Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall, and Celebrating Legends: A Day of Thrills and Reflection

Ever wondered what it feels like to navigate the twists and turns of the Lazy River at Ocean Oasis? Join us on "Life in the Ted Lane" as we recount our exhilarating adventure to Morey's Pier in Wildwood, New Jersey! Our day was packed with thrills, from the giant Ferris wheel to the spooky ghost ship. Plus, you'll laugh along with our amusing encounters, including some impatient kids and a little girl with a surprising disdain for mermaids. We wrap up our fun-filled day with refreshing drinks and an unexpectedly wild ride on the Sky Pond.

Switching from the sun and surf to more reflective topics, we share some recent household upgrades—new air conditioners and laundry machines—and our renewed commitment to our YMCA pool membership. We pay tribute to the legendary James Earl Jones, celebrating his incredible career, and introduce you to the newest Muppet character from "The Ultimate GOAT," designed to inspire kids to try new things. We also pause to remember Steven Silberman, an influential journalist whose work advanced autism acceptance and the neurodiversity movement. As always, we extend a heartfelt thank you to our listeners and recognize the musical talents of Vincent Friel. 

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May your life be filled with magic!

Transcript

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Adventure at Morey's Pier

Ted 0:32

Thank you , Hello . Welcome to Life in a Kedlight . I'm your host , Ted Karras . I'm with you as my co-host , Melissa Bakesister . I'm with Dean Martin . That's my Jerry Lewis . What do you have for y'all ?

Lindsay 0:41

I'm the Dean Martin next year , jerry Lewis . Well , oh easy , jerry . I'm the Dean Martin next year , jerry Lewis . Oh easy , jerry . Oh easy Jerry . Ted can you do an impression of Jerry Lewis ?

Ted 0:51

Hi , I'm Jerry Lewis , I'm your big guy .

Lindsay 0:56

That's pretty good . So I'm Lindsey Harris-Friel , I'm Ted Harris' sister , and this is what Ted Life of the Ted Lane Ta-da .

Ted 1:07

This is a podcast where we talk about adventures , Broadway , Hollywood news , Bump it news , what's like to be autistic . So our recent adventure it was Wednesday , it was the hottest day of the year , very hot day , and we decided to , since it was the end of summer , we would take this time to go to Maury's Pier in Walwood , New Jersey . Maury's Pier is actually a amusement pier in Walwood , New Jersey . It's one of four amusement piers done by the Maury family and it was erected sometime in the 1970s .

Lindsay 1:38

Well , we don't know . We could fact check that , but maybe we'll just move on and talk about our what . What do they have at morris pier ted ?

Ted 1:47

they have the giant first wheel and they have the ghost ship , which is actually part of the philadelphia experiment , and they have their famous carousel family bumper cars and the sky coaster lindsey actually rode the sky coaster one time . And what is actually popular is their famous water park and it has six water slides . We rode on it's called Ocean Oasis . Ocean Oasis and I rode six water slides and has the Lazy Crazy River .

Lindsay 2:18

I love the Lazy River .

Ted 2:19

Yep and basically we were surrounded by people of all kinds of body sizes and swimsuits .

Lindsay 2:25

It was definitely every single kind of body was represented .

Ted 2:29

Yep , yep , lizzie was way at the top of the slide . Some kids were butting her and all that , and Lizzie did her motherly attitude , her motherly attitude , and told them to calm down . Basically , I wanted to set them straight and all that .

Lindsay 2:43

Well , I believe what happened the first time they bumped into my butt . These were little kids . I don't know how old do you think those kids were ? Ted ? Probably about about seven or eight yeah , maybe , and they were small and they were the first time a little kid bumped into my butt . It was annoying , but I ignored it . The second time , it was annoying , but I ignored it and the third time she had just time , it was very hard to ignore .

Lindsay 3:15

And then , and all I can hear are these little tiny voices behind me going you're a cutter , you're a cutter , no , you're a cutter , you're cutting in .

Ted 3:23

And then she turned to those kids and then gave her a muddly attitude and tried to set them straight and then went back .

Lindsay 3:30

I prefer to think of it as a warrior queen attitude .

Ted 3:34

Yep , I wanted to set them straight too .

Lindsay 3:37

I said I hope that there isn't anyone here who would be cutting in line . And what did they all do , ted ?

Ted 3:45

They all be quiet .

Lindsay 3:46

They bowed their heads and pretended to be serious .

Ted 3:49

Yep , and on the Lazy Crazy River there was a girl that said she did like mermaids . She saw a horror movie about evil mermaids , where mermaids are the bad guys .

Lindsay 4:03

So she was saying I hate mermaids , mermaids suck . And she said it a couple of times and her dad said honey , let's you know , maybe curb the language . And I said tell me , sailor , what was your rank in the Navy ?

Ted 4:18

Yep .

Lindsay 4:18

You kiss your mother with that mouth . But it wasn't that bad .

Ted 4:22

Yeah .

Lindsay 4:27

Because Ted's amazed that this little girl was going .

Ted 4:28

I hate mermaids . I hate mermaids nobody has to like mermaids yep , oh , if you want to see a movie about mermaids , you check out the little mermaid by disney or check out the movie mermaids by sharer or you could find this movie with the kraken and bad guy mermaids on amazon prime .

Lindsay 4:45

That's where the dad said it was okay and you can write to us and tell us about it .

Ted 4:52

Yeah , right yeah , and tell us if we should watch it and we also had a couple of drinks at the at the restaurant what kind of drink did you have , ted lindsey ? Had a margarita and I had a couple of Cokes . Margarita is like lemonade always more alcohol . Your grownups could drink tequila .

Lindsay 5:14

Well , it depends on what medication you're on and whether or not you want to consume alcoholic beverages , because a lot of adults don't . They just don't feel like it .

Ted 5:23

Okay , and we also saw the Sky Pond .

Lindsay 5:27

The Sky Pond was interesting , wasn't it ?

Ted 5:30

Yeah , we kept getting swamped every bit of the way . It was like .

Lindsay 5:34

So we thought Sky Pond oh , that sounds so relaxing , sky Pond , great . So you wait in line with an inner tube , and that's fine . So you wait in line with an inner tube , and that's fine . And what happens is you get you sit down backwards in the water . Keep in mind , you're how high up in the air . Do you think we were Ted ?

Ted 5:55

Probably about belly height , it was it was .

Lindsay 6:03

We were almost as high as the top of the Ferris wheel . And what happens is you take off flying down in your inner tube , in the , in the water slide and then you land sploosh in a pond or and do that again blurp , blurp . And what happens you ? What happens ? You lose your tube .

Ted 6:26

You lose your tube .

Lindsay 6:27

And you're up to your armpits or something in water and then you have to get back on your inner tube and get into the next chute , right .

Ted 6:39

Yep .

Lindsay 6:39

Yeah , and how did that go for you , ted ?

Ted 6:41

Well , it was torture .

Lindsay 6:43

It's very difficult because you're very high up in the air yeah there's water jets blasting at you , and they do have a rope for you to hold on to while you get the tube situated behind you so you can sit down in it . But everything's moving right .

Ted 7:04

Yeah , I told people I was autistic , I needed help . Basically turned on something tells me they had problems with autistics before maybe it's not that they had autistics .

Lindsay 7:14

Maybe it's , or maybe it's not , that they had problems . Maybe it's just that they have special training oh . And they can understand . Once you disclosed your condition , they were better able to help you because they knew what was going on too .

Ted 7:32

Yep , yeah , then another sky pond Blurp .

Lindsay 7:37

And the whole process starts all over again .

Ted 7:39

Blurp , blurp , blurp , blurp , blurp .

Lindsay 7:43

Okay , then the final one yep , so that was a lot of fun , and now ted . One of the things I also want to bring up was how tired we were at the end of the day we're all tired of it , yeah and I said to ted we put all of our wet bathing suits and our wet towels into one big plastic bag .

Ted 8:05

Uh-huh .

Lindsay 8:07

And I said to Ted we can walk on the beach , we can walk on the boardwalk or we can head home , but first we should put our stuff in the car . And we were having trouble making a decision and I said let's just go to the parking lot and put our stuff in the car . So we did .

Ted 8:28

I said I'm tired , I want to go home .

Lindsay 8:30

Yep , and I'm very grateful that you told me how you really felt , because normally you would just say whatever you think would make me happy and that's not necessary . You could just tell me how you feel and I said okay , we'll head home . I admire my honesty and all that . I admire your honesty . It was good .

Ted 8:48

There was another family who was coming off the dock and all that . They said the father had enough and the mother was yapping , and all that . One little girl said she wanted ice cream . Another boy said he wanted a soda . Vincent kept his glasses . He was in his own world . I guess he was making calculations in his head .

Lindsay 9:07

Yeah , so how was our , what were our challenges ? For getting home , though ? I mean , we had very little traffic , everything should have been fine , but what was happening to- . We were going at breaking speed and so we listened to I was getting very tired . We were getting tired , so we listened to .

Ted 9:25

I was getting very tired .

Lindsay 9:26

We were getting tired and I needed you to help me stay awake .

Ted 9:29

We listened to the Pirates of Penzance .

Lindsay 9:32

Yes , the original Broadway production with Kevin Kline and Rex Smith and Linda Ronstadt . Yep , and how was it , ted ?

Ted 9:40

Dynamic . Basically , it was more like to keep people awake . What song did we sing ?

Lindsay 9:47

The very model of our major general the Pirate Cajun With information vegetable , animal and mineral .

Ted 9:53

Yep and some things , and the Pirates of Penzance is definitely worth seeing , Okay now , we're okay .

Lindsay 10:02

So the Pirates of Penzance , produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company , will be playing next spring , starring David Hyde Pierce as the major oh , I'm sorry , as law enforcer . Major General Stanley , wow , I never thought of it as a law enforcer , but okay .

Ted 10:26

Yep . And then I said , thought of as a law enforcer , but okay , yep .

Lindsay 10:30

And then I said , oh , dash it all . Yep , Go again . But it is a yeah . It says here . Ramin Karimlu and David Hyde Pierce lead the crew in this must-see roundabout reimagining of the Pirates of Penzance . Gilbert and Sullivan's pirate ship docks in New Orleans in this jazzy , bluesy version of the crowd-pleasing classic . So maybe that's something to think about , ted .

Ted 10:56

All right .

Lindsay 10:58

So that was our big adventure . We went to Teddy . How did you feel about going to Wildwood just for the day ?

Ted 11:05

I felt it was good and all that Definitely worth going , rather than the whole week .

Lindsay 11:08

We had been planning that for a long time .

Ted 11:11

I know .

Autism, Theater, and Market Updates

Ted 11:12

And other things kept getting in the way I know , we had to get two air conditioners , so we were careful .

Lindsay 11:18

Yeah , we had to add window units to our house because Our air conditioning system doesn't distribute very well and it's been murderously hot this summer .

Ted 11:32

And we had to get a washer and dryer .

Lindsay 11:35

We did have to get new laundry machines because our old ones were . Ted , can you make the noise that our old ones are making ? Okay , we would like to apologize to our listeners for that awful sound , but at least we got to have some summer fun .

Ted 12:05

Yeah .

Lindsay 12:06

So that's , good right .

Ted 12:08

Next time we will make a membership to the Amber pool .

Lindsay 12:13

I think we made a mistake by not . I think it was a bad idea to not renew our membership to the Ambler YMCA pool .

Ted 12:21

Oh well , we definitely will renew our membership .

Lindsay 12:24

And we can swim at the indoor pool this winter right .

Ted 12:30

Yep .

Lindsay 12:31

Okay , so that's our adventure news . What about Broadway and Hollywood news , Ted ?

Ted 12:35

All right Broadway and Hollywood news . I have a major bubble bulletin this time . James Earl Jones passed away recently . He was quite old , he was 98 .

Lindsay 12:47

No , he was 93 .

Ted 12:49

Wow , I remember seeing him on Sesame Street back in 1979 . He stopped at Mr Hooper's store . Apparently he was looking for the ultimate egg cream and all that .

Lindsay 13:01

That's right . There was that episode where he was looking for the ultimate egg cream .

Ted 13:05

And then he found it at Mr Hooper's store .

Lindsay 13:08

I forgot about that . Yeah , and he also . Um he , but back in the very beginning of sesame street they had video clips of him reciting the alphabet and counting to 10 in english yep and if you have not seen that , it's on YouTube and I highly recommend it because it will make you gain a new respect for the number seven . And also , he did it in Spanish . He recited , he counted to ten in Spanish , and I will never forget how he said Ocho .

Ted 13:45

Yes , also , he was the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and all that , and he was the police chief in MathNet a case of the purple braid and he also was the voice of Mustafa the Lion King , and he was in Coming to America . He played the King , he played Eddie Murphy's father , he was the genie in Freddy Tullo Theater's Aladdin . Now he's done a number of things . He's also done stories from the Bible and he was pilot in Jesus Christ Superstar .

Lindsay 14:25

He was in the production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway with , I want to say , felicia Rashad , and I can't remember who else was in the cast . He played Big Daddy and from what I understand , he was amazing . So rest in power , james Earl Jones , we hardly knew you .

Ted 14:48

Right .

Lindsay 14:49

You are a role model for us all , so rest in power , james Earl Jones , we hardly knew you .

Ted 14:54

You are a role model for us all . Muppet News Muppet News . Muppet News Muppet News . Dr Rob Berger has created a new Muppet character , Irv the Tin Can Eating Goat , and basically it's to go . They travel the world in search of the ultimate goal oh , to find people who could be the best could be . They interview professional athletes and the area who people go beyond the call of duty to be the best could , could be . Basically , the interview is famous athletes who are extreme sports people and basically it's worth watching . It's to encourage kids to try new things and all that .

Lindsay 15:38

Mm-hmm .

Ted 15:39

To let kids try new things . You know what Ms Frizzle says on the Magic School Bus Take chances , get messy .

Lindsay 15:47

Yeah , what does so ? It's called the show is called what ted ?

Ted 15:53

the ultimate go the ultimate goat .

Lindsay 15:55

And what does goat stand for ? Um go greatest of all time greatest of all time like you know how muhammad ali used to say I am the greatest of all time .

Ted 16:07

Yeah .

Lindsay 16:07

Yeah , and Simone Biles is the GOAT .

Ted 16:11

The greatest gymnast , and so is Gabby Douglas , yep , and so is also so W Buchanu and Tony Hawk and a lot of great people , and Kareem Abu-Jabbar .

Lindsay 16:27

Teddy , you know what ? I don't know where you're going with that , but okay , sorry , I got a little carried away .

Ted 16:33

Yeah , you did . So . I have been walking the dog with Simone lately . Sometimes I think of Rocky Balboa like Rocky Balboa , but one time when he fought Ivan Drago like Ivan Drago . Sometimes things come to my head , oh , sometimes things come to my head like if there are heaven for animals , we go to people heaven . Sometimes I try to blow your car to psychic energy . That almost works . Sometimes I think of myself as Rocky Balboa , but the time when he fought Abedrego , clubber Lang and Thunder Lips Also . Sometimes I was beside Popeye , the Sandman , or I Am Pippi Longstocking or Defenders of the Earth or the Batgirl theme song .

Lindsay 17:26

And you sing these at six o'clock in the morning while you're out walking the dog and people are trying to wake up .

Ted 17:34

I know it's supposed to get me motivated and all that .

Lindsay 17:37

Does it help ?

Ted 17:39

I guess so Good .

Lindsay 17:42

I just hope that people don't get angry at you .

Ted 17:45

Not they ever did .

Lindsay 17:47

All right , so that was Muppet News . And what is the next spot on here ? What is the next autism news ?

Ted 17:55

Steven Silberman .

Lindsay 17:56

Steven Silberman . Steve Silberman , a journalist who explored autism's history , dies at 66 . And I am reading his obituary from today's Washington Post . He wrote about the developmental condition in NeuroTribes , a 2015 bestseller that promoted understanding and acceptance of people who think differently , think differently . He wrote for Wired Magazine and he wrote about a lot of . He profiled Oliver Sachs and he wrote a lot about music , including the work of jazz pianist Bill Evans , singer-songwriter David Crosby and the Grateful Dead . He basically Neurotribes is . Here we go .

Lindsay 18:47

As the number of people with autism continued to climb recent estimates suggest that about one in 36 children were autistic Mr Silberman decided to write a book exploring the diagnosis's history . The result Neurotribes the legacy of autism and the future of neurodiversity was translated into more than a dozen languages and won Britain's Samuel Johnson Prize , now the Bailey Gifford Prize for Nonfiction . Mr Silberman reported on the work of medical researchers such as Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger . He offered a scathing tank down of debunked claims that linked autism to vaccines Thank goodness and highlighted the experience of autistic people fighting for recognition and acceptance . The book was credited with helping popularize the concept of neurodiversity , the idea that there is no single correct way of thinking , learning or communicating , and with promoting self-advocacy , in which people with autism are empowered to shape decisions that affect them .

Lindsay 19:48

So , ted , like , for example , if I said to you we're going to eat lunch today and letting you decide what we're going to have for lunch , or where we're going to eat it , or how much it's going to cost , or whatever , and giving you an informed choice , that's carrying on his legacy right yeah yeah so I think we're gonna have to check that book out of the library . What do you think ?

Ted 20:11

yep , um , if you want to find that book , you can check it out . You'll look it up on the internet .

Lindsay 20:17

It's a number of bookshare sites and we will put a link in the show notes to this Washington Post obituary about him .

Ted 20:25

Yeah .

Lindsay 20:26

And oh , here's an interesting one . Here's an interesting quote . What autism really is is an enormous population of men and women with tremendous potential who are being denied what everyone deserves the chance to live a happy , safe , secure and productive life . He said in 2016 , delivering a united nations speech marking world autism awareness day . Viewed in this light , autistic people are one of the largest disenfranchised minorities in the world . That is really cool . This guy is super cool , yep , so in any case , right , you know . Rest in peace , sir , thank you for all of your hard work .

Lindsay 21:13

So that's , uh another thing to know . Okay , so that was our autism news , ted . And what else do you ted ? Uh , what kinds of things are we looking forward to ? It's September now .

Ted 21:26

Well , it's September now and we hope to do like a live recording at the Market of the Macabre .

Lindsay 21:33

Oh yes , ted . What is the Market of the Macabre ?

Ted 21:36

The Market of the Macabre is like a big market where basically it's for certain people who are interested in the macabre , it's at Laurel Hill Cemetery . Basically it has a lot of merchandise about cob stuff .

Lindsay 21:48

Can you tell them about what is Laurel Hill Cemetery ?

Ted 21:51

Laurel Hill Cemetery is a famous cemetery in Roxborough . It's up on Bridge Avenue .

Lindsay 21:58

Yeah , it's up near , it's in Northwest Philadelphia .

Ted 22:03

It's near the Band Music Center . Yeah , it's up near . It's near . It's in Northwest Philadelphia . It's near the Band .

Lindsay 22:06

Music Center . Yeah , it's big and it's beautiful .

Ted 22:10

Yeah , it's worth going to .

Lindsay 22:12

Highly recommend . One of the things about cemeteries is that for a long time people sort of used them as public parks , not just as a way to honor their dead , but also to be like we're not afraid of death . Oh yeah , so it's . It is okay to spend time relaxing and having fun in cemeteries , it's not just . I don't think it's disrespectful . Yep , what do you think ? Ted ?

Ted 22:39

years ago , people used to picnic in cemeteries .

Lindsay 22:42

Yes , that's true .

Ted 22:49

Also is the Chestnut Hill Arts Fair . We'll definitely go there . That's coming up on Sunday . That's on Sunday . We'll definitely go there and maybe we'll do our first live recording there .

Lindsay 22:59

Well , I think we can do a live recording at Laurel Hill . Okay , because Laurel Hill is so big , you can walk away from the crowds for a little bit and then rejoin the fun . Yep , the Chestnut Hill one . I'm not sure how packed it's going to be because I've never been there before . I mean , I've been to Chestnut Hill , I've just never been to the Chestnut Hill Arts Fair .

Ted 23:23

Well , we'll see .

Lindsay 23:23

We'll see , but , Ted , real quick for events like the Laurel Hill Cemetery and the Market of the Macabre . What are some tips for autistic people and their caregivers who might want to go to something like that ?

Ted 23:42

Try not to be afraid and understand death is a step in your social life and basically all of these people have gone on to better places .

Lindsay 23:52

Yeah , and it's also good for people who like Halloween and spooky stuff .

Ted 23:59

And for thrill seekers , what'd you say ? And for thrill seekers ?

Lindsay 24:04

Yeah , thrill seekers , which set . And for thrill seekers , yeah , thrill seekers . And it's good for people who , um , like horror movies and witchy stuff and creepy stuff . Um , maybe I'll get a new deck of tarot cards there , ted , maybe . Oh , all right , or maybe know what there's ? There's this one company that's there every year and they're called Ever Crumbly and Witch . I believe they make the most beautiful witch hats . Do you remember those , ted ? Yep , those giant gorgeous witch hats . Yep , they're so beautiful , but I have a big head so I don't really fit into hats very well .

Lindsay 24:47

I can't even knit my own hats .

Ted 24:49

Okay , I think we should wrap this up now . You wanna wrap this up ? Okay , all right , that's it for now . I'm your host , ted Harris , and if you like what you see , tell your friends about us . You can tell your friends about us . Tell people , I like people . I hate All people who love our shows . You can also find my videos on YouTube or search for Puppets . You can learn more about us at 6630productionscom . You can write to us at info at 6630.com .

Lindsay 25:16

No , you can write to us at info at 6630productionscom .

Ted 25:23

And like tell your friends if you like the show . Write a review On Apple Podcasts , podcaster or Buzzsprout .

Lindsay 25:30

Well , on Buzzsprout . You can also . You'll see , there's a link in the show notes that says send us fan mail and it sends us a text message . It sends it to our Buzzsprout account . So if there's something that you want to tell us About the show , like if you account .

Ted 25:44

So if there's something that you want to tell us about the show , like if you have questions , or if there's something some way that you want to reach , out to us and if you've got soundbites you want to share , sing a song , tell us a joke that you can send to us , and that's it for now .

Podcast Sign-Off and Credits

Ted 25:58

I'm your host , ted Harris . I want to say thank you for listening . Bye for now . Thanks for listening . Bye for now . Stay tuned for more for Life in the Ted Lane . Look for another episode of Life in the Ted Lane . Bye .

Lindsay 26:11

Bye .

Ted 26:12

Life in the Ted Lane is written and hosted by me , ted Harris . My co-host is Lindsay Harris-Friel , edited by Ted Harris Music composed and performed by Vincent Fil . For more information , visit our website at 6620productionscom .