DeBenson's Corner

Not Quite Home

2011-12-18T07:49:00.002-06:00

Here I am. My new home, Fort Lauderdale Florida. I sit here two blocks from the ocean. I have a job. Bob has a job. We've learned alot about this town, no doubt we will learn more. I can't escape the feeling that I'm not quite home. Will we make it here? Will we love it here? Will we thrive here? I don't know the answers. I will try with all the effort I can muster.
This is a beautiful place. Palm trees, geckos, hotels galore, a new part of this country to call home. But it's not yet. After work, I drive to my apartment and I am in awe. There's the ocean. There are tourists enjoying my city. But I don't know this city yet. I've been here 40 days. So I give myself a break. I can afford this. We will make it. I'm a Floridian.
I'm impatient. I just want this to feel like home now. That's not how it works. It takes time. For now, I work when I am scheduled. I do chores when I'm not scheduled. God willing, home comes soon. I'm sure it will.

Cruisin'

2011-11-02T23:23:00.004-05:00

I haven't written anything in some time. First and foremost because I am the only one reading this. Second, I've been busy. On the off chance anyone other than me reads this, permit me to say what's up.

There is a UHaul in my driveway. It's a Penske, but just like I call Pepsi "Coke", I call the Penske a Uhaul. So anywho, the Uhaul is there. It's full of everything we own. Furniture and memories are locked safely inside. I'm still in Springfield, Illinois. I've lived here for 15 years give or take. In 4 days, I will be at my new home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

This is all happening so fast and at the same time, not nearly fast enough. We went to California knowing we would live there. California turned out not to be in the stars. Blame me. Blame anything but know what I do; California is not my home.

We went on a vacation. First was Disney in Orlando. For a hotel guy like me that was a primitive joy. Everything is perfect. Everything is magical. We loved it as we always will. Then came our first, and God willing not last, Bahamas cruise. More in a minute on that. Then we went to Fort Lauderdale. I knew it wasn't going to work out. I knew I would mess it up or something would cause my dream to fizzle out leaving just us in a midwest town we hate.

But the stars aligned. We found a place. We got a lease. And now, sitting here I can hear a clock ticking to my left. In my mind I know it ticks down the few hours remaining of our old life and the hours until our new life is born.

More on Fort Lauderdale in a future post to those of you who probably will never read these words. Right now, my mind is hovering on the Carnival Sensation.

I've never been on a cruise. I had never experienced the open ocean. On October 2, 2011 that all changed. We boarded the awesome Sensation.

So we left Disney and drove to Port Canaveral. That's when we first saw her.

That was what we saw. I parked 20 feet from this picture. What a huge beast. Now comes Customs. Oh, never dealt with border patrol before. Sure, laptop is not in that bag. No, no fruits or vegetables or drugs here. We're done? Then time to check in. Five minutes later, a happy woman who was a cheerleader 30 years ago entertained us while we waited to board. Ten minutes later, we are on the Lido deck. Lunch and beer and time to wait until the cabin (E244) is done.

We walked the ship from Deck 12 to Deck 7. There's the pool. There's the putt-putt. There's the stage. If you know me, you know my next move. I walked on center stage. Only Bob saw me acting like a kid again. Thanks God. That was the first of many times I would giggle. I don't giggle.

Here's the shops. Here's the casino that we won't ever use. And in the background, there is NASA. I remember when NASA meant we were explorers.

The cabin is ready. we walk quickly to see room E244.

I will tell you more but now it's time to wait. I have packing to do tomorrow. I have a new life I need sleep for. So stay tuned. More later.

2011-05-12T01:16:00.000-05:00

Now I know what 2011 is the year of
March 8 2010, that's when this picture was taken.

I was getting ready to get on the Amtrak and see California for the first time with my fiance. We were on the train for 2,000 miles ending up in San Francisco, California for our vacation. Then we took the train home and got married.But something happened in California. We realized how boring our home of Springfield, IL is. That's when we first got the idea. Then somehow that I don't fully understand, we were given lots of money. Then the idea became a plan. Now it will be a reality. We're moving.On November 4, we will load a Ryder truck with our stuff, 2 cats, and then tow a car 2,000 miles. And sidenote, let me show you the mountains we drive through in winter...

We won't have jobs yet. We won't be used to the city yet. If this sounds scary and like lots of work, you got it. But, in 2012, we WILL have jobs, we WILL have new friends, and we will live in one of the most beautiful and peaceful cities in the world.In my last blog, I didn't know what 2011 would be the year of. Now I know. It's the year of change; of new beginnings; of fear; but I have an ally. We are a team. And, at the end of this trek comes 2012.

2011 - The Year of ???

2011-01-28T15:58:00.002-06:00

So in a few days I'm getting my tax refund. Then it's time to pay for my first ever cruise!!! DeBenson91 is going to the Bahamas. I've never been on a ship or to the Bahamas. 2011 is going to change all that.
But that isn't the only change that is coming my way. This year there is a good chance we're moving. We're looking at going 2000 miles west. If we pull this off, it will be a huge undertaking. New state, new friends, new jobs. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.
2010 was pretty good to me. I got married to my soul mate. Now, as newlyweds, it's time to move onward and upward. I hope 2011 will be kind to us. I hope our plans will match the plans the year has in store for us. For now, all I know is 2011 is the year of ???

2010 My Year

2010-12-24T14:44:00.002-06:00

So it's Christmas Eve, 2010. All the tv shows are about a review of what happened in 2010. I kinda like that idea. So this is my look back at my 2010.
The first months of the year were spent getting ready for March. My fiance at the time left on March 7 to go across country on the Amtrak to California and then back to get married on St. Patrick's Day. The Amtrak was amazing! It was so cool to eat a steak dinner in the dining car while going through the Rocky Mountains. We had never been to San Francisco and that was also intense. We hiked for hours on the slightly treacherous Palomarin trail, had seafood at the wharf, foolishly hiked Angel Island, and did 100 other things tourists are required to do.
Then came March 17, wedding day. It's funny to look at the video and see how nervous I was. My spouse and I have known each other for years but something about going through the steps was terrifying. And now we're married! That's great because I'm not going through that stress again :)
So I'm married and now comes the happily ever after. Not quite. Then came the toughest part of 2010. We had a beautiful cat named Jubilee that we loved and that loved us. She'd been with us since we had first dated. We made sure to give her the best life we could and she knew it. Old age caught up with her and we had to let her go. I miss you Jubilee. I love you girl.
Our house got quiet. After awhile, we decided our cat Marcia needed another cat around. Enter Rogue. Rogue is orange, has sharp claws and teeth, and doesn't like me that much. Hopefully in 2011 she will realize that I am cool and I feed her. Meanwhile, I'm content to be her scratching post.
2010 has also been the year of the facebook. I won't mention my obsession with farmville, other than to say if you need a neighbor, send me a message. This has also been another year of our youtube channel. We've tried to keep our 1500 subscribers entertained.
So what about 2011? God knows what's in store for us. We're planning to take our first Bahamas cruise. Who knows what will happen. There will be plenty of laughs and more than enough tears. For now, I'll say goodbye 2010 and thanks for the memories.

A Farmvillain

2010-10-17T20:45:00.003-05:00

Ok my one reader, you are right, I haven't written anything in awhile. It's not my fault. I've become addicted to the dumbest game on the Internet. Of course, I'm talking about farmville. I'm not sure why I'm so hooked on it. I know to the minute when my crops will be ready. I know how many bricks I still need to upgrade my haunted house (three more). And if I get sick of my farm, well I have three others I work on too.

But there are some things about farmville that seem weird to me. Granted I'm not a real farmer, but do farmers have lighthouses on their farms? When you harvest real farms, do you find fuel under your crops? How about ice cream parlors or for that matter haunted houses? The only part of farmville that is realistic is that strawberries only take four hours to grow in real life too.

So now I'm going to try to get back into my original obsession; Youtube. I'm starting to work on a collaboration video with a Canadian friend. (Yes Josh I will start filming tomorrow). And now two of my youtube buds in Ireland want me to do a collab vid. Hey everybody, can't we just farm instead?

Anyway, that's all I have for now. Soon I'll make a post about my upcoming Bahamas cruise. But right now I have to go plant acorn squash.

The Year of the Flea and the Ancient Chinese Secret

2010-06-14T05:48:00.004-05:00

So we have a new Kitten, her name is Rogue.

If you want to see a video of her check out our youtube channel. Yeah, I know she's cute. What the picture doesn't show is the gift she came with. Fleas. Lots and lots of fleas. So for you cat owners, you know that's no problem. Buy flea killing stuff. Done. But it only takes three months to work. So now might I suggest a flea comb? Well that would be a great idea. But Rogue loves to bite and claw and try her darndest to kill me. So combing her is, to say the least, entertaining. And then there is her big sister Marcia. Marcia hates two things, Rogue and fleas. So now medicine and a comb for Marcia. That it why I am calling the summer of 2010 the Year of the Flea. I know summer is only three months but the fleas are making it seem quite a bit longer.
But what about the Ancient Chinese Secret you ask? What a great question. I have had this blog for months now. I write about things I think are interesting, or annoying, or funny, whatever. I love reading comments. But, the only comments I get are in Chinese. Yes, I know, it's spam. I won't tell you what the comments say. I suggest you use google translator. When you do, you will think the comments are as funny as I do. Trust me on this. Until then, it's an ancient chinese secret. So if you are reading this and you DON'T speak chinese, feel free to comment.
謝謝你讀這篇文章，對評論。

Life's (not) funny that way

2010-04-01T16:36:00.002-05:00

March 7, 2010 was 25 days ago. We were going across country on Amtrak's California Zephyr to California. The trip was perhaps the best in my life. Amtrak is an experience everyone should try (if you can afford getting a room). Seeing the country where there are no cars, no roads, no Walmarts was surreal. California itself was everything I thought it could possibly be. We toured islands, beaches, hiked panoramic coastal trails, and ate seafood at Fisherman's Wharf.
March 17 was 15 days ago. I got married to the love of my life, my soul mate. I was extremely nervous, a funny sight if you know me. And then we came home.
We returned to life on life's terms. My spouse had been laid off. Our budget was virtually exhausted. Our refrigerator and car's gas tank were empty. We've adjusted to married life. We are adjusting to poverty. Life's (not) funny that way. To use a tired cliche, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. A ray of sunshine has been the generosity of my friends. One donated food, another tried to slip me the money she had in her pocket. Tears rolling down my face, I tried to give it back to her. She wouldn't let me. I just said thanks and wished her a Happy Easter.
I won't go into the emotional turmoil this has been causing. First I don't know you, second, that's not what I want to remember when I read this in the future. It will get better. We both know that. Money comes and goes. Jobs come and go. Love endures.

Only A 60% Chance of Rain

2010-01-17T00:40:00.004-06:00

One of the weirdest if not best times of my life. And this is how I saw it. We were living in Wilmington. If you don't know who "we" were then you don't know who DeBenson is, but that's definitely another story.
But as I said, we were living in Wilmington. For those of you that don't know, it is by the coast of North Carolina. We spent alot of time seeing what the ocean and beach are about. We night fished (again another story!), we drove to a part of the beach that deer would hang out, 30 or more of them feeding on the sea grass. And then there were the Rocks at Fort Fisher. The rocks were built during the Civil War. Our Southern Confederate troops fought the Northern Union forces at our last major southern port Fort Fisher, NC. "The Rocks" were built to close off blockade runners, but that isn't the story.
"The Rocks" go from Fort Fisher to a place called Zeke's Island. It is about 3 blocks long and a block wide and out in the ocean. We decided to hike the rocks and explore the island. I checked the weather that morning. There was a 60% chance of rain. "Hey," I said, "that means there is a 40% chance of no rain!" My fiance liked the justification and so we drove to the Rocks.
Let me describe them. Boulders in the ocean. They're slimy, slippery, jagged, deadly. Off we went the three mile trek on these rocks to Zeke's Island. This is how I know what a caveman feels like. We crawled over each rock, the Island getting closer, the tide closing in making us walk on partially submerged stone. After an hour, we make it. The rain starts.
Zeke's Island is nothing. Sand, bushes. That's it. Five minutes of looking around and we're both done with it, soaked and ready to play video games at home. No problem. Yes problem, time to walk back on the now totally submerged Rocks in the middle of a huge downpour. So we walk.
I remember thinking that we would slip and fall onto the jagged rocks and just end up featured on tv as two poor victims. We kept "walking". I knew we were in trouble. A fishing boat came within 50 feet of us and I waved. I honestly hoped they would rescue us. They waved back and kept going. Crap. We hiked for another half hour. At last land. We got into our car and really enjoyed not being adventurous.
You can see "The Rocks" in our youtube video called Never Gonna Be Alone. But they look sunny. They look fun. Picture them with a 60% chance of rain.

What's this New Video About???

2010-01-15T01:21:00.002-06:00

Ok, so you probably just saw my new video and just found this blog. You want to know what the big secret is. First, I forgive you for not keeping up with my blog. =) Second, you might have guessed, I'm getting married! We're going to California by the Zephyr and then getting married on the way home.
I love my youtube channel. On all the videos I have posted, I've been thinking what the most people would find funny or weird or whatever. This video is my first that I only thought about making it for one person. And I've learned that nothing else matters.
So to everyone else, I hope you like the video. If not, it's all good. To my fiance, I love you. Thank you for the past, the present, and our future.

My Favorite Video of My Channel

2009-12-15T22:44:00.002-06:00

I was just on youtube seeing what my friends were up to. But before I closed it, I had to see a video I made. A month ago I posted Fireflies - Owl City DeBenson Style. It's one of those vids that I didn't make for my subscribers, I made it for me. It turns out, alot of you like it. Hmmm, maybe there is a lesson in there somewhere.
But why is it my fav? First, obviously, the song kicks butt. But there are scenes in it that were the most fun times of my life. If you read this blog, you know a year ago, I went on a road trip to Atlanta and Orlando. The Aquarium scenes in the vid were shot in Atlanta. The fireworks shots were in Orlando. One scene is where I am climbing stairs in some multi-colored staircase with weird circles. That was the stairs that led to the room I stayed at in Disneyworld's Pop Century Resort. The colors and staircase are actually inside a 40 foot tall Rubik's Cube staircase. It also has Springfield, the town I live in with President Lincoln and me in it.
Sometimes I make videos because I know what my subscribers like. But once in a rare while, it's just for me. And the great part is those are the ones you like too.

FIREFLIES BY OWL CITY - DEBENSON EDIT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVsD9j3WH04

Insane Youtubers

2009-12-06T00:54:00.002-06:00

Ok, youtubers. I love making vids. Comments, subscribers, and views are a trip for me. But what about the dark side of youtube? Two types of youtubers drive me friggin insane!!

Type one - I know, let me post 30 vids a day! Good idea. I look at my queue to find my friends and some subscription has posted the results of the latest jai-alai game, and then a vid showing highlights of the latest jai-alai game. Then comes a video about how he felt watching the latest jai-alai game. You get the picture. Oh, and all his vids are in some language I don't speak. Good plan. Thanks for playing, I'm going to unsub now.

Type two - the haters that don't get it. Have you ever gone to a channel to see he has 5 subscribers? When you look at the channel comments they all say "Why are you such a...?" or "Get a life dipshit" or some other response to his or her (it's never a her) insanity. They are related to the guys that say "I Hacked Fred's Channel". Lot's of youtube fun there. I get the feeling that when he is not logged on, he's stealing money from the Salvation Army kettle.

So yeah, I love youtube and I know to steer clear of idiots. But it would be so much easier if there were fewer of them.

Falcon, Octomom, and Maine. The End of the World is near

2009-11-04T16:20:00.004-06:00

People are talking about 2012 as the end of the world. For once, I'm starting to believe it. I have been watching clues. Tell me if you don't agree.

Falcon. Better known as Balloon Boy. OK, I get it, fame is great. No one creates a youtube channel unless you want a few seconds of the world's attention. But Henne family, rly? You created a crappy spaceship balloon and pretended that your kid was in it just to make publicity for a reality show? And then as the world was camped out on their doorstep they felt "under siege". Did you want the world's attention or not?

Octomom- people in China can only have one kid. This wacky, wacky lady has 14. Oh and no job and no income. Now she is wanting to get her own reality show with that other annoying guy John of John and Kate plus 8. That's 22 kids and 2 "adults". And I thought the concept for the Brady Bunch was absurd.

Maine- just voted to forbid same-sex couples from marrying. What possible reason could anyone have? Do two women or men who love each other and want to get married affect my life in any way whatsoever? Don't we have enough to worry about without stopping people from expressing their lifelong commitment to each other?

So that's it. I don't know about you but I am going to start stockpiling bottled water and canned goods. 2012 is near.

It's Alive!!!

2009-10-10T01:17:00.004-05:00

My computer has been sick for four days now. I haven't been able to be on the net and I thought my $400 laptop was dead! Thanks to a computer expext (geek) I'm back online-it's alive!! But here's the thing, I never knew how addicted to the net I am. The last four days have been hell. I had to watch tv for entertainment. I know, craziness. I kept wanting to click on the screen.

So, maybe I have a problem. But I only go on youtube, video game sites, Google Earth, and other nerd-related spots (failblog anyone??). That isn't too bad is it?

OK, fine, the first step is admitting you have a problem. My bad. I can't live without Youtube. Here's what I am wondering. Is it just me? What would YOU go without? Could you go without TV? Or the Internet? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know.

Holy Crap Batman! I'm Getting Married!

2009-09-21T01:19:00.004-05:00

I wasn't going to put this on the Internet but I couldn't resist. I'M GETTING MARRIED!! That's right. In March 2010, we're going across the country from Illinois to California. On the way, we're getting married. I just got my wedding ring size today. Oh yeah, here's what my ring will look like... Gold and Rhodium, kinda spiffy isn't it???

So why wasn't I going to put this on the Net? Well, my Internet 'me' and the real 'me' are something I keep separate. But here's the secret. All of us on Youtube, Blogger, or any of the social sites post because we like posting, not for everybody else. So I'm posting this because March 15, 2010 will be one of the biggest days of my life. And as it happens, if you are reading this, you get to know about it.

So DeBenson is getting married! I'm definately in new territory here and I'm loving the journey =)

I'm Almost One Year Old!

2009-08-14T12:54:00.002-05:00

September 5, 2009. I will be one year old. Or, to be more precise, DeBenson91's YouTube channel will be one year old. I had NO idea what I was getting into a year ago! I had just bought this laptop and I liked going to youtube and watching fuuny videos.
At first, I didn't know you could create a channel or comment or any of that. One video was so good, I saw the comments area and had to post a comment. Youtube said I needed to make a channel so DeBenson91 was created. A few weeks later, I made a simple video showing one of my cats called "Jubilee Being Jubilee". After that, I got hooked.
It's funny to look at my early videos, they are almost embarrasing, just stills put together. Then came graphics, then a took a bold step (for me) and put myself in them. Along the way, something weird happened. I started to make online friends from all over the world. It became less about my vids and more about what my buds were up to. I've lost some good friends. Naythandude2200 in Ireland vanished. Cwackies in Canada stopped making vids. But more online friends came along. I check my channel every day and love getting comments and messages and commenting on my friend's vids.
So now I have 200 subscribers. I've had two haters, one stalker, and a vid that took 2 weeks to make (The Time Warp) has over 1,000 views. It's been a wild ride so far. I can't begin to guess what it will be like when I'm 2!!

DeBenson versus Hater

2009-07-31T20:14:00.004-05:00

I love making Youtube videos. I go to my channel every day and have made friends with people all over the world. Like everyone else, I have encountered my share of 'haters'. Haters sounds so tame, these people are full-on lunatics. The other day a hater got me in the way that only an obsessed sociopath could.

This person went to each of my 37 videos and rated them all one star, over, and over, and over. I am guessing that he or she spent 3 hours doing nothing but rating my videos making it look like noone likes my channel.

Haha. Pretty good one obsessed sociopath. Messing up my channel is so much easier than going and getting help for the mental illness that begs to be treated.

So, clearly I was angry. I made a video of me shouting at this anonymous person calling them a coward and suggesting they 'man-up' and comment. You know the deal, dueling pistols at thirty paces. My friend then reminded me that I was about to make a person with a severe mental illness more angry. I removed the video. Then I stopped allowing anyone to rate, which sucks because every video had been 5 stars. Now they are all 2 or 3.

So long story short, hater 1, sane person 0. I think I would rather be sane then be him.

An Emo's Guide to Posting Videos

2009-06-28T16:17:00.004-05:00

Hey virtual world. Yep, it's been awhile since I've posted on my blog. My bad. So I made a video that I thought was cute on my youtube channel. If you make videos, you know how it is. You put in some effort, convinced that it will be the next 'viral vid' and sit back and watch everyone be amazed at your comedy genious.

Well, that's not quite what happened. Seventeen people have seen the vid. It's about Canada's July 1 holiday. I've been to Canada a few times. I loved it. Some of my subscribers are Canadian. I thought it would get a warmer reception than it did.

Not to get all emo on you guys but what up? Here's what I really don't get. I made a lame video called My Former Governor is Nuts. I hate that vid. But it has over 800 views! I can't begin to explain that.

I guess it just shows that you can't tell how peeps will react. I make videos first because making them is fun to me. Other than that, it is fun having online friends around the world. Most of my subs like most of my vids. I'm good with that. But the next video I post, I'm sure everyone will comment and love. Yeah, we will go with that.

The Customer is always right; unless they're insane

2009-05-07T00:31:00.002-05:00

So I just checked in 113 rooms worth of guests. The Illinois Police are in my town to honor the people lost in the line of duty. What that translates to is policemen ride in on harleys or in cop cars and drink ALL DAY. Live bands, tents of merchandise in my hotel's parking lot, and beer. To be precise, all the beer that is currently located in this state.
I had the usual, people too (how should I put this?) stupid to know how to use a hotel key. I would walk them to their room and show them how to use the key. To my credit, I would play it off like my hotel is different from all of the hotels they are used to and it must be our fault. That way, they get in and don't feel as stupid as the situation required.
One guy tonight caused me to lose it. Please understand that I am a good hotel clerk. I go far out of my way to be helpful and nice. After checkin number 75, I forgot that. My bad.
So this guy came to the front desk. He said that I told him there was a party but that I didn't specify how loud it would be. Then, while sipping his beer, he got irate and said he would sue me for 'false advertising'. That did it. Stand back, he's gonna blow.
I started yelling. I said I told him everything and that I have about $.58 if he wants to sue. Then I said it's his choice but he could stay or go and if he went he was still paying for his room. I might have used a colorful expletive. (My coworker was trying not to laugh as I was shouting)
Long story short, he shut up and is currently staying at my hotel.
And the party there rages on.
So yep, I am aware the customer is always right.
... unless they are insane.

Swimming with Sharks

2009-04-17T15:22:00.003-05:00

I'm back at work now (sigh, tear, sob). I wanted to write about what was an intense experience for me. I swam with sharks and stingrays!
So we went to Typhoon Lagoon at Disneyworld. As I've said in other posts, I'm a big coward. I'll wait while others do Space Mountain and Tower of Terror. But I decided to take a risk when I saw Shark Reef.
I got in line and picked up my snorkel and scuba mask. Then came the lifeguard's talk, which went something like this;
'Before you go on shark reef, there are some things you need to know. In minutes, you will be swimming with adult sharks and stingrays. Whatever you do don't dive underwater. Breathe normally through the snorkel and pull yourself through the water with your arms. The water is really deep, you will not be able to touch the bottom. You also can't touch the sides of the tank. And the water is very cold. If you get in trouble, lifeguards are ready.'
Ok, great. A set of warnings tailor made for cowards. I can do this. I can do this. I put on my mask and snorkel and was amazed how clearly I could hear my hyperventilating and my heart beating out of my chest. I eased into the water, looked down and yep, sharks. They were right there. Not happy baby sharks but full on grown up sharks. I pulled myself through the water amazed that nothing was separating me from them when I saw something else come into view. Huge stingrays passed less than two feet under me.
Now I'm halfway through the pool, or gauntlet as I called it. Something weird happened. While checking out these sharks and stingrays I was swimming with, I started to enjoy it. My breathing and heart slowed and I started to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. And then I was at the end. That is when I decided to make it a twice-in-a-lifetime experience. I went to the end of the line and did it all over again. Life it turns out is good.

Springbreak 2009

2009-04-13T06:20:00.002-05:00

As I type this, I'm in Chattanooga, TN. Today (when my friend finally gets up) we will be going home. For now, I wanted to post about the trip.
On day one, I drove for 10 hours down to Atlanta, GA. We got thoroughly lost in Atlanta, an experience I recommend for those of you that enjoy fear. So we went to the Georgia Aquarium. If you want to see what I saw, go to my youtube channel (DeBenson91) where I will post some videos soon. The best part of the Aquarium was plexiglass tunnel that went through the aquarium where you are surrounded by whale sharks, stingrays, and Finding Nemo-style fish. (I'm a hotel guy not a fishologist). There were lots of other fish, but I won't bore you with that.
We stayed at a scary motel just north of Atlanta. It had video cameras everywhere to attempt to discourage crime. I guess it worked because we weren't killed.
On day two, we went down to Orlando. Can I just say that if you were one of those annoying drivers on I-4, you should learn how to drive and then drive not the other way around. We saw two cars try to travel demolition-derby style. Another guy had a How's my driving? Please call 1-800... so I called and hopefully his boss took away his keys.
Anywho, at Orlando, we stayed at the Pop Century Resort and had Park Hopper Passes for three days. The hotel was intense (again see my youtube channel) with four story tall Rubiks Cubes, 5 Story Tall Big Wheel, etc. Everything was overpriced, ten bucks for chicken nuggets! But the parks were great.
One thing you should know about me... unlike my sleeping friend over there, I am pretty much a coward. He did Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, Big Thunder Mountain railroad, all of the stuff that would immediately cause me to have a heart attack. I stuck with all the tame stuff that I am sure I will talk about more in a future post.
For now, I have to decide what to do on this last day of our break. Until later, drive safely or don't be on any roads I am please =)

Rare Gems or just Fossilized Poo?

2009-03-22T16:49:00.002-05:00

15 more days. Then comes the road trip. But here's what strikes me as funny. While looking on the Internet at the attractions and hotels I will be going to, I've been reading comments of guests. One place had a comment "This is the best hotel ever", the very next comment was "Be afraid, be very afraid". One of the attractions we will see is the Incline Railway in Chattanooga, TN. It is essentially a railroad car that goes up a mountain side at a 78 degree angle. "What a great view and great ride" was one comment. "I couldn't have been more bored. I can't believe I had to pay for that" was another.
Ok, I get it. The Internet is a great way for angry people to let the world know that they are angry people. It is so much cheaper then getting counseling or just trying to see the good in the world. So I am either about to have the best time of my life or the worst time of my life. Who knew you can't believe everything you read on the Internet???

Don't Forget To Live Your Life

2009-03-11T20:36:00.002-05:00

It's been a rough day. I'm at work right now. I just heard on the news another story about how we should all squirrel away any money we have in case the economy gets worse. Those comments get me so angry. I'm not going to stash money for a rainy day. I'm going on a vacation of a lifetime. In doing so, in a small way I am going to help this strained economy. But far more importantly, I will create memories that will last forever.
A potential guest came to this hotel for a room. I told him our rate. Instead, he decided to save 8 dollars and stay at a motel that is known for drugs and prostitution. This man was over 70 years old and will have a horrible stay at a terrible place because he wants to save 8 bucks.
I found out that a friend I met on youtube is fighting a serious illness. This guy has a better outlook on life than most people I have encountered.
All of these stories have one thing in common; it is vital that while going through our daily grind, we all remember to actually live our lives. I feel pity for the people who haven't figured that out. And for the ones who understand that secret, I feel admiration and respect.

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

2009-03-04T15:11:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I was watching national news with Brian Williams. Right before going to a commercial, Mr. Williams said, "The Earth was almost in big trouble yesterday, more in a minute." I went from not paying much attention to biting my nails. When the commercials were over, Brian Williams explained that an asteroid dubbed 2009 DD45, came within 40,000 miles of hitting our planet. That is closer than the moon is to us right now. This asteroid is the size of a ten story building. According to the news, had it hit our planet, it would have the power of 1,000 Hiroshima size nuclear weapons.
And the story gets better. Our scientists didn't discover it until last Friday. It missed us on Monday. I'm not one of those wacky internet conspiracy theorists. I'm a big fan of science and actual rational thought. But this one makes me wonder. First, the path of these things is elliptical, meaning it will be back (and next time it will be angry). Second, what do scientists know and not tell us? What would you have done differently had you known 1,000 nuclear weapons worth of energy were heading for your house? Can we get Bruce Willis on speed-dial just in case we need his help stopping one of these things?
Fortunately for us all, the thing missed. Hopefully it will again. But just in case, I think I am going to start building a space shuttle and then get it all gassed up.

Stupid Things I'm Looking Forward To On Vacation

2009-02-26T19:06:00.003-06:00

I've already posted a blog about my vacation and put a countdown timer on the blog. There are obvious things I'm looking forward to like Atlanta's Aquarium, Disneyworld, Lookout Mountain, and some waterfalls. But I was just thinking about some of the more odd things I can't wait to experience. Here's a partial list.
WAFFLE HOUSE - If you live in the Southern United States you know what I'm talking about. Four words; scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. There are no Waffle Houses up here in the midwest. I guarantee at least one will get my business.
MANATEES - Manatees are in a word, weird. They look like underwater cows. The only place to see them in this country is in and around Florida. It turns out Disney has some. They look peaceful, graceful, ancient. I don't think I've ever seen one IRL, and in just over 39 days, that will change.
BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS - I grew up in North Carolina and I miss the mountains. Not those ugly dirt and cactus shards in the Western US, but rather the green gentle giants dotted with cabins, winding roads, and crystal clear rivers.
WELCOME TO GEORGIA, TENNESSEE, FLORIDA SIGNS - It's been about a year since I left my city limits. I love to see other states and those signs always make me smile.
HAVING THIS COMPUTER - This is my first road trip where I will have a laptop with me. I've already bookmarked all the tourist info. I will probably update my youtube channel (see bottom of page for the link) with videos of everything while I'm on the road.
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY - Life is different down south. Been there, lived that. I remember last year when I stopped at a gas station in North Carolina. The clerk was so nice and friendly, I felt like we had been lifelong friends. The true south is relaxed, polite, friendly, and makes anyone feel at home.
THE FREEDOM TO EXPLORE - My best friend and I have reservations. Disney is prepaid. But beyond that, we can go where we want. I don't fly for two reasons, one I hate to fly, and two, you get to see more of this country at ground level. If we want to go see waterfalls, we can. If Atlanta is too fun to leave, no problem. Don't get me wrong, I've planned every inch and every minute of the trip. But I am gleefully aware that it is subject to change without notice.

So that's it for now. Keep an eye on my youtube channel and this blog if you are the least bit interested in the trip. Until then, see ya virtual world. Y'all come back now 'hear?

I Blog Alone - Greenish Day

2009-02-16T18:25:00.004-06:00

I just posted my new video on my youtube channel (see link at bottom of the page). It's called I Blog Alone by Greenish Day. This is my second parody video, my first one was My Coffee is Cold by K.T. Perry.
Parody videos are fun to make. They are a change of pace from my usual director-not-star videos that I have offered my millions of subscribers (ok 34 subscribers).
I get it that the popular vids on youtube are the ones with the channel owner as the star. I just like composing and editing more. But, in an effort to get all the way to 35 subscribers, I will give the virtual people what they want. I am still going to make videos like the 16 others I have made.
So that's it for today, my fifteen seconds of fame are up.

Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln!

2009-02-12T12:24:00.002-06:00

Today is Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. I have to say, I never used to care. This year is different. This year we have an African-American President. What would Lincoln have thought about that? What would a black person in his time thought the odds were that we would elect a black man as President?
I am in Springfield. President Obama (I love saying that) will be speaking in my city tonight. I woke up this morning and turned on CNN and saw my city on tv. We have the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum here in town. No doubt it is packed right now. (If you haven't gone, you must go! It is incredibly cool, holograms, interactive movies, and millions of things I never knew about Lincoln.)
I am a fairly progressive white man. I have a hard time digesting the past, and often an equally hard time understanding the present. We as a society have clearly gone far and have far to go. But I would like to think that President Lincoln would be proud of us today. I will continue to try to do my part. I just wonder what advances are in store for us as a country in the future. For now, all I have to say is Happy Birthday President Lincoln.

Our Vacation

2009-02-06T15:04:00.002-06:00

I have just finished planning a vacation of a lifetime! On April 7, my best friend and I are going on a cross-country road trip. We are first going to Atlanta, then Orlando, and then to the Tennessee mountains and caves. Now all we have to do is wait 59 days. That is the agonizing part. I'm ready to go NOW. Who ever said anticipation is half the fun?? I'm pretty sure it won't begin to compare to the trip.
By the time the vacation comes to an end, we will have driven over 2000 miles. We will be taking the laptop and video camera which means I will be posting videos on my youtube channel with the highlights.
So now all I need to do is earn enough money to be able to do all the things we have planned. Does anyone out there need your lawn mowed or gutters cleaned? If not that's fine. I have a backup plan. I am going to ask the government for some of the bailout money. I am sure that will go over well. I wonder what kind of vacation I could plan with a billion dollars of government stimulus money???
Anyway, time for me to start work. Have a good day virtual world.

What you don't know about hotels

2009-02-04T19:21:00.002-06:00

I work in the hotel industry. It's not that bad a job, lots of downtime and all the continental breakfast I can eat, not to mention wireless internet. But as I sit here at the front desk, I've been thinking about all of the things people just don't understand when they travel. Here are my favorites...
1. Prices aren't the same across the nation. At least once a week, someone will tell me that they stayed at this chain in Grant, Nebraska or some such place for only 19.99. We are the Capital of this state so we don't honor the rates of a hotel 1000 miles away.
2. You need a credit card to stay. Yesterday a guy came in and had a wad of one dollar bills wanting a room. I explained we (and everyone else) require a credit card. His response was that this is the United States of America. I agreed and said we still need a credit card.
3. Desk Clerks (aka guest service agents) are not required to know every fact about every business in town. A lady asked me where the nearest scuba store is. Since I am in the midwest, I am guessing it is a thousand miles east.

And now for the secrets about hotels that can be helpful...
1. You can negotiate (to a point). If we have 100 empty rooms, we are probably willing to go down a few bucks. If we are sold out, we get to raise the rate on you.
2. The internet deals are not deals at all. Those priceline, travelocity, hotwire, etc. places have a few problems. One, you can't cancel once you book. I get that once a week. Two, they tack on five to twenty bucks to your reservation so they make profit. They find our lowest rate, add their extra and then sell that to you. I might suggest you call the hotel to find out the rate and then surf online.
3. The nicer you are on check in, the better your room will be. Not all rooms are identical. The desk clerk gets to pick where to put you. If you are rude, your room will not be as nice. If you are nice, you might get a free upgrade.

So, America, thanks for traveling and staying at this hotel. Now go away and please come again soon.

Illinois wacky wacky Governor

2009-01-25T20:03:00.004-06:00

Most people in this country and for that matter all the other countries have heard about my governor, Rod Blagojevich. He's the one that has been charged with trying to sell President Obama's vacated Senate Seat. Mind you he's not convicted, give us a few weeks on that. Tomorrow, the Illinois Senate will start the Impeachment Hearings. The Illinois House has already impeached him 117 - 1, the one no vote was (no kidding) his sister-in-law. If she had voted yes, Christmas and Thanksgiving would have been awkward at the Blago home.
So I made a video a while back called "My Governor is Nuts". I made the video because I had some time to kill and because my Governor is nuts. Last week, he compared the accusations to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Um, what???? He has had many press conferences saying that he is being picked on because he is trying to lower my taxes in Illinois. I think it had more to do with that senate seat thing myself. Blago also wanted to call various White House officials to the stand to verify he did not ask them for a bribe. I will testify he didn't ask me for a bribe either. It isn't about who he didn't ask, it's about who he did.
My only other comment is that he says it isn't fair to remove him and subsequently convict him without asking the people of Illinois. Let's pretend for a second he doesn't have an 8% approval rating (which he does). If he wants to ask each of us, my vote is step down and move out of my country before you are thrown in the slammer.

Youtube Popularity

2009-01-23T15:33:00.004-06:00

So, you might have noticed I have added a poll on the right. I'm curious who your favorite youtuber is. So you can vote for as many as you want, the poll will stay up for a week. These are my favorites so now I'll talk about them. Everyone knows KevJumba and BoBurnham, great comedians that will be very rich thanks to Youtube and their talent. But there are lesser known channels with some pretty funny guys.

1DoubleMProductions1 are two guys in South Africa that have some insane skits and music videos (check out their Numa Numa and Toxicity).
Hockeystar13 is another good one with skits, news of the weird, vlogs, and most unique use of a wig.
OhNoCabbage should win just for the channel name if nothing else, but his humor and art are both great.
TheRondoShow representing Canada is perhaps the coolest Canadian featuring great Vlogs and Skits (Please help him design a t-shirt and talk him into eating Habenero Peppers!!!) Even though Rondo never subscribed to my channel :(
And then of course there's me, ok, I get it, I like my cats too much.
And last but certainly not least is TheNaythanDude2200 representing Ireland. He is so friggin funny it absolutely kills me (check out Shopping Centor! and An UpDaTe).

So feel free to comment on this blog or any of my blogs and vote away. And subscribe to these guys if you haven't already.

Copyright and Youtube's Principal's Office

2009-01-22T19:27:00.002-06:00

Ok, one more post on this my blog's inaugural day. I love music, the stranger the better. All of my videos have background music that is funny or inspirational or whatever. But here's the problem, some of the music I picked was copyrighted.
Have you ever tried to post a video on youtube only to have it regected because of copyright? I've encountered that twice. Then I got a message from youtube letting me know I shouldn't do that again. The message further informed me that I would be suspended or expelled from the virtual world.
I get that the guys who wrote the song make money when the song is played and paid for. But here's my thought, if my video is good (and that is a big if) I think it would make people go out and buy the song or the album. The other problem is some songs are copyrighted and some aren't. The website that I get the music from claims none of the songs are. Little did I know I would need a law school degree to make videos.
One of my two videos that had copyright issues will never be seen. The second video, "In Honor of the 44th President of the United States" was allowed to be posted. But if you look below the video, there is a link the song owner put on my video for people to buy the song. Fair enough.
So, please buy that song after seeing that video. I don't want to go back to the Principal's Office of youtube again.

My first ever blog

2009-01-22T15:59:00.002-06:00

Welcome to my first blog posting! I created this to give some insight into my youtube channel and to rant and rave about whatever is going on in my corner of the world. So I think the best place to start is to tell you about my youtube channel.
If you have seen my videos, you will notice that there are three main characters; my calico cat Jubilee, my tiger cat Marcia, and me. Obviously I love my cats, but in having them in so many videos, I am becoming known as the cat guy. Ooops. What you haven't seen in my videos is my best friend who is the main commenter and promoter for our channel. If DeBenson has commented on one of your vids, the odds are he did it. I have tried to get him to be in my videos, but he declines and the cats get the supporting actor role. One day I will be successful in having him join in the video absurdity that is my channel.
The other thing about my channel is my avatar. That Blue Moon Motel thing. My buddy and I are both hotel peeps. I thought the Neon sign was appropriate.
So that's about it for now. Later I will be posting about some of my videos. I will also be talking about current events like the fact that we now have a new and incredible President of the United States!!!