10 Days in October: Argle-Bargle or Foofarah? UPDATED: POSTS #984 & 995!!!

[BriarRosie]

Wow, I am only like 30 pages behind! Victoria and Alberts! I can't wait to read that one. But I am going to wait until I can sit down and read it all. I have been saving it - like a good novel! Maybe I can print it and take it on vacation?

Just be careful about beverage choices while reading this report. I suggest
you stay away from stainables like red wine or coffee. Just sayin'.

 

[Jennifer48]

Watch at your own risk!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scvb8mYTMrA

Oh my! I watched it and now the song is stuck in my head! My coworkers are going to hate me today.

 

[Jennifer48]

Believe it or not I'm actually a pretty picky eater and I think if I can go there and enjoy the menu almost anyone probably can.

You should try some new stuff on your cruise in September and then work your way up from there. Before you know it you'll be sitting in the dining room at V&A with Kimberly and her new hubby...or even better you guys could all get the chef's table - that would be a blast!

Well I have been attempting to try new things lately and the last cruise was a big step for us and this will be no different. Dan has even thanked me for making him try new things because he usually ends up liking them!

I hope one day we can ALL meet at V&A or even CT for some delectable delights! How fun would THAT be?!

 

[Karen Mouse]

Helllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

We're waiting for more

 

[HPHammer]

Team of Rivals...that's the one. I read it last year - Jay gave it to me for Christmas. A funny story...I was in the middle of reading it when I had my first surgery at the end of January. During my first follow-up visit with my doctor she told me that I'd said something coming out of the drugs that cracked up the entire room. They asked me how I was feeling and I supposedly answered that I'd been dreaming about Abraham Lincoln. Upon further questioning I apparently told them that Abe thought I needed more morphine and a six week hiatus from my job.

Your updates and responses are too funny. Add Abe to the list of experts: 'My doctor says and my garage mechanic agrees...' 'In the cart!'

Thanks for reading! Has Cowboy Grimace left for Northern IL yet?

We just got back last night. We really did have a nice trip -- CBG was really only very grumpy for one day. I think the half gallon of gin we purchased for his and Mom's hotel room the first night helped a lot...

And by the way -- I can't remember if it was this thread or your pre-trippie --but to all you fine people who were waxing poetic about Culver's? I had to explain to my two parents and my sister that a bunch of people I have never met highly recommended the place and we had to try it.

Um...

Fabulous!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Hey Brenda!
Oh my, those pictures from V&A were absolute triple X food porn!! Yum-o! I have to accept my fate of probably never eating there, as DH has the palate of 3 year old. If it ain't meat slapped 'tween 2 pieces of bread, fuhgettaboutit!

Oh and you look so pretty in your dress, your hair, your makeup... everything is simply gorgeous!! Jay's not too bad, either!
Grimace and Jon's photo..... classic!! I love it! You're right, The Enabler and Grimace need a play date!

 

[BriarRosie]

And by the way -- I can't remember if it was this thread or your pre-trippie --but to all you fine people who were waxing poetic about Culver's? I had to explain to my two parents and my sister that a bunch of people I have never met highly recommended the place and we had to try it.

Um...

Fabulous!

Uh, I think we've been guilty as charged.
I'm addicted to the fried cheese curds.

 

[HPHammer]

I'm addicted to the fried cheese curds.

DANG!!!!

I totally missed those! I was so excited to get a butterburger when I got up to the counter, I didn't think to carefully peruse the side items...

Oh well. An excuse to visit Princeton, Illinois again in the near future, I suppose.

Oh, and the family. Right. The family.

 

[oybolshoi]

Hi everybody!!!

Yes, we have an early flight out tomorrow for a WDW/Disney cruise trip and boy do we need it!

By the time you make it back here you will have all kinds of great stories to share with us. In the meantime...have a wonderful vacation!!!!

I went to find us a mascot today (because I love that idea so) and couldn't find anyone who fit. Oh well. Oh, and I bought 2 seasons of the Simpsons on DVD because you made me crave it. Thanks. My kids will be so happy to watch the Simpsons tomorrow at 6 am!

Maybe you will find a mascot while you're on vacation. Originally we never intended to make Plankton our mascot, but then things spiraled out of control...like they do in our world...and, well, you see the result.

Simpsons rule!!!

I can picture that!! If I had been there I would have joined in! Now I'm even sitting here humming it!!

Watch at your own risk!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scvb8mYTMrA

It's a good thing I wasn't able to access that video at work or my co-workers would have strung me up. What a riot!!!!

Wow, I am only like 30 pages behind! Victoria and Alberts! I can't wait to read that one. But I am going to wait until I can sit down and read it all. I have been saving it - like a good novel! Maybe I can print it and take it on vacation?

Hi Stacey! It's good to see you again - hope you're doing well. The Grimace is waiting for you!!!!

Just be careful about beverage choices while reading this report. I suggest you stay away from stainables like red wine or coffee. Just sayin'.

Are you saying that I write stuff that makes people spew? I hope so!!!

Well I have been attempting to try new things lately and the last cruise was a big step for us and this will be no different. Dan has even thanked me for making him try new things because he usually ends up liking them!

Excellent! Just think of all the great things you'll be able to try on the 7-night cruise...brunch, afternoon tea, mochaccinos...

I hope one day we can ALL meet at V&A or even CT for some delectable delights! How fun would THAT be?!

That would be incredible, good times! Or to quote Ron Weasley, "Wicked!"

Helllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

We're waiting for more

There's just no pleasing some people.

Your updates and responses are too funny. Add Abe to the list of experts: 'My doctor says and my garage mechanic agrees...' 'In the cart!'

Thank you!

We just got back last night. We really did have a nice trip -- CBG was really only very grumpy for one day. I think the half gallon of gin we purchased for his and Mom's hotel room the first night helped a lot...

And by the way -- I can't remember if it was this thread or your pre-trippie --but to all you fine people who were waxing poetic about Culver's? I had to explain to my two parents and my sister that a bunch of people I have never met highly recommended the place and we had to try it.

Um...

Fabulous!

Glad to hear the trip went well! And Culvers....drool.....

Hey Brenda!
Oh my, those pictures from V&A were absolute triple X food porn!! Yum-o! I have to accept my fate of probably never eating there, as DH has the palate of 3 year old. If it ain't meat slapped 'tween 2 pieces of bread, fuhgettaboutit!

Do you think you could get him drunk and then take him? Maybe you just need to plan a girls' only trip and all of you could go to V&A together without the men...that would be a blast!

Oh and you look so pretty in your dress, your hair, your makeup... everything is simply gorgeous!! Jay's not too bad, either!

Thanks Tracy...

Grimace and Jon's photo..... classic!! I love it! You're right, The Enabler and Grimace need a play date!

Could you just imagine the fun we could have getting those two together? Disney would never be the same!!

Uh, I think we've been guilty as charged. I'm addicted to the fried cheese curds.

DANG!!!!

I totally missed those! I was so excited to get a butterburger when I got up to the counter, I didn't think to carefully peruse the side items...

Oh well. An excuse to visit Princeton, Illinois again in the near future, I suppose.

Oh, and the family. Right. The family.

All this talk of butterburgers and fried cheese curds...do I even have to tell you where we ended getting take-out from tonight?

 

[tinawv]

I am so enjoying your trip report and can't wait to read the next post. Your relationship with you mom is so much like mine that it is uncanny. It was like I was reading about my mom and I.

 

[oybolshoi]

Tuesday, October 24th - Don't You Hate Pants???

Before regaling you with our Tuesday adventures, of which there are many (you have been warned), I owe you dear readers another helpful drinking tip.

**Alcoholic Exploration with Brenda, Lesson #51: Guavaberry, No Sharing!!

Ahhh, Guavaberry...your deep fuschia hue glitters in the firelight like a delicate, exotic gem, belying the 70-proof behemoth that resides within.

Sadly, I am not partaking of the Guavaberry tonight - I asked Jay to make me a colada but he said that I shouldn't have one since I have to go see the Crohns doctor tomorrow. The wife in me sincerely appreciates and loves him for his kindness; he is right...I know that. However, Boozie-the wanna-be-author really wants one because she hasn't had a Guavaberry Colada in more than a year.

Here's the recipe...maybe you can go make one and have a surrogate drink for me.

Guavaberry Colada

1 oz Cream of Coconut
2 oz Guavaberry Liqueur
3 oz Pineapple Juice

Fill blender 1/3 with ice, add above ingredients, and blend until it reaches your favorite slushie consistency. Pour into a glass and sprinkle with nutmeg. Drink slowly with your eyes closed....ahhhhhhh, repeat after me: I wish I was on a cruise ship anchored in St. Martin right now; I wish I was on a cruise ship anchored in St. Martin right now; I wish I was on a cruise ship anchored in St. Martin right now...

...cracks open left eyeball and squints hopefully at surroundings... Bilge! It didn't work...we probably should all have been drinking coladas. Oh well, next time we'll be prepared!

Guavaberry, by the way, is a folk-liqueur from the island of St. Martin, which is half-Dutch and half-French. It was first made on the island hundreds of years ago in private homes. Guavaberry liqueur is made from aged rum and local berries from which the liqueur derives its name. Guavaberry trees or shrubs grow in a variety of shapes and sizes up to 60 feet high. They have red-brown branches and small pink and white flowers. The fruit, which are roughly half the size of cherries, are yellow-orange or dark-red.

Do not confuse a guavaberry with a guava - they are completely different.

The mature, or aged, liqueur has a fruity, bittersweet flavor that is quite distinct. I'll be honest - I don't like the flavor on its own. It tastes like cough syrup. But mix this stuff into a colada (see above recipe for tongue-numbing good times) and it is unbelievable just how tasty a drink you end up with - all the more dangerous because you don't really taste the alcohol.

Go forth and partake of the Guavaberry goodness my friends, you won't regret it. But remember: No Sharing!!

Tune in next week for Lesson #28: Drinks that Begin with the Letter Mmmmmmmmm

***************************************

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I don't think there's any good way to get out of bed on the morning following an evening of culinary indulgence at Victoria and Albert's. I'll take it a step further and say that trying to make it to EPCOT for early morning EMH the day after eating dinner at V&A is a boneheaded decision of the first order. Allow me to foreshadow for my next trip report: we will not make this mistake a second time.

So there we were...three adults suffering from the tipsy-wipsies and one adult suffering from early morning Grim-itis watching the weather forecast for the day while sipping coffee and munching birthday cake (best cake ever).

"Heheheheheeeeeeee," Brenda continues to giggle helplessly until she snorts coffee up her nose.

Jason watches her with that quizzical expression of his, one eyebrow arched expectantly. "Are you planning to share?"

Wheezing slightly, I reply, "I must still be buzzed. I could swear that guy just said the high temperature today was going to be 50 degrees."

No one else is laughing.

Oh, dear.

Cold is not my friend. Wind is not my friend. Cold and wind combined are my mortal enemies and while I think the Cold Miser is a pretty cool (haha) dude with a zany sense of humor I don't want to vacation with him.

The one and only Cold Miser:

Also...I left my pants at home. No one from cooler climates packs pants when they vacation in Florida during the fall months - Alberta Clippers are not supposed to sail through America's wang in the middle of October! Four years of Florida vacations in October and I've never needed or wanted pants...until now. And thus begins a refrain I will hear from the Grimace for the rest of the day: "I'd feel better if you were wearing pants."

"I didn't bring any pants."

"Well, buy some. Your health has never been good - you're delicate."

"I am not delicate. I am not a fragile flower. I am not buying any pants."

All of which leads to Jay referring to me affectionately as Peter Pantsless for the remainder of the day.

Here we are just after entering EPCOT around 8:30 that morning. It was a gorgeous day, but terribly terribly cold. It wouldn't have been too bad except for the wind, which was brutal and completely negated the sun's warmth.

Plankton wanted to wait until the pub opened but when we told him he'd have close to a four-hour wait he decided to come along with us and scope out opportunities for mischief instead.

TBC...coming soon, Plankton explores Soarin and Mission Space, goes shopping, attempts to dazzle us with his intellect, and joins us as we snack around the world showcase.

 

[Karen Mouse]

Yeah - more Plankton adventures

ps - I ALWAYS pack one pair on pants and an umbrella - its a kind of "If I pack em I wont need them" sort of thinking.

 

[jakenjess]

My DS LOVED the Plankton pictures! He laughed so hard, especially at the ones of Plankton waiting for the Friendship. We both had a fit of giggles looking at them, then he had to show them to my DH and read all the picture captions to him. Hopefully we'll be seeing more Plankton pix today!

 

[cntkg1]

Brenda..am I reading this correctly? You had temps in the high 90's during the first part of your trip and then this cold??

Now if you were from Wisconsin this would be quite common, except we manage to experience that all in one day (maybe all in one hour)!

(Stay safe today and I hope St Louis dodges those storms heading your way)

 

[oybolshoi]

Yeah - more Plankton adventures

ps - I ALWAYS pack one pair on pants and an umbrella - its a kind of "If I pack em I wont need them" sort of thinking.

I guess I should start packing pants...but it's just not fun!

My DS LOVED the Plankton pictures! He laughed so hard, especially at the ones of Plankton waiting for the Friendship. We both had a fit of giggles looking at them, then he had to show them to my DH and read all the picture captions to him. Hopefully we'll be seeing more Plankton pix today!

If all goes well I should be able to update tonight with more Plankton. I'm glad you and your DS enjoyed them. And you know what...I still giggle when I look at them, too!

Brenda..am I reading this correctly? You had temps in the high 90's during the first part of your trip and then this cold??

Now if you were from Wisconsin this would be quite common, except we manage to experience that all in one day (maybe all in one hour)!

(Stay safe today and I hope St Louis dodges those storms heading your way)

Yep - you're reading that right. I think Mother Nature had her own hormone issues to deal with in October. Talk about crazy weather swings.

And we get those swings here in Missouri, too, but they're usually accompanied by a wicked storm that leaves 500M people without electricity for upwards of a week.

Other than the temperature swing (and it did start to warm back up during the rest of the week) the weather was incredible the whole time we were there. I'm not complaining, but it was such an odd occurrence that I wanted to comment on it...in what I hope was an amusing manner.

Thanks for the weather wishes today, Nancy - I think that this is going to be a bumpy one. Last night fizzled out - the front stalled - so there's a lot of energy building.

Thanks for reading everyone - off to see the Crohn doctor.

 

[A fat english gent]

How do i explain to Ryan that some America lady's go out without "pants"?....this is one crazy country

 

[oybolshoi]

How do i explain to Ryan that some America lady's go out without "pants"?....this is one crazy country

Don't try to explain it...it's just not possible.

 

[oybolshoi]

I am so enjoying your trip report and can't wait to read the next post. Your relationship with you mom is so much like mine that it is uncanny. It was like I was reading about my mom and I.

First of all I just wanted to apologize... I missed your post because it got buried on the bottom of the page right before I updated and I didn't see it right away.

Secondly, thanks for reading and for posting to let me know that you're enjoying the ride. I'm always happy to welcome new readers!!

Thirdly...moms - they're a trip, aren't they? I'm surprised at how many Grimace-types are out there...maybe we should all start a support group!

Thanks again for reading!!

 

[mlill]

Cold is not my friend. Wind is not my friend. Cold and wind combined are my mortal enemies and while I think the Cold Miser is a pretty cool (haha) dude with a zany sense of humor I don't want to vacation with him.

The one and only Cold Miser:

Just for you, Brenda...

Clicky the link and see!

Heat Miser was my all-time favorite character from the Christmas season cartoon specials...

Oh, and I promise to get all caught up on your TRs soon. Loved the V&A installment, of course! Like I said before, you guys are going to have a wonderful time at the Chef's Table in May!

Back to work... ugh...
-Michelle

P.S. Only a few more days 'till our concert in Chicago! We settled on Catch 35 for dinner since it's close to the theatre. We are going to Alinea later this year. Let me know how your friend likes it!

 

[BriarRosie]

This should teach Brenda the importance of being prepared for any kind of
weather! I always have at least one pair of jeans and an all-purpose jacket
on hand, no matter what time of year I go. December is the worst, because
you can get cold and rainy or warm and sunny.

I'm really hoping my mom is going to be the anti-Grimace. I haven't actually
gone to WDW with her before, but I believe I could keep her happy without
any lottery scratch-off tickets.