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Happy birthday to me

Disney World is an excellent place to spend your birthday. I’m not sure I was in my right mind when I decided we should get up at 5 a.m. on my 40th birthday to go run the Princess and the Frog 5K around Epcot, but it was really fun and I’m glad we did it. We weren’t signed up for the half-marathon that was the centerpiece of Princess Weekend. The other centerpiece, that is, besides me.

A Disney birthday, you see, is an egomaniac’s paradise. Cast members constantly wish you happy birthday and random strangers sing “happy birthday” to you while you wait in line for rides. You can drink outrageously strong birthday margaritas in FakeMexico and then ride the incredibly surreal ride that I can’t adequately describe because we were laughing too hard.

Next door to FakeMexico is, logically enough, FakeNorway, where you can study the huge mural and learn about the Norwegian national treasures: polar bears, seagulls, vikings, and giant women with clipboards.

We had an outrageously good time at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and (no kidding) at the Wide World of Sports Complex. And, of course, we had a great time seeing Alice in Wonderland Friday night. I have much more to say and many emails to respond to, but it all has to wait until I recover for a while.

rebecca | 10:40 pm

tags: Alice in Wonderland, birthday, disney, disney princess half-marathon, epcot, FakeMexico, magic kingdom

filed under: true life 2010 | No Comments »

Destination Disneyworld

My Brother arrives today, as he got the weekend off from his supersecret project to create human-dinosaur hybrid supersoldiers. We’re going to see Alice tonight.

I think we’re supposed to get in the spirit of things and say, “Walt Disney Picture’s Alice in Wonderland, a Disney Digital Production by director Tim Burton.” I’m not awake enough for that level of corporate perkiness. I’m just going to say, “Alice” and growl at anyone who suggests I’m not being sufficiently perky. Nowhere on the passes does it state we have to be perky.

Disney is the happiest place on earth and all, so we’ll hit happy hour before the movie, of course. That’s what they mean, right? We can follow directions when we want to.

I’m excited to see the movie. I’m also excited because I don’t think anyone will be telling me I look like Helena Bonham Carter this time.

If they do, I have other things to worry about.

rebecca | 11:21 am

tags: Alice in Wonderland

filed under: movies | No Comments »

Alice in Wonderland (1999)

When you stop being disturbed by the image of grown men dressed as rabbits, that’s when I think you have a real problem.

Fortunately, the 1999 NBC miniseries, Alice in Wonderland, features a white rabbit and other creatures created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Unfortunately, it also features Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat. Everything about the Cheshire Cat is wrong. Only a small part of that blame can be laid at Whoopi’s feet, but she’s still a terrible choice.

It’s an amusing enough adaptation but it’s got more than a whiff of those awkward 80s made for tv production values about it, which is unfortunate because it was made in 1999. There’s more good than bad and the Emmy Awards it won included makeup and costumes (and the nomination for visual effects) that were certainly deserved.

It does contain one of my favorite version of the caucus race, but I may be partial to it because it takes place in a surreal library and the participants of the race remind me fondly of some of my more eccentric library colleagues. It’s a remarkably faithful version of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and I’m going to have nightmares about that March Hare.

This version stars Tina Majorino (Alice), Robbie Coltrane, Whoopi Goldberg (Cheshire Cat), Ben Kingsley (the Caterpillar), Christopher Lloyd, Pete Postlethwaite, Miranda Richardson, Martin Short (the Mad Hatter), Peter Ustinov, George Wendt and Gene Wilder.

The DVD we’re watching was released today with 5 minutes restored to it that were apparently cut in the previous release. We can’t judge whether this is an improvement or not because we’ve never seen it before. I can say that the March Hare’s teapot/pipe organ is exceptionally clever. You can see it at about 1:36 in this youtube clip, which has the embedding feature blocked so I can only link to it.

rebecca | 11:58 pm

tags: Alice in Wonderland, movies

filed under: movies | 3 Comments »

Michele Banks

Look, I hate to be the one to remind you of this, but you’ve been slacking off on your New Year’s Resolutions.

I don’t care that you went to pilates for 3 weeks and then buried your mat in the back of your closet. I don’t care that you vowed to scrapbook your way to the Promised Land and then buried all of those baby photos under a mound of old magazines on your desk. I don’t even care about your vow to quit smoking, build a shrine to John Stamos, or take up meditation.

The only thing I care about is your vow not to procrastinate. You have managed to procrastinate on working on your vow not to procrastinate anymore, and while I respect your consistency, it’s time for me to step in and say “enough is enough.”

You don’t want me to be disappointed in you, do you?

Of course you don’t.

This, my friends, is your lucky day.

For you see, Michele Banks has at long last created an Etsy store. You know you’re going to buy a piece of art by Michele’s at some point. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, but someday, someday, you will buy her work.

Why wait?

Get over there and buy yourself some genuine handmade one-of-a-kind art. You know you want to. And think how good you’ll feel after you check “buy Michele Banks work” off that big to-do list you’ve been toting around.

Everybody wins.

The 3D collages in particular make great gifts – those coffee cup collages are perfect housewarming gifts. Everyone should have one in their kitchen. What are you waiting for? Why are you still here? Clicky-clicky.

(Even if you don’t buy anything, you could give her feedback on her store. Michele’s a fixture on the local art market scene but Etsy is new terrain for her and she’d appreciate any ideas you have for her).

rebecca | 1:18 pm

tags: art, artmonger, etsy, michele banks

filed under: art | No Comments »

Cake Wrecks: alice in wonderland edition

Heather sent me this great link to a Sunday Sweets post on Cake Wrecks that feature some Alice in Wonderland Cakes. I asked Husband to make me a caterpillar cake. He had no comment at this time.

rebecca | 6:41 pm

tags: Alice in Wonderland, cake wrecks

filed under: food and drink | 1 Comment »

Alice in Wonderland (1903)

The DVD release of the 2009 documentary Alice: A Look into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has both the 1903 and 1915 adaptations of Alice on it as special features. The 1903 version was recently restored as much as possible by the British Film Institute and they’ve made it available online on the BFI website.

“Alice in Wonderland consists of a number of loosely connected scenes from the novel. The audience was assumed to be familiar with not only the book but also Tenniel’s famous illustrations. As far as we can establish from Hepworth’s catalogue, the most significant scene that’s missing is one in which Alice meets a giant puppy in the garden – this was offered separately, but no copies appear to survive.”

It’s worth a watch, it’s got some rather sophisticated visual effects for a film of it’s time, I believe.

rebecca | 2:04 pm

tags: Alice in Wonderland, documentary, film

filed under: movies | No Comments »

Art Enables turns 8

Art Enables is an amazing art studio program and gallery for emerging artists with developmental and/or mental disabilities. They’re celebrating their 8th birthday with a party today. There’s lots of impressive outsider art for sale and also a raffle with creative prizes that include having a former VP from the World Bank come to your house and cook you crabcakes. (Really. I’m not making that up).

Eight is great! … and Art Enables is celebrating with a double dip!

1. A fabulous birthday party & exhibit – with DJ Uncle Eric.

2. A random raffle (very eclectic items and only $1 a ticket) and (the silent) auction of a single gorgeous painting on canvas to help us generate some extra funds to upgrade our security after a break-in and theft in January.

The party will help Art Enables after they were recently burglarized and lost all of the computers and electronic devices necessary for them to reach their community.

ART ENABLES PARTY DETAILS!!:

SATURDAY, February 27, 2010, 2 – 5 pm @ Art Enables
411 New York Avenue, NE — Washington, DC 20002

My friends Stephanie and Beth work at Art Enables so while you’re at the party today say hi to them. (ahem. You will be at the party today, right? Right.)

rebecca | 11:33 am

tags: art, art enables

filed under: art, fundraisers | No Comments »

Invasion of the Giant Pythons

Did you watch Invasion of the Giant Pythons this weekend on PBS? Me neither, but my Tivo, Overlord II, recorded it for me so I’ll watch it soon.

In related news, I’m still marveling over this story out of Maryland: a woman claimed she was bitten by a cobra she picked up in the parking lot of White Marsh Mall after she mistook it for a stick. That was the best story she could come up with? Snakes can look like sticks, sure, but the more fundamental question would be, why would you pick up a stick in a mall parking lot.

Meanwhile, her story – that she had come across the highly poisonous monocled cobra in the parking lot of the White Marsh Mall – immediately raised eyebrows among the snake-savvy.

Experts say the animals, normally found in Southeast Asia, could not survive outdoors in Maryland in January. And finger bites are typical of injuries to careless snake handlers during feeding.

Actually, an even more fundamental question would be, why would you go to White Marsh Mall in the first place? I’ve only been there a few times, but the place always smells like tires to me and it gives me a headache.

rebecca | 12:11 am

tags: florida, snakes

filed under: wild kingdom | No Comments »

Jackie Onassis Dog

jackie o dog, originally uploaded by istolethetv.

Beth greatly improved a horrible day by sending me a link to sets of pictures of dogs in costumes. The French Bulldog melted my heart but Jackie O Dog made me laugh til I cried. Thanks, Beth!

rebecca | 5:53 pm

tags: dogs

filed under: true life 2010 | 1 Comment »

March of the giant tortoises

From daveholmes via delrayser. Via twitter, I think.

So here are some things that happened this afternoon that I am not lying about:

Ben came in from getting the mail and said, “There’s a giant tortoise loose outside.”

“Oh. Okay. What?”

“There’s a giant tortoise loose outside. Come look.”

[Go read the rest of the post, it's really good. I promise]

I’m always excited when odd things happen to other people. It’s not just me, people. It’s not just me.

rebecca | 5:37 pm

tags: giant tortoise

filed under: wild kingdom | No Comments »