Come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face...

Just a little something that popped into my head...

My best friend Becky was in Orlando this past weekend. Now, Orlando isn't exactly next door. It's actually about 3 hours away from where I live. However, when the distance between you and your best friend is about 1,500 miles away and you only get to see each other every 6 months or so, you go out of your way to meet up no matter what. Even if it's only for a few hours.

Since Becky was staying smack dab in the middle of theme park paradise, we had many choices for fun places to go. We narrowed those places down to two Disney theme parks; Epcot or Hollywood Studios- (Which I will always call "MGM", just like I never stopped calling the Boston Garden "The Garden")We finally decided on MGM...errr... Hollywood Studios.

I recommend going to places like Disney with your best friend. I mean, if you already have a blast in regular, humdrum, every day life, then naturally when going to one of the happiest places on Earth, your fun increases ten fold. Add in the love of taking billions of pics, most which include cheesy poses, and/or taking the time to try some trick photography, and you are beyond being in your element. But now I am rambling, so I digress....

While on a beer break somewhere between seeing "The Voyage of the Little Mermaid" and the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" play area, Becky and I studied our map of the park- scouring for attractions that we wanted to see. Right away my eyes fell on "The Great Movie Ride"- a ride that whisked you through the most memorable moments of many great films throughout the years. That obviously had my name all over it, and was targeted as our next ride to go on.

Like all attractions in Disney parks, we had a bit of a line to wait in before getting on the ride. Luckily, while you wait they pacify you by playing the old movie trailers of all the movies that are highlighted on the ride. One of the movies being "Singin' in the Rain". One of my all time favorites. Even just watching the trailer filled me with the kind of happiness that is so warm and comfortable- so familiar it brings a tear to your eyes. That wonderful feeling...just from the trailer!

So tonight, after the Patriots game (Super Bowl bound yahoooo!!!!!) I went to good ole' youtube and looked up probably one of the most famous scenes in cinematic history- the singin' in the rain scene. Pure euphoria. I really don't think there is any movie that can fill me with the absolute childlike joy that the singin' in the rain scene does. Maybe, and this is a big maybe, The Sound of Music comes close.

Anyway, after I got my fill of happiness and my guaranteed teary eyes, I got to thinking...Where is that magic in cinema now? I know there have been some amazing movies in recent time, but there really was something special, something elusive, something that can never be replicated again about that specific period. Was it the film in place of the exponentially expanding video technology of today? The Technicolor? The black and white? The music? The dancing? The talent? Probably all of it. It is bittersweet that the enchantment in a film like Singin' in the Rain will probably never be duplicated again. It makes me feel kinda sad that I was not around to take part in the romance of living in that time, though I am grateful to be able to watch these great films and feel a small part of it. Maybe though, if things were as magical now in movies as then...we wouldn't be able to appreciate those wonderful moments as much. Or maybe, 60 years from now, people will be feeling the same way I am about a movie like Chicago or Titanic and lamenting the fact that they were not around to live in such a time. But at this moment, after watching that beautiful and genuinely genius singing and dancing in the rain...I'm quite sure that is not going to be the case. Hollywood's "Golden Age" was called the golden age for a reason. I'm just happy we have some kind of access to that glorious, and wonderful space in time.

Thoughts About Amsterdam

Now I know I am officially old. Everytime someone finds out that one of the countries I am visiting will be Holland...more specifically that one of my main stops in Holland will be Amsterdam, the first thing they inquire about is if I plan on smoking weed, since it is legal to smoke in the coffee shops and all. My lame answer? "I don't know...maybe."

Young Jeanine wants to kick my ass. Who would go to Amsterdam without the number one intention of smoking it up? Old, fuddy duddy, post 20's Jeanine, I guess. I am much more interested in the architecture, the history, the culture, the food. I am very curious to try some Indonesian cuisine. I am also making it a point to try "Stroopwafels" which is supposedly two very thin waffle like layers stuck together with some super delicious, really bad for you, sugary sweet gooey goodness. That is at the top of my "food I need to try there" list.

I also love the fact that Amsterdam is similar to Venice- my favorite city in the world. I am eager to see if it can even remotely rival the charm of the amazingly beautiful "Queen of the Adriatic", but I seriously doubt it.
You know, now that I think about it, I also have no desire to wander into the red light district. At all. It kind of scares me actually!But I digress...More than just Amsterdam, I can't wait to see the windmills and the country side and hopefully...the tulips! And I am totally planning on buying some wooden shoes. I have wanted a pair since I was a toddler and watched Shirley Temple clog dance her little child star ass off in the movie "Heidi."

So there are my thoughts on visiting Holland. If I smoke, I smoke. (It is not even really, really legal there...there are some very strange laws regarding the smoking and distribution of marijuana.) If I don't smoke, it is no big deal. I am more interested in the country itself.
 Don't even get me started on how much I want to see and do and taste in France...and Belgium! This should certainly be an amazing trip.

Another Travel Adventure Looming

So, I am very excited. I am going to be traveling out of the country again- Holland, Belgium, and France! Everything is booked, everything is set. In some ways I don't think it has really set in yet that I am going to be embarking on another adventure into foreign lands. Maybe it's just too far away at the moment, and seems like a distant, hazy plan. That must be it.

As it turns out, my passport expired this month - January 2012. Getting a new passport picture has already been an adventure. I figured I would just go to Walgreens, as I knew that they took passport photos and that it was much more convenient for me to get to than anywhere else. FAIL. It took 4 people and about 45 minutes to figure out how to take a picture with the right dimensions and print it out. At one point I was helping them navigate their own system, but unfortunately they still could not grasp what they were doing. They took my picture about 5 times until finally a manager (that I had asked for from the very start) came up and finished the transaction in probably under 30 seconds. Gotta love incompetence.

Anyway, I can't wait to add my stories on here- and I again feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to see all these amazing places, and experience all these different cultures. I love adventures!!!!