of expansions and land tiles you can customize the game to be as short or as epic as you have time for. "The Princess and the Dragon" or "Traders and Builders" are both worthy expansions that enhance and enrich the simple and addicting gameplay.

Ticket to Ride:
Alan R. Moon's train game for 2-5 players is simple to learn and fun for the whole family. On a beautifully detailed board designed as a map of turn-of-the-century United States, players compete to build railroads across the nation and connect America's cities. It's easy, fast moving, and my mom loves it. There is a unique secrecy game play mechanic that make it so you do not know who the winner will be until the absolute end of the game, so players always feel like they are "in" the game as you never know who is ahead. If you get tired of unifying America, there is also a gameboard for Europe or the more focused Germany and Nordic Countries gameboards designed for 2-3 players.
So I guess that's it for now...go straight from work and pick up some sweet German-style boardgames! They are a great way to spend your free time with friends and family.

Leisure On!

Leisure Revolution: Lost Parties

2009-08-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

What if you combined the fun of partying with your friends with the entertainment value of watching excellent prime time television? Leisure enthusiasts across the globe have been pioneering just that! In the last few years, the popularity of Lost viewing parties have grown from a few geeks in a dorm room to full fledged Wednesday night galas. There are even numerous websites dedicated to suggesting tips on hosting your Lost themed parties with Lost menus, Lost decorations, and Lost activities. No other TV show has become an event series quite like Lost.

But why, you might ask, would I bring this up in the middle of summer? Lost does not even return until January! Well, my friends, I just had the honor and privilege of attending my first Lost Luau. It was an all day event at a beach side campsite filled with Lost-themed activities and general adoration of this ABC drama complete with a roast pig, Lost costumes, a Lost music compilation contest, Dharma side dish competition, and a Lost volleyball tournament between The Others and the Dharma Initiative (designated by custom team t-shirt uniforms). The invitation was even in the style of a viral Lost parody video! The extensive planning and theming would impress even the most ignorant to Lost mythology. Despite the fact that there was no actual Lost episode viewing, I am confident that this was one of the finest Lost parties ever thrown. I cannot thank my host enough for all the work put into this amazing event, from the Lost-cake to the customized Lost t-shirts and dog tag party favors.

And for that I would like to recognize Bryan Stovold, Luau King, for his inventive contributions to leisure culture as a true Leisure Visionary.

But with the Lost series finale only a season away, will the Lost party phenomenon continue as fans re-watch the DVDs or will they move on to a new show? Will we be seeing Fringe or perhaps True Blood gatherings? Or will Lost be the beginning and the end of TV show themed parties? For me the idea of a Lost Luau won’t be getting old any time soon, so keep them coming Bryan, and thanks again! I look forward to sampling a Jin-and-tonic next time.

Leisure On!

LeisureVision: Shark Week

2009-08-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder to those of you relaxing on your couches this evening: its SHARK WEEK! If you are tired of hearing about health care bills and Bill Clinton rescuing journalists, turn on the Discovery Channel because there is nothing like a full week of the ocean's most ferocious creatures mutilating flesh in their awesome jaws (especially in HD). It only happens once a year!

Leisure n.

2009-08-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia:

"Leisure or free time, is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational and discretionary time before or after compulsory activities such as eating and sleeping, going to work or running a business, attending school and doing homework, household chores, and day-to-day stress."