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How, after all these years of being a “Calvin & Hobbes” fan, did I never realize Bill Watterson is from Cleveland!?

The Plain Dealer posted a brief interview with the cartoonist, thought to be his first since 1989. A C&H stamp will be issued by the post office later this year.

I loved reading “Calvin & Hobbes” growing up, and have all of the books, including the complete hardcover collection. I still read the strip daily and find that it has a whole new enjoyable meaning for me now that I’m a parent.

We’re on our way to north Florida to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family, but today we swung through Orlando to spend a quick day at Disney. We needed to renew our annual passes that we had purchased last November anyway in order to get the extra three months for free. Now we’re set through February 2011! The weather today was perfect, but the park was a little more crowded than in the past when we’ve come around Thanksgiving time.

Since we were just coming for the day, we figured on just staying at the Magic Kingdom and not doing any park-hopping. Thus, we decided to try out a few of the attractions we either had never been on, or hadn’t been on in a long time. First things first, we got Fast Passes for Space Mountain. The ride had been closed for remodeling since April and is my daughter’s favorite roller coaster at Disney. It just re-opened this past weekend so we definitely wanted to get on it. No surprise, our Fast Passes obtained around 9:30am were for 5:30! That gave us the rest of the day to wander around. Thinking we could get a sneak peek of the Space Mountain changes, we hopped onto the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. To our surprise, the tunnel through Space Mountain is totally dark and you can’t see any of the ride anymore (we found out why later, once we got onto the coaster). Still in Tomorrowland, we rode the Astro Orbitor, another ride we hadn’t been on (in about 13 years). It was a first for my daughter though and she really loved it, considering it just goes up and down and around in circles just like the Magic Carpets or Flying Dumbos (just a bit faster).

After lunch we went to Fantasyland, rode the obligatory “It’s a Small World” and also went to see PhilharMagic (a personal favorite). In Liberty Square we went into the Hall of Presidents to see that show (I could have sworn I saw the Bill Clinton “robot” check his watch while Barack Obama was speaking! ), which is now narrated by Morgan Freeman. In Frontierland, the river boat ride is now part of the promotion for Disney’s new upcoming animated feature, “The Princess and the Frog.”  The film doesn’t come out for another two weeks but there’s already a New Orleans-style parade featuring the princess (and prince) and some Mardi Gras-type characters and music. We rode the slow river boat around Tom Sawyer’s island (which we didn’t get to) with some great views of the back side of the Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster.

I couldn’t convince my daughter to go through the Haunted House, so we walked back to Tomorrowland intending to use our Fast Passes to Space Mountain and found it had been shut down! “Technical difficulties” the cast member outside the line said. He told me to check back later and any Fast Passes would still be valid. We snagged Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and then had dinner. After a race over on the Tomorrowland Grand Prix, we went to the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor where my daughter had a joke she had texted in read in the show!

By this time, Space Mountain was running again! We noticed a few changes while going through the line, primarily the addition of interactive video game screens on the standby side of the line and the “closed roof” of the waiting area. You can no longer see the coaster itself (what little you could see) while in the back-and-forth area of the line. This actually makes the ride itself darker because you can’t see the people in line. The “stars” seem to stand out more since there is less light on the ride. The coaster track itself hasn’t changed and it’s still my second-favorite Disney coaster (behind the Rockin’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios and just ahead of Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom).

After our speedy space ride, it was time for our Buzz Lightyear Fast Passes so we got in line to “shoot some aliens!” It was getting late, so we found some seats near the front of the park for the SpectroMagic parade, which my daughter, who actually awake this time, loved. Since no view of the evening fireworks could beat our last trip we left the park and drove to our hotel for the evening. Tomorrow morning we hit the road for the panhandle.

What could be better on a Saturday afternoon than a family trip to the movie theater for the Toy Story double feature? Seeing these classic Pixar films on the big screen again (and in 3D!) was great. It was also a fun first-time experience for my daughter who wasn’t even born when the movies were originally released.

You get the same pair of polarized 3D glasses Disney used for “Up,” which got a little annoying after almost three hours, but the resulting visuals were great. Since the original films weren’t animated with 3D in mind, there are no in-your-face-make-you-jump-out-of-your-seat gimmicks, just enhancements to the original film which make it a joy to watch.

In between the two films there’s a 10 minute intermission during which they show some Toy Story trivia. A clock in the corner counts down the minutes so you know exactly how much time you have to go to the bathroom, grab some new refreshments, etc.

The one thing that surprised me was the lack of a new trailer for “Toy Story 3.” I had read that a new trailer would be shown in theaters only, but the place we went to only showed the teaser trailer we had already seen before “Up.”

If you get the chance in the next two weeks to see the double feature, do it! Both movies for the price of one? It’s a no-brainer.

A few months ago my daughter and I watched “Star Wars: A New Hope” together. We had been playing through Lego Star Wars on the Wii and had ridden Star Tours together over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and she was really into the characters. Considering I was younger than her when “ANH” was released (I remember seeing it in the theater with my parents and falling asleep during the second showing), I figured she was ready for the full experience.

She loved it!

Of course, she latched onto the whole Princess Leia thing, since she loves princesses, but she really got into the other aspects of the movie as well. By the end, when the Death Star exploded, we were both cheering together … it was a really cool bonding sort of moment.

My ultimate “proud father” moment happened early last month when she was selected as a padawan in the Jedi Academy show over at Disney:

This weekend, since my wife is away, we started watching the other movies. So far we’ve gotten through “The Empire Strikes Back” (she was floored when Darth Vader proclaimed he was Luke’s father, as I remember being when I saw it in the theater), “Return of the Jedi” (ugh, she liked the Ewoks, I’ll have to work on that but she was happy Luke and Leia were twins), and started “The Phantom Menace.” She’s very interested (as we all were) in how little Anakin becomes the formidable Sith Lord from the later movies.

It’s a cool experience, watching these again with her …

Today on Father’s Day we went and saw the latest Disney Pixar movie, “Up.” It’s an amazing stat: every one of Pixar’s movies have been consecutive hits. “Up” is the 10th and it keeps the streak going.

From a technical standpoint, once again the animation quality is incredible. Clouds, fire, sweeping vistas, the physics in a group of balloons … you’ll forget you’re watching something generated on a computer. And the 3D? It was cool … it wasn’t full of “in your face, try to make you jump” 3D effects, just added depth to these amazingly beautiful scenes. The entire movie wasn’t in 3D either (as my daughter attested to because some scenes “weren’t blurry” when she took her glasses off … I confirmed this myself) but wearing the glasses the whole time wasn’t really distracting at all.

What about the story? Let’s just say that the first 10 minutes is pretty powerful, emotional storytelling (moreso even than the first half of “Wall-E“). You might find yourself tearing up a bit …

Some random thoughts:

• this is the first time I can recall seeing blood (twice, no less!) in a Pixar film
• John Ratzenberger keeps his streak alive
• squirrel!
• caught a few Star Wars references
• why does every young woman in a Pixar film (i.e., Ellie)  look like Elastigirl?
• I want a few of those dog collars for my own pups

Strange cloud-related side note: one of the previews shown was for “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” the Pixar short before the film was “Partly Cloudy” and then the film itself had a lot of clouds in it. Coincidences?

This has been my daughter’s first year as a Brownie scout, so we’re currently experiencing first-hand the annual selling of the famous Girl Scout Cookies. She hit up the usual suspects (friends, neighbors, and family members) and we also spent time at our troop’s cookie booth the other weekend in front of a local grocery store.

During our troop’s cookie sale kick-off meeting back in mid-Feburary, we were specifically told that selling on the internet was a no-no. That apparently didn’t stop one 8-year old (and her dad) in North Carolina from setting up an online ordering system and raking in the sales, along with complaints from other cookie-selling families in the region. Newsweek has an interesting article on the story that also explores why the Girl Scouts haven’t made the transition to online sales, much like Avon did. My favorite quote from the article:

Michelle Tompkins, a spokeswoman, says, “Girl Scouts of the USA is not shunning the Internet … though we still have to figure out how to do this.”

The internet has been around for a while … maybe it’s finally time to figure it out.

Badrang the Stoat has his evil eyes set on ruling over his own empire, and will do anything to make sure that his ultimate fantasy is fulfilled. But little does he realize that the quiet, nameless mouse he is holding captive will one day turn out to be the heroic and fearless Martin the Warrior.

“Martin the Warrior” is the sixth book of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series. The opening sequence takes place shortly after “Mariel of Redwall” but the actual story of Martin is the earliest so far in the series, placing it sequentially before “Mossflower.” The book also takes place in the far north lands, a new area of Jacques’ world.

Badrang the Tyrant, the ruler of Fort Marshank on the shores of the Eastern Sea, has captured a young mouse named Martin. Martin eventually escapes with Brome (another mouse) and Felldoh (a squirrel) from the fort and meets up with Brome’s sister Rose and her companion Grumm (a mole) who have come from Noonvale.

Separated during their escape, the remainder of the book follows the two parties in their respective quests: Martin, Rose, and Grumm attempt to return to Noonvale and raise an army to attack Marshank; Brome and Felldoh meet up with a travelling troupe of entertainers known as the Rosehip Players (which include a Badger named Rowanoak and a hare called Ballaw) and plan a series of missions to free the remaining Marshank slaves. Meanwhile, Badrang has to deal with both the outside attacks and inside subterfuge caused by an old “friend” (Tramun Clogg, a sea-faring stoat pirate) paying an unexpected visit.

As usual, the characters are varied, colorful, and entertaining and the story is easy to read. This volume, however, has the most sad and tragic turn of events in any of the books so far in the series. Suffice it to say that the ending plays an important role for the Martin we see at the beginning of “Mossflower” and explains his actions that carry on in the later Redwall novels.

As the inhabitants of Redwall relax in the haze of the long, hot summer, they are unaware that the neighboring stronghold of Salamandastron lies besieged by the evil weasel army of Ferhago the Assassin. Nor do they realize that Mara, beloved daughter of Urthstripe, Badger Lord of the Fire Mountain, is in terrible danger. But when a lightning bolt uncovers the sword of Martin the Warrior, young Samkin embarks on adventure that leads him to Mara, and their lives become inextricably entwined.

Book 5 of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series is “Salamandastron.” As before, my daughter and I started reading this together, but only got a few chapters in before she decided to go on without me, so once again I ended up reading this one on my own after she finished.

Despite following the now-familiar formulaic approach (which I detailed in my previous Redwall-related post), “Salamandastron” was a quick and fun read. If I had to pick, the badgers would be my favorite characters in the Redwall mythos, and there are quite a few of them in this book. Here’s the breakdown:

• Ferhago the Assassin and his son Klitch, along with the horde of Corpsemakers are beseiging the mountain stronghold of the badger lord Urthstripe. Mara, a young orphan badger under the care of Urthstripe, runs away with Pikkle (a hare).
• all is peaceful at Redwall as they prepare for their seasonal Nameday celebration until the sword of Martin the Warrior is stolen by two weasels; they are pursued by Samkin (a squirrel) and Arula (a mole maid).
• shortly after they leave Redwall, an outbreak of Dryditch Fever spreads through the Abbey; Thrugg (an otter) and Dumble (a baby mouse) strike out north seeking the Icetor flowers, the only known cure for the disease.

Some more familiar groups make an appearance, like the guerilla shrews (another personal favorite), along with some new characters, like the hawks and eagles of the North (with their highland accents). Jacques does a nice job of establishing the three storylines and then weaving them together, tying the whole thing up in a neat package by the final chapters.

Chronologically, this book comes after “Mariel of Redwall” but before “Redwall.” Just like before, my daughter enjoyed being able to tie some of the characters and plotlines of “Salamandastron” into the other books. I’m amazed by her retention of characters, events, and details … she remembers the little things much better than I do. That could be because she is constantly re-reading these books. I told her that once we read all of the books (which could take a while, I think there are over 20!), she should re-read them in chronological order.

Next up: “Martin the Warrior.”

I took my daughter to see “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” this afternoon. I guess everyone who wanted to see this saw it opening weekend, because this was only the third weekend of its release and the theater was pretty empty … and all the kids were girls under 10, as I expected.

“Senior Year” follows the now-familiar (to anyone with a young daughter) characters of Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Talor, and Kelsi as they finish their last year at East High and face graduation and moving on to college.

Like the first two films, this one has some snappy song-and-dance routines but is a little light on story/plot (but I guess HSM is about the music after all, right?). My daughter’s favorite song was “The Boys are Back,” sung by Troy and Chad in a junk yard scene where they reminisce about being kids pretending to be ninjas, superheroes, etc. My daughter particularly liked the part where they turned into 8-year old versions of themselves. I didn’t really see anything “big budget” about this movie compared to the originals which aired directly on the Disney Channel. I guess doing a full theater release was just one more way for Disney to rack in the cash before the end of the franchise (like they won’t make a ton on merchandising and tie-ins anyway!).

It’s an amazing world our kids are growing up in: when we got home after the movie, I purchased the HSM3 soundtrack from the Amazon MP3 store (for $4 less than the DRMed version on iTunes) and then burned it onto CD so she had it for her bedtime listening enjoyment. Incredible.

If you’re a parent who’s seen HSM3 (or any of the HSM movies for that matter), you owe it to yourself to check out the “Night School Musical: Senior Year Equivalent” sketch from Saturday Night Live:

Heaved off her ship in a pirate raid, Mousemaid Mariel is washed up on the shores of Mossflower. With no idea where she is, or indeed who she is, the young warrior mouse embarks on an unforeseen adventure that will take her to the very heart of Redwall and into the arms of the people who live there.

So I’ve finally caught up with my daughter and finished the fourth book of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, “Mariel of Redwall.”

Just like J.K. Rowling’s first few Harry Potter books, I’m beginning to see the pattern in Jacques’ novels:

• new enemy/bad guy is introduced
• all is peaceful at Redwall
• an event occurs that requires some Redwallers to leave on a perilous quest, directed by the spirit of Martin the Warrior and mysterious Abbey writings/poems/riddles, joined by other friends along the way
• while the questing party is gone, Redwall comes under attack and must be defended by the peace-loving Abbey dwellers
• the Abbey is successfully defended, though some lives are lost
• the questing party returns successfully to the Abbey
• a final journal entry by an Abbey dweller sums up the final events and links to the other books in the series

The one difference in “Mariel” is that the main protagonist is a female mouse. Otherwise, the book falls into my outline above as follows:

• Gabool the Wild, king of the sea rats, has captured a magnificent bell intended for the badger lord of Salamandastron.
• Redwall is still being constructed, with the current project being the bell tower (hint hint)
• Mariel the mousemaid arrives, discovers an old poem that describes how to get to Terramorte Isle, and then leaves on a quest to kill Gabool and avenge her father Joseph the Bellmaker. Dandin (mouse), Durry (mole), and Tarquin (hare) accompany her northwards.
• a gang of sea rats, led by Graypatch, decide to besiege the Abbey intending to be the new rules of Redwall and enslave its inhabitants.

I can’t really go into the final points without giving away major plot lines or spoilers, but suffice it to say it follows the pattern.

While these are primarily books for younger readers, I have enjoyed them. While I was reading “Mariel” I was giving my daughter daily updates on my progress. She was always excited to remember certain sequences or events and discuss them with me. She was also very good about not spoiling any upcoming surprises. She also loves the maps in the front of each book, which show a little bit more of Mossflower Woods and the surrounding lands in each story.

Next up is “Salamandastron,” which we’re going to read together like we did with the first two. It takes a little longer, but it’s our fun bedtime activity.