Biscuit's Grand Adventure | An epic tale three decades in the making!

[joleen76]

Sounds like your weekend and mine were similar in the pain department. Sadly my fence did not make it out in as good of a condition as your ladder.

Nooooo not and ESTO issue??? (equipment supperior to operator for those playing along at home)

I'm glad things are looking up.... until I hear about this wallet issue....can I get a DOH?

Can't wait for more!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Well sheesh, thank goodness the ladder is going to be okay.

As for the rest of this report.......

That is all.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

You get extra points for even remembering that!

That's what I told my wife.

Boy, I'dbe ticked if the maintenance guy rolled his eyes at me. I am certain that it was not your lovely wife who did such a thing. I know, becasue as a wife I would NEVER do such a thing

My wife got a kick out out that one. Yeah....that maintenance guy really needs to watch it.

Oh, no, tell me you didn't.

I did.

Bwahahahahahahahaha

Glad you enjoyed!

Sounds like your weekend and mine were similar in the pain department. Sadly my fence did not make it out in as good of a condition as your ladder.

Ladder is healing so that's all good.

Nooooo not and ESTO issue??? (equipment supperior to operator for those playing along at home)

Yep an ETSO....there are other acroynyms that make their way around the call center, but this one is definitely more family friendly.

I'm glad things are looking up.... until I hear about this wallet issue....can I get a DOH?

Can't wait for more!

I'll ALWAYS offer up a DOH!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Oh no, more foreshadowing!!!!!!!!

Glad you survived the fall, OUCH! Great chapter again, thanks.

 

[PrincessV]

NEWS ALERT: Those of you who have been following along will no doubt be shocked and surprised to discover that over the weekend I took a dive off a step ladder.

D'OH! Nope, not surprised at all. Glad you're okay, though!

Before we left, I stuffed the camera/camcorder bag into the in room safe.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!!!!!

We walked over to Perkins and were seated right away. Those of you familiar with this chain know that this means absolutely nothing.

So true!

Hey, where’s my wallet?...DOH!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Oh no, more foreshadowing!!!!!!!!

Glad you survived the fall, OUCH! Great chapter again, thanks.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed. You know the old saying. When it rains...

D'OH! Nope, not surprised at all. Glad you're okay, though!

Thanks...I was surprised to have made it through unscathed.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

It's been a crazy week, but I finally managed to get some photos scanned. (Actually the scanner died, so I used my digital camera to take pictures of pictures so the quality isn't the greatest....hence the streak on the last one.) DIS'ers, meet First Lady Biscuit. FLB, the DIS'ers.

Homecoming 1996

_____________________

Engagement 1997


_____________________

Wedding 1997


_____________________
Coming up on Episode 25 - Yes! We’re at a Park! Hey, where’s my wallet?...DOH!

 

[burly]

Yay pictures.
Hello first lady biscuit...

 

[brookelizabeth]

Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? On the other hand whatever does kill us makes us dead, but that's beside the point.

And yeah, having done a couple of years in tech support myself (at the notorious Keane Federal Pentitentary and Tech Support Call Center) I can certainly relate.

Remember: Tech Support people don't go to Hell; They're already doing time in Purgatory.

I just sent that "remember" quote to my co-worker (another Tier 2 rep). She's out to lunch, but she will get a huge kick out of that considering our past week!

Are you serious about the Federal Pentitentary?!!?!

Kudos to Tier II reps! Greatest Tier II call I ever took was a guy who was convinced that all cell phones were owned by CIA and that the "internet troopers" were stalking him. I gotta agree with you one the family! They are the best!

Oh my! That is an awesome call!

My favorite call EVER was as a Tier 1 Rep and it went something like this:

Caller: The Heatmaps won't print in color.
Me: Hmmm...let me do a quick test here.
<printed heatmap to color printer, sure enough they are in color>
Me: When you print something else to that printer, does it come out in color?
Caller: Let me try...
<she tests>
Caller: No, it's just black and white!
Me: It sounds like you aren't printing to a color printer.
Caller: Oooooh.




GB-great update! Sorry to hear about the ladder, but glad he's healing well.

I have to admit, I chuckled out loud at your upcoming entry title But really...oh no... Just adds to the adventure, eh?

I so wish Perkins still did the breadbowl salads. I loved the breadbowls!

Love the pics too!! Very sweet.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Pleased to meet you, FLB!

Great pics, you make a very cute couple!

 

[stinkerbell007]

...aawwww.

now, that's nice right there.

She's a right nice FLB, I must say.

 

[burly]

Yessireebob.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Yay pictures.
Hello first lady biscuit...

Love the pics too!! Very sweet.

Pleased to meet you, FLB!

Great pics, you make a very cute couple!

...aawwww.

now, that's nice right there.

She's a right nice FLB, I must say.

Yessireebob.

Thanks everyone! FLB was quite flattered and most appreciative. Updates coming soon!

stinkerbell007 - I'm glad you found your way over. And a Burly relative to boot? Well that's just plain nifty.

I so wish Perkins still did the breadbowl salads. I loved the breadbowls!

They don't have those anymore? What a shame!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 25 - Yes! We’re at a Park! Hey, where’s my wallet?...DOH!

Editors Note: For the remainder of trip 6, I will have photos from two sources, my regular film camera and screen captures from our video camera. The screen captures will be smaller and will look like...well...screen captures.
________________________________

Previously on Biscuits Grand Adventure, new toys were discovered, salads were served in oversized baked goods, and The Plan was resurrected.

I awoke early the next morning, eager and raring to go. I don't know for sure what time it was, but I think it was still dark outside. I said something to Tracy about hitting the parks early, she said something about killing a Biscuit and I decided to give her 5 more minutes.

The next thing I knew I was being violently shaken and told
'Quit falling back to sleep and get up already, we need to get ready to go!" What time is iaaa-ya-ya-yabadoosky! We gotta move baby! Having memorized the bus schedule, I knew that a bus ran at 11:00 AM. It was now 10:40. Apparently the events of the past two days had worn me out more than I thought! Luckily I didn't need to do much to get ready, though at this point I would have gone running to the bus in my drawers if I had to.

We managed to make it on time AND I remembered to grab the camera bag. Go Biscuit, Go Biscuit, It's your Honeymoon, You da Plan Man! So feeling fully stoked for a day of park blitzing, I was in high spirits when we arrived at MGM.

We walked up to the turnstiles (which by 11:20ish had no line) and presented our park hoppers. It was a fine moment in the life of Great Biscuit, so I to pause here and mention myself in third person as a memorial.

.

.

The skies were looking questionable, but I was prepared not to care too much about the daily rain showers that seem to be commonplace this time of year. Besides, it's usually just a quick burst and then the sun comes back out right?









We meandered down Hollywood Blvd and Tracy left the park navigating to me. After all I was the man with the plan, the Disney park veteran, king of the touring stratagem. And where did I lead my new bride to partake of her first ever Disney MGM Studios attraction?

Do you really need to ask?



Seriously, could it have been any other?

Now before you go feeling all sorry for Tracy, I must point out that she is actually a Star Wars fan herself. So this ride was one we BOTH enjoyed. Which of course was my SOLE motivation for beginning here you understand. The line wasn't too long for this, and on the video of the queue, we never really stopped walking. As this is one of my favorite queues anyway, I was good to go.







After again escaping death, it was time to procure some lunch. Tracy asked where we should go to eat and I hit my first road block. Hmmm...well...lets see. This whole eat all our meals in the park thing is new to me. The last time I was here, the only meal we had at MGM was at the Backlot Express. And since I foolishly passed on grabbing a park map on the way in and have no clue where any other table service restaurant is, AND would spend unknown amounts of time wandering aimlessly in search of an alterative, AND as we are actually standing next to said eatery, we should probably go there. This of course was a dialog I had in my mind. Out loud I said, "Follow me! Will find meat. Make big fire!" Or something to that effect anyway.

I strutted into the place like I owned it, and walked my dear bride up to the queue. We ordered up a couple of burgers with fries and drinks and the total was something like $16 or $17. I went to grab my wallet and "hey...where's my...must be in the other pocket....hmmcheck other pockets..hmmm...when did I have it last? Perkins? No, I put it in the safe last night. Lets see then, this morning I got ready, grabbed my stuff, went to the safe, grabbed my sunglasses off the top of it and left. DOH! GREAT BISCUITS A BURNIN!

I had about $19 in cash & change that was loose in my shorts pocket. (Change from a pack of gum in the airport that I never bothered to stuff in my wallet, and just grabbed off the nightstand that morning.) I used this to tip the bus driver so I didn't need to pull my wallet out at the time. Well, I've still got some cash. That's good; we can ate least eat one meal today.

Tracy didn't have to ask. She knew. She could tell by the look in my eye. We'd been married all of 4 days and she could already read my mind. She rolled her eyes (a trick she must have learned from the maintenance guy) and said "You left it in the safe didn't you?" What?? Come on? Which safe? I mean? Seriously? My wallet...well...ummm...actually you see what happened was...and then the wind you know was blowing really hard...and the phone...so my shoelaces were all knotty and um...well...yes dear.

After we found a spot to chow down, we took a financial inventory. Turns out Tracy had some cash in her pocket as well, so we had about $10 left to get us through until park close. Challenging, but not impossible.

Our late start meant that we were going to have to do some attraction juggling. I made an executive decision to cut the Indy stunt show. I had seen it and Tracy wasn't really interested. Also, after much mourning, I cut the Tower of Terror. Tracy is not a freefall / drop you till you're silly type of a ride fan. Since I knew this would have to be a solo ride, I just cut it out all together. (This was still before FastPass and of course in my pre-DIS days I knew nothing about solo lines.) I also decided to cut the ABC Sound Studio as I didn't care for the first show and this seemed to be the same thing re-done.

About halfway through our meal, the skies opened up. Have you ever been sitting in a counter service restaurant when it started raining and just watched to see what happens? Within moments, the doors burst open and a flood of humanity comes pouring in. It then becomes a battle of the masses for open seating. After several minutes of this unscheduled entertainment, the rain let up and folks began heading out.

This is great thought I. The Florida atmosphere has rid itself of its daily rain quota and we'll have sunny skies the rest of the day! Hello! Have you not been paying attention at all the past couple days here Biscuit? This is the Murphy's Law Honeymoon. (Not be confused with Murphy Brown which was oddly addictive yet consistently annoying.) We set off in the general direction of the backlot and SOMEHOW managed to miss the Muppets 3-D. By miss, I mean I was completely unaware it even existed until I read about it two years later on a trip report. (Guess maybe I SHOULD have stopped and grabbed a map as I was blazing through the turnstiles).



We saw these guys out, but did not stop for meeting and greeting. Nope, we were on a mission. You remember that whole film-loving compulsion of mine. I was bent on catching a glimpse of a production being filmed at the Disney MGM Studios during our trip. Tom Hanks was in town and he was producing and directing a mini-series entitled From the Earth to the Moon. There were signs for it all over the place and I couldn't wait to get a peek at an actual, real live, working movie set.

Space + Filmmaking + Disney + Day with my wife = Great Biscuit utopia.

Turns out Hanks wasn't the only creative film maker in the Studios that day.

Coming up on Episode 26 Oh watch! This is where I got splashed and jumped! Hey is that..DOH! (How our honeymoon video inadvertently turned out to be PG-13!)

 

[burly]

Okay so when you asked which ride you went on first, i swear i heard a chorus of people sing out "Star Tours!"....

whipped around and almost fell off my chair. must have all been in my head.........

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Okay so when you asked which ride you went on first, i swear i heard a chorus of people sing out "Star Tours!"....

whipped around and almost fell off my chair. must have all been in my head.........

I kinda figured it would be an easy one!

 

[brookelizabeth]

They don't have those anymore? What a shame!

Does this mean you haven't taken First Lady Biscuit to Perkins on every anniversary?!?!?!

It is a shame really. Now it's just salad on a non-edible plate.

Star Tours as the first ride? Whoa-never saw that one coming!! You'll have to be sure to hit Muppets on your upcoming trip, it's a fun show!!

Glad to hear Tracy had some bucks on her too-this should make for an interesting dinner, 2 people, $10, theme park. Hmmmm...

 

[whogirl'smom]

Sweet pictures.

I see an interesting lunch in your future.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Does this mean you haven't taken First Lady Biscuit to Perkins on every anniversary?!?!?!

It is a shame really. Now it's just salad on a non-edible plate.

Unfortunately, there are no Perkins' around our neck of the woods.

Star Tours as the first ride? Whoa-never saw that one coming!! You'll have to be sure to hit Muppets on your upcoming trip, it's a fun show!!

Def need some Muppet action.

Glad to hear Tracy had some bucks on her too-this should make for an interesting dinner, 2 people, $10, theme park. Hmmmm...

Made for an interesting day.

Sweet pictures.
I see an interesting lunch in your future.

Thanks! It was a unique dining day, that's for sure.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 26 - Our Honeymoon Video Accidentally Turns PG-13

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, Stars were Toured, wallets were forgotten and then rain came down. After a leisurely stroll down New York Street, we made our way to the backstage tour area.

We began with the queue for the “Special Effects Water Tank.” (A thrilling and heart stopping show to be sure!) Somehow, we wound up front and center and laughed at the poor soul being drenched for our amusement. It had been a while since I had seen this particular spiel, so I found it mildly interesting. .



One thing I had definitely forgotten about was the spray from the “Sea Battle” which tends to splash onto the audience. During one particularly hit from an errant torpedo, a rather sizable quantity of water was propelled in our general direction. I was filming with the video camera and did a quick tuck and cover to keep it dry.

At the time, I didn’t think anything of it, and just kept right on recording once I knew it was dry. I didn’t bother backing the tape up, I just kept it rolling. Cause that’s how I roll. ANYWHO….When we got home after our trip and watched the footage, I made a comment to Tracy just before it happened and said something like “Oh, this is where I got splashed!” We watched amusedly as the moment came, then stared in disbelief at the screen. My wife then turned and gave me “The Look” and advised me that editing this particular scene would be good for my general health.

Here’s how it went down….so to speak. I had the camera at eye level and was standing next to my wife. (Important FYI - I am approx 5 inches taller than she is.) When the splash came, I tilted the camera 90 degrees so the lens was pointed straight down. I then pivoted to my left, and leaned towards my wife, selflessly blocking the spray with my ample posterior. This left the camera approximately level with her nose….pointed straight down. Just work through it for a minute.

After our unfortunate, yet still unknown incident, we moved on to the inside portion of the tour. This was fine and dandy with me. The tank thing is okay once, but is really more of an annoyance than anything else. I believe the FX Stage was showing props from 101 Dalmations. After seeing the fake horse legs and other various wonders of movie magic, we finally entered into the sound stages.

The first housed the set for mission control and also had the set for the capsule. I somehow managed to be towards the end of the line and it just so happened that I was front and center watching a scene being filmed! OH HAPPY HAPPY BISCUIT! I couldn’t tell if Tom Hanks was directing this scene or not, but it was still really cool. There were several grips manning various lighting instruments & C-stands, one camera, a sound table, and all sorts of nifty-cool production gear.

This mission control set had a “roof” on it so it just looked like a big wooden box. On the next stage, there were several sets being built. The coolest was the “Moon Surface” set which featured a massive Earth / star field mural setup behind what looked to be a massive sandbox. Also on this stage was a lunar rover and some sort of interior set which also had a “roof” on it. What was cool with this one is that there were several grips rigging it for shooting so we got to see quite a bit of film gear.

I would have loved to have been able to get some shots of the set, but of course they were crazy obsessive over the whole no photo/video thing. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have tried to bootleg some shots, but alas, I do not. Cause, well, apparently the word “Studios” is simply a catchy title now, and not an actual description of what the place is used for.

We finally emerged from our tour and I was flying high. I loved getting to see a working set. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Which I guess is why we headed over to the tram. Apparently I needed to bring myself back to reality. (That whole Nature Abhors a Vacuum thing. Star Trek philosophy at its finest.)





(Hey Vexorg – compare and contrast the condition of the ship…it’s had a rough decade.)



Some George of the Jungle Action.

I felt bad for our CM. She was really trying. It was extremely hot, everyone was hitting their mid-day slump, and no one was really into her canned tram spiel. The longer the ride went, the harder she tried. When we hit Catastrophe Canyon, she hammed it up for all she was worth. Unfortunately, we just weren’t feeling it.





Finally we returned back to the station and had to decide what to do next. It was getting really hot so we decided to seek out some AC. We made our way back to Hollywood Blvd and did some browsing in the shops. (Of course since I had forgotten my wallet, browsing was our only option.) In a way though it was good because we were able to come up with several souvenir ideas and narrow down the list without having to worry about buying A B & C, finding a better deal on D, and then having to take something back.


After some leisurely browsing, we were just about to head back out when it started to rain. Then within minutes, it began to flat out pour. No problem, I guess we’ll wander around in here for a while longer. Luckily this particular storm did not last too long and I was sure that now we were DEFINITELY done with the rain for that day. HA! Turns out the clouds were just getting warmed up.

Coming up on Episode 27 – Monsoons and Mermaids

 

[chicagoshannon]

I hope you edited that tape real quick! How cool that you got to see an actual filming! No chance of that now. I think we'll be skipping the backlot tour on our trip this year.