Waking Attorney

From: Cicilia Wakine
Subject: Attention
Date: June 6, 2010 6:39:54 AM PDT
To: undisclosed recipients: ;
Reply-To: ciciliawakine@mail2world.com

My name is Cicilia Wakine. I am a contacting your firm in regards to a
divorce settlement with my ex husband Paul Masato).who resides in your jurisdiction. I am currently on assignment in Japan . We had an out of court Agreement (Collaborative Law Agreement) for him to pay $448,450.00 plus legal fees. He has only paid me $44,000 since.

I am hereby seeking your firm to assistance in collecting the balance
from him.. He has agreed already to pay me the balance but it is my belief that a Law firm like yours is needed to help me collect payment from my ex-husband or litigate this matter if he fails to pay as promised.

Sincerely,

Cicilia Wakine.

The Haunting of the Happiest Place on Earth

There are real ghosts in the Magic Kingdom,  although none of them can be found at The Haunted Mansion.   The most famous of Disney's ghosts can be found at The Pirates of the Carribean ride. He hides behind the animatronic skeletons and scares the staff to death when they are alone in the attraction. George was a construction worker who worked on the attraction in the 1970’s. He was climbing a ladder and he fell to his death. Since that time, staff members have said good morning and good night to George over the PA system. If they fail to follow this tradition, the ride will shut down and some staff members report that they’ve seen the ride shut down on the days that this ritual is forgotten.

While I was at Disney,  I was able to talk to several of the staff about George.  They smiled as they talked about him and answered my questions in the comfortable casual manner most people might speak about what they had for dinner or a slightly annoying cousin.  One staff member described George as nice.  She smiled brightly and said he wasn't very active any more.  She said it can sometimes be weeks before they hear from him.  She says he is never annoying, but everyone knows he is there.

I honestly couldn't tell if the staff were be truthful or if I was the back end of an elaborate inside joke when they spoke to me.  They all smiled and grinned as they spoke and  they spoke of George as if they had said the same thing a thousand times before.  Whether the lines were rehearse or not,  it was clear that George was well known.  Everyone knew exactly who I was talking about when I mentioned George. Whether George is active still or has passed into myth, he has become part of Disney.

The pictures I took of the ride showed a few orbs, but no conclusive evidence of any ghostly activity.  I still like to imagine, however, that George is still hiding in the shadows of this attraction, laughing at all the tourists that float through his ghostly abode.

Searching for Ghosts and Tapas at Church Street Station

I had planned on meeting with Orlando Ghost Tours last night.  I had read very good things about them online and they had a nice website.  I called them several times and their recording indicated that they met at the Church Street Market every night at 8:00pm.  Their website has had some malfunctions, which resulted in their tour schedule being down and since they never called me back I just took a leap of faith a went down to Church Street Station at 8pm.  I trusted that the message that was left at their phone number spoke the truth.  We waited for some time, asking random strangers if they were with the ghost tour, but no one showed up.  We were sad and somewhat disgruntled, but the Church Street Market was bustling with life, clubs, and restaurants and I have never been one to waste a night without children.

The market place was situated around an old abandoned train station that immediately caught my eye.  I took a plethora of photos and then we skulked about until we found a fabulous place that served tapas and cocktails.  After a few drinks,  I was convinced the train station was haunted and my poor husband had to drag me out of the train station before I killed myself.   We went home and I got on the computer and found out several interesting things about the old station.

The station was built by the South Florida Railroad in 1889.    The SFR was then bought out by Plant System in 1893 and taken over by Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902.  Of course none of this is that interesting.  In the 1970's and 1980's, long after the railroads had closed.  The Market Street area became a hot spot for local clubs and restaurants.  The station was then converted into a club and then served as several restaurants. It was very popular for a good period of time and the area became second only to Disney itself in Orlando's most popular area category.  However,  a steady decline followed and the station itself eventually fell into disrepair and was abandoned.  Many of the buildings that are part of its complex, remain active and are still popular.

What's interesting about all this is that in 2005 the station was leased by the Chungs, owners of Amura Japanese Restaurant.    They leased the property with the intentions of renovating it and placing their restaurant there.  They reneged on their lease and when the owners of the property sued them,  the Chungs claimed that they couldn't use the property because it was too haunted.  This was their actual legal defense.  Apparently, the owners of the station offered to bring someone in to exorcise and cleanse the station, but the Chungs refused.  The owners of the station used this as evidence that the haunting couldn't be the main problem.  They also argued that the ghosts had never been hostile so they didn't think it could be the cause of breaking a legal contract.    Apparently,  tales of ghostly hauntings in this area are numerous.  There have been ghostly bar tenders and dancers seen and contractors renovating the building claim to be very familiar with the haunting.  None of this had been made known to Chung, however

So,  even though I never found my tour, at least I found some ghosts who were active enough to fuel a major lawsuit.

The Fun, Fake Ghosts of The Haunted Mansion

I don't think Disney World is the most magic place in the world.   I never have.  All I have ever seen is an overpriced playground where parents take their children to turn them into little Veruca Salts demanding joy and souvenirs like they were born to it.  Disney tells all the children that if they wish upon a star, their dreams will come true. Of course, these dreams are only available to those who can pay $234 per person for a two day park hopper ticket.

Yet, despite by cynicism, I journeyed into the Magic Kingdom for one day for my children and despite myself,  I liked it.  I know, don't scoff.  I saw everything I hate about the place there.  I watched little girls dressed up like princesses for the price of one hundred dollars each and then watched the little girls scream at their mothers that they needed more things from the gift shop.  I waited in long lines in the heat while wailing children filled the air with a sense that nothing is ever enough, but amidst this chaos,  I also found that it was nice to spend a day with my family.  It was nice to let my children, who work very hard during the school year, kick back for a day and make their own choices.    It was also nice to go to my favorite fake haunted attractions and chase fake ghosts with my boys.  I even bought the t-shirt.

Disney's the Haunted Mansion is a wonderful haunted attraction.  It is filled with all the classic ghosts and scares that fill classic haunting stories.   It is like stepping into an old Scooby Doo episode.  There are suits of armor and dancing ghosts.  There's a haunted library and piano that plays itself.   The world of the Haunted Mansion is shrouded in fake cobwebs and dark wallpaper.  There is a gypsy in a crystal ball and a murderous ghost that killed all her husbands.  All of these ghostly activities are designed to delight rather than scare.  Some small children do cry as they are pulled into the darkness of the old mansion, but they are always smiling on their way out. 

So, even though I hate Disney in theory,  in reality, after three rides through the haunted mansion and a lovely day with my amazing boys,  I think my dislike has become lost in my own childish delight. 

Out of The Blue

Just had an e-mail out of the blue from New Love Stories Magazine in New York. I sent them two stories a year ago and had almost forgotten about them. Now their editor tells me that one of them, in its present state, is not exactly what they are looking for but suggests that I might like to revise and resubmit.
It just goes to show. You send stuff out and think it has gone down a black hole and then it reappears giving you fresh hope.
Is it worth my while trying to rejig it to their requirements or am I better off starting from scratch and sending them something new? Does anyone else out there have any insight into this type of dilemma?

Oh Anita

From: Anita Pirez
Subject: YOUR LEGAL SERVICE..
Date: May 31, 2010 2:27:16 AM PDT
To: undisclosed recipients: ;
Reply-To: anitpire231@gmail.com


Attn:Counsel

My name is Anita Pirez.I am contacting your firm in regards to a divorce settlement with my ex husband Steve Pirez.who resides in your jurisdiction.I am currently on assignment in London.We had an out of court Agreement (Collaborative Law Agreement) for him to pay $448,450.00 plus legal fees.He has only paid me $44,000 since.I am hereby seeking your firm to assistance in collecting the balance from him.He has agreed already to pay me the balance but it is my belief that a Law firm like yours is needed to help me collect payment from my ex-husband or litigate this matter if he fails to pay as promised.

Sincerely,

Anita Pirez.

Posiedon's Temple

It is no surprise that I love haunted attractions.  I will go to any haunted house or ghostly attraction. Today, I went to an attraction I expected to be everything but ghostly, but this was a surprisingly enjoyable haunted attraction.  This particular attraction was surprising because I had no idea what to expect. I know nothing about Universal Studios attractions and I thought this was going to be a water ride, but the moment you step into the crumbling ruin of a temple you are engulfed in shadowy darkness. The deeper you go into the temple the more mysterious the music around you becomes.  Shadows dance on crumbling walls as you are lead into the main temple chamber.  The show begins with your tour guide explaining the history of the haunted temple to you. One of Poseidon’s priests went crazy and entombed all of his followers in the temple and killed them. Their ghosts still haunt the darkened rooms of the crumbling temple. Ghost sound effects follow, although the guide smiles and says the ghosts must be dogs….. Nothing to be afraid of.


From there you are taken from a chamber filled with skeletons and magic through a dark, mist filled tunnel into a room where the final show down between good and evil occurs with explosive results. This attraction is a load of fun and if you like ghosts, skeletons, sunken temples, and old gods it is a must for any trip to Orlando. You won’t find any real ghosts, but the fake ones are just as much fun.

The bottom pictures are for dorks like me,,,, they are a preview of Harry Potter’s World of Wizardry.