Gotta bunch of ketchup here - sorry for the mega post
On Kids
One day the preschool teacher pulled me aside and whispered me that Geoff said he lived in a sewer.. Horrors!!! I said of course he does - he is a teenage ninja turtle right now...
Methinks Esteri is going to buy us some PirateRitas in exchange for silence...eh me hearies?!
Nah - I'll let you embarass the boy. Builds character.
I think what they were trying to say is that DS should have some hobby/interest besides the video games that they see all the kids playing. When we were driving through Denver and showing them Coors Field, Mile High Stadium etc they were yammering on about him going pro and sending a limo to pick them up, or dad saying if he goes to USAFA and becomes a pilot he can come get them in his private plane (at least dad dreams big! :teeth). They were yammering about DS playing footbal, our DSIL said she'd rather he play baseball (her favorite) but when I said "What about hockey? Or lacrosse?" DMom immediately dismissed that notion! Those are not sports that she understands!
Hammer Throw. Really. I helped to the athlete credentialling for the 2004 Olympic Track and Field Trials (that was fun!) Have it from one of the athletes... "Want your kid to go to college on a full scholarship? Have him take up the Hammer Throw. No one does it, and it requires the least amount of athletic ability of any of the events. Of course, finding a coach is difficult."
Hermione (DD aged 2) is throwing yet another toddler tantrum because Mickey Mouse has finished on playhouse Disney - how do you deal with the addiction in a 2 year old?
Ear plugs, definitely. And turn the telly off more often? (Did I get the translation right??
)
That kid has been traveling practically since school got out.
I'm so in tune with that. Between our doggie trip to MT, visiting G&G in WA, church camp, scout camp, and our family vacation in FL, DS10 is home a whopping 3 weeks of his 12 week summer vacation! We have to have a special schedule for each of the boys just to keep track of where they are when.
On Security
Besides, why would intel collectors troll a friggin' Disney board when they can just ask Scooter Libby?
Guess it depends on what they're trolling for...
Here? Great place to troll for interesting graphics, odd math quizzes, tons of Disney tips, and the odd recipie
I can remember DH being really worried before our first "meet" with folks we had met online. This was in the early 90's before the Internet really became well known and we were active on a Compuserver forum. It was also a Disney group and had an annual meet at WDW during the 1st weekend of December. We decided to go and try it and if it was "too weird" we could avoid the group for the rest of the weekend - instead we found some good friends and came back each year as long as it lasted.
Too funny. I was on staff in the Dogs Forum at Compuserve at the same time. I still have my t-shirt from our meet at the Houston dog show circuit. We had a fabulous time - and no one looked like what I thought.
No crazy axe murders in the bunch either - unlike here...
On Axe Murders
I've also killed a shovel and a hoe. I am pretty rough on garden implements.
What? Did the rake scare you off?
Mousellaneous
I need to double check the P&P start time but I would think that we could meet somewhere between 3PM - 4PM.
P&P is 7pm - midnight. But the "gates" open around 4pm. We're going on 8/28.
That is what I told DH today!!! I really would prefer the fireworks at WDW. I do like the Kingdom the best for fireworks. Epcot does not thrill me like the fireworks over the castle!!
I'm with you on that. DH loves Illuminations. We were going through the different attractions yesterday planing for our August trip. Illuminations was high on his list - despite the fact that we've seen it a bazillion times. I just don't get it.
The good news is that DS6 gave "It's a Small World" a "forget it" rating this year - for the first time.
Interestingly, he want's to do Dumbo, but not the Magic Carpets, or any other similar ride at the other parks. Sigh. I was hoping to avoid the mad dash to Dumbo this year. Hum... Maybe I can distract him with the Indy Speedway...
Please tell us all about V&A when you get back! I already told my DH that we are going there for our 25th anniversary. I still have about 7 years, but I figure by then the kids will be all grown up & we can do an adults only trip without feeling too guilty.
Why wait? It's called a B A B Y S I T T E R. Or if they're too old - the kid's clubs. And if they're too old for that - then they're old enough to take care of themselves for an evening. We get Fairy Godmothers to come into the room, and the older boys make dinner for everyone - which keeps them occupied.
V&A is definitely worth having an adults only evening while you're there. We do it nearly every trip. (Scored the Chef's Table this trip. It's the #1 think on DH's to-do list.)
DD and family watched the fireworks from the roof of Shades Of Green last night. She said they were really nice but short!
OK, I'll ask... And just how did they get up to the roof of SOG? Inquiring minds want to know!!
Food & Wine is our favorite. Our daughter has a fall break at Lehigh and she springs for the either Boardwalk or Beach Club Villas for that trip.
We went for Food & Wine once. Stayed at BCV too. It was awesome! Unfortunately, with the "serious" elementary grades in front of us - we're off the October schedule. Unless we can con a grandparent into house sitting.... Hum....
On Weather
We're getting some rain right now. 
Send some this way! It's 106 today. You know you're in trouble when the air conditioner kicks on at 10am despite the three 50 year old shade trees over the house!
With all that in mind, one year they had a pin event in WDW in *AUGUST* and DH wanted to go. I told him that Florida & August were not a great combination & that he wouldn't like it. He assured me that he'd be fine and besides, "how bad could it be?" We were there for 4 or 5 days, and he was miserable most of the time.
He now swears that he will never again travel to WDW in August.
Oh, I am so not happy to hear this. Due the vacation schedules we're basically stuck with late August for the foreseeable future. I so don't do heat. (Seattle girl - give me rain!)
I'm already an avid reader of all the tips of beating the heat on the boards. And, we're only planning 4 days, plus one P&P - which is in the evening, in the parks out of our 10 there. But even so - I'm still reading up on every tip I can find!
micmse2003 - I really wish I could send some rain your way. The daft thing is, it is probably the wrong type of rain so we'll still end up with a hosepipe ban!
The got different kinds of rain in the UK? Wet and Dry? Here in the US - it's always water that falls from the sky.
On Lurking
I know sometimes I feel "unworthy" of posting, so I just "lurk." I am not clever like some, or wise like others; I'm not one of the cool kids, and I figure most of you have more exciting lives than me so I don't have much to talk about!
Why do you think the Pirate Joke of the Day got invented? It's gives me something to post in my otherwise hum-drum life!
OK... I'm taking the plunge...you've convinced me that this is a good thing & will make our trip even better than it's going to be. I admit i've been checking in whenever I get a chance... You all sound like you're a fun group & I look forward to actually meeting you on the cruise. This is my son's and my TOAL! We've been trying to go on a cruise for a couple of years & finally we're able to make it! Never been on a cruise... but have been to WDW many, many times & DL a couple of times. You could say we're Disney geeks.... but that's a good thing. I'll check in again soon!
Thanks for making me get off my keyboard & jump!
Penny
Welcome Penny! Getting connected with a group like this makes such a huge difference. On our very first cruise (not
DCL) I connected up with a different site. I was looking for the "older and wiser" heads for advice, and the community came along for the ride. DH and I aren't "joiners", but I got pulled into that community. It made such a difference for our first cruise experience. We spent 8 months getting to know each other. Had a blast - where ever we went on board, there was a "friend" nearby.
I didn't find DIS for our first DCL cruise last year. Yeah, I looked around, but I was looking on the cruise boards, not the Disney boards. It made such a difference (in a negative way) not to have "friends" already made when we got there. We were travelling with family - so it was less of an issue. I can see where if we'd been travelling without the family - the cruise woudn't have compared at all to the first one (non-DCL). Having made friends on the boards prior to the cruise made a huge difference to how much we enjoyed the cruise.
So, I'm very glad to have found the correct board (finally) and to be connected up with this lovely bunch of folks. Because I already know what a difference it will make to how much fun we have.
The reason most the time is I haven't a clue what you are all going on about!!! It may all be English, but the use of the language & general terminology often mean you may as well be talking a completely different language, e.g. last year I had to ask what an uncrustable is!!!
But, that's half the fun! I distinctly remember a language lesson not too long ago about "hosepipes"!
However, my main problem is that every evening (NZ time) the DIS has an outage for quite a while, this is during my evening when I tend to catch up - I guess its for a system backup but it really cuts my catch up time...
That really sucks. Glad you were able to find a break to join us today. (Or yesterday?)
Chit Chat
Although I do have to do a conference call tomorrow morning with my boss (a British ex-pat) and two colleagues in the UK. I am thinking of opening the call with a recitation of the Declaration of Independence, just to remind them who won.)
Aswsome! I hope you did. So, did ya? Huh? Huh?
I watched the end of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest a little bit ago. Joey Chestnut from the USA won the title with a world record breaking feat of eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. The old record was 59 and 1/2 hot dogs and buns.
Ewwwwww.
I was reading meters that are on the outside of the residents homes. Many of these readers and or touch pad meters are behind bushes. As I was climbing behind one such bush I noticed the poison ivy, I was hoping I hadn't come in contact with it, my luck didn't hold out...............
The note Andy is going to post on their door...
Dear Homeowner,
You may not be aware, but your yard is infested - with Poison Ivy. Please clear the Poison Ivy away from your electric meter. I'll be estimating your usage at twice it's historical rate until I can get to your meter safely.
Sincerly,
Your Friendly Meter Reader
What to you think Andy? Will they clean up their yard?
Not Crash
Not terrific.....but I tried.....
Not Crash.
And absolutely perfect!
On Harry
I actually ordered 4 books because nobody wants to wait for someone else to finish
You'll sell three "used" on
Amazon the next day?
(Assuming that's how long it'll take you to read it.)
I wasn't too happy about how the last one ended either
I mean I like the story and Rowlings writing style, but she does know how to pull the rug from out under you
I dunno. I think she writes "age appropriate". That is, at the age Harry is in the last book - that ending makes sense. It's where a boy would be in his life journey - truly recognizing, and internalizing, the adults don't have all the answers and he will have to stand on his own. The book symbolizes that transition.
I'm nervous about this one for that very reason, Laurie . . . I don't think she feels any compulsion to make this arc end up with a "happy ending" . . .I'm still optimistic about it, though.
Because of the above - I think Harry will successfully complete his journey to adulthood.
It's sort of like the movie The Bridge to Terebithia. I watched it in MT with DS10, expecting a happy Disney movie. It's not a happy movie. DS10 said he really enjoyed the movie. It's not something I would have choosen for him, but he found meaning there.
It did fuel a very good discussion with DS10 about bullies, and friendship. Which was, perhaps, the purpose.
And now, for my next post I'll present yet, another Pirate Joke of the Day... (it will be much shorter - promise!)
