The Day the Mickey Died - In memoriam: Pal Mickey

[shebaxric]

It's not you, it's your tension with nature. You know, Casear Milan says tension in the leash when walking the dog transmits down the leash and to the dog, thus causing tension in the dog. Perhaps nature senses your tension and becomes tense around you. Or, it could just be that nature doesn't like you. . . .

[teachallday]

Originally Posted by Peter Panic Attack

Our immediate problem after lunch was that Pal Mickey wanted to go on “It’s tough to be a bug” real bad. . . . After what seemed like an eternity of dangling spiders and rampaging rodents, we emerged from the attraction apologizing profusely to DD Woob….who was no longer speaking to us. Pal Mickey was doing his best to comfort her….all the while shooting me a dirty “I told you so” look over her shoulder…..which is a total load of bull because he’s the one that wanted to go on it in the first place. Thanks a lot Pal Mickey…..hang me out to dry why don’t you.

I am beginning to wonder if Pal Mickey's passing was really as innocent as you have lead us to believe. We currently have two suspects with a motive.

1) DD Woob, once she realized it was really Pal Mickey that got the family on "It's Tough to be a Bug"

2) Dad - - because Pal Mickey "hung him out to dry"

hmmmmmm - - - Your cover story is starting to have holes in it. Who did you have investigating his death? Goofy? Minnie and Pluto are not going to be happy if it was really murder.

[cclovesdis]

Just found your TR. I love it!

[wannago2disney]

What a great TR...hoping that there will be lots more!

[Peter Panic Attack]

Originally Posted by shebaxric

It's not you, it's your tension with nature. You know, Casear Milan says tension in the leash when walking the dog transmits down the leash and to the dog, thus causing tension in the dog. Perhaps nature senses your tension and becomes tense around you. Or, it could just be that nature doesn't like you. . . .

You know....now that you mention it...ever since I started walking our dog he's become a nail biter......and I think he's chain smoking.

Originally Posted by teachallday

hmmmmmm - - - Your cover story is starting to have holes in it. Who did you have investigating his death? Goofy? Minnie and Pluto are not going to be happy if it was really murder.

I'm not too worried about Minnie. Pluto, on the other hand....is rumored to have some pretty unsavory connections. *cough cough mafia cough cough*

Originally Posted by cclovesdis

Just found your TR. I love it!

Thanks

Originally Posted by wannago2disney

What a great TR...hoping that there will be lots more!

Thank you....so far this TR is progressing like a season of "24" so I'm just hoping I can finish it in my lifetime.

[Peter Panic Attack]

Chapter 13 – We’re still at AK right? Just checking

AK sometimes gets treated like it’s the Ringo Starr of the WDW parks but we always have a great time there. It’s just so jungly. Sure, sometimes you get lost for a couple of days but that’s all part of the fun. In fact, my theory is that DeVine is actually a tourist who got lost on the way to Camp Minnie-Mickey and was eventually just absorbed by the jungle. Well….I didn’t say it was a good theory.

Speaking of Camp Minnie-Mickey (how’s that for a segue), that’s where we were headed next because we had us a hankering for a little “Festival of the Lion King”. Tinkershell’s non-negotiable itinerary was basically just for the morning, so we were at the point in the day where we get to free-lance a bit. Hmmmmm….although it still seemed like Tinkershell was calling all the shots…..and she did still seem to be consulting her thick leather engraved journal o’ itinerarys quite a bit. Nope…probably just a coincidence. She promised we were playing it loosey goosey…..although she seemed to have trouble making eye contact when she said it.

Pal Mickey insisted he that could lead the way….so he plunged into the nearest bush with the family in tow. Pal Mickey didn’t do the “beaten path”…..he always took a shortcut. I guess he just loved the challenge. Anyway, after wandering lost through Discovery Island for a time…..where we didn’t see DeVine by the way….but we did meet a nice Dr. Livingstone who seemed to have gotten a little muddled as well…we finally emerged near the bridge to Camp Minnie-Mickey.

At this point, we were hustling double-time to FTLK because…as you all know…. if you get there late you end up stuck in the giraffe section….and I’m not buying the whole “giraffes go bleet” story they’re trying to sell us. I’ve been to the zoo plenty of times and have yet to hear a giraffe go bleet. From my experience…..they basically just stare and chew. Hence….for the sake of authenticity…..it is my strong belief that the people in the giraffe section should be instructed to stare and chew rather than bleet. If you are as outraged about this affront to nature as I am....and, curiously, few are.... I’ll be circulating a petition after the TR. Please sign it and pass it to your neighbor.

The last time we were at FTLK, we were in the elephant section….which was a good news/bad news scenario. The good news was that I do a top shelf elephant impression. In fact….on one occasion I was doing my impression at the zoo and ended up briefly engaged to a sweet young elephant named Sophie. Poor little thing had already picked out our china pattern before we cleared up the unfortunate misunderstanding. The bad news was that the elephant section spent the whole show looking at the business end of Simba...which frankly....it not his best side. This year we were in the lion section. Is my lion as good as my elephant? Probably not….but few things are.


See....that's the elephant section back there behind Simba's booty

FTLK was on our “must-do” list for AK and, once again, it did not disappoint. By show of hands…..who else loves the acrobatic monkeys. I know. Those little buggers are flipping all over the place...although I wasn't aware that the trampoline and trapeze were found so abundantly in the jungle. OK…also by show of hands….how many people are disturbed by how gigantic Timon’s head looks when he’s standing next to real people. Yup…it’s pretty freaky. In fact, it gives me nightmares. He’s like the elephant man or something. I bet he has to sleep sitting up. They should make him wear a burlap hood. In fact....I'm going to add "Timon needs a burlap hood" to the petition because that's how strongly I feel about it. Seriously....he's hideous.

Next up: Chpt 14 - How to bungle the jungle parade.

[shebaxric]

I love FTLK too! It's one of the only places that you can make animal noises in public and not get stared at! I also agree with the whole AK shaft theory. As we've previously discussed, I love the animals, thus making this park in the top two, MK wins first.

P.S. Poor Sophie!

[jjk]

lovin your trip report

[Peter Panic Attack]

Originally Posted by shebaxric

I love FTLK too! It's one of the only places that you can make animal noises in public and not get stared at! I also agree with the whole AK shaft theory. As we've previously discussed, I love the animals, thus making this park in the top two, MK wins first.

P.S. Poor Sophie!

Ah yes....poor Sophie. However, I believe it was English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson who wrote "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"....or was that Alfred Pennyworth....tireless butler, confidante and surrogate father figure to Batman....I always get those two mixed up.

Originally Posted by jjk

lovin your trip report

Thanks. I'm glad your enjoying it.

[Girldreamer02]

I love FOTLK too! I also don't buy into the whole bleeting thing so I'm glad someone out there has the same opinion. Lovin' the trippie!

[allison k]

I think teachallday might be onto something... Maybe you're just trying to butter us up with these oh so sweet stories of your Pal Mickey when in reality you're trying to cover up your guilt...

Ahem...I think I might give Pluto a call! Capiche!

[Shir Kahn]

Egads, I'm at the end already? Enough lollygagging, must have more! Chop chop!

[Peter Panic Attack]

Originally Posted by Girldreamer02

I love FOTLK too! I also don't buy into the whole bleeting thing so I'm glad someone out there has the same opinion. Lovin' the trippie!

All it takes is for a few good people to speak out against the fallacy of giraffe bleeting and I think we'll see a positive change......although possibly not in our lifetime.

Originally Posted by allison k

I think teachallday might be onto something... Maybe you're just trying to butter us up with these oh so sweet stories of your Pal Mickey when in reality you're trying to cover up your guilt...

Ahem...I think I might give Pluto a call! Capiche!

When people cross Pluto.....they wind up missing.

Originally Posted by Shir Kahn

Egads, I'm at the end already? Enough lollygagging, must have more! Chop chop!

I pride myself in taking lollygagging to a new level. In fact, I'm very highly esteemed in lollygagging circles. I'm kind of like their king....the king of lollygagging.

[wannago2disney]

Originally Posted by Peter Panic Attack

When people cross Pluto.....they wind up missing.

perhaps we should stay clear of Pluto then until this TR is finished....

[Peter Panic Attack]

Chpt 14 - How to bungle the jungle parade

Tinkershell is a parade nutjob….so is Pal Mickey for that matter. Those two will set up a lawn chair on the curb for garbage pick-up day and cheer wildly as the truck goes from can to can…..that’s how much they love a parade. Oh sure….the rest of us enjoy parades too…we just try to maintain some healthy boundaries…because that’s what sane people do. That being said, we end up watching a lot of parades, because….like the old saying goes…the squeaky parade nutjobs get the grease. And nobody was squeakier than Pal Mickey…because…you know….he’s a mouse.

AK’s temporary fix for Tinkershell and Pal Mickey’s spiraling out of control parade addiction was “Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade” ….although at Christmas time AK sneaks a “jingle” into the name in place of the “jammin’”. We had seen the jammin’ version of the parade two years before but we were in uncharted waters when it came to the jingle version. Ah…the suspense. How does AK transform a parade from one that jams to one that jingles? That’s the question. To be honest….I had my doubts that it could even be done. Tinkershell and Pal Mickey assured me that it could…..with smug little know-it-all expressions on their faces….which I detest.

After much careful deliberation, we decided to stake out our spot on the parade route in the vicinity of “Flights of Wonder”. How did we come to that conclusion? Well…I could tell you …but then I’d have to ask you not share it with anyone else. Anyway, this wasn’t our first rodeo….or parade for that matter…. so we grabbed our preferred viewing spot about 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. Tinkershell, Pal Mickey and DD Woobie sat down on the curb right next to the parade ropes….because apparently they think they’re something special. DS Buddy and I….who aren’t under the impression that the world revolves around us…..chose a more discrete spot back against the Flights of Wonder wall.

While we were patiently waiting for the parade to appear, DS Buddy decided to take off his shoes and socks to air out his soggy feet from KRR earlier in the day. That’s when we got our first glimpse of his pruny feet. Oh the humanity. When he unveiled those feet a wave a panic swept through the park. Small children cried and grown men trembled. DS Buddy’s feet had turned a ghostly white and were completely covered in wrinkles…..even his wrinkles were covered in wrinkles. Pal Mickey said he’d never seen anything like it. Of course, he’s never taken a bath before either….because of his unreasonable fear of water.

For awhile, DS’s ghastly deformities worked in our favor because if anybody tried to crowd our parade spot I just grabbed one of his ankles and waved a disfigured foot in their face. This was extremely affective...although I did feel a bit guilty when I saw the horror in peoples eyes. Sadly, all goods things must come to an end and…..over time…his feet began to look like feet again instead of soggy clumps of cauliflower and the huddled masses began to creep in…..like a sinister fog.

So what do you do at WDW when you’ve got time to burn? Easy…you people watch…and we had a prime spot. Just off to our left was a cement planter. This planter was the perfect height for a bench and was in a perfect spot for parade-watching. Unfortunately, this planter was located inside an area designated for non-parade-watcher traffic flow and…..hence….was forbidden. Ahhhh, the sweet allure of the forbidden bench. DS Buddy and I must have watched a hundred people plop their little behinds down on that planter….only to be shooed away by a vigilant CM….whose only apparent responsibility in life was to guard the forbidden planter.

Plop….shoo…..plop…..shoo. It was fascinating. As the crowds grew, the plopping became more frequent….and the shooing became more difficult. It was a epic battle for the ages…reminiscent of Waterloo or San Juan Hill. People became increasingly belligerent but the trusty Knight Templar of the forbidden bench held her ground. On numerous occasions, I was sure she would falter but…by pure grit and determination…she was able to hold her position until the parade began.

Ok, so here is how we bungled the jungle parade. As I mentioned earlier, we grabbed our parade spot 30 minutes before the start of the parade…..the start of the parade mind you. Unfortunately, the Flight of Wonders building is at the end of the parade….and this is not a fast moving parade because they have all those people-operated contraptions weaving back and forth like Lindsay Lohan attempting to pass a sobriety test. We waited dang near an hour before we saw any signs of parade activity…..but we learned a valuable lesson that day. We are not smart.

Next up: Chpt 15 – I’d like to leave a wake-up call for the end of this TR