Tavie blogs i like:
amy
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mark mckinney
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carl
barb cooking blog
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caroline
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chris
cityroom
consumerist
erin
gena/ deadly stealth frogs
gothamist
jim hill
kids in the hall lj
kithblog
matt k
mike t
nathan
post secret
rynn
sarah
sarah c
sean
tea rose
toby
tom
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american elf
american stickman
elfquest
lolcats!
masque of the red death
the perry bible fellowship
toothpaste for dinner
ultrajoebot
xkcd
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me on the tumblr
me on the flickr
me on the formspring
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me on the myspace
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Tasty Morsels Bakery on Facebook
my 'currently-reading' shelf:
i want:
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i've read:
goodreads list
Saturday, August 29, 2009
In more news of me conquering the internet, Consumerist posted a follow-up to our Funai saga last Saturday while I was in Disneyland. W00t!
Why are you in Tavie's head? 9:10 PM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 9:10 PM | shower me with attention
Look, Boing Boing picked up the KITH Facebook thing! RULE!
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:36 PM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:10 PM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:36 PM | shower me with attention
Friday, August 28, 2009
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:10 PM | shower me with attention
A girl named Jen set up a Facebook "page" for Kids in the Hall some time ago and made me an admin last year. Recently, the guys started shooting Death Comes to Town, so I made Mark and Dave admins on the page and then asked Mark if they would start posting a production blog for the fans.
I had to ask him a couple times. And show him exactly how to do it.
But now he's doing it! You have to join Facebook and then join this group to read them - the update about Scott's fantasy "To Kill a Mockingbird" league is particularly awesome.
Tip: If an update begins with my name or Jen's name in parenthesis, it's by us. If not, it's by Mark.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:59 AM | shower me with attention
I had to ask him a couple times. And show him exactly how to do it.
But now he's doing it! You have to join Facebook and then join this group to read them - the update about Scott's fantasy "To Kill a Mockingbird" league is particularly awesome.
Tip: If an update begins with my name or Jen's name in parenthesis, it's by us. If not, it's by Mark.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:59 AM | shower me with attention
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The woman in the hat is called Diane. I took the paparazzi shot on Sunday in Disneyland, down on the dock by N'awlins Square. I took a paparazzi shot because Mom and Steph were getting lost in the crowd, and I was too shy to ask her to pose for a photo. She might've found it funny.
Diane has been working for Disneyland for over 40 years. Kirsten and I ran into her on Tom Sawyer's Island. We had been scrambling around through the caves, which are much cooler than the caves in "our" Tom's Sawyer's Island in Orlando. I don't know if they've recently been overhauled, or if they've always had eerie skeletons and disappearing treasure in them, but they were pretty durn neat, even if they weren't called "Injun Joe's Caves" anymore.
My sister and I had somehow turned into 8-year-olds as we chased eachother around the island, squeezing through small apertures I could swear I was about sixteen times too big to maneuver mere minutes earlier. Mom finally had to call my cell phone and ask us to meet her and Steph at the dock to hitch a raft back to the mainland, else we'd miss our Fastpass window to ride the Indiana Jones ride (which is far, far too cool to miss.)
It wasn't so easy finding our way back, though. Disneyland's Magic Kingdom is the bizarro version of Walt Disney World's, and every time I thought I knew where I was going, I realized that I didn't have a clue. It's eerie, just different enough to befuddle me.
That's when we ran into Diane. 60-something, with bright blue eyes and beautiful cheekbones, she was wearing the garb of a Tom Sawyer Island castmember and appeared to be gathering up her gear to leave the vicinity. Kirsten trotted over and asked her where the docks were. She told us she was heading that way and she'd be glad to lead us.
As we walked, we talked. She told us that she was used to leading lost people back to their families, mainly grandpas who got confused by the winding trails and staircases on the little the island. We told her we'd been having too much fun to notice we'd lost our way.
"This is Disneyland as I always pictured it when I was a girl," she confided. "Running, jumping, climbing, always keeping up with the boys - I didn't want to do anything but climb trees and caves. This is my Disneyland."
I told her I agreed, that I had fond memories of the same adventures on Tom Sawyer's Island as a kid. It's true - I was no tomboy, no jock, but there was a time, oh-so-long ago, that I did my fair share of running-jumping-climbing-trees.
"I've worked here 40 years," she went on. Kirsten and I gasped.
"I'm one of only 12 or 13 out of 8,000 that's been working here that long."
"Wow, they should give you a party!"
"Oh, they do, every five years I get to sit down with the others and with Roy."
"You know Roy Disney?!"
"Oh yes, I've known him for years. I knew Walt, too."
At this point I was pretty sure this woman was my long-lost fairy godmother and that if I wasn't careful I would find myself trying to follow her home.
"When I was 8 years old, Walt had my whole life planned out for me. He said, 'Diane, when you're 17-and-a-half you're going to come work for me on my team, would you like that?' And I thought it was the most wonderful thing in the world, I went right home and told my parents and they said, 'Whatever you say, Diane.' But here I am 40 years later and I just love it."
Now we were back at the dock. We thanked Diane and she twinkled her eyes at us and waved us onto the raft with Mom and Steph. Kirsten and I couldn't stop whispering to eachother. We were children, excited at the marvel we'd discovered.
When you've been to Disney parks as much as we have, it's these sorts of moments, unplanned, unplannable, "magic", that differentiate each trip for us. This one is a treasure I want to keep forever. If there was a pin of it, I'd buy a lanyard and make it my crown jewel.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 12:43 AM | shower me with attention
Diane has been working for Disneyland for over 40 years. Kirsten and I ran into her on Tom Sawyer's Island. We had been scrambling around through the caves, which are much cooler than the caves in "our" Tom's Sawyer's Island in Orlando. I don't know if they've recently been overhauled, or if they've always had eerie skeletons and disappearing treasure in them, but they were pretty durn neat, even if they weren't called "Injun Joe's Caves" anymore.
My sister and I had somehow turned into 8-year-olds as we chased eachother around the island, squeezing through small apertures I could swear I was about sixteen times too big to maneuver mere minutes earlier. Mom finally had to call my cell phone and ask us to meet her and Steph at the dock to hitch a raft back to the mainland, else we'd miss our Fastpass window to ride the Indiana Jones ride (which is far, far too cool to miss.)
It wasn't so easy finding our way back, though. Disneyland's Magic Kingdom is the bizarro version of Walt Disney World's, and every time I thought I knew where I was going, I realized that I didn't have a clue. It's eerie, just different enough to befuddle me.
That's when we ran into Diane. 60-something, with bright blue eyes and beautiful cheekbones, she was wearing the garb of a Tom Sawyer Island castmember and appeared to be gathering up her gear to leave the vicinity. Kirsten trotted over and asked her where the docks were. She told us she was heading that way and she'd be glad to lead us.
As we walked, we talked. She told us that she was used to leading lost people back to their families, mainly grandpas who got confused by the winding trails and staircases on the little the island. We told her we'd been having too much fun to notice we'd lost our way.
"This is Disneyland as I always pictured it when I was a girl," she confided. "Running, jumping, climbing, always keeping up with the boys - I didn't want to do anything but climb trees and caves. This is my Disneyland."
I told her I agreed, that I had fond memories of the same adventures on Tom Sawyer's Island as a kid. It's true - I was no tomboy, no jock, but there was a time, oh-so-long ago, that I did my fair share of running-jumping-climbing-trees.
"I've worked here 40 years," she went on. Kirsten and I gasped.
"I'm one of only 12 or 13 out of 8,000 that's been working here that long."
"Wow, they should give you a party!"
"Oh, they do, every five years I get to sit down with the others and with Roy."
"You know Roy Disney?!"
"Oh yes, I've known him for years. I knew Walt, too."
At this point I was pretty sure this woman was my long-lost fairy godmother and that if I wasn't careful I would find myself trying to follow her home.
"When I was 8 years old, Walt had my whole life planned out for me. He said, 'Diane, when you're 17-and-a-half you're going to come work for me on my team, would you like that?' And I thought it was the most wonderful thing in the world, I went right home and told my parents and they said, 'Whatever you say, Diane.' But here I am 40 years later and I just love it."
Now we were back at the dock. We thanked Diane and she twinkled her eyes at us and waved us onto the raft with Mom and Steph. Kirsten and I couldn't stop whispering to eachother. We were children, excited at the marvel we'd discovered.
When you've been to Disney parks as much as we have, it's these sorts of moments, unplanned, unplannable, "magic", that differentiate each trip for us. This one is a treasure I want to keep forever. If there was a pin of it, I'd buy a lanyard and make it my crown jewel.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 12:43 AM | shower me with attention
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I am generally not one to plagiarize, but as my sister's blog is being revamped and this is only available via not-publicly-linkable Facebook notes, I am going to copy-paste her latest entry. It's too good, too funny, too true and too me not to share.
Please note that my computer can't handle Japanese characters, so those have been removed from the note and replaced with "[Japanese characters removed]". My sister tends to lapse into Japanese, not caring that most of the people where she currently lives don't understand Japanese.
The below was written by Kirsten Phillips, not me.
Top 12 Most Fucked Up Disney Moments
Today at 3:05pm
Back from sun-drenched California. Love it out there. There's a whole different mentality governing the [Japanese characters removed] friends. His name is Arnold. When the sky is a blue not found in Maine and the sunshine is always on some manic high, people are changed.
I went to Disneyland which was not an entirely [Japanese characters removed] affair. I adore Disney with a passion rivaled only by a Japanese baseball card collector. I know the A, B and C sides to every film he's ever made. I am boasting large here but my appreciation for simulacrum and undying affection for things long past keep me young as I stare death down from my nosebleed seats in the stadium.
Over the years, Disney movies have touched the hearts and minds of adults and children alike. We have laughed at the antics of Timon and Pumba. We've sung along with the Little Mermaid in our parents' bedroom over and over AND over again. We've cheered for R. Rabbit and lusted shamelessly after his wife.
For all its reputation for things saccharine, Disney was a genius at storytelling. Like all good stories, there are moments that make us smile and moments that make us wanna flee from the room in horror. In the old days, you were allowed to traumatize kids. Disney had no problem knowing and showing exactly what children could handle. These days, well, kids are soft like marshmallow. So soft, in fact, adults do most of the imagining for them. Loathsome state of affairs if you ask me.
But I digress...
So what about the Disney moments that scarred us? The moments we watched in open-mouthed disbelief? The moments within an innocent G-rated Disney film that we took to bed that night and the next night? The moments that haunted every midnight trip to the potty?
Oh yes. He went there.
Therefore, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I present unto you the Top 12 Most Fucked Up Disney Moments. (You too, Pixar)
12. Toy Story 2: Jesse gets abandoned by her owner, Emily.
I will go so far as to say that Pixar is responsible for some of the finest cinematic storytelling of my generation. Ergo, Pixar is responsible for the most mentally-damaging scenarios since Bambi.
Fuck you, Pixar! Fuck you! Not only do you destroy us with the heart-wrenching separation of a beloved toy from its child, you involve Sarah McLaughlin! That is, as Flo-Rida eloquently puts it, L.O.W.
11. Lady and the Tramp: Lady Watches Nutsy Take the Long Walk
Take. The Long. Walk. Yup. Did you know that? Disney slaughters puppies. Or, their tragic, happy, unaware silhouettes lead behind creaky one-way doors. The heroine, Lady, gently voices our own bewilderment: "Y-you mean he's...?"
Here, let me reawaken the pain for ya: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=8356770
Don't thank me. ^^
10. The Brave Little Toaster*
I am not going to even attempt to single out just one scarring scene in this film. How about every fucking second? Pixar, don't slink away. You clever bastards are partially responsible for this journey into the dark side of used goods. If you are reading this and do not know what I'm talking about, keep it that way, dudes. This is a fucked up Disney film from beginning to end. Jon Lovitz plays a radio.
9. Bambi: Bambi's Mom Bites It
Love is a song that never-- KA-BLAM! This scene has been so oft cited, it is permissible to ridicule. Managing to make it to adulthood after watching this scene is now a rite of developmental passage. The sooner you get it done, the better. Kind of like small babies being handed to dancing [Japanese characters removed] during Setsubun. Terrify them now so they'll be stronger later.
Most dewy-eyed meeps walks away from Bambi shaken but, for the most part, able to deal with the world. That is, until they watch Pinocchio.
8. Dumbo: Pink Elephants
Our first journey into the realm of Disney Psychedelics. Once upon a time, absolutely everyone in America was on narcotics. Here is proof that the Disney studios was no exception.
There was a moment in this sequence that used to send me fleeing from the room in tears. The part when this belly dancer elephant's belly turns into an eye?! AGHHHHH!
Dumbo, in and of itself, was designed to fuck with our mentality. If I hold a magic feather, I can fly. My mama got put in prison. I am the only animal in this entire movie who CAN'T. TALK. Pink elephants are only a small hiccup in the grand scheme of Disney drug trips.
7. The Black Cauldron : The Horned King Awakens the Cauldron Born
This film had the potential to be the crowning jewel of fantasy sword/sorcery vehicles in the 80's. Back then, every other movie involved a hero, a bimbo and a sword. With its genius for classic storytelling, Disney could very well have taken this beautiful Welsh tale and made it into something more memorable.
But the bonehead execs at Disney forgot its roots, watered it down and hence it was a sham. Though I was thrilled the day it was released on DVD, I found the edit to be made for pussies. The Horned King is truly a terrifying character and he ought to have stayed that way. I firmly remember being transfixed by a dark close-up of that ghoulish face as a child. However, that scene no longer exists in the current edition.
The Black Cauldron was not a success because Disney didn't go all the way. But it's still a quintessential part of my childhood.
6. The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Heffalumps and Woozles
The 2nd of the Famed Disney Trysts into Psychedelica, further proof that animators subsist on nothing but nachos and crack. I never quite understood what was trying to be accomplished in this movie. It always left me wanting crimson and closure.
5. Cinderella: Cinderella Gets Assaulted by her Stepsisters
Two apeshit jealous stepsisters violently trashing the loving handiwork of singing mice! That was a pretty brutal catfight, I must say! How on earth did Disney model that scene? One can only imagine.....
4. Snow White: Wicked Queen Transformation
Another classic piece of cinema created well ahead of its time. The scream of fright bit bothered me the most as a child but the actual transformation sent people like my father and Steven Spielberg screaming from the movie theaters in terror.
3. The Three Caballeros: The Ending
Quick, we haven't got enough budget to tie this together! What're we gonna do? Uh, uh, I dunno. Wait, WAIT! I see a dancing cactus! Now the cactus is gonna turn into a woman! Donald is gonna chase the woman! And then there will be fast-paced music and bursting color explosions! Then Donald will turn into a pinata and explode, wait, are you getting all this???
The 3 Caballeros was part of an ambitious project promoting Latin American culture in America. 90% of the film is suitable for children and stars one of Disney's most beloved birds, Donald Duck. However, something went awry in the last 10 minutes because I swear to you, the only way to make sense of it is to treat it like THE WALL.
Roll, roll, roll a joint, twist it on the end.
Merrily, merrily take a puff and pass it to your friend.
2. Disney War Propaganda Series
All war propaganda is mind-fuckery at its worst. But when Disney does it? It's all that much more fucked. This wasn't innocent or accidental, folks. Disney was employed by the government to support the war with visuals only die-hard fanatics should ever see. It is interesting to note, however, that nowhere in this propaganda does Mickey Mouse make an appearance. That honor went to Donald, the less stable of the two. Catch-22?
Finally, the Numero Uno of all Fucked Up Disney Moments...
1. Where'd all the donkeys come from?
*(Tavie again) I'm also going to repost my nitpicky response to her note:
Genius again - although I have to nitpick a couple things to prove that I'm A Bigger Geek Than Thou:
-"The Brave Little Toaster" was produced and distributed by
Disney, but they didn't actually, you know, *make* it.
-The Prydain Chronicles were pseudo-Welsh, not actually Welsh. (Small but real distinction.)
Otherwise - LOVE your choices, TOTALLY agree with your #1. And I am amused to note that you're just as freaked out by psychedelia as I am.
I am reposting this.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 3:20 PM | shower me with attention
Please note that my computer can't handle Japanese characters, so those have been removed from the note and replaced with "[Japanese characters removed]". My sister tends to lapse into Japanese, not caring that most of the people where she currently lives don't understand Japanese.
The below was written by Kirsten Phillips, not me.
Top 12 Most Fucked Up Disney Moments
Today at 3:05pm
Back from sun-drenched California. Love it out there. There's a whole different mentality governing the [Japanese characters removed] friends. His name is Arnold. When the sky is a blue not found in Maine and the sunshine is always on some manic high, people are changed.
I went to Disneyland which was not an entirely [Japanese characters removed] affair. I adore Disney with a passion rivaled only by a Japanese baseball card collector. I know the A, B and C sides to every film he's ever made. I am boasting large here but my appreciation for simulacrum and undying affection for things long past keep me young as I stare death down from my nosebleed seats in the stadium.
Over the years, Disney movies have touched the hearts and minds of adults and children alike. We have laughed at the antics of Timon and Pumba. We've sung along with the Little Mermaid in our parents' bedroom over and over AND over again. We've cheered for R. Rabbit and lusted shamelessly after his wife.
For all its reputation for things saccharine, Disney was a genius at storytelling. Like all good stories, there are moments that make us smile and moments that make us wanna flee from the room in horror. In the old days, you were allowed to traumatize kids. Disney had no problem knowing and showing exactly what children could handle. These days, well, kids are soft like marshmallow. So soft, in fact, adults do most of the imagining for them. Loathsome state of affairs if you ask me.
But I digress...
So what about the Disney moments that scarred us? The moments we watched in open-mouthed disbelief? The moments within an innocent G-rated Disney film that we took to bed that night and the next night? The moments that haunted every midnight trip to the potty?
Oh yes. He went there.
Therefore, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I present unto you the Top 12 Most Fucked Up Disney Moments. (You too, Pixar)
12. Toy Story 2: Jesse gets abandoned by her owner, Emily.
I will go so far as to say that Pixar is responsible for some of the finest cinematic storytelling of my generation. Ergo, Pixar is responsible for the most mentally-damaging scenarios since Bambi.
Fuck you, Pixar! Fuck you! Not only do you destroy us with the heart-wrenching separation of a beloved toy from its child, you involve Sarah McLaughlin! That is, as Flo-Rida eloquently puts it, L.O.W.
11. Lady and the Tramp: Lady Watches Nutsy Take the Long Walk
Take. The Long. Walk. Yup. Did you know that? Disney slaughters puppies. Or, their tragic, happy, unaware silhouettes lead behind creaky one-way doors. The heroine, Lady, gently voices our own bewilderment: "Y-you mean he's...?"
Here, let me reawaken the pain for ya: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=8356770
Don't thank me. ^^
10. The Brave Little Toaster*
I am not going to even attempt to single out just one scarring scene in this film. How about every fucking second? Pixar, don't slink away. You clever bastards are partially responsible for this journey into the dark side of used goods. If you are reading this and do not know what I'm talking about, keep it that way, dudes. This is a fucked up Disney film from beginning to end. Jon Lovitz plays a radio.
9. Bambi: Bambi's Mom Bites It
Love is a song that never-- KA-BLAM! This scene has been so oft cited, it is permissible to ridicule. Managing to make it to adulthood after watching this scene is now a rite of developmental passage. The sooner you get it done, the better. Kind of like small babies being handed to dancing [Japanese characters removed] during Setsubun. Terrify them now so they'll be stronger later.
Most dewy-eyed meeps walks away from Bambi shaken but, for the most part, able to deal with the world. That is, until they watch Pinocchio.
8. Dumbo: Pink Elephants
Our first journey into the realm of Disney Psychedelics. Once upon a time, absolutely everyone in America was on narcotics. Here is proof that the Disney studios was no exception.
There was a moment in this sequence that used to send me fleeing from the room in tears. The part when this belly dancer elephant's belly turns into an eye?! AGHHHHH!
Dumbo, in and of itself, was designed to fuck with our mentality. If I hold a magic feather, I can fly. My mama got put in prison. I am the only animal in this entire movie who CAN'T. TALK. Pink elephants are only a small hiccup in the grand scheme of Disney drug trips.
7. The Black Cauldron : The Horned King Awakens the Cauldron Born
This film had the potential to be the crowning jewel of fantasy sword/sorcery vehicles in the 80's. Back then, every other movie involved a hero, a bimbo and a sword. With its genius for classic storytelling, Disney could very well have taken this beautiful Welsh tale and made it into something more memorable.
But the bonehead execs at Disney forgot its roots, watered it down and hence it was a sham. Though I was thrilled the day it was released on DVD, I found the edit to be made for pussies. The Horned King is truly a terrifying character and he ought to have stayed that way. I firmly remember being transfixed by a dark close-up of that ghoulish face as a child. However, that scene no longer exists in the current edition.
The Black Cauldron was not a success because Disney didn't go all the way. But it's still a quintessential part of my childhood.
6. The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Heffalumps and Woozles
The 2nd of the Famed Disney Trysts into Psychedelica, further proof that animators subsist on nothing but nachos and crack. I never quite understood what was trying to be accomplished in this movie. It always left me wanting crimson and closure.
5. Cinderella: Cinderella Gets Assaulted by her Stepsisters
Two apeshit jealous stepsisters violently trashing the loving handiwork of singing mice! That was a pretty brutal catfight, I must say! How on earth did Disney model that scene? One can only imagine.....
4. Snow White: Wicked Queen Transformation
Another classic piece of cinema created well ahead of its time. The scream of fright bit bothered me the most as a child but the actual transformation sent people like my father and Steven Spielberg screaming from the movie theaters in terror.
3. The Three Caballeros: The Ending
Quick, we haven't got enough budget to tie this together! What're we gonna do? Uh, uh, I dunno. Wait, WAIT! I see a dancing cactus! Now the cactus is gonna turn into a woman! Donald is gonna chase the woman! And then there will be fast-paced music and bursting color explosions! Then Donald will turn into a pinata and explode, wait, are you getting all this???
The 3 Caballeros was part of an ambitious project promoting Latin American culture in America. 90% of the film is suitable for children and stars one of Disney's most beloved birds, Donald Duck. However, something went awry in the last 10 minutes because I swear to you, the only way to make sense of it is to treat it like THE WALL.
Roll, roll, roll a joint, twist it on the end.
Merrily, merrily take a puff and pass it to your friend.
2. Disney War Propaganda Series
All war propaganda is mind-fuckery at its worst. But when Disney does it? It's all that much more fucked. This wasn't innocent or accidental, folks. Disney was employed by the government to support the war with visuals only die-hard fanatics should ever see. It is interesting to note, however, that nowhere in this propaganda does Mickey Mouse make an appearance. That honor went to Donald, the less stable of the two. Catch-22?
Finally, the Numero Uno of all Fucked Up Disney Moments...
1. Where'd all the donkeys come from?
*(Tavie again) I'm also going to repost my nitpicky response to her note:
Genius again - although I have to nitpick a couple things to prove that I'm A Bigger Geek Than Thou:
-"The Brave Little Toaster" was produced and distributed by
Disney, but they didn't actually, you know, *make* it.
-The Prydain Chronicles were pseudo-Welsh, not actually Welsh. (Small but real distinction.)
Otherwise - LOVE your choices, TOTALLY agree with your #1. And I am amused to note that you're just as freaked out by psychedelia as I am.
I am reposting this.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 3:20 PM | shower me with attention
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
That was too fucking short.
Must remember to write down the awesome encounter with the 40-year Disney employee who knew Walt and led us back to the rafts when Kirsten and I got lost on Tom Sawyer's Island.
Too sleepy now and tomorrow is too much travel. Good night.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 3:33 AM | shower me with attention
Must remember to write down the awesome encounter with the 40-year Disney employee who knew Walt and led us back to the rafts when Kirsten and I got lost on Tom Sawyer's Island.
Too sleepy now and tomorrow is too much travel. Good night.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 3:33 AM | shower me with attention
Monday, August 24, 2009
These were in the Imagineering exhibit, "Blue Sky". They're papercraft pieces used for the animation in an upcoming watershow extravaganza for California Adventure called "World of Color". I love these.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:33 AM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:33 AM | shower me with attention
Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade (shown here in California Adventure) is slightly different from the one I grew up with - it doesn't open with a Blue Fairy, but it does feature Pete and Elliott. It is also, ironically, "presented by Sylvania". I tell you.
What I want to remember about last night: we had dinner at a restaurant at our resort, the Storybook Cafe. (It was a rather lackluster brunch; sorry, I'm spoiled by the pickins' at the Cape May Cafe.) Our waitress was a lovely middle-aged woman from Tokyo, and she made the customary chit-chat that the Disney Cast Members are trained to engage in. Of course, over the course of the chit-chat, it came out that Kirsten lived in Japan for three years, which delighted the waitress, who spoke to Kirsten in Japanese and made her giggle. (What she said was, "Next time we'll speak more Japanese together!" How cute is that, I ask you?)
What I want to remember about today: it was fucking perfect.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:30 AM | shower me with attention
What I want to remember about last night: we had dinner at a restaurant at our resort, the Storybook Cafe. (It was a rather lackluster brunch; sorry, I'm spoiled by the pickins' at the Cape May Cafe.) Our waitress was a lovely middle-aged woman from Tokyo, and she made the customary chit-chat that the Disney Cast Members are trained to engage in. Of course, over the course of the chit-chat, it came out that Kirsten lived in Japan for three years, which delighted the waitress, who spoke to Kirsten in Japanese and made her giggle. (What she said was, "Next time we'll speak more Japanese together!" How cute is that, I ask you?)
What I want to remember about today: it was fucking perfect.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:30 AM | shower me with attention
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The check-in clerk asked my mom if we were celebrating anything. My mom said, "Yes, my daughter passing her teaching certification." So we got a bunch of balloons and a photo signed by all the major Disney characters. (Imagine Kirsten's, um, delight.) We also got 4 buttons that say "I'm Celebrating" and have our names written across the top. My name is "Octavia" on this button, which means I may have to explain to Snow White or Cinderella or a friendly college student manning The Matterhorn that actually, I go by "Tavie".
Tavie: "So let's practice, Mom. And what are you celebrating?"
Mom: "My daughter's teaching certification. Now she just needs a principal to hire her."
Kirsten: "Some day my principal will come."
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:17 PM | shower me with attention
Tavie: "So let's practice, Mom. And what are you celebrating?"
Mom: "My daughter's teaching certification. Now she just needs a principal to hire her."
Kirsten: "Some day my principal will come."
Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:17 PM | shower me with attention
Saturday, August 22, 2009
O HAI I IS IN DISNEYLAND
WE STOPPED FOR LUNCH AT VE--
Sorry. Ahem. I'm here with my mom and sis and best friend, Steph. We stopped for lunch at a Cantina in Venice Beach and then walked up the beach in our bare feet to get back the half-mile to where we'd parked the rental car.
Now we're in the hotel, showering after a swim and getting ready to go to dinner. Once again, we're staying at Disney's Grand Californian, which is excellent in its resemblance to Disney's Wilderness Lodge in Orlando. I know I shouldn't compare, but I do.
Tomorrow: California Adventure and the classic Main Street Electrical Parade. Nothing*'s better than this.
*Almost.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:46 PM | shower me with attention
WE STOPPED FOR LUNCH AT VE--
Sorry. Ahem. I'm here with my mom and sis and best friend, Steph. We stopped for lunch at a Cantina in Venice Beach and then walked up the beach in our bare feet to get back the half-mile to where we'd parked the rental car.
Now we're in the hotel, showering after a swim and getting ready to go to dinner. Once again, we're staying at Disney's Grand Californian, which is excellent in its resemblance to Disney's Wilderness Lodge in Orlando. I know I shouldn't compare, but I do.
Tomorrow: California Adventure and the classic Main Street Electrical Parade. Nothing*'s better than this.
*Almost.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:46 PM | shower me with attention
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Although my home base and strongest connections are at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and I didn't even see Disneyland in Anaheim until I was 13, my sister and I did have this tv special on Betamax that we kind of watched to death. It starred the... kid from "Poltergeist" and was made to promote the redesign of Fantasyland in 1983. This is also the only thing I knew Morey Amsterdam from until Gina showed me "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as an adult.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:04 PM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:04 PM | shower me with attention
SLEEPY!
Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:33 AM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:33 AM | shower me with attention
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Luc Casimiri Facebook-friended me and then started IMing me, and then went offline in the middle of the conversation. Weird, fun day.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 5:34 PM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 5:34 PM | shower me with attention
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Dave's trying to join the 21st century social-networking-a-palooza. Help him out by becoming a fan of his official page on Facebook.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 4:16 PM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 4:16 PM | shower me with attention
Production stills are here, and also posted to the KITH Facebook page.
Dave is cute.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 3:12 PM | shower me with attention
Dave is cute.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 3:12 PM | shower me with attention
Dave's new web series is now up at www.babelgum.com/davefoley. Check it out. I can't wait to go home and watch. (Damn my work ethic.)
The folks at Babelgum have promised me some behind-the-scenes production stills, so stay tuned for those.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 2:49 PM | shower me with attention
The folks at Babelgum have promised me some behind-the-scenes production stills, so stay tuned for those.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 2:49 PM | shower me with attention
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Best picture of Dad ever? (He looked so spiffy in his suspenders and white shirt that we made him put on Tante Joan's straw hat and pretend to be an Amish man.)
This was taken on Staten Island last weekend. i have spent a lot of time on Staten Island this month.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:12 PM | shower me with attention
This was taken on Staten Island last weekend. i have spent a lot of time on Staten Island this month.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:12 PM | shower me with attention
I hadn't swum for two summers running. It doesn't feel like summer to me if I don't go swimming at least once. It's just difficult to arrange and weekends are when I get stuff done around the house. But yesterday, Steph took me to a lake in central NJ at a place called Spruce Run State Park. The blocked-off area for swimming was pretty small, and thus overcrowded, but I managed to get some good dog-paddling in, and even a fair amount of floating-around-on-my-back. I am not a good swimmer; like Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride, "I only dog-paddle", but I trust my body's buoyancy and enjoy floating on my back like a fat otter and paddling myself around with my feet.
She also drove us down to Frenchtown, where she spent summers as a kid with her Swedish grandparents. It was kind of wonderful to see the place that my best friend has been talking about as long as I've known her. It's very rural -- well, was, now it's kind of antique-y and gentrified, but I'm glad she had a place like that growing up; creeks to jump in and places to fish and cows to poke at. I didn't have much country-time as a kid: a little bit of sleep-away camp (too emotionally traumatic for me to enjoy much) and weekends over a few precious summers that the Byros owned the house in Jeffersonville in upstate NY. Our parents took us on a lot of vacations as kids, but we had a lot more simulated Disney reality than grass-and-tree reality. (Ah, the blessed simulacrum, so much better than reality, and so much worse.)
Today, when she dropped me off at home, I got major shit done. I'm proud of myself, really. I even reorganized my closet.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 5:16 PM | shower me with attention
She also drove us down to Frenchtown, where she spent summers as a kid with her Swedish grandparents. It was kind of wonderful to see the place that my best friend has been talking about as long as I've known her. It's very rural -- well, was, now it's kind of antique-y and gentrified, but I'm glad she had a place like that growing up; creeks to jump in and places to fish and cows to poke at. I didn't have much country-time as a kid: a little bit of sleep-away camp (too emotionally traumatic for me to enjoy much) and weekends over a few precious summers that the Byros owned the house in Jeffersonville in upstate NY. Our parents took us on a lot of vacations as kids, but we had a lot more simulated Disney reality than grass-and-tree reality. (Ah, the blessed simulacrum, so much better than reality, and so much worse.)
Today, when she dropped me off at home, I got major shit done. I'm proud of myself, really. I even reorganized my closet.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 5:16 PM | shower me with attention
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Well, progress has been made:
1) After I submitted an email request on the Funai Corp site (rather than the Sylvania site, which is a huge black hole) today Gina got a form letter with a Customer Service ticket # on it. Sure, it's a robot, but it's one step closer to an actual human acknowledging us.
2) Consumerist posted our story. That occasionally works to shame companies into making contact/cleaning up their act.
I think the bottom line is going to look something like this: Funai eventually calls us back, we find out that the warranty covers parts but not labor, the labor costs another hundred bucks on top of the hundreds Gina wasted purchasing the piece of junk, she ends up writing it off as a bad business and losing out on the money, AND we have get a new tv that neither of us can really afford.
Still... Consumerist, that's pretty awesome.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:37 PM | shower me with attention
1) After I submitted an email request on the Funai Corp site (rather than the Sylvania site, which is a huge black hole) today Gina got a form letter with a Customer Service ticket # on it. Sure, it's a robot, but it's one step closer to an actual human acknowledging us.
2) Consumerist posted our story. That occasionally works to shame companies into making contact/cleaning up their act.
I think the bottom line is going to look something like this: Funai eventually calls us back, we find out that the warranty covers parts but not labor, the labor costs another hundred bucks on top of the hundreds Gina wasted purchasing the piece of junk, she ends up writing it off as a bad business and losing out on the money, AND we have get a new tv that neither of us can really afford.
Still... Consumerist, that's pretty awesome.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:37 PM | shower me with attention
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Does anyone remember the old Infoquest Museum? It was a sort of mini-Epcot in Midtown, and favorite destination for sis and my grade-school-era day trips. We'd beg Mom to take us there so we could play with the exhibits.
I dearly do love a science museum.
There's very little evidence of the place on the internet, now.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:46 PM | shower me with attention
I dearly do love a science museum.
There's very little evidence of the place on the internet, now.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:46 PM | shower me with attention
Spike is sleeping with me for the second night in a row. Do I smell like sardines?
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:24 PM | shower me with attention
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:24 PM | shower me with attention
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Been trying to lay low on the internet lately. It's not doing me any good, the internet.
In two weeks I'm going to Disneyland with my mom and sis and best friend, Steph. A long weekend with my girls and Thunder Mountain and swimming pools. I really need this. I'm sort of living for it.
As I said on the phone to my mom yesterday, "If it weren't for Disneyland I would've hung myself in my bedcurtains right now."
To which she replied, "Oh, don't do that, you'll ruin the bedcurtains."
Why are you in Tavie's head? 9:16 PM | shower me with attention
In two weeks I'm going to Disneyland with my mom and sis and best friend, Steph. A long weekend with my girls and Thunder Mountain and swimming pools. I really need this. I'm sort of living for it.
As I said on the phone to my mom yesterday, "If it weren't for Disneyland I would've hung myself in my bedcurtains right now."
To which she replied, "Oh, don't do that, you'll ruin the bedcurtains."
Why are you in Tavie's head? 9:16 PM | shower me with attention
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
I wrote and sent the following email on Gina's behalf. I have yet to receive a reply, so I'm going to launch a campaign against Sylvania Consumer Electronics and its parent company, Funai Corporation. My roommate and I are tired of paying for cable we can't access because of an expensive (for us) broken tv. Neither of us can afford a new tv and $403 is a lot of money to lose.
Please spread the word about this company so that people know not to buy products that will waste their money by breaking so soon after purchase.
I did a bunch of Googling to find the name of the company's Sr. Exec Director of Service, and then to figure out the email format that the corporation uses. I'm not 100% sure I hit target, but the email wasn't bounced back, so that's encouraging.
This person had a similar problem and had luck when they wrote into a consumer-advice column in the St Petersburg Times, who contact Mr Kawasaki for them.
------
Tetsuya Kawasaki, Funai Corporation
Senior Executive Director of Service
Dear Mr Kawasaki,
Re: Sylvania LC3321SS9
On March 3rd, I purchased a Sylvania 32-inch HDTV flatscreen television
from BJ's price club in Jersey City, NJ. It cost $403. It's been
treated very carefully and was working perfectly until two weeks ago,
on July 22nd, when it suddenly just stopped. Wouldn't turn on, nothing.
Dead as a doornail.
On Thursday, July 23rd, I called Sylvania Customer Service and they
gave me a number and said I had to speak to the people in the warranty
division. They told me that I would probably have to leave a message.
I called the number all day on Thursday and kept getting a message that
said "If you know your party's extension, press 1, or press 0 for more
options." Every time I hit 0, it would repeat the message. I called
customer service again after I got home and they told me that there had
been problems with Warranty's phones and to try again Friday. On
Friday, nothing. On Monday, nothing. I called Customer Service again
and they told me that they really could do nothing and I20had to keep
trying that number that it was fixed. I tried the number again
yesterday and kept getting the message that the box was full. Called CS
again today and once again told nothing they could do till I called
that number and they were so sorry and could understand my anger and
that I could talk to a supervisor but it would do me no good.
Sir, is there someone to whom we can escalate this problem? In today's
economy it's very difficult to spend that much money on a product and
not be able to use it. I am paying for cable that I can't see because
the television set I purchased from your company does not work. I have
taken time away from my working day in many attempts to contact someone
at your company that can help me resolve this issue, to no avail.
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate a refund of my $403 or an
exchange of my broken set for a new product that will not break after 5
months of use.
I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem, and will
wait until Monday, August 8th before seeking help from a consumer
protection agency or the Better Business Bureau. Please contact me at
any of the email addresses or phone numbers listed below.
Sincerely,
Gina Tosatto and Octavia Phillips
[contact information deleted because my mama didn't raise no fools]
Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:45 PM | shower me with attention
Please spread the word about this company so that people know not to buy products that will waste their money by breaking so soon after purchase.
I did a bunch of Googling to find the name of the company's Sr. Exec Director of Service, and then to figure out the email format that the corporation uses. I'm not 100% sure I hit target, but the email wasn't bounced back, so that's encouraging.
This person had a similar problem and had luck when they wrote into a consumer-advice column in the St Petersburg Times, who contact Mr Kawasaki for them.
------
Tetsuya Kawasaki, Funai Corporation
Senior Executive Director of Service
Dear Mr Kawasaki,
Re: Sylvania LC3321SS9
On March 3rd, I purchased a Sylvania 32-inch HDTV flatscreen television
from BJ's price club in Jersey City, NJ. It cost $403. It's been
treated very carefully and was working perfectly until two weeks ago,
on July 22nd, when it suddenly just stopped. Wouldn't turn on, nothing.
Dead as a doornail.
On Thursday, July 23rd, I called Sylvania Customer Service and they
gave me a number and said I had to speak to the people in the warranty
division. They told me that I would probably have to leave a message.
I called the number all day on Thursday and kept getting a message that
said "If you know your party's extension, press 1, or press 0 for more
options." Every time I hit 0, it would repeat the message. I called
customer service again after I got home and they told me that there had
been problems with Warranty's phones and to try again Friday. On
Friday, nothing. On Monday, nothing. I called Customer Service again
and they told me that they really could do nothing and I20had to keep
trying that number that it was fixed. I tried the number again
yesterday and kept getting the message that the box was full. Called CS
again today and once again told nothing they could do till I called
that number and they were so sorry and could understand my anger and
that I could talk to a supervisor but it would do me no good.
Sir, is there someone to whom we can escalate this problem? In today's
economy it's very difficult to spend that much money on a product and
not be able to use it. I am paying for cable that I can't see because
the television set I purchased from your company does not work. I have
taken time away from my working day in many attempts to contact someone
at your company that can help me resolve this issue, to no avail.
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate a refund of my $403 or an
exchange of my broken set for a new product that will not break after 5
months of use.
I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem, and will
wait until Monday, August 8th before seeking help from a consumer
protection agency or the Better Business Bureau. Please contact me at
any of the email addresses or phone numbers listed below.
Sincerely,
Gina Tosatto and Octavia Phillips
[contact information deleted because my mama didn't raise no fools]
Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:45 PM | shower me with attention
Monday, August 03, 2009
I've been practicing drawing and painting more and more. It's not that I'm feeling inspired to create art or anything. I have no artistic inspiration. I just like drawing.
Kirsten posed for me yesterday while she watched Youtube videos on my computer. She's a fair-to-middling model, because she keeps moving.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:58 PM | shower me with attention
Kirsten posed for me yesterday while she watched Youtube videos on my computer. She's a fair-to-middling model, because she keeps moving.
Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:58 PM | shower me with attention
Sunday, August 02, 2009
