More To The Story
I must admit. There are plenty of good stories out there. Lots of them that I enjoy revisiting often. But haven’t you given thought on occasion to “what if”…
Take for example, the universe that George Lucas created with his Star Wars film. Depending on who you believe, it may have always been intended to be the grand saga it has become with 9 episodes and two spin-offs. Or, it could have just been a one-off story that could have been a nice little movie that made a few bucks and quietly faded away.
That has somewhat been the attraction to “what if” stories for me. It’s that road not taken or the turn the other way; the tale not told. If you think about it, every moment in our lives has that kind of point to it. What chance of fate led to what happened? It boils down to some very basics physics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The Star Wars Universe is a fun place for a story teller. Sure, we all know the stories we have seen on the big screen at the local multiplex. What some folks like to call the “canon” of the tale. But what about everywhere else in that spread? Surely there must be other stories to tell. What about the folks who were unlucky enough to just be living their lives in the wrong place at the right moment? Like what about the average guy or gal working away on the Death Star when Luke Skywalker made that one in a million shot to exploit the designed weakness and blew it up? Why don’t we get their story?
I honestly look forward to the end of the Skywalker saga. It was an experiment. One gone horribly wrong in the end. Sure, it would be easy to place the blame on Jar Jar Binks, but the real culprit? Qui-Gon Jinn. Had he not taken the boy Anakin Skywalker away from slavery on Tatooine, Anakin would never have had the chance to train as a Jedi padawan. Never been exposed to the dark side of the Force. Never become the pawn of Darth Sidious. Never become Darth Vader.
Sure, the tale of a rebellion that overcomes oppressors and creates new freedom for all is appealing. It’s the story of the United States, with our break from the British empire. And then our own war between the states. Still a rebellion alive in the minds of some. States rights versus the strong federal (Imperial) government.
Yet in the universe that is Star Wars, there is so much more waiting to be discovered. That’s why Rogue One was so popular. It took us somewhere we hadn’t been before, showed us other people and how they fit into the big picture. Not everything has to be clean and neat, but we need to feel we see a bit more of the universe.
I don’t understand why some folks want to step back and see the same characters repeat themselves over and over. Characters need to grow; they need a story arc that starts at one point and takes them somewhere else, somewhere different. For that is what life is. A journey from one point to another. And what happens along the way? Those are the moments that make the story worth the telling.
See you out there along the arc to come…
90 Years and counting for a Mouse.
So, if you missed it, yesterday was the 90th birthday for a mouse.
Now, that is pretty good by mouse standards. The average mouse lives about a year. But, then this is not your average mouse.
Depending on what corporate spin is telling the tale, this mouse got his start at the desk of one Walt Disney. At least, the tale is shared that Walt used to see a mouse when he was at work at his drawing table in his Kansas City days. So in March of 1928 after a trip to New York, where he learned that he had lost the character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt and Lillian were riding the train back to Los Angeles. The legend goes that Walt came up with the idea for a spunky mouse as a new character, naming him Mortimer. Lillian intervened and christened the new mouse as Mickey, instead.
The Walt Disney Family Museum has on display what may be the first drawing of both Mickey and Minnie Mouse, believed to be from the pencil of Ub Iwerks. And so it was that the first cartoon to feature both of those mice was a silent short called “Plane Crazy”, capitalizing on the trans-Atlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh, with a test screen debut on May 15, 1928. But it wasn’t until Mickey and Minnie found their voices, with the first synchronized sound cartoon, “Steamboat Willie” was first shown in New York City at Universal’s Colony Theater on November 18, 1928. That is the recognized birthday for the duo.
It’s interesting to note that Walt put Oswald well behind him. So much so that when Bob Iger made the deal to bring Oswald back to Disney, he proudly announced it to Walt’s daughter Diane during Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. Her reaction was, “Who was Oswald?” All the years with Walt, he had never mentioned Oswald to her. It was as if he never existed because Walt had so completely left that behind and gone forward with Mickey instead.
Mickey became an every man character over the years, maturing from his rough and tumble early beginnings. He made the jump from short subjects to feature film in 1940’s “Fantasia” in the role of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. And he was good for the bottom line of the company, too. With early licensing deals as well as getting the Mickey Mouse Club started as a Saturday morning gimmick to fill theaters with young fans, the Mouse was off and running.
When television beckoned in the 1950’s, that Mickey Mouse Club became part of the new medium and was more popular than ever. Not to mention, when Disneyland opened it’s doors in 1955, here was a place where guests could finally meet Mickey in person. While the first appearances were courtesy of costumes from the Ice Capades, the more traditional suited mouse became as favorite of millions of guests as Mickey was the reason for photographs.
The view above is one of my favorites because it shows Mickey meeting a random guest at a special moment. No prearranged or specially chosen person, just someone who happened to be in the right spot at the right time. To the minute, it was the 50th anniversary of Walt giving his dedication speech for Disneyland. Mickey was there in Walt’s stead to carry on, as it were.
Mickey has been at the right place and time for others over the years. Always with his trademark smile. Let me share a few more special moments for myself and friends:
Jeff and Anita Pidgeon during lunch in Club 33’s Main Dining Room.
Mickey joined by Pluto during a wedding brunch for Noe and Michelle Valldolid, in Club 33’s Trophy Room.
And finally, Mickey with the Colton’s during a June birthday visit to the Park.
Yes, that’s one busy Mouse. Here’s to many more birthdays! Why it’s only 10 more till the big 100…
Time change again?
It’s a real throwback this morning. I am up and at work during that Sunday morning as clocks get set back an hour at 2 am, for the change from Daylight Savings Time, back to Standard Time.
Having worked my fair share of overnights through the years of my professional career, the spring forward and fall back is something I have been through many times. This fall morning, i get to work an extra hour as everyone is asleep. It’s a nice bit of change added onto the paycheck. Change the time on clock here and there, too.
Daylight Savings Time in the US goes back to 1918 and the end of World War I. It saw a brief extension during the Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970’s. I remember a high school protest over that, short-lived as it was. Rationale has been that the shifting of clocks allows folks to be up and out while the sun shines. I don’t know if it works on not, but it is one of the goofy things we put ourselves through, losing an hour of sleep in the spring and gaining it back in the fall.
My two cats don’t see it that way. We get a few weeks of adjustments as food dishes still need to be filled, no matter what clock you follow.
Speaking of time, I hope that you all get time to vote in the upcoming election. Too many men and women gave their lives to waste the opportunity for us to participate in our government. Based on the early voting numbers, it seems that more folks are doing so and that is indeed a good thing, no matter who or what you vote for.
Pardon me while I get some coffee going…
Out there in the multiverse
Okay, it’s Monday. I will apologize now for taking this blog off into a bit of a different direction today. Well… off in a whole slew of different directions all at the same time.
Join me as we take that big first step into the Multiverse. Any way you turn, your influence on what happens is unique.
Oddly enough some scientific minds think there is enough evidence to consider if this or real and not just good fiction. And of course, there are scientific minds who pooh pooh the whole concept as simple fantasy.
It’s an interesting concept when you think about it. Just imagine that for every time you turned one way or the other, the alternatives all actually existed in some plane of reality. Did you go right, go left, forward or backwards? Each choice you might have made would have provided a different impact. Perhaps taking a later train, you may not have met someone who played a big role in your life. A basic bit of physics in that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
We all have those moments in our lives when a decision leads us down one path. But what if you had taken another one instead? What might have been? Sure, you could have bought that lucky lottery winning ticket, but you chose not to make the purchase instead and never took the chance.
I’ve mentioned before in this space that I am a fan or speculative, a.k.a. “what if”, fiction. Things like what if the South had won the Civil War. With so many entertainment franchises looking to reboot, the possibilities are endless. A good example of how this has worked is how the Star Trek world had seen the Gene Roddenberry universe become the J.J. Abrams universe with the splitting of timelines leading to things being different. Everything from technology to relationships familiar yet new and different. The characters of James Kirk, Spock and Leonard McCoy audiences came to love the first time around have an entirely new series of stories to live through and entertain audiences all over again.
The concept of the Multiverse is alluring yet frightening at the same time. On one hand, everything goes right, where we got the flying cars and transporters to get us from place to place. And yet, the other side of the coin is likely to offer a post apocalyptic dystopia with the survivors of nuclear war barely alive and fighting for every day of life. If you can imagine it, there is probably some scenario where it all comes to pass. That’s the beauty of the concept, there is no right or wrong. No prime universe, just alternatives that don’t stop offering choices.
One of the best bits of the Multiverse in popular culture right now is “The Man In The High Castle”. The television series is based on the 1962 novel by Phillip K. Dick of the same name. With enough of the familiar, people can see that things might have turned out that way, had the US lost World War II. That, “what if” captures the imagination of audiences who want to learn more.
Yes, I know, time travel paradoxes make for good head aches as well as good stories. But haven’t you had that moment of wonder, that indecision leading your steps along a path?
So what will it be? Coffee, black or with cream and sugar? Or maybe a cup of tea?
See you out there somewhere on the road to the Multiverse. Or maybe not… you decide.
Life goes on.
This may come as a shock to some folks, but life goes on outside of Orange County. Both in Anaheim and Orlando.
Yes, people still come to visit the theme parks, stay in hotels, shop for souvenirs and enjoy meals and beverages at the many themed locations. The surprise, however, may be that there are plenty of other places where the same also happens.
In the days when Walt Disney first wanted his little park surrounded by a train, I doubt he could have imagined that such an enterprise would have inspired millions of guests to visit similar parks around the world. The tale is told that after Disneyland opened, he was asked by one of the high level management where they should put the next Disneyland. His response was that this would be the only Disneyland. Even with all of the parks that make up the Walt Disney World resort, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai, there still is only one Disneyland that Walt brought to life, in Anaheim.
From what folks in the know have said, Walt liked to be out and about Disneyland seeing guests enjoy it all. As well, I am sure he enjoyed the fact that another of his ideas had become a proven success, too. Even though no one says so, one has to believe that Walt enjoyed it being profitable too. Those profits allowed the completion of more attractions and more additions to the Park.
For many people, a visit to a Disney theme park may be truly a once in a lifetime experience. First, it is not inexpensive nor was it, even back in 1955. Plenty of those mythical families of 2 parents and 3.4 children made the pilgrimage from all around the world. They still do today. Maybe they stay with family or friends somewhere in the LA Basin or further afield. Maybe they stay a few nights in one of the motels or hotels anywhere from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Travel by air or rail or even still by automobile for many miles there and back again.
Those of us Disney fans lucky enough to enjoy the Annual Pass in some form see the Park differently than that mythical family. We get to visit more often than once in a lifetime. Some folks go as often as possible, making Anaheim a second home. Like the family that used to head off for weekends at the lake, enjoying cabin life. No, these pass holders congregate and take in the Disney life as their own on a frequent basis. I won’t dive deep into the psychological as to why, but it could make for a fascinating doctoral thesis, on the subject of why the pass holders are so dedicated a bunch.
Off and on over the years since Disneyland first offered the Annual Pass, I have enjoyed my share of them. Currently not, I once visited Disneyland (before California Adventure) 31 times in a year. That was during a promotion where they offered prizes at the main gate and I think there were more than a few times when a visit was a few minutes. I know one was all of 30 seconds in and out.
Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy visiting the Park. A lot of great memories with family and friends come along on each visit. Especially with some folks who are no longer with us. But the real story here? Even with all of the new Star Wars land waiting to be explored, if I never visited Disneyland again, ti would not be the end of the world. Life would still go on.
Sure, there is something about that moment when I enter through the turnstile at the Main Gate, with the Main Street Station sitting above the Mickey floral display, as a steam locomotive brings it’s train to a stop. It’s good show and I get sentimental watching it unfold again and again.
Yet I get a similar feeling stepping out of a BART station onto Market Street in San Francisco. The sounds of the City all play their part in grabbing my emotions. Everything from the slap of the cable in the slot as cable cars climb the hills at all of 9 miles per hour, the honk of auto horns, the hum of electric motors as streetcars head outbound for the Castro. The hustle and bustle of life in the City.
Or how about coming out onto a porch on a fall morning as the wind rustles through the pines, the smell of evergreens in the morning dew as life on Lake Tahoe begins another day. That’s magical indeed.
The moral of these ramblings? If you need one, I guess it all comes down to what you make of what you have. Something as simple as a good cup of coffee can be worth the moment you find your self in.
Yes, sir… life goes on. Get out there and live it.