VMK closing, revisited

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 April 2008 06:41 Written by lorie Tuesday, 29 April 2008 06:41

VMK News

It’s been a few weeks since the closing of VMK was announced. I wrote a post about that here. As far as I know there hasn’t been any change of plans on Disney’s part.  VMK is still closing as planned later on in May — in spite of the many petitions floating around the internet by avid VMK fans.

However, it seems I hit a nerve among some VMK fans — which was totally unintentional.

I truly am disappointed (and angry) that VMK’s closing was so unexpected and disappointing for my children. Really, I am! However, by the comments I received on my other posts you would think people think I am not at all sympathetic.

I do think Disney has handled this all wrong. However, they are a business and businesses do this type of thing all the time.  It doesn’t make it right –  I’m not all that surprised by it — but that doesn’t mean I’m not angry about it. No, I’m not canceling my upcoming vacation — that would be silly.

My kids are angry. The day they found out about the closure they were angry, frustrated and sad. They took their frustration outside to play basketball. That comment was not meant to mean they weren’t affected by Disney’s decision to close VMK.

In a way, I’m glad they are able to take this upsetting situation and deal with it in a constructive way. As a parent, I have been worried that they were spending too much time online with VMK. It’s hard to know what the correct balance is for kids. They have signed several of the petitions in protest of the closing and I’m fine with that. They have shown me several videos of newscast broadcasting the news across the nations and beyond.  They truly hope that their ‘vote’ counts.  They know that their actions ‘may’ or ‘may not’ have an affect on Disney’s decision. And that’s a good thing for them to learn at this age.

As much as I would like to see VMK remain open I don’t think it’s going to happen. Some people think it’s a financial issue. But I don’t think so. I believe many loyal VMK fans would pay for the service. It is worth a price, I believe — and I would be willing to pay a subscription price in line with other online games like Toon Town or Pirates of the Caribbean Online.  Somehow, I think the decision comes for a deeper reason that the public may never know.

Deer Tics … be careful

Last Updated on Friday, 7 November 2008 10:18 Written by lorie Saturday, 26 April 2008 10:03

We live in an area where the deer come right up to our deck in the backyard and eat the flowers. The deer may be beautiful to look at — but they are a total nuisance. I know, they were here first and our housing took over their land — but at this point I’m not sure what we can do about that. We’ve battled tics on the dogs and on us over the years. We have the yard sprayed for flea and tic control. The dogs are on Revolution treatment to keep the tics off.

However, a few days ago my youngest had a tic on him which he promptly removed and flushed down the toilet. Two days later the ‘bulls-eye’ appeared — a sign of possible lyme’s disease.

I called the doctor immediately. He had blood work done, however the results will not be back for a week. In the meantime they started him on antibiotics.

We lost two dogs from lyme’s disease in the past ten years. Their symptoms were not that obvious and they died before receiving proper treatment. As much as I try to reassure my son that he will be okay I know it’s playing in his head that this could be serious for him.

I’m eternally grateful for taking a look at his back (where the tic was located) — I normally don’t do that on a regular basis … I just happened to see it because he was running around the house without a shirt on.

Flyers — this is it!

Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 April 2008 07:09 Written by lorie Tuesday, 22 April 2008 07:09

Another exciting night at our home. However, I had to retreat to the basement to get away from the tension upstairs.

The Philadelphia Flyers are playing tonight and it’s winner take all. If they don’t win tonight they don’t go to the playoffs — and everyone in this house will be in a very bad mood! Our neighbors on the other hand will be happy since they are all Capitols’ fans.

I heard a yell just a bit ago … meaning the Caps scored … not looking good again!

Oops … another shout — I think the game is tied — and that’s good! I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting night.

Go Flyers!