More Habitat For Humanity

As reported previously, Jake continues to work on a Habitat For Humanity Project. We are making good progress. The roof is complete, and the windows and doors are in.
Today's project was to install the siding on the house. The first step was to install the J-Channel around the edges and across the top. This kind of frames the siding and holds the siding in place.
The next step was putting the siding in place. It isn't hard, but it is time consuming, because your have to cut the siding to fit around every door, every window, every spigot, every electrical outlet. Once the piece is cut, it goes on pretty easily. Just snap in place and add a few nails.
By the end of the day, we had about 75% of the siding on the house.

Davy Jones at EPCOT

Davy Jones is performing this week at Disney's EPCOT and there was no way that Molly was going to miss him. He puts on a pretty good show. He did a mix of songs and humor and he worked the crowd pretty well. When he first came out on stage, he sang for a bit and then he said, "Hi, I'm Davy Jones' father." It was funny and got a big laugh from the crowd. He also said that the three words he hears most when people see him on the street is, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha". This is a reference to an episode of the Brady Bunch that he guest starred in. Here is some video from that episode.

Some of the songs that he performed at the concert today included, "I'm a believer."

He also performed, "Daydream Believer".

He also performed a song from the musical "Oliver" that he starred in before joining the Monkees.

Relaxing Back at the Port Orleans French Quarter

After a hard day at the amusement park, we headed back to the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort where we are staying. Jake and the girls did a little swimming in the pool and then grabbed pizza at the food court. After dinner, we relaxed along the Sassagoula river.
The resort has some flatboats that go up and down the river carrying guests between the resorts and Downtown Disney. The resort also has a variety of different types of boats for rent. There are also horse drawn carriages that carry guests along the river.
It was really relaxing just laying in the grass, watching the boats and ducks.

Disney's Magic Kingdom

We spent the last two days at Disney's Magic Kingdom. Day one was very crowded, but the second day was great. It is amazing what a difference one day makes. We debated why attendance would be so different on a Friday compared to Thursday. We aren't really sure, but we all agreed that the park is much more enjoyable when it is not so crowded.

The girls took a little time to pose with one of Scribble's favorite Disney Characters Stitch. It was interesting because after waiting in line to meet Stitch, he had to take a break. We were disappointed, but after a one minute break he was back. And a little taller. And with a different handler. Hmmmm... How unusual.
We also took a little time to do a little shopping. Jake had to try on the classic mouse ears. Disney now has about a thousand variations on the theme though.
The weather has been great all week. Every day so far, it has been about 80 degrees and sunny. We have been careful to wear hats and have used a lot of sunscreen.
Every once in awhile we had to take a look at the map to re-evaluate our strategy. Usually Jake was sent ahead to get fast passes for a ride. It is a lot more fun to make use of the fast pass system and walk right past all of the people who have been waiting in line for about an hour.
Scribbles did a little driving practice on the Disney Speedway. Jake hopes that she does better on her real driving test which she should be taking soon.
Not to be outdone, Sarah Ray did some driving as well. This was the first time that she was old enough to drive herself.
Jake and Molly have decided to get some of these stocks for the house. It is a great time out and attitude readjustment tool.
At the end of the day, we caught the Magic Kingdom Parade and said hello and goodbye to the main mouse.

EPCOT

First Stop today was Mission Space at EPCOT. The Pohick's took a little trip to Mars. Scribbles was the Commander. Molly was the Pilot. Sarah Ray was the Engineer. And Jake was the Navigator (And no, they didn't get lost)
We did a "Behind the Seeds Tour at the Land". The Land is a large greenhouse complex with lots of neat and innovative methods of growing food. We learned how the biologists control pests at the Disney Greenhouses with minimal use of pesticides. One method is the use of helpful bugs like ladybugs. The girls even got to release some lady bugs into the complex.
Here we see Sarah Ray releasing some lady bugs among a bunch of pineapples. Much of the food grown in the greenhouses including the fruit, vegetables and fish are served in the Disney Restaurants.
One of the neat tricks that the Disney growers do is growing food in the shape of Mickey Mouse. These vegetables are placed in clear plastic forms when they are young. As they grow, they fill out the forms until they are the shape of Mickey.
In addition to growing fruits and vegetables, the Disney Growers also raise fish and alligators for food. We fed the fish in one of the tanks as part of the tour.
One of the neat things going on in EPCOT was the Kim Possible Experience. The girls got a cell phone that was connected to Kim Possible and her team of crime fighters. The girls received phone calls and had to rush around to different countries in search of clues to stop the bad guys. Kind of like a way cool scavenger hunt. When they located a clue, they pushed a button on the phone and some animatronic event would occur.

We finished the evening at the Biergarten in Germany. Jake and Scribbles did a little bit of dancing while they were there. Check out a short video of their moves.

Disney Hollywood Studios

Our second day at Disney World was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Our first stop was the fast pass line for the Toy Story Midway Mania Ride. We arrived at the park exactly at opening time and it was a good thing that we did. The fast passes for Toy Story sold out pretty quickly. As it was, we waited in line for about 20 minutes so that we could avoid waiting in line. The normal line was about 100 minutes long. The ride was awesome, but we don't think it would have been nearly as much fun after a 100 minute wait.
Jake got to do his favorite thing and appeared as an extra in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. This is the second time in a row that Jake managed to get into the action. To quote Jake, "You either have to go big or go home." The price of celebrity is that people were accosting Jake all over the park telling him what a wonderful job he did in the show.
We had lunch at the Brown Derby restaurant. Jake really enjoyed his meal, but everyone else was a little iffy. There was a lot of fish on the menu, and Jake is the only one in the family who appreciates that sort of thing. Of course there are very few foods that Jake doesn't appreciate.
We got fast passes for the Rockin Roller Coaster and everyone rode. Molly and Scribble's actually got to ride twice because someone gave them extra fast passes. Some people have all of the luck.
Scribbles got into the performing bug and danced as part of the Block Party Bash. This is a combination parade and live performance with dancers, and disney characters. Scribbles' feet just couldn't be stopped and she was out there shaking it like a polaroid picture.

Disney Animal Kingdom

Our first day at Disney World was spent exploring the Animal Kingdom. Our goal this year was to focus on some of the things we haven't done on our previous trips. Upon arriving at the park, we went immediately to Expedition Everest to get fast passes. The ride was a lot of fun. Disney roller coasters may not be the fastest and scariest, but they have the best themes.
After getting our fast passes for Expedition Everest, we caught the Finding Nemo Live show in Dino Land. The staging of the show and the costumes were amazing. We really felt like we were under water.
We also visited Rafiki's conservation station this time which we haven't done in the past. It is kind of a laid back refuge which can only be reached by train. At the conservation station you can watch actual veterinarian procedures being performed on some of the animals from the Animal Kingdom.
There is also a petting zoo at the Animal Kingdom with goats, llamas, and big cows.
And of course there are always the character greetings.

Disney World Port Orleans

The Pohicks are staying at the Port Orleans French Quarter at Walt Disney World, Florida this week. This makes the french speaking member of the family very happy. She is pretending that she is actually in New Orleans. Jake is just happy to be away from work for a while. Actually, he is having so much fun that we may need to get him some plastic surgery to get the smile off his face. The resort has a very nice pool with a giant sea serpent with a built in water slide.
The family rented a four seat surrey bike today a rode it around the lake at the resort. It was a lot of fun, but there was some discussion about who was or was not peddling.

Space Shuttle Launch

Molly decided that we since we were going to be in Florida this week, we should all go and check out the Launch of Space Shuttle Discover STS-119. We drove over from Orlando to Titusville and camped out along the beach for a couple of hours. The launch went off right on time at 7:43. It was pretty cool. Because the launch occurred right at dusk, there was some neat lighting effects from the smoke from the Solid Rocket Boosters. It was really exciting to be there and hear the rumble from the rockets. What we didn't count on was the terrible drive from Titusville back to Orlando. We left at 8:00 PM and didn't get back to Orlando until about 1:30 in the morning. For the first 3 hours, our average speed was 3 miles per hour. That's walking speed friends.

Huntsville Havoc

Jake's friend Jeff was visiting this week from Texas. They decided to see a Huntsville Havoc Hockey game. The rest of the Pohick clan decided that this was too much fun for Jake to have all by himself, so they came along too. It was a good game and the Havoc beat the Twin City Cyclones pretty fair and square. The seats were a little too good. We were right behind the Havoc bench and we could see the blood, sweat and tears.

Habitat For Humanity

Last year, Jake participated in a Habitat For Humanity build. He had so much fun that he decided to do it again this year.

Last week the team constructed all of the wall sections in the Huntsville Habitat For Humanity warehouse. This week, the wall sections were transported to the home site.

The weather was awesome today, and we made a lot of progress. Starting from an empty slab, the team raised the walls, put the wall decking in place and installed the roof trusses. We are all hoping that the rest of this build goes just as smoothly.

Atlantis Found ... Maybe

Google recently released an improved map database that includes underwater maps of the Earth's Oceans. Researchers who have been using this data believe that they may have found the location of the fabled Lost City of Atlantis. The map shows clearly visible linear features that do not appear to be a natural occurrence.

Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In Plato's account, Atlantis was a naval power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9600 BC. After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune".

So is this the real deal or not? Some experts believe that the lines seen on the Google Map are just the result of imperfectly rendered data from sonar that is used to create the maps. Others believe that there might be something there. They believe that the data is inconclusive and additional research is required to rule out man made features. I guess time will tell.

Click here to link to Google Maps to see for yourself.

Wikipedia Article: Atlantis

Other Articles about Legends and Conspiracy Theories.

• Big Foot is Real
• Moon Landing Hoax
• Atlantis Found ... Maybe
  

Brad Montgomery Motivational Speaker

Jake isn't sure why his leadership is sending him to so many motivational seminars lately. Are they trying to tell him something? Last month they sent him to the "Get Motivated Seminar". Today they sent him to see Brad Montgomery, Motivational Speaker. Jake could be offended by this transparent critique of his motivation, but instead he chooses to be happy. And heck, Brad Montgomery is a hoot.

If you’re desperate for a humorist motivational speaker who is both inspirational and VERY funny — and if your business audience craves keynote speakers who blend laugh-out-loud humor with bona fide wisdom that they WILL implement, then you want humor expert and comedian speaker Brad Montgomery.

Organizations thirsting for funny speakers offering something fresh, motivational, and meaningful that is both humorous and a terrific business investment will love this guaranteed, can’t-miss hilarious speaker.

If your people deserve a boost to their morale, their bottom-line, and their energy level, and they demand a motivational speaker who will blow them away with a mix of high-content value and pure comedy … Just Book Brad.

Listerine Agent Cool Blue Glacier Mint

Remember those little pink tablets that they used to give us in elementary school to teach us about dental hygiene? We would chew the tablets which would color the dirty part of our teeth a bright pink color. Apparently those little pink pills are old school. Today's replacement is a product from Listerine called Listerine Agent Cool Blue Tinting Rinse, Glacier Mint.

With the plaque tinted blue, kids can easily see those places that they need to brush better. Agent Cool Blue is alcohol free and comes in two flavors: Bubble Blast and Glacier Mint.

We only used to get the little pink tablets about once a year in my school. With Listerine Agent Cool Blue, your kids can use this simple but effective tool every day.

Water Powered Jetpack

This just looks like too much fun. You have been dreaming about flying a personal jetpack for way too long. Your wait is finally over! Stop Dreaming! Start Flying.

Jetlev Sports Inc. is proud to introduce the JETLEV-FLYER, the recreational jetpack almost anyone can enjoy over water. It is designed for safety, stability, ease-of-use, and precise and effortless flight controls. Learn to take off, fly, turn, hover and land in as little as six minutes.

(The proceeding has been a public service announcement from the Gotta Try That Department)

Goodbye Colorado Springs

It's 4AM. It's Snowing. It's time to leave Colorado Springs. Jake had a good trip to Colorado Springs this week, but I think he has had enough of the winter wonderland.

Step 1 - Clear the snow off the car. (Why does it have to keep snowing. I wish Molly was here. She loves the snow.)
Step 2 - Get to the Airport. (The defroster doesn't seem to be working. Just keep moving towards the airport lights. You can't see the road because of the snow anyway.)
Step 3 - Return the Rental Car. (Hey, Why isn't there anyone at the rental car return place. They probably don't want to be here at 4AM in a snow storm either. Just leave the car and hope for the best.)
Step 4 - Check in at the Airline Counter. (Why the heck is there such a long line. I hope the flight isn't canceled because of the snow storm.)
Step 5 - Get through Security (Why the heck is there such a long line at security. Don't these people know that it is 4AM in the morning. They are all flying somewhere warm in the south I bet. Don't those new Blue TSA uniforms look snazzy though.)
Step 6 - Get on the plane. (Why do I always get wedged in between two value sized passengers. Just for once, I would like to be the bread instead of the filling in the middle. We are going to have to wait for our turn for deicing. Great. We are going to turn off the ventilation while we are deicing. Extra Great. I can't really breath here in the sandwich anyway so just take your time.)
Step 7 - Make the connecting flight. (Our flight is going to be landing late. Of Course. The connecting flight is about a mile away. Of Course. )

All is well that ends well. Jake made it home in one piece and is glad to be back in Alabama where it is about 65 degrees today. Jake had fun in Colorado, but there is no place like home. (He said as he clicked the heels of his ruby red shoes together.)

Colorado Springs Attractions

• Mount Manitou Scenic Incline Railway (Colorado Springs)
• Garden Of The Gods (Colorado Springs)
  
• Manitou Springs (Manitou Springs)
  
• Mount Cutler Hiking Trail (Colorado Springs)
• Pikes Peak (Colorado Springs)
• Ghost Town Museum (Colorado Springs)
  
• Helen Hunt Falls (Colorado Springs)
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs)

National Junior Honor Society Induction

Congratulations Sarah Ray! Yesterday, Sarah Ray was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society.

National Junior Honor Society, or NJHS is a worldwide organization that consists of many chapters in middle schools (grades 6-8). Selection is based on five criteria: citizenship, service, leadership, scholarship and character. Members must maintain a high grade point average (the national minimum is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) and become good citizens (by participating in service projects). The NJHS requires some sort of service to the community, school, or other organizations. The projects help students meet the required service hour total monthly.

Click here to see the official NJHS Webiste.

Commodore Scribbles was also inducted into NJHS several years ago. Click here to see her induction photo and story.

World War Z

Jake is still hanging out in Colorado Springs. He did some sight seeing the last couple of days, but there wasn't much daylight left after work today. Jake decided to just kick back with a book. One of the guys in his office loaned him a book called, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War This book written by Max Brooks is about a world wide plague of zombies.

What's interesting is that the book is written in the style of Studs Terkel's Oral Histories Books. Max Brooks tells the story of a zombie plague through the eyes of the survivors. We learn what they saw, how they survived and how they triumphed. We also learn the psychological impact of the dead rising up for a midnight snack. There is plenty of social commentary. Max Brooks examines how each of the major world powers dealt with the zombie infestation. He also discusses which segments of the population are likely to survive and which segments aren't. You'll be surprised by some of his suppositions. Jake isn't a big fan of Zombie Lore, but World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is worth the read.

Remember... You have to aim for the head. Anywhere else and you are just wasting ammunition.