Disney Magic via photos

Due to various scheduling issues, I was unable to view the MGM "Stars and Motor Cars" Parade. However, since my brother was there and had his camera, I was able to view it afterward. While it isn't the same as live, 'memorex' is better than nothing. As such, I thought I would share some of the highlights here:
 
   
   
 
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Snorkeling @ Castaway Cay

When we got to port in Castaway Cay, the chip's captain provided a weather report that included "0% chance of rain". While he was correct, we had a very black cloud come out of no where just as we were getting into the water, and a very defined funnel lowered from it:

That quickly left and we had absolutely wonderful weather the rest of the day.  Here are some images from a Wal-Mart disposable underwater camera:
 
   
 
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Character Breakfast

We got to Orlando on Sunday and already had some of our itinerary planned out … first of which was a character breakfast chosen by Hope.  She wanted to have breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and his gang.  Our reservation was set for 15 minutes after the park opened, so we had to get up early to attempt to beat the crowd.

Here are a few pictures of the way we started our week (click on the thumbnail to see a larger version):
   
 
 



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I've had a few emails asking...

So the first vacation post will cover ... Why I visited a clinic for x-rays while on vacation
When the reservations were made for us to stay at a Disney Resort, a request for a shower chair was included. Being that I don't like to sit in dirty water (ie: take a bath), I prefer to shower, but that can cause some issues when you only have one foot. Every place I have been since the amputation surgery has had shower chairs available at no cost, and Disney has them as well. The down side is the fact that the chair I was provided didn't have any rubber tips on the ends of the chair legs. Metal tubes sitting on tile and porcelain don't work out very well.

The chair was delivered on Sunday, and I was very careful when using it. Monday morning, when exiting to resort, I stopped by the front desk and explained about the missing rubber tips and expected it would be taken care of. Monday evening, still without the tips on the chair, I was again careful during it's use. Tuesday night was a different story. I guess I had become 'comfortable' with the chair and while I was leaning forward to rinse my upper body, the chair slipped out from under me and I slammed the end of my amputated leg into the tub floor. While I was seeing a bunch of stars, none were in the famous Mickey Mouse ears shape! It was several minutes before I was able to regain my composure and Renee was able to help me out of the tub and out of the bathroom. We called downstairs to let them know about the problem and members of their safety/security team were dispatched to my room, as well as a ambulance and paramedics.

I was concerned that I had either broken or cracked the bridge between the tibia and fibula. The paramedics told me that the last person they took to the hospital was told that there was an approx 4 hour wait to be seen, unless there an extreme emergency, which my leg wouldn't count as, but there was a late night emergency care clinic nearby that was open for another two hours. While the ambulance crew couldn't take me their, the chief of the security team (who had shown up by them) stated he would get me a taxi take me there.

After a while of waiting and then the x-rays, it was determined that there were no breaks, cracks or chips to the bones. When I got back to the resort, I was given a loaner wheelchair by the resort, with instructions that it was mine for as long as I was there and needed it. It was about three days until I could get back into my prosthetic leg, but it doesn't have the same feel as before. After speaking with my CP, he advised it may be 6-8 weeks before we know if the injury and resulting swelling etc will cause the need for the creation of a new socket. (if you will remember, I just got this one last month!)

Disney's insurance underwriting company has already been in contact with my a few times to insure that the costs associated with this incident are covered, either by my personal insurance or by them. I'm sure a company as large as Disney has seen thousands of guest that have a small incident attempt to blow it out of proportion and try to get tons of money from them. All I am concerned with is that I am not out any money as a result of their negligence.
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New baby announcement!

Announcement as I received it from the proud momma:

Say hi to Deacon Urbanowicz born March 14th at 9:10 a.m.  He weighed in at 8 lbs. 15 oz. and is 20.75 inches long.  Quite a surprise, since we thought he was to be a girl ... but, trust me, we are thrilled to have him.  We can already tell he is exceptionally smart and gifted, not to mention the most beautiful baby we've ever seen.  I'm smitten...

Stacy and Stan (the proud momma and poppa) are very good friends of ours and we were notified of the birth while we were standing in line waiting for the Test Track ride at Disney Epcot center.  That was the only time we wished we were somewhere else other than Disney (Renee had plans to rush to Stacy’s place as soon as her labor started).
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Back to blogging

The burger post was a fluke, as I stumbled across it while surfing prior to going on vacation. I am back in town and plan on making a few posts this week, primarily about all the cool (and not so cool) events from last week.

Last week's itinerary went as follows:
Fri (10th): Finalize packing and head to my Mom's house (then a rush trip back home to get my billfold)
Sat (11th): Visit with mom and wait for my brother's family to arrive
Sun (12th): Up at 2:45am to catch a 5:30am flight to Orlando, Florida (look out Mickey)

Afternoon and evening at Animal Kingdom
Mon (13th): Magic Kingdom for a character breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends

Rest of the day at Magic Kingdom
Tues (14th): Epcot center for the day

Late night visit to Centra Care (medical clinic for x-rays of residual limb)
Wed (15th): Magic Kingdom and Disney MGM Studio (while in an ECV)
Thur (16th): Bus ride to Port Canaveral, to board the Disney Wonder (cruise ship)
Fri (17th): Docked at Nassau, Bahamas ... family enjoyed the 'Dolphin Experience'
Sat (18th): Docked at Castaway Cay ... we went snorkeling
Sun (19th): Bus ride to Orlando Airport for flight back to the real world
Mon (20th): Rest from the vacation (oh, and laundry, lots and lots of laundry)

I have so many stories to tell that I will be making quite a few blog entries over the coming days, some of them might even include some pictures. The reason for the clinic visit and use of the ECV (electric convenience vehicle) will be one of the posts as well.
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Hungry for a burger?

...and in a new town? Visit BurgerFinder.com.
I stumbled across the page after following a link within a This Is True article.
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Uncharacteristicly quiet

Hopefully I won't loose my entire viewing population (all five of you), but I plan on taking a short hiatus from the blog. Short ... as in 10 days or so.

I am starting Spring Break a few days early and not planning on any major computer interaction until a couple of days after SB is over. Don't worry, I'm not stopping cold turkey, as I will have my trusty SX66 device to check in on my email account(s).

Have a good one & see you in about ten days!
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Speed Bump - take 2

My last Speed Bump cartoon wasn't perceived as funny as I thought is was (from the comments received), so I thought I would give it another try. Here goes nothing:

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Certifiable

While many of my readers would quickly agree with the fact that I am ‘certifiable', now I have documentation to prove it.

As of 11:00 am yesterday, I am CDIA+ (Certified Document Imaging Architech) certified via CompTIA.  No, I don’t have a typo in the previous sentence, CompTIA spells architect with an ‘h’ (There was some architect group in Florida that threw a stink about CompTIA’s use of the word … so I heard).  I really don’t give a flip about the “T-vs-H” conflict, because I am CDIA+ certified.

In the area of DMS/DIS (Document Management System / Document Imaging System), my passing the CDIA+ certification exam is like a lawyer passing the bar exam or an accountant obtaining their CPA. Of all the tests I have every taken, this was the hardest. Part of the difficulty is removing myself from the vendor-specific world I work in and preparing myself mentally to change into the verbiage and atypical scenarios presented. Many of the questions asked on the test required not selecting the correct answer, but determining either the 'most correct' or 'least incorrect' answer. I didn't share about this earlier, but a couple of weeks back I spent three days in OKC attending a "CDIA Boot camp", hosted at my vendor's office. One of the other students in the class was the guy who got me up to speed about document imaging and has been doing this for 6-7 years. He was one of the first to take the test, and I am sad to report that he didn't pass. Needless to say, that worried me quite a bit about my ability to pass it. Of the 9 students who have taken the test, only 2 of us have passed it.

The CompTIA CDIA+ certification is the first global standard of competency and professionalism in the document imaging/document management industry. Supported by a network of worldwide industry leaders, it validates a professional's level of expertise in the technologies and best practices used to plan, design, and specify a document imaging, management system.  The industry has identified CompTIA CDIA+ certification as a consistent, objective way to evaluate imaging industry professionals. Increasingly, companies involved in providing or purchasing document imaging solutions adopt CompTIA CDIA+ as part of their business plan.

For additional info on either CompTIA or the CDIA+ certification, please follow the links provided above.
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It's a wonder they haven't taken over the world

Of course you remember the Japanese video of how to fold a shirt....
How about how to peel a potato?
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Speed Bump

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Two requests when traveling

1. Be smart enough not to be carrying a firearm on your person when going through security
2. If you decide to carry one, don't be in the same pat-down area I am in!

As I approach the security points in airpoints, I show my prosthetic leg so that the personel know I am going to set off the metal detector. The guy behind me happen to set off the detector as well and got brought into the pat-down area I was in. (I thought it was supposed to be a 'one at a time' thing, oh well)

I'm up to the "wand and back of the hand pat down" part of the check when I hear the security guard behind me yell "GUN!". Needless to say, the security guy with me knocked me down getting to the guy with the gun. When they made the tackle, the gun came loose and bounced on the ground near me. My first instinct (as a former cop) was to go and cover or retrieve the gun. Luckily my mind quickly thought "you go for the gun & you might be considered an accomplice", so I stayed where I was ... pretty much lying against a dividing panel and tangled up in a chair, from when I got knocked down.

After the guy was subdued & gun recovered, then came the "is the amputee guy ok?" moment. We all dusted ourselves off, completed my pat-down & I left the area.

It's been quite a while since I have had an adrenaline rush like that and it took me a short while to stop shaking.

All is good now and I am quietly waiting on my flight to arrive.
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Posting from Chicago

Long story short:
The Barr Foundation, the 'bank roll' behind the ErtlReconstruction.com website, flew me up to Chicago to provide a short presentation about the website. What was supposed to be a 15 minute presentation turned into a 15 minute presentation followed by a 20 minute Q&A discussion of the site. I was nervous talking to physicians and lawyers, but it flowed very well.

Time to get some rest and head back to Oklahoma early in the morning.
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