The Best of Aretha Franklin

Sadly, the reign of the Queen of Soul has ended. Aretha Franklin died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. This is the biggest loss for music since Prince died a couple of years ago. To me, her raw ability, operatic range and showmanship made her the best female vocalist of the pop era. Period, end of sentence. Need proof? She had 17 top-ten singles, and won 18 Grammys (Including eight wins in a row for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance). She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was an inspiration for multiple generations of vocalists, including Chaka Khan, (who gave an incredible performance at Aretha's memorial service), Whitney Houston, Adele, and even Freddie Mercury. No one else even came close. She was a pop diva before people even knew what a pop diva was. She was not only the greatest vocalist of all time, she was also a beacon for women and minorities, She was active in the Civil Rights Movement, the Me Too Movement, and supported the rights of Native Americans. Also, she helped to raise money for the "Save the Music" campaign to keep music education in public schools.

Aretha wasn't classically trained. She learned the piano by ear, and the rest of her training was from the church. So many of her songs, as well as her voice, have a strong gospel influence, which allows for a lot of vocal improvisation, as well as some unforgettable high notes. What made her truly great is that she used no gimmicks. All of her vocal runs and high notes came from her natural ability. She wasn't trying to show off or hit high notes on purpose (like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Christina Aguliera, or nearly every performer on "American Idol" or "The Voice." Nor would she even think of using an Autotune.

According to accounts, she was generous and polite, but straightforward. For example, when she was asked about Taylor Swift, her response was "Nice gowns, nice gowns."

Here is what I think are her 10 best songs. Keep in mind, Aretha sang many covers, so some of the songs on this list are covers as well (even though some of the covers by Aretha were more successful than the originals.) Finally, As we all know, especially when it comes to music, opinions are like assholes... Everbody has one.

10. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), 1987, duet with George Michael. What do you get when you put two of the world's top vocalists together? A slick synth-heavy 1980s production, but still a damn good song that deservedly hit No. 1. As for me, there was no contest as to who outsang whom in this duet.

9. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, This song was written specifically for Aretha by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. This was one of her anthems for womanhood, complete with soaring vocals and a memorable hook. In this clip from the Kennedy Center Honors, she brings the house down at 73, has writer Carole King beside herself, and even brings President Obama to tears!

8. The Weight (1972): This song, originally recorded by The Band, was covered by 41 different musicians and groups (including Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem). Aretha's was one of the best, giving the song a bluesy, gospel take, with Duane Allman accompanying on slide guitar.

7. Spirit in the Dark (1970): This song, written by Aretha, is probably the best demonstration of her gospel roots through her popular music. At about the halfway point the song speeds up and goes into full revival mode. Some of the (best) versions feature some guy named Ray Charles on the organ.

6. Respect (1967): This was the song that made Aretha a superstar. even though it was a Top 40 hit by Otis Redding two years before. However, Redding's version was a desperate plea from a man who wants to keep his woman, while Aretha's version is a statement from a confident woman who knows she is respected. Aretha's version, which adds the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" chorus and the backup singers repeating "sock it to me." I would rank it higher, but I attribute its popularity to its status as a feminist anthem, and the fact is that she has written and performed better songs.

5. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone (1968): Great tune, great vocals, great horn arrangement, and great backup singing (from Aretha's sisters, Carolyn and Emma).

4. Think (1968): Most people from my generation and younger know this from "The Blues Brothers." I think the original was better, mostly because Aretha was in her vocal prime, hitting all kinds of crazy notes. Fun fact: Take a look at how bad the lip-sync is in "The Blues Brothers." that's because she, for all intents and purposes, never sang the same song twice, using different notes and flourishes on each take, showing how much interpretation many of her songs (as well as songs by many soul singers) are open to. James Brown's performances for the same movie were all over the map, so his performance eventually had to be recorded live.

3. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) (1967): This was the first big hit of Aretha's career. This is a great blues ballad, with accompaniment from some Stax Records personnel along with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

2. You're All I Need (To Get By) (1971): This was originally a duet between Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and was written by another famous duet, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Even though Aretha tackles this song by herself, it is twice as good as Gaye and Terrell together. First of all, she uses a cool sixteenth note rhythm that drives the song (As long as I got you then baby you know you got me ohh!), as well as her unique vocal stylings, and a goose-bump-inducing note during at about the 2 1/2 minute mark. I can't get sick of listening to this song.

1. Don't Play That Song (You Lied) (1970): This Ben E. King cover isn't one of her best known songs, but it is my favorite. First of all, in addition to being the greatest vocalist of all time, she is also a damn good piano player. This is great for all the usual reasons: great horns, great backing vocals (Aretha allows her backup to pick up some of the melody), great skill on the piano, and incredible vocals that truly make this song her own. This was covered by several other artists, including first American Idol champion Kelly Clarkson, who is herself a very good vocalist. However, none came close to the Queen.

Other performances worth checking out are at the 1998 Grammy Awards, when she pinch-hit for Luciano Pavarotti who had a sore throat, and brought down the house with "Nessun Dorma." Finally, the 1991 film "The Commitments," about a soul band in Dublin, Ireland, has a few good covers of Aretha songs, particularly Maria Doyle's great rendition of "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"

On a personal note, this has been a tough month for celebrity deaths. Two people who I greatly admire and respect (no pun intended), Aretha Franklin and Sen. John McCain, have died within days of each other. McCain died from a glioblastoma, the same type of cancer I am currently fighting.

One more matter to address. Some people may think this is crass, but I published my fantasy rock band made up of the best musicians alive today and the best of all time, alive or dead. Aretha was my lead female vocalist in both bands. Obviously, she is still the vocalist in my greatest band of all time, but I have to make a change in my band made up of people currently alive. This wasn't easy, because no one is even close to Aretha as a vocalist. I am choosing another living legend, Tina Turner, to take her spot. Tina has an interesting life story, and a strong voice with a distinctive raspy quality to it. Sing on, Tina!

Oscar changes...

On Wednesday, the Academy announced a few major changes to the awards ceremony to turn around the show's plummeting ratings. I am not sure about one of the changes.

Best Achievement in Popular Film Award: This is the most controversial change, and the one that concerns me the most. It is already being referred to as the "popcorn Oscar." Apparently the Academy (and ABC, see below) want to honor movies that people have actually seen. Even though the Academy expanded the Best Picture category so it can have up to 10 nominees, most nominees are artsy-fartsy and /or depressing movies that the general public has zero interest in seeing. I have a number of questions about this one, some of which may get answered in the future:

1. What defines a "popular film?" How much it grosses? The budget? The movie's net profit after production costs and marketing? The subject matter? The studio that releases it?

2. Who chooses the nominees? This would be a great opportunity for the Academy to leave this one up to moviegoers to goose the ratings. However, relying on the Internet to decide things may result in a disaster, like people deliberately nominating a turd like "Show Dogs" or "The Week Of," which is Adam Sandler's latest "masterpiece." Also, you have the possibility of fraud, such as hackers stuffing the virtual ballot box.

3. Can a film be nominated for Best Picture and Best Popular Film? This would have affected movies like "Titanic," "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and even "Get Out."

4. What concerns me the most is that these changes were supposedly mandated, I mean "suggested," by ABC, the network that airs the Oscars. I agree there is a valid concern that not enough people are watching the Oscars, but also keep in mind that ABC is owned by Disney. The Mouse House is responsible for all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, and the Star Wars movies, which could make up a substantial number of the nominees in this category. Is this a ploy to provide Disney with another avenue to promote its films and brag about awards?

The good thing is movies like "Black Panther" will be recognized. "Black Panther" was a damn good movie, and based on what I have seen so far this year, is worthy of a Best Picture nomination, as well as supporting nods for Letitia Wright and Michael B. Jordan.

In short, if the Academy is going to pander to the masses, they sure as hell better do it right.

Update: Apparently they aren't doing it at.all. The Academy postponed plans for this award, Hopefully indefinitely.

Running time: Last year's Oscars clocked in at a bloated 3 hours, 53 minutes. Not only did it end on a Sunday night when most people were in bed on the East Coast, but also shorted DVR owners who set it to record for 3 or even 3 1/2 hours. The Academy pledged to keep the show to 3 hours. One of the ways they propose to do this is by presenting some of the awards during commercial breaks. I don't have a problem with this, because the Tonys and the Grammys don't present all their awards on the televised show. Besides, the only people who give a crap about the Best Short Film category are the filmmakers and their families. This also will curtail the useless montages (which usually include the clop of Brando yelling "Stella!" in "A Streetcar Named Desire) and long musical numbers. My one request is not to chop the "In Memoriam" segment, because there are usually a few deaths that I didn't hear about over the course of the year, and it is always fun to complain after the fact about who they forgot to mention (RIP Abe Vigoda, Joan Rivers, Corey Haim, and many more).

Air date: In 2020, the ceremony will air on February 9, a couple of weeks earlier. I am OK with this because it will take attention away from the Golden Globe Awards, which is a farcical publicity stunt in which a bunch of hack foreign "journalists" award movies based on which studio gives them the biggest gift basket and award the actors who give them the most interviews.

Do you agree? Do you have any other suggestions to make the Oscars better? I would like to hear your thoughts on Facebook.

Fantasy rock bands!

Inspired by my post on the best songs ever and fantasy football, I decided to put together the ultimate fantasy rock band. I am sticking to pop, rock and soul, so there will be no jazz musicians on this list, no crooners (sorry to Sinatra, Manilow and Harry Connick Jr.) and no country musicians. I would like to see your "fantasy bands" if you have any good ideas. This is one person's opinion, so keep the criticism to a minimum, unless you want me to make fun of you guys for choosing Michael Stipe or Chris Martin. Also, let's assume that the musicians in these bands are in the prime of their careers.

Fantasy band - made up of people who are currently alive
Lead vocal (male) - Daryl Hall
Lead vocal (female) - Tina Turner
Lead guitar - Eddie Van Halen
Bass Guitar - Flea
Piano - Elton John
Keyboard - Steve Winwood
Drums - Carter Beauford

All-time fantasy band (alive or dead)
Lead vocal (male) - Ray Charles
Lead vocal (female) - Aretha Franklin
Lead guitar - Jimi Hendrix
Bass Guitar - James Jamerson
Piano - Elton John
Keyboard - Earl Van Dyke
Drums - John Bonham

As you can see, I am a fan of the Funk Brothers (Motown's house band during the '60s) and I am omitting most prog-rock musicians, because style means more than substance to me. Again, please post your lineups below (if you are reading this on Facebook).

E-A-G-L-E-S... CHAMPIONS!

Finally, the Eagles have won a Super Bowl. It is the team's first Lombardi Trophy, and the first championship since 1960, before the AFL-NFL merger. That was almost 60 years ago!

The reason the Eagles won is the exact reason I like watching football so much: If you want to win games, you have to play as a team. In baseball, you can win with a couple of sluggers and ace pitchers, but in football, although the quarterback is the most important position, all 11 men on the field have to get the job done. This became obvious to Washington owner and colossal douchebag Daniel Snyder when he tried to play real-life fantasy football and signed a bunch of high-priced players. The team tanked because everyone in the locker room thought they were better than everyone else, and many members of the team hated each other. In 2005, the last time the Eagles got to the Super Bowl, talented but cocky wideout Terrell Owens had a very public beef with then-QB Donovan McNabb and the locker room was fragmented. One of the analysts on the Eagles postgame show (I forget who) even said they should send T.O. to Al-Qaeda so he could tear that organization apart from the inside.

The Eagles were able to play as a team because there were no clashing egos, and most of the players seemed to like each other. That was evident in their sometimes hilarious TD celebrations, and the fact that they worshipped together every week, as evidenced in this video. I still believe that God doesn't care about the outcome of a sporting event, but the fact is that the players are men of faith, and this faith unifies the team.

Finally, they were bitten by the injury bug, losing Darren Sproles, Jason Peters, and, most significantly, starting QB Carson Wentz. Fans were going crazy, but the Eagles didn't panic, and simply asked, "Who's the next man up?" Granted, Nick Foles is one of the better backup QBs in the NFL, and is better than the starters on several teams.

The coaching was great as well. Give credit to head coach Doug Pederson, a former QB himself, because he had the guts to run so many run-pass option plays, and the "Philly Special," which will go down in Eagles history along with the Miracle at the Meadowlands and the fans booing Santa Claus.

Also, many Super Bowls are boring blowouts, or 7-3 defensive duels. This was actually one of the best and most entertaining games I have ever watched. It was the shootout to end all shootouts - There were a total of 1,151 offensive yards, the most in any NFL game, regular season or postseason.  There was one punt in the entire game. Zach Ertz' second TD reception was a bit questionable, but God knows the Patriots got enough breaks from the refs this season.

Foles, who was named Super Bowl MVP, was brilliant. He passed for 373 yards and 3 TDs, and even caught a TD reception on the Philly Special play, something Tom Brady was unable to do during a similar play.

So, a lot of people are wondering if this team will stay together. The Eagles will face salary cap issues next season. I think Foles will either start somewhere (many teams like Arizona and Cleveland need starting QBs), or may retire. Why not? He was the Super Bowl MVP, and according to my pastor, wants to become a clergyman after retiring from football. Sproles is old and injury-prone, so he can go, and Jason Peters, as good as he is, costs the team a lot of money and isn't getting any younger.

People are saying this is the start of a dynasty. I won't go that far yet, but Wentz will be back next year, and hopefully many more years, and he is damn good.

For now, let the celebration continue, because the team and the city deserve it. More than 2 million people turned up for the victory parade, because Eagles fans are the greatest fans in the world!

Taking a look at Pixar's latest

I don't try to use spoilers in my reviews, but I will post a spoiler alert just in case...

I had the pleasure of seeing "Cars 3" and "Coco" in the span of a couple of days, and I am glad to see Pixar return to what I hope is a consistent stream of good, original stories.

Let's start with "Cars 3." Most, not all, of us thought "Cars 2" was mediocre trash. I agree with that assessment, and I still believe it was Pixar's worst movie (although I still haven't seen "Brave").

"Cars 3" is what "Cars 2" should have been. "Cars 3" works as a true sequel to the first movie, and continues the story and character arcs, as opposed to the loud, obnoxious mess that was "Cars 2."

In this movie, Lightning McQueen finds himself outrun and outclassed by newer, more advanced race cars. McQueen is at a proverbial crossroads, having to put his massive ego in check and decide where he needs to go with his career.

Paul Newman's Hudson Hornet character gets a larger role here, bringing back some of the heart that made the franchise's first movie good. Also, Larry the Cable Guy's Tow Mater, who was nearly as annoying as Jar Jar Binks in "Cars 2," thankfully only gets a few lines in this outing, Unfortunately, that means a lot of the Radiator Springs gang, like Sally, Luigi and Flo get pushed to the sidelines as well.

Overall, this was an entertaining movie with a great premise that proves that this franchise has some gas left in the tank after all. (Sorry, couldn't resist).

This brings us to "Coco," Pixar's latest film, and the last original film from the animation studio for a while, because most of the upcoming movies are sequels, starting with "The Incredibles 2" in a few months.

"Coco" was, in a word, brilliant. I still have quite a few movies to see, but this was the best movie of 2017 that I have seen so far. It follows Miguel, who finds himself in the Land of the Dead.

I have nothing but good things to say about this movie. The message about the importance of family is spot-on, it shows the power and importance of music, and the animation is dazzling (as it should be for a $200 million production).

Also, I strongly recommend taking your kids (5 and up) to see it. First of all, for the messages above. Secondly, it exposes them to customs of other ethnic groups, particularly Dia Los Muertos. Finally, it may make death less scary to children, because it shows the dead happy, celebrating and having fun.

I am hoping that the Academy sees fit to make this a best picture nominee, but I am guessing it will be nominated for, and likely win in the best animated film category.

Either way, this is a great movie for viewers of all ages. 

A painful setback...

I was going to write about some great Pixar movies I was finally able to catch up on, but something more urgent came up. First of all, I have been rolling along for a while. I enjoyed Grange Fair, Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, and a lengthy vacation down south with little fatigue. This all recently came to a screeching halt.

I normally tag along with my wife when she works in Sayre, PA on the New York border because it's a break from the kids and the normal routine, not to mention her company puts us up in a nice hotel where everyone knows us. We arrived there on Tuesday and planned to leave Wednesday. I woke up Wednesday morning and noticed that my right eye was nearly swollen shut. We paid a visit to the ER at Guthrie Hospital in Sayre. They determined it was a superficial infection, gave me an oral antibiotic and sent me on my way. We returned home Wednesday evening.

The next morning, I felt a constant pain on the right side of my forehead. It began to swell and was warm to the touch, sure signs of infection. We then decided to go to Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, hoping it was an abscess they could drain. After a head CT, an MRI and a consult with a plastic surgeon, who determined in about 2 minutes she wasn't going to touch it, we needed a neurosurgeon to look at it, because the infection was outside and inside my skull. Mount Nittany's neurosurgeon "left" a few months ago. I am not sure about the circumstances, so that is all I am going to say about that. Meanwhile, my entire face swelled up, and both of my eyes were swollen shut. I was in a good deal of pain.

Since there were no beds available at Hershey, I was transported to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. The neurosurgeon determined, obviously, that all the infection needed to be removed. In order to do that, an infected bone flap on the right side of my head would need to be removed as well. Since they weren't touching my actual brain and I was in a lot of pain, we decided to have the surgery done at Geisinger instead of traveling to Duke. Despite lots of post-surgical pain and a real push for us to choose Geisinger's neuro team over Duke (like that will ever happen), everything went as planned, and the diagnosis was a severe staph infection. We think the surgery and infection a month after the initial surgery was also staph, and may have been misdiagnosed as MRSA.

A few days later, I was discharged. I have to wear a helmet while in motion because part of my skull is missing and my brain is vulnerable. Also, I need to be on IV antibiotics for several weeks, so I have a home pump that administers the medicine. In about 6 months when the infection is completely eradicated, they will put in a prosthetic bone flap. Hopefully, this will be it for infections for quite a while.

I returned home, and all I can seem to do is sleep. I even get winded walking up the stairs of our house. Hopefully I will be rested up enough so I can enjoy the holidays with my family.

This was a whirlwind tour of three hospitals, and I was pleased with the care and nursing at all of them, especially Geisinger. They made sure I wasn't in pain overnight, and I was getting enough sleep. Thanks also to friends and our church family for praying and sending lots of food. Also, thanks as always to my lovely wife, whose life was sent into upheaval once again, as she had to make sure the kids were taken care of, and juggle my care around her work. To add insult to injury, my mother-in-law, Sandy, was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, so Jaci had to drive back and forth between Danville and State College. (Sandy has returned home and is recovering well.) I feel so bad, but so appreciative for everyone who has to alter their schedule when I am stuck in the hospital. Hopefully it will be a long time until my next unplanned visit.

Another trip to Duke... and a detour!

We loaded up the car, and, along with the kids, we traveled to my bi-monthly scan and consultation at Duke. As most of you saw, judging by the number of likes and comments on Facebook (By the way, thank you!) I had another clear scan.

We then traveled down to Florida to visit Aunt Val and Uncle Biff, and take in a couple of theme parks while we were in the neighborhood. Based on my brother's tips, and other reviews from sites like the DIS, helped to determine what rides we would take in.

We only had the time/money to visit two parks, so we decided on the Magic Kingdom, the first and still the best park in Disney World (although I have never been to Animal Kingdom). The other one was a no-brainer. As a family of Potterheads, we visited both Universal parks.

Our first park was the Magic Kingdom. This is the most visited theme park in the entire world, and it certainly seemed that way when we were there. Waits ranged from 30 minutes (even for the "smaller rides") to 150 minutes. Here are the rides we rode in order.

The Haunted Mansion: 45 minute wait. Still amazing. I still can't figure out how they pull off the effects in here today, let alone in 1971 when they built the attraction. The kids loved it too. Although the ghosts are friendly, some of the darker and/or noisy portions of this ride may scare little ones. This ride is a must-see and is worth waiting in line for.

It's a Small World: 45 minute wait. The costumes, images, music and message make this a timeless classic. No one should leave the Magic Kingdom without riding this.

Peter Pan's Flight had a 90 minute wait, so we skipped it. I remember it being good but not great.

We ate at the Columbia Harbour House for lunch. I had a decent tuna salad sandwich, but like any restaurant in any theme park (with the exception of Knoebels), it was very overpriced.

Splash Mountain was closed for repairs, which sucks, because it's an awesome ride. Also, the Hall of Presidents was closed for refurbishment, which is a bummer because it's fun, and I wanted to boo Trump.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: The sign said the wait was 65 minutes, but the actual wait time was about half that. For my money, this is still the best ride in the park. I should begin by saying that my doctor at Duke and I agreed that I could ride thrill rides as long as there were no inversions. Anyway, this is a smooth, impeccably themed roller coaster. It is thrilling, but not too intense, so the younger set as well as coaster freaks like me can all enjoy it.

Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor: 30 minute wait. Like my brother, We were pleasantly surprised by this ride.  You can text jokes prior to the ride and some are included in the show. Sadly (and unsurprisingly), none of mine were. They use a person behind the stage and motion-capture technology (used for Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies) to bring this ride to life. The best gag is "that guy." You will have to experience it to see what I mean. Well worth waiting for.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin: 30 minute wait. This is a combination of a ride and shooting gallery, similar to "Men In Black" in Universal. Although this ride is newer and is a decent experience, MiB is better.

Space Mountain: I've been on it, meh. Nowhere near worth the 70 minute wait.

Speedway: This didn't work out because you could only fit two people in a cart, my wife had no interest in the ride and I didn't want to send our 8-year-old on the ride alone. Besides, they are supposedly going to wreck this ride for a "Tron" themed ride.

Tomorrowland People Mover: A 60 minute wait to ride a monorail where the track moves instead of the cars? I don't think so.

Just FYI, Stitch's Great Escape, supposedly a lousy attraction, is closed for renovation.

The relatively new Seven Dwarves Mine Train looked interesting, but no ride is worth waiting 2 1/2 hours for, especially a ride I hear is short and underwhelming.

Mad Tea Party: A great ride, but not worth waiting 50 minutes for.

Dumbo: A 30-minute wait for a ride you can go on at just about any smaller park.

The Barnstormer: 45 minute wait. A Goofy-themed kid's roller coaster. A bit short, but our 8-year old loved it, especially the theming, which included "flying" through a billboard.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Still awesome, and made even better with the addition of characters from the movies. The Jack Sparrow animatronic character used facial mapping technology, and nearly looked real.

Sadly, the Jungle Cruise, one of my favorite rides, had a 70-minute wait, the rugrats were getting tired and we wanted to beat the post-fireworks rush, so we called it a night.

Two days later, we found ourselves in the massive parking garage at Universal Orlando, with my cousin Brian along for the ride. The package we got included Fast Passes which are accepted on almost every ride, but even the standby waits were short, ranging from 5 to 30 minutes.

We proceeded into the park and made our way to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Escape From Gringotts: This ride tries to replicate the opening scene from the eighth Harry Potter movie, in which Harry, Hermione and Ron break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. They eventually ride a dragon out of the bank. This is a fun, exciting ride that uses a combination of 3D and animatronic technology. I would wait up to 60 minutes for this ride.

We looked in some shops, including Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Hopefully the candy sold in the store, such as Puking Pastilles, doesn't have the same effect it did in the books and movies.

We didn't have time to ride all rides at both parks, mainly because they closed at 7:00. We had to pick and choose the rides.

The Simpsons Ride: I don't like this ride on principle because it replaced the fabulous Back to the Future ride, based on my favorite movie. At least the DeLorean and the time traveling steam engine were still there. That out of the way, The ride is a motion simulator using an IMAX-sized screen. This was a funny, crazy ride that is more rough and intense than its predecessor, especially the part where Maggie uses your ride vehicle as a pacifier. Really. I would like to ride this again sometime because I am sure there are a lot of jokes I missed. I would wait up to 45 minutes for this ride.

We ate at Fast Food Blvd. for a healthy lunch. Some of us got the Krusty Burger, which was supposedly good, others got the aptly named Heat Lamp Hot Dog, and I got a Sideshow Bob Footlong, which was loaded with chili, onions and kraut. Yummy. Did I mention how expensive theme park food is?

Men in Black Alien Attack: Like I mentioned before, this is a shooting gallery ride similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride in the Magic Kingdom. This is executed better because of more elaborate theming, targets that are easier to hit, and the fact that the front and back rows compete for the high score, and a high enough score qualifies you to join the MiB. Needless to say, we did not qualify. Lots of spinning, so steer clear if you have a weak stomach. This WAS my favorite ride at Universal (keep reading), but I would still wait a good 60 minutes to get on this ride.

We decided it was time to get to the other park, so we high-tailed it to Platform 9 3/4 and boarded the Hogwarts Express. If you look out the windows, you see projections of London, the British countryside, and the Dementors stop by to try and steal your soul. Also, the Weasley twins make an appearance to promote their joke shop in Diagon Alley.

At Hogsmeade (the village outside of Hogwarts Castle) there was snow on the roofs of the buildings. There was a presentation inside the wand shop called "The Wand Chooses the Wizard" in which a lucky kid is plucked out of the audience and gets to try out wands. Like in the movie, the first two wands break light bulbs and knock things over, and the third wand glows, and is a match for the wizard. To answer a question Adam had, yes, the person chosen to test the wand has to buy it for the exorbitant $40-50 they charge in order to keep it. Our 8-year old and I bought the wand of our favorite character, Sirius Black, and our 7-year old bought Harry Potter's wand.

Also, if you buy an "active" wand, you can wave it at certain spots in the park to cause actions like a fountain spitting water at you, a frog croaking, etc. This was a lot of fun.

Flight of the Hippogriff: This is another good kids' coaster, similar to Goofy's Barnstormer ride. Not as much theming as its counterpart, and it is a short ride, but the important thing is the 8-year old loved it.

By the way, Dueling Dragons is history, and will be replaced by another roller coaster, which could be any number of themes. I won't even try to guess.

We then went to The Lost Continent, where we were greeted by the Enchanted Fountain. Obviously the voice of the fountain was nearby, because it interacted with us. The highlight was when our 8-year old waved his wand at the fountain, and the fountain responded by spitting water at him.

Jaci and the kids went on to Seuss Landing, while Brian and I rode Poseidon's Fury, which is essentially a special effects show with lots of fire, water and lasers. This may be a little dark and loud for smaller kids, and you have to stand for the entire ride. I would wait no longer than 20-25 minutes for this.

We then met up in Seuss Landing. Very good theming. I wonder if the designers of this park were on something...

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Another small spinning ride like Dumbo. What sets this apart is the fact that water is getting squirted at you from all directions. I was riding with our 8-year old, and, of course, he deliberately moved the fish up and down into the water jets. Guess who was sitting on the outside and got drenched?

Cat in the Hat: A fun family-friendly ride, and a good adaptation of the book into this format, sometimes quoting the book line-for-line. It almost got rid of my memories of the awful Mike Myers live-action movie. Almost. Well worth a 30-minute wait.

We then hopped the train back to the other park, and caught a couple of good rides on the way out.

Revenge of the Mummy: This was my first time on this ride, and is my new favorite ride at Universal. It combines a dark ride with a coaster, and has some crazy coaster elements like drops that seem taller than they are (The longest drop is only 39 feet), launches, helixes, and some genuine moments of airtime. Very impressive for an indoor coaster. I don't want to give anything away, but the last 45 seconds or so are crazy! I would easily wait up to 90 minutes to get on to this ride.

Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon: This entertaining ride, the newest in the park, has the entire theater (72 people) as a motion simulator vehicle. You race the Tonight Show host through the Big Apple as he throws pizza at you, and even uses a T-shirt cannon, reminiscent of Fozzie the Bear's "cheap 3D tricks" in the incomparable "Muppetvision 4D" ride at Disney. This ride may be a bit bumpy for the smallest children, but is not dark or scary. This ride uses a "virtual line," meaning you must have an express pass or reservation for the ride, and there are no "lines" per se. You can freely roam around in the lobby and second floor. In the lobby, which is decorated with memorabilia from former "Tonight Show" hosts (even Conan O'Brien), an "NBC Page" will give you a color-coded studio pass, and you proceed to the second floor to board the ride. Meanwhile, you will be entertained by Hashtag the Panda and/or the Ragtime Gals. Overall, a fun and entertaining experience.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, I wasn't permitted to ride anything that turns me upside down, so that ruled out The Hulk and the Rip, Ride, Rockit Coaster. Also, I heard the Forbidden Journey was a very intense ride, so I skipped that as well. Brian said the Forbidden Journey was less intense than the Escape From Hogwarts, which I did go on. He also said he hated the over-the-shoulder harnesses on the Rip, Ride, Rockit coaster because he kept banging his head on them.

Overall impressions: I liked Universal better because it was much less crowded and the lines were significantly shorter than the Magic Kingdom. I may have thought the opposite if the lines were long in Universal.

The theming in both areas of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was impeccable. The King's Cross station seemed dirty, and Hogwarts (we went through the line but didn't get on the ride) was replicated perfectly, down to the moving paintings, including the Fat Lady. The areas in Diagon Alley had signs for "pram parking," a Britishism for stroller. I only wish they also had "Way Out" (exit) signs and "WC" (restroom) signs. Finally, they needed a "Mind the Gap" sign in the train station.

I have been to the Magic Kingdom a few times, but this time was different because I got to see it through my children's eyes for the first time. They got tired and cranky, but they had a great time. We all saw Harry Potter for the first time, and we were overwhelmed. I wanted a hat and a robe, but the wand was so expensive, we had to stop there. Maybe next time.

Now it's time to thank people who helped us on the trip.

Aunt Val and Uncle Biff: My aunt and uncle graciously let us crash at their place north of Orlando. We basically invaded their house for a week and ate their food. They gave us nothing but hospitality and kindness. Also, there were two pools in their community, one of them heated. I haven't taken a swim for a while, and the dips in the pool felt great.

Jaci: Sadly, my lovely wife was stuck doing all of the driving. I can't drive because of a seizure risk. Some of it was stressful, including the stretch on I-95, America's Main Street.

Fred and Sandy: They visited our house daily to feed the cat, and clean the litterbox. Amelia was considerably more chunky when we got home. Hmmm......

Universal Studios Orlando: Because of my illness, they offered my family 30 percent off two-park tickets and complimentary Fast Passes. Considering the cost of theme park admission these days, that is a good discount. It should be noted that Disney World did not offer anything. In both cases, I won't forget this.

Jill: Jaci's coworker generously donated her vacation time so we could extend ours.

One of Jaci's Facebook friends, who is a travel agent, gave us a gift card for Disney.

Finally, thanks to all family and friends who were excited for us to go, and gave us tips and suggestions on how to navigate the parks.