Stress: Waking up 3 minutes before your airport taxi is scheduled to arrive for your important business trip. Getting ready in 10 minutes, only to wait 45 for the 2nd driver, after the first went to the wrong city. Then waiting in traffic — late for your flight — with a driver who doesn’t know where he is going.

Contentment: Arriving at the airport in time.

Stress: Being told the flight is overbooked and you don’t have a seat.

Contentment: Getting a seat.

Stress: Figuring out that that seat is in the middle of a big guy and a legally-blind lady who wants to talk politics … and with no luggage compartments left, that your overly large backpack is going to take up what little free space that existed.

Stress: Realizing that the plane left 50 minutes late, and you only had a 1 hour layover.

Contentment: Writing your blog at 37,000 feet up on a MacBook Pro.

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So I’m headed to Florida as part of my nearly year-long consulting project, and we’re currently flying past Roswell — a favorite topic for those late night radio conspiracy theorists. It’s daytime, however, so I doubt I’ll have any UFO reports (not yet, at least).

I’m flying Delta. I used to think of them as a good airline… perhaps a bit more expensive, but coming with a bit better service in exchange. Now, I think of them as the “nickel & dime” airline … $2 for headsets, $2 for an Entourage episode, and $5 for a cocktail (which they really seem to be pushing … they even have “designer” cocktails). I’m surprised that I don’t need some quarters to open the lavatory door. But hey … I’m not complaining, it’s just that perceptions change.

As some of my loyal readers know, I’ve been heavily involved with HeRO, the Hunger Relief Organization. Last year and this year I went to Honduras and filmed/shot footage for a video, which I’ve just finished and posted on YouTube. Congrats to HeRO for raising around $75k at the golf tournament (where this showed) … and which continues to feed well over 1000 kids, all from a one-day “party”.

By the way, Singer/Songwriter Chantal Soudant wrote, produced and donated the 2 songs included.

On a whim last week, I decided to host a puppy as his “foster dad” for a short time. His name was Trooper, and he’d been abandoned to die, “sick as a dog” (sorry, couldn’t resist) … and I had the privilege of taking him home from the hospital and being his dad for 8 days. What a difference it is to have “someone” around all the time, to be fully responsible for another life … I’m not sure how all you real parents do it, a puppy is a huge amount of work … and kids??? Can’t even imagine yet.

Anyway, he found a great home today, and so he’s off to his real life. And I have to admit … as much of a pain as he was sometimes, I’m sad (for me, of course, not for him).

It’s interesting how something so little can spur so much thought on all sorts of topics. What a great experience…

A couple of weeks ago, it was Jack Sparrow (of Pirates of the Caribbean) at the red carpet at Disneyland. Today — again thanks to good friend (and world-renown podcaster) Michael Geoghegan– today was a blue carpet and Nemo (no last name, as far as I know). Today was the press event for the grand opening (tomorrow) of Disney’s “Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage” … you know, the new disney sub ride … the successor to the old 20,000 Leagues subs that disappeared in 1998.

And I have to say … today was probably even more fun than the Pirates Premier.

Full gallery is here: Finding Nemo Submarine Premier Pictures

Not that there weren’t celebs… Brooke Shields and her adorable kids were my favorite, but also cool to see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Geena Davis, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox & David Arquette, Melissa Joan Hart, Denise Richards, blah blah blah …. but the celebs were melting in the afternoon heat.

Disney, in a stroke of typical Disney genius, hosted a great press party afterwards. It was my first time having a drink (Jack & Coke) in the park. Not only did I enjoy the gigantic shrimp … but I’m still laughing at one of the dishes they served: Broiled Sydney Harbor Dory. (The irony being, of course, that “Dory” is a main character in the Nemo movie, and I even think she was in Sydney Harbor … glad there weren’t any kids around!) I can’t imagine that was intentional … but maybe?

And the sub ride… how was that, you ask? In typical style, it was great. High-tech combined with tradition. As the guests we pulled in from the park said “two thumbs up!” The podcast of the event will be up in a few days on Disneyland’s official podcast on iTunes. (If you have iTunes, this link should open the podcast for you.)

Below are a few photos … I’ll post a highlights page of the top 20-30 pictures in the next day or two, for easier access. Read the rest of this entry »