Canadian Buffoon's Solo Disney Vacation - Update 07/08! pp99 - Here today gone tomorrow

[pkondz]

I howled at this! If ever there was proof that language is amazing, it is this post!

Glad you liked it! You started it!

Can I throw in a specific Disney related variant:
Supercondimentilisticexpialidocious - to be used when you're really not sure what condiment to use.

Good one! Love it!

Even better! Doing a happy dance over here right now!

You should be!

Ah yes, the trips off the tongue 'PTTYPMBUTTSYF' machine....is it only me that's amused that the word butts just appeared in that.....yes? I'll get my coat....

No. It's not just you! I read it as "Pity my butts..." and then I didn't know what to do with the YF.

No, it is for the feisty and determined...not the faint at heart. When we were in the Soarin' queue on our last trip, one of the CMs was telling us about an elderly lady who was going on the ride for the first time. When it had finished they were ushering everyone off whilst getting the new lines of people in for the next ride and for some reason the numbers weren't working - there was one too few seats for the people who had been counted on. Well it transpired that the elderly lady had enjoyed her trip so much that she wanted to go again and there was no budging her!

I like that!
I also like that they let her go again.

She rode again and then got off after trip number two!!

Well I should hope so.
Even if it had just been a number one and not a number two.
I mean, she'd need to change her knickers at the very least, right?
Well, I guess it Depends.

We love Living with the Land - who doesn't love alligators and nine pound lemons?! Huh? We did the Behind the Seeds Tour which was great - basically a walk through the greenhouses and talks about the plants. They'd just got a peanut butter plant when we were there! I loved finding out things like all of their plant waste (that sound ookier than it should...) doesn't get binned, it gets transported to Animal Kingdom and used as food there.

Don't get me wrong. I liked it too.
I'd ride it again.

I don't know if I'd spend the money on the behind the seeds tour, though.
But if someone gave me a freebie, I'd definitely do it... and enjoy it, I'm sure.

Interesting about the waste going to AK.

Yeah, you were cutting it fine on that one huh.....?

I hated being squeezed in there like that.

They definitely need plant identification lessons....I am also never ever attending a Christmas dinner hosted by the person who put that sign by those plants...imagine the scene:
Have some sprouts.....what do you mean they look prickly?

I looked at that photo after and wondered where they were.
Must have been just before the sign.
At least I hope so.

But I'd rather eat catcus than those... orbs from Hell.

More technical naming of Disney things!

It's a tough job. But someone's gotta do it!
And apparently, that someone is me.

You are on a roll.....

Oh, that's very, very good!

Errrr.....who needs an engineer.....totally excessive.....

Hear that Montague?

If there's a button then it must be pressed and all toggles should be toggled. It's the same with boxes and holes. If they look like they can fit a human in, then it should be attempted. It's a rule.

Right? That's why they're there, for Pete's sakes!

Booooooooo - going to have to hide DD's eyes at that point....oh and maybe block her ears.....she won't mind.

I love that you can do that and... get away with it.

"Mom? Why'd you do that?"
"Oh, I thought the TV was going to explode."
"Oh. Okay."

Yeah, the splinters stick in your teeth...

Those are called "toothpicks".

I am looking forward to this and your pics have just intensified that! DH and DD went to the boulangerie while I was in hospital so I missed out last time.

You never did say how you broke your wrist did you?
Slipped and fell on a wet accessible bathroom floor?

...do I detect a hint of cynicism hmmmm......????

Oh, noooooo... Not at all.

Gee.... Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Another cute picture???? Is she an international model yet?
Too cute!
Did you wind up buying the outfit anyway?
Or was it super pricey?

Japanese Ariel.....you're welcome!

This gallery, with it's changing images, freaks me out!

Really? I wonder how often they change it out.

'Visceral' - another meaty word!

I like to provide food for thought. Something you can really sink your teeth into.

Ok....Not really sure where to start with these....I do feel that my relative success in the competition is principally due to bonus points....oh well what the heck!
1. An easel???? Ooooh.... or a grey goose slushie.....they're good too!!
2. 0 just your good self?
3. American Adventure??? Presidential anarchy?

Noted.

 

[courtneybelle]

HAAAA you and Tink are precious together!

Welp, I was way off, but thanks for the bonus points anyway!!!

WISHES!! They now have Jiminy Cricket bracelets that say "When you wish upon a star" and it's going to be the first thing I buy with my CM discount.

CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS!!!! That song is my theme song for life so I'm glad you enjoyed the "new" version.

I have to be honest, I don't love Living with the Land either. It's nice and relaxing but not really exciting.

I'm side eyeing you a little bit for not ordering steak. I. LOVE. STEAK. Anytime of the day. Dinner? Lunch? Four in the morning? Always time for steak. And I've heard that Le Cellier has some of the very best so I'm dying to try it.

I've done pretty poorly with answering your questions so far but here's what I've got:
1. Champagne. You always need champagne in every situation. Much like steak.
2. 2 others.
3. Morocco!

Thanks for the updates!

 

[pkondz]

On my solo trip I dined at Le Cellier. I dined with a nice couple who were having an anniversary dinner. Honestly, my table was so close to theirs that I felt like I should introduce myself. Thank goodness they were nice, and when they found out I was Canadian, they asked me what Poutine was ( I advised it was not what they were offering on the menu here lol) Other than that, I enjoyed the meal.

It was nice of them to chat with you... unless you were looking for a nice quiet meal of course.
I always chuckle when people ask me about poutine.
It sounds horrible when you describe it, doesn't it?
Until you actually try it, that is.

Mission Space is one of my favourite rides! I was made even more exciting when I was on the ride with only one other person. A Brazilian college student there with a group of friends. As soon as we were strapped in, he waved his hands to get my attention and mimed that he was having a hard time breathing and was panicking about the ride. I banged on the walls trying to get someone's attention but no one responded. I mimed back to him that there was nothing to worry about and to take slow deep breathes. Gave him a big smile and hoped that he knew where the barf bag was! I peeked over at him a few times but he seemed to be okay and concentrating on staying still. At the end of the ride, he gave me a big smile and thumbs up to let me know he was okay. Then he proceeded to swagger over to his friends as if he had just rode the monorail instead of the orange side of Mission Space. I flagged down one of the CM's and asked what happened if someone had an emergency and needed to get off the ride. He said that all a person had to do was bang on the wall and they would hear.

Great story! Thanks for sharing it.
I never even thought about how to get off.
I assumed it was like Body Wars (now gone motion simulator ride)
I was on it with a friend and the ride was only running for a few seconds
when everything stopped, a CM opened the door and asked if anyone wanted off.
A woman bolted out the open door.
The ride continued.
We never heard anything, so we assumed there were cameras watching us.

1. a huge steaming plate of Brussels sprouts...to pelt the inattentive mother with.

I started to read that and was gagging... until I got to the last part.
You were this close to getting a whole bunch of points deducted!!

2. I couldn't get the picture to load. You see, I live in the middle of nowhere...well, not exactly the middle of nowhere...but you can see it from here. And being in the wilds of Nova Scotia, I have terrible internet. Sometimes it works well, most of the time it is as slow as sashaying through molasses. So, since I can't see how many people are in the boat with you, I'll say none...cause I can't see them!
3.I'm not sure about the burning bush...but I did see glowing tree in your picture of the British pavilion. Close?

Check.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[ursalita]

But then I remembered a hysterical thing that happened
when we all rode HM.

Do tell.

Really? 'Cause it makes me

Roasted brussels sprouts are my favorite thing in the world. And roasted cauliflower. Just about any roasted vegetable.

Hmmm.... How do you feel after Star Tours?
If you're okay with that, you should be okay with MS (green).
Unless you're claustrophobic.
It's pretty tight in there.

I'm ok with Star Tours. Maybe I'll try it by myself next time. I'll blame you if I get sick.

Do check out the movie.
It's really not bad at all.

I'm sure I would have liked it over American Adventure. Definitely next time.

Really!
That really surprises me.
It was just a non-stop procession of people getting their photos taken.

Now that I think about it we were there before the World Showcase opened so that's why we didn't see the photographer and probably missed it later with the crowds. We got some nice shots around the empty fountain that I'm sure I'll share later in my TR.

 

[KathyM2]

I know! I'm sorry! It stank! I just couldn't find a rythm on this chapter.
I think I'm looking too much ahead to the next one. Wait. You said "Whew" not Pee-ew. (How do you spell that???) Still, I wasn't too happy with the result.

This new one was released in 2007, so if it's been 10 years,
it'll be new for you.

Such as?

Firstly - the update didn't stink at all lol...I only said "whew" because it was long lol. But so much fun to read about all things Epcot. I'm glad the movie is new at least to me...I may have to drag DD into that one to check it out in October. The attraction I was actually thinking about that I think should have a FP+ is not at Epcot - I was thinking the Magic of Disney animation - that's where they have the drawing class, right? That maybe could use one? I just have seen long lines and always wanted to do it but didn't have a chance? But I'm not sure it's worth running to at RD and using that time there? But that's a topic for another day..we are talking about Epcot lol. Might be worth some distractions, you are right...to get DD to spend more time in WS...that and perhaps a little souvenier bribery which is always helpful

 

[pkondz]

This cracked me up! You cut through Innoventions?! A BRILLIANT MOVE

I do nothing but brilliant things @TheLittleKatie.

Well, except for the majority of times when I do incredibly stupid things.

HOW DARE YOU?

I knew that would strike a nerve with someone!

Oh, ok then.

Well that was easy.
I should tell Jamie about that.

You'll be screaming at him in the middle of an all-out fight and he'll say, "Oh, settle down."
And you'll be, "Oh, ok then."


That's what will happen, right?

I could've easily bought a new car if I hadn't book 3 Disney trips in 3 years I'm an adult but I have my PRIORITIES.

I support that 100%.
Experiences before things.

Trust me.

Oh wow, great picture!! Do you use a DSLR? All your pictures look so professional

Thanks!
Yes, I brought my DSLR this trip for the express purpose of doing this TR.
Frequently I'll just bring a point & shoot for compactness.
Only problem was, I really missed not having an ultra-wide lens with me.
Next time.

If it brings you any solace, your failure story made me laugh, so that's something

That's good.
Although if I hadn't had a chance to rectify it this trip, I wouldn't be laughing about it still.

Oh boy, I love the Canada pavilion Especially the gift shop. I bought one of my favourite souvenirs from there!

Whatcha get?

.... oh. I LOVE CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP, AND LIVING WITH THE LAND.

Okay, just to be clear....
I didn't mind the soup. It just wasn't as good as I'd been led to believe,
from all the hype.
And I really liked Living with the land.
It was interesting and I like interesting.
I will definitely ride it again.
I'm just that I didn't ride it sooner.

This is such a good philosophy for life

I think so.
A few years ago, I tried skydiving.
Not the one where you're strapped to someone, but solo.
(Although the chute opens immediately after jumping out.)

It scared the heck out of me!
A lot.

So I did it again, just to prove to myself that I could,
and it wasn't my fear that was stopping me.


Oh, and yes. It was just as terrifying the second time.

This looks so good. It's cinnamon right? I LOVE CINNAMON DONUTS.

Cinnamon and sugar.
BUT.
It's not a donut. It's a cronut.
A donut is like a round cake with a hole.
This is a croissant, shaped in a circle.
So light and airy it almost floats off the plate.

You'll see... in September.

You crack me up

I'll ask all of the Queen's horses and all the Queen's men
to try and put Katie together again.

Oh wow! I have NEVER seen this before?! Where exactly were you stood / looking?!

I believe it was from the bridge (right hand side) as you approach France.

It really frustrates me!! People should have to take a test in order to have children

*warning. Language*

You are officially my kind of person!!

Woot!! I'm in the club!

I love your photos so much! Teach me your ways please.

Thanks, Katie!
And I think you don't need any lessons from me. I'm reading your TR, remember??
You're shots are beautiful!

 

[pkondz]

HAAAA you and Tink are precious together!

She was actually a lot of fun.
Despite what I may have represented her as in the chapter...

Welp, I was way off, but thanks for the bonus points anyway!!!

You earn them, you get 'em!

WISHES!! They now have Jiminy Cricket bracelets that say "When you wish upon a star" and it's going to be the first thing I buy with my CM discount.

CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS!!!! That song is my theme song for life so I'm glad you enjoyed the "new" version.

I have to go back and hear it again!
I was so busy being confused for most of the show
that I didn't really start to enjoy it until it was almost too late!

I have to be honest, I don't love Living with the Land either. It's nice and relaxing but not really exciting.

I don't see myself sprinting to it, bowling over women and children, first thing in the morning.
But I will ride it again.

I'm side eyeing you a little bit for not ordering steak. I. LOVE. STEAK. Anytime of the day. Dinner? Lunch? Four in the morning? Always time for steak. And I've heard that Le Cellier has some of the very best so I'm dying to try it.

I really did think about it.... but I just wasn't that hungry.
A light lunch was just what I wanted.
(I knew that a cronut and pastries were in my immediate future.)

Plus, having a filet at Le Cellier probably wouldn't compare
to my go-to steakhouse back home.

I've done pretty poorly with answering your questions so far but here's what I've got:
1. Champagne. You always need champagne in every situation. Much like steak.
2. 2 others.
3. Morocco!

Noted.

Thanks for the updates!

Thanks for reading!

 

[pkondz]

@DonnaBeeGood, @ursalita and @KathyM2.
Gotta get ready for work, but I'll be replying to you guys too!

Keep those comments coming people!
I love 'em!

 

[Sandy Mouse]

But I did like Team Green. So that's what I did.
I was chosen to be navigator. Truly an honour!
Our capsule only had three cabin crew.
And while I was concerned about the mission's success without an engineer,
I'm pretty sure that my close attention to the controls is what saved the day.
And our butts.
(Is anyone else a big enough geek and lame enough to admit
that they too flip all the toggles and push all the buttons?
Anyone?)

The orange makes certain people in my family pretty sick, but my granddaughters and I handled it like pros!
I thought my younger granddaughter would love to flip all the switches and hit the buttons, but it turns out that she would rather do that if she's already been told not to.

I had one last fastpass... for... I don't remember what.
Probably Spaceship Earth.
I don't remember, because it was getting close to WS opening time...

I was disappointed in this one last November. I think they must have been refurbing part of it - there was a long space of nothing there during our ride. We used to like it.

WELCOME AGENT! YOUR MISSION IS TO...

I have no idea what was said after that.
I was too busy desperately trying to find a way to turn down the volume.
People were fleeing from me in all directions.
(I get that a lot too.)
A few of them were fleeing because the phone was too loud.
(This was new.)
After a few moments, I gave up trying to turn it down.
None of the buttons seemed to do anything.
I suspect Disney disabled most of the phone's features.

Tried that when we took my youngest grandson (then 8) because I thought it would amuse him. We couldn't all do it together, and I found it annoying. It ended up that DD2 and my grandson did it together and my youngest granddaughter and I did princess-y things for a little while.

We ate at Biergarten that night, I believe.

Ever since that day, I beat my kids at every opportunity.
Even if I have to make something up.

They deserve it, so it's okay.

There's nothing wrong with that. I used to fight the urge to slap my oldest grandson just because his personality was soooo much like my older brother's (a childhood of being picked on and teased - "no I don't want to try out the new wrestling hold you just invented").

Still glad I did it though.
I would much rather try something and be disappointed,
than not try it and always wonder.

Cronut!!

All I can say is "Oh.... My."
It wasn't just good... it was stupendously, fantastically good.
If you haven't had one, GET. ONE.
This little baby alone makes a trip to Epcot worthwhile.
A little sugared piece of heaven on a paper plate.

Will it perhaps take the place of Dole Whips in my heart?

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

That recipe sounds good!
I think I'll need to get another 13x9 pan though.
I don't think mine's 4" deep... is this a special pan you got?
Plus "Poke holes" with a fork? Finger? Wooden spoon handle?

I asked the boss about it. For some reason, a lot of baking dishes are shallower that older ones. The issue is that this recipe generally won’t fit unless the dish was a good depth to it. Or you could split it up among a couple of dishes. As for the poke holes in it bit, it doesn’t really matter how you go about it, you’re just allowing the wet mixture to seep down into the mass of noodles and cheese below a bit better.

I may tweak it (that's tweak... not twerk. You do NOT want to see that!)

I do believe that discretion would be the better part of valor in this instance.




Oooo… a new update.
So much for discretion.

The alarm shrieks its vile call.

Hate it when it does that.

Well…
More so on a Monday, when I’m not at WDW, and I’ve got to go in to work, but still…

I don't know if my neighbours heard my alarm,
but I still feel guilty.
It only lasts for a second.

You’re a truly caring sole.
For a second or two.

The Contest

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes 9 points

My, my… generous, to be sure

By now, you should have figured out how to get points in this game...

Make ‘em laugh, Make ‘em laugh…

Make ‘em laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!

And apparently a bit of bribery involving food is a good idea as well.

Back to Wednesday...

Being Monday here, I like this idea.
Were it Friday or Saturday… not so much.

Oh, wait, you mean the Wednesday of your trip.
Carry on.

Grabbed camera bag, all charged up night before.
iPod, all charged up night before.

Good planning on your part.

Plastic bag, set up night before.

More good plan…
Wait, what?
Hummmmm….

About nine a.m...
They'rrrrrrrrrre at the post!
Aaaaannnnddd... they're off!!!

I take it there won’t be much sashaying goin’ on for the next little bit of the program.

pkondz side steps them over to the next....
uh... the next.... what do you call those things?

The Black Knights….
“None shall pass!”

post-thing-that-you-put-your-magic-band-up-to-then-scan-your-finger!

That works too…
Of maybe a Patented Doofenshmirtz: Magi-verificat-inator

A few Gawking-Gawkers stop to gawk at the big golf ball! Fools!!

It’s not like it ain’t gonn’a be there later on.

pkondz is veering to the right! What's happened?!? Has he blown a shoe?
No! No! He's cutting through Innoventions West! A brilliant move!
And he's out! He's out of Innoventions! The Land is straight ahead!

I suspected that’s where you might be headed.
It’s where I’d be headed at least.

Where did all these people come from?
And how did they get here so fast, ahead of me?

You stopped to take that picture of the Land Pavilion.
What was it you called folks that did stuff like that?
“Gawking-Gawkers”

There were about a dozen people already waiting to ride.

Awww that’s nothing, you’re still in the first showing.

"Can I have the highest row?" I ask.
I politically correctly do not ask for the "non-foot" row.

But if you’d have been less correct, you might have made her laugh a bit.
Making CMs laugh earns extra points, don’t it?

Disney is not for the meek.

Truth!

I found it interesting. And interesting is good.

Interesting will redeem a lot of ills.

Yup! This is one popular ride!
I can't believe I lucked out and got a seat!

Wait till you see the madhouse over at Journey into Imagination.

I took a picture. I think it was just a reflex.
Kind of like a gag reflex.

Bleeeough…
Thank’s for sharing?

I'd never done the car design thingy before,
so it took me a while to get up to speed (see what I did there?)

Yep… a truly excellent application of the word “thingy”
Bravo sir, bravo.

I designed my car to look like something I'd want to drive,

Good plan… won’t win, but it’s still a good plan.

I think that qualifies me as an automotive engineer.

Certainly more talented than the folks that brought us both the Gremlin and the Pacer.
There was a blue ribbon design division if ever there was one.

But then there were the folks that actually bought those thingys...
Those folks really need some help.

When I got myself strapped in my car,
it lurched a few feet forward and.... nothing.
The whole ride came to a standstill.

Had that happen once while we were out on the high speed part of the course… disappointing.
When we got back to the station though, they sent us back around again.
That made up for it quickly.

I don't know about you, but I more or less put up with the entire ride...
just so I can get to the high speed part!

Well, yeh!

Well I drive faster than that on some highways,
and I don't ever feel like holding my arms up in the air and
hollering like an idiot.

Would make a long boring drive more interesting.

Which I suppose is a good thing, since if I did, I'd be hollering
and so would my passengers as we smash through the guard rail
and go soarin' off into oblivion.

MARK! DUCK!

Wait... I already did Soarin'...

Mmmmmmm… could be.

After experiencing the thrill of travelling at a relatively sluggish pace,
it was time for my next fastpass and time to speed things up a notch.

I've done... actually my entire family of four together have done...
both MS green and orange.

Never done the green side.
But then, the first time we road it there was no Green Side, so we (meaning my son and I, DW is way too smart to ever get back on the thing) have just never seen the need.

I think the kids were okay, but Ruby didn't like it and I felt sick for about half an hour.
It felt like a ball of yeast was rising in my stomach and I just didn't knead that.

(Is anyone else a big enough geek and lame enough to admit
that they too flip all the toggles and push all the buttons?
Anyone?)

<<raises hand>>
I will wear that cone of shame

(To this day, my kids haven't let me forget how much I cried on that trip.)

It’s one of their primary functions.

I sashayed off in the general direction of WS.

Back to sashaying!

Right at the stroke of 11:00 a CM asked me if I wanted to play.

Obviously that CM has never studied the Theory of Least Astonishment.

I ambled over to the side of the walkway and took out the cell phone.
I pressed Start and Oh. My. Word.

GREETINGS! PLEASE PROCEED TO THE UNITED KINGDOM AND PRESS START.

Holy smokes is this thing ever LOUD!

Mute, mute, mute dang you, mute!

People were fleeing from me in all directions.
(I get that a lot too.)

We all have our own special talents.

So now I had a coveted ADR for Le Cellier...
and we weren't even going to be in Epcot!

This breaks my heart…

I am not making this up. This honest-to-heck happened...
I placed the telephone receiver back onto the cradle.
And the very second... the instant I did so...
Both kids tell me they've changed their minds and now want to go to Epcot.

Ever since that day, I beat my kids at every opportunity.

A reasonable response.

I had plenty of time, so I sashayed back in the direction of Canada.
(North, of course.)

Well, they got that detail right at least.

I stopped for a bit to watch these guys.

T’is but a sad shadow of the entertainment that used to emanate from that stage.

What did I order you ask?
I'd heard nothing but good things about the Fillet Mignon...
but I just don't feel like steak at lunchtime.

Understandable, but I don’t think I’d have been able to resist.
I’m pretty week when it comes to not ordering a steak.

The Cheddar Cheese soup!

And.... meh.

Should’a had the steak.

Hey you! Get off the phone! Talk with the people at the table!

I often say similar things.

We recently went thorough “Prom Season” down this way and I encountered several young couples traveling in a group on their big night. They were dressed to the nines, and leaving a fairly nice dining establishment at the time. Every one of ‘em had their heads down and thumbs poised while staring intently into the eyes of… their cell phones. Of the things on this Earth they needed to be paid a proper bit of attention to that that moment, I’m pretty sure that a three inch screen of poorly typed text should not have been at the top of the list.

What did make the meal though,
was a lovely young lady named Fallon who was my server.
She was just fine as a waitress, but I got to chatting with her
and she was so... nice.

I see that you, at least, have a better idea of what needs to be paid proper attention.

I felt my chest swelling with pride for my home country.
Or maybe that was my belly from the soup and pretzel bread.

A similar sensation…
Easily confused.

Cronut!!

All I can say is "Oh.... My."
It wasn't just good... it was stupendously, fantastically good.
If you haven't had one, GET. ONE.

Hummmm… Something new since my last visit.
Duly noted.

I found a shaded bench to sit and devour it.
The cronut.... not the bench...

Good choice on your part.

My next stop?
I'm glad you asked!
You didn't ask?
Well too bad! I'm going to tell you anyway!

Underpants!
I mean France! France!!

Slightly out of order, but as you did just leave London, so I do suppose those are the next two things to be seen.

The attention to detail, just gets me sometimes, ya know?

Disney = Details

Maybe not always perfect details…
But lots and lots of details.

The skywriter was out that day, and had just started "writing".
So far he had finished the J, E and S...
I heard one woman exclaim. "Oh! It's going to say Jessica!"

Boulangerie Patisserie.
Yes I'd just had lunch...

But not so much that you couldn’t have more.
Besides… Vacation… calories don’t count...

"I'll take everything visible... to go, please."

Another good plan.
Who’s credit card did you lift?

A moment later... CLANG!
The mother (and I use that term very loosely) was still on the phone,
so it wasn't her problem.

I didn't know if I could eat a sentient tart.

Oh my, but this here is the wrong board for properly responding to that one.

I'm a sucker for Crème Brulée, too.

That one calls to me as well…
But my DW makes those fairly regular (and good ones too), so I’d go with the harder to find option.

But then again… why just one?

(Same issue. Could I eat a chatty pudding?)

Oh no… not same thing at all.

Finally I decided to be a man and make a decision.

There. Easy.

That’s more like it.

I may have German blood in my veins, but Japan is where I wanna be.
At least this ersatz version of it.

World Showcase…
Celebrating the diversity of the Ersatz World since 1982.

Get the picture now?

That’s a pretty vivid picture.

Did I mention that I like Japan?

Yes, you might have said something about it in passing

I like watching Taiko drumming.

Me too…
And all the rest of the music that shows up throughout the parks.
Life is better with a soundtrack.

"Hey man, can I borrow some of your pot?"

Just so long as you did it in an approximation of Tommy’s voice.

He didn't get it.

Unfortunate…

Bonus questions!
1. What did I need to make me feel more at ease in France?

To have someone insult you?
No?
Oh, underpants. Right? Still no?
Hummm…
The bliss of consuming sugary baked goods perhaps.
I do believe I’ve missed something, but I think we’ll go with that last one.

2. How many people were on Living With the Land with me? (Hint: < 10)

Sure looked like zero from the pictures.
(or is that pure misdirection).

3. Find the burning bush.

Or is that a burning shrubbery?

Finally... Finally!
I was heading out to do something that I'd never thought I'd do.
Something that I'm willing to bet very few,
possibly none of you reading this, have done.
And it's going to blow your minds.
I'm not going to make it a bonus point question.
But feel free to guess what it might be.

Richard Petty Driving Experience?



Wait…
What was the plastic bag for?
Or did I miss something else?

 

[Scoobymoons]

and then I didn't know what to do with the YF.

A perennial problem! Is it official that the devices are now called the Pity Butts machines??!

Well I should hope so.
Even if it had just been a number one and not a number two.
I mean, she'd need to change her knickers at the very least, right?
Well, I guess it Depends.

Ew! But
I can't remember why this came about but DD now sings an alternative Winnie the Pooh song which goes a little like this....
Winnie the Wee,
Winnie the Wee,
Number one instead of number two for once it's,
Winnie the Wee,
Winnie the Wee......

You get the idea....don't think she really understands it yet but hey....

Interesting about the waste going to AK.

Realised after I'd posted that I'd potentially implied that the food (for humans...) in AK came from the waste at Epcot....erm.....

orbs from Hell.

You never did say how you broke your wrist did you?
Slipped and fell on a wet accessible bathroom floor?

Now that you come to mention it...it was a bathroom floor.....nah, not really! That's definitely your area of expertise.....not the falling....the wet floors....I tried to get DD down from the play equipment by Splash Mountain and fell backwards. She was fine...me not so much! I did however get to go backstage with the ambulance men (who were amazing) and they pointed out a real live gator! Every cloud....yada yada!!!

Gee.... Thanks for the vote of confidence.

You. Are. Welcome!

Another cute picture???? Is she an international model yet?
Too cute!
Did you wind up buying the outfit anyway?
Or was it super pricey?

Not yet....because along with all that cuteness comes one heck of a lot of - she's a total spanner! Oh that and she's only seven!
It was amazingly pricey so that definitely didn't come home - that Japan shop is DANGEROUS to all purses and wallets - there should be a sign or some sort of waiver that needs to be signed before entering. I think we probably appeased her with a Mickey Bar or something!! So generous!

I like to provide food for thought. Something you can really sink your teeth into.

 

[pkondz]

Well, this is a full blown sit down with a cup of tea kind of update!

Tea, for two. And two for tea....

You are a hardier Canadian than I - the day would have to start at 68 for me to consider shorts.

I remember... oh about two hundred years ago... playing soccer... in shorts... while it snowed.

I'm such a newb, it's a bit embarassing - do you mean to say that I should not be trying for front row on Soarin'?

Hmmm... I guess the best way to say it is you want the highest row.
The two lower ones you'll have feet dangling down from the row above you.
I hate that. Totally ruins the magic for me.
It goes from "I'm flying!" to "Oh, yeah. I'm on a ride."

Don't worry, I'll take your share of the brussels sprouts.

Be my guest! Be my guest!
For these sprouts I must protest.
Tie a rope 'round my neck, cherie
For I will not injest.
Soup du jour
Hot hors d'oeuvres
Those I do deserve
Love the grey stuff
It's delicious!
Don't believe me? As good as Wishes!
They're so vile, excuse my rants,
I would rather be in France
I would rather have a gamey chicken breast
So I will please implore you
So I wont have to spew
Be my guest
Oui, my guest
Be my guest!

Mission Space - once I rode the orange side - never again. I don't even know if I could do the green side at this point.

Green is much more tame than orange.
I have no problems at all with it.

We also played the Agent P game in it's previous incarnation - KimPossible. We didn't have any volume issues,

We did too. Volume was fine then too.

Perhaps one day I'll eat there, but I'm worried that I will find it lacking compared to Alberta beef.

That's one reason why I didn't order the filet.
I figured it probably wouldn't be any better than the Keg's.

I thought Creme Brulee only called to me, but obviously it wasn't calling me loud enough, as I didn't see it when I was there.

I will always hear its siren call....

(Subtle Princess souvenir...)

Well, sure. Every princess deserves a keepsake.

Bonus question guesses:
1. Creme Brulee
2. Zero
3. Apparently I missed the burning bush, although there were candles at Le Cellier. Hopefully the burning bush wasn't in Chong's pot...

Noted.

I've been thinking of you as I've been performing some Condimentpartmentization - deciding where DD21's extra condiments fit into the fridge as she has moved back home for the summer.

Good one!

Do tell.

My first and only visit with my parents and my sister.
We went to ride HM.
Mom and Sis in one Doombuggy, Dad and I in the next.
I don't recall exactly where we were in the ride,
but I'm sure it was before the graveyard.
We came to a bend in the track,
my Dad looks at me, grins, stands up, leans over...
And SLAMS his hand down on the buggy in front of us.
And at the same time he yells "RRROOOAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!"

So it turns out that my Mom and Sister must've gotten on the buggy just before that one.
The two teenage girls riding in this one screamed!!!

Of course my Dad was mortified.
I can see (and hear) him like it was yesterday.
"I thought you were my wife!!!"

Roasted brussels sprouts are my favorite thing in the world. And roasted cauliflower. Just about any roasted vegetable.

Roasted huh?

My mom used to boil them.
She'd boil them for about 20 minutes.
And then, to be on the safe side, she'd keep boiling them for another 10 minutes.
Maybe just a little more. Maybe another hour or two.

Green, mushy balls of despair.

But roasted?
Yeah... still NO!!!!

I'm ok with Star Tours. Maybe I'll try it by myself next time. I'll blame you if I get sick.

Okay. I'll take full responsibility.

Now that I think about it we were there before the World Showcase opened so that's why we didn't see the photographer and probably missed it later with the crowds. We got some nice shots around the empty fountain that I'm sure I'll share later in my TR.

Oh, maybe that's the reason.
He sure was busy.

Firstly - the update didn't stink at all lol...I only said "whew" because it was long lol.

Well, glad you don't think it stank.
But I really wasn't that happy with it.

But so much fun to read about all things Epcot.

I'm glad!

I'm glad the movie is new at least to me...I may have to drag DD into that one to check it out in October.

I've never seen the old one,
but from what I've heard, the new one is much better.

The attraction I was actually thinking about that I think should have a FP+ is not at Epcot - I was thinking the Magic of Disney animation - that's where they have the drawing class, right? That maybe could use one? I just have seen long lines and always wanted to do it but didn't have a chance? But I'm not sure it's worth running to at RD and using that time there?

It's certainly getting busier and busier.
I guess word is getting out.
Even when I went, late at night, it was still a full house.

Might be worth some distractions, you are right...to get DD to spend more time in WS...that and perhaps a little souvenier bribery which is always helpful

Bribery always works.

 

[orangecats2]

I'm first! I'm first!! I'm first!!! Of course now I have to try and stay in the lead. I have seen the bottom of phones so I was pretty sure that's what it was.
I tried the cheese soup at the F&W kiosk and it was ok. Too many vegetables in it. We got to Le Cellier on our last trip for lunch right before they changed it to two credits. We both got the filet. It was good. The mashed potatos and risotto were very good. Didn't think much of the pretzel bread though.
I got an eclair to go one year in France. We didn't have a fridge in our room so by the time I got around to eating it, it had gone bad. I have to go back there.
I didn't think much of the Behind the Seeds Tour. Although we did it on our last day after being there a week and I was exhausted. It was too hot in there and no where to sit down so that could be why I was underwhelmed. I do like the ride though. Garden Grill is good too - if it's rotating.
I also think you're going to the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
What did you need in France? This is a hard one! I'm going to say Jesus since the skywriter wasn't done yet.
How many people on Living With the Land? Just you, I believe.
The burning bush? It's an actual bush. In one of your gardens from Canada pics.

 

[ursalita]

Of course my Dad was mortified.
I can see (and hear) him like it was yesterday.
"I thought you were my wife!!!"

But roasted?
Yeah... still NO!!!!

My mom did the same thing. I thought I hated all kinds of veggies but I love them roasted: asparagus, sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower...

 

[pkondz]

The orange makes certain people in my family pretty sick, but my granddaughters and I handled it like pros!

You're obviously tougher than I am.

Of course, that's not saying much...
Practically everyone is.

I thought my younger granddaughter would love to flip all the switches and hit the buttons, but it turns out that she would rather do that if she's already been told not to.

I was disappointed in this one last November. I think they must have been refurbing part of it - there was a long space of nothing there during our ride. We used to like it.

Oh? I wonder what they were doing?
And I'm surprised they could do that without shutting the whole thing down.

There's nothing wrong with that. I used to fight the urge to slap my oldest grandson just because his personality was soooo much like my older brother's (a childhood of being picked on and teased - "no I don't want to try out the new wrestling hold you just invented").

Will it perhaps take the place of Dole Whips in my heart?

It's got a pretty good shot.
It might.
Although nothing beats a Dole whip float on a hot day...

 

[pkondz]

I asked the boss about it. For some reason, a lot of baking dishes are shallower that older ones. The issue is that this recipe generally won’t fit unless the dish was a good depth to it. Or you could split it up among a couple of dishes. As for the poke holes in it bit, it doesn’t really matter how you go about it, you’re just allowing the wet mixture to seep down into the mass of noodles and cheese below a bit better.

Got it. Can't wait to try this out.
The last one I tried was, well.... meh.
That's about as good a comment as I can make.

I do believe that discretion would be the better part of valor in this instance.




Oooo… a new update.
So much for discretion.

Yeah, I tweeked it a bit...
Then threw my hands up in surrender and hit the post button.

Hate it when it does that.

Well…
More so on a Monday, when I’m not at WDW, and I’ve got to go in to work, but still…

My second favorite commercial.
Woman sleeping soundly in bed.
Alarm rings.
Without even raising her head, she smashes a hammer down on the clock.
She smiles a little smile and drifts off to sleep.

The camera slowly pans back and out of her room.
And as the logo for one of Canada's biggest lottery comes up...
(With the tag line, "What would you do?"
And just before the commercial ends...
You see her walk-in closet.
Filled with hundreds of boxes of alarm clocks.

You’re a truly caring sole.
For a second or two.

I am extremely caring... right up until... squirrel!!

Make ‘em laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!

And apparently a bit of bribery involving food is a good idea as well.

More good plan…
Wait, what?
Hummmmm….

You're the first one to notice that.

I take it there won’t be much sashaying goin’ on for the next little bit of the program.

er... No.

The Black Knights….
“None shall pass!”

Hmmm... Not bad.
But I think I like "tapstiles" better.

It’s not like it ain’t gonn’a be there later on.

Oh yeah?
What if the Jolly Green Giant came by with a golf club?
What then, huh Mr. Smart guy???

You stopped to take that picture of the Land Pavilion.
What was it you called folks that did stuff like that?
“Gawking-Gawkers”

Actually... nope.
I did Soarin', then Living With the Land
and then I took the picture.
I posted it out of order for dramatic effect.
Or something like that.

But if you’d have been less correct, you might have made her laugh a bit.
Making CMs laugh earns extra points, don’t it?

Oh... crap.
You're right.
I didn't even think of that.

Darn it.

Wait till you see the madhouse over at Journey into Imagination.

Nope! Rode that one more than enough when the DDs were little.

Bleeeough…
Thank’s for sharing?

"Bleeeough"
Good word to describe them.
Needs more "ough" maybe.

Yep… a truly excellent application of the word “thingy”
Bravo sir, bravo.

That cracks me up.
That's exactly what I replied to Montague (bankr63)

Oh? I didn't even notice that.
I was referring to my use of the word "thingy" in a sentence.

Certainly more talented than the folks that brought us both the Gremlin and the Pacer.
There was a blue ribbon design division if ever there was one.

But then there were the folks that actually bought those thingys...
Those folks really need some help.

Can you imagine the scene?
"Hey Joe! Come check out my new car! It's called a Pacer!... Hey! Why are you laughing? You sick?
Oh, here comes Ted. Ted! Come see my new car... WOULD YOU PEOPLE STOP LAUGHING!?!?!!?"

Had that happen once while we were out on the high speed part of the course… disappointing.
When we got back to the station though, they sent us back around again.
That made up for it quickly.

That would. I remember riding it once and slooowly going around the outside.
We got to the end and they closed the ride down so no re-rides for us.
It was us and running later in the day and we got to ride it then, though.

Would make a long boring drive more interesting.

And would make the ride a lot shorter too!

Thanks for that.
I'll take it with absolutely zero sarcasm, too.

<<raises hand>>
I will wear that cone of shame

I'm not alone!

Back to sashaying!

One of my favourite scenes! (Well, I have several from that movie, of course.)

And I mean shortly after this when:
"In the frozen land of Nador, they were forced to eat Robin's minstrels…and there was much rejoicing."

Those two little flags waving just kills me!

Obviously that CM has never studied the Theory of Least Astonishment.

I had to Google that. Never heard of it either.
Pretty interesting.

Mute, mute, mute dang you, mute!

Yup. That was me.

This breaks my heart…

Your heart!!!

T’is but a sad shadow of the entertainment that used to emanate from that stage.

So I've heard. It pains me that I never got a chance to hear them.

Understandable, but I don’t think I’d have been able to resist.
I’m pretty week when it comes to not ordering a steak.

I've mentioned this a couple of times.
I just don't think it would've been any better than what I get at my local spot.

Should’a had the steak.

If it wasn't for the $382 price, I might have.

We recently went thorough “Prom Season” down this way and I encountered several young couples traveling in a group on their big night. They were dressed to the nines, and leaving a fairly nice dining establishment at the time. Every one of ‘em had their heads down and thumbs poised while staring intently into the eyes of… their cell phones. Of the things on this Earth they needed to be paid a proper bit of attention to that that moment, I’m pretty sure that a three inch screen of poorly typed text should not have been at the top of the list.

My DD had a similar thing happen.
She went to a birthday party for one of the girls on her dance team.
Parents were invited too.
All the parents were hanging around in the garage (it was raining outside) and having a good time, chatting.
Suddenly DD shows up and says she's ready to go home.
DW and I are like, "Uh, okay? So soon? It's only 10:30."

Turns out that all the girls took selfies of themselves in front of the bonfire (before the rain started)
and posted what a great time they were having at the party...
Then spent the rest of the night with their noses in their electronics.
My DD was bored out of her mind.

I'm sure that today's kids are losing (lost?) the art of conversation.

Hummmm… Something new since my last visit.
Duly noted.

Oh, man. Do try it. Go out of your way for it.

But not so much that you couldn’t have more.
Besides… Vacation… calories don’t count...

I may have said those exact words in every single TR I've ever read!

Another good plan.
Who’s credit card did you lift?

I guess you haven't seen those charges yet...
I mean. I don't know what you're talking about.

Oh my, but this here is the wrong board for properly responding to that one.

But my DW makes those fairly regular (and good ones too), so I’d go with the harder to find option.

Makes. Those. Fairly. Regular....

Me too…
And all the rest of the music that shows up throughout the parks.
Life is better with a soundtrack.

With the possible exception of Morocco.

Just so long as you did it in an approximation of Tommy’s voice.

I did!
Or at least I tried.

To have someone insult you?
No?
Oh, underpants. Right? Still no?
Hummm…
The bliss of consuming sugary baked goods perhaps.
I do believe I’ve missed something, but I think we’ll go with that last one.

Sure looked like zero from the pictures.
(or is that pure misdirection).

Or is that a burning shrubbery?

Guesses noted.

Wait…
What was the plastic bag for?
Or did I miss something else?

Still haven't forgotten that, huh?

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[pkondz]

A perennial problem! Is it official that the devices are now called the Pity Butts machines??!

If they do. I want a royalties cheque every month!
(Or lifetime pass with free resort-of-my-choice.)

Ew! But
I can't remember why this came about but DD now sings an alternative Winnie the Pooh song which goes a little like this....
Winnie the Wee,
Winnie the Wee,
Number one instead of number two for once it's,
Winnie the Wee,
Winnie the Wee......

You get the idea....don't think she really understands it yet but hey....

Realised after I'd posted that I'd potentially implied that the food (for humans...) in AK came from the waste at Epcot....erm.....

I didn't get that. I read it as waste goes to AK.

Now that you come to mention it...it was a bathroom floor.....nah, not really!

That's definitely your area of expertise.....not the falling....the wet floors....

You know. I was a bit concerned.
I was worried that I'd slip and the sudden movement would wrench my back.
But it never even came close to happening.

I tried to get DD down from the play equipment by Splash Mountain and fell backwards. She was fine...me not so much! I did however get to go backstage with the ambulance men (who were amazing) and they pointed out a real live gator! Every cloud....yada yada!!!

Oh, boy.
That would put a bit of a damper on your trip (as you mentioned in your PTR.)

Not yet....because along with all that cuteness comes one heck of a lot of - she's a total spanner!

It was amazingly pricey so that definitely didn't come home - that Japan shop is DANGEROUS to all purses and wallets

Oh, I hear you.
Makes you wonder what that stuff would cost in Japan.

there should be a sign or some sort of waiver that needs to be signed before entering.

I think we probably appeased her with a Mickey Bar or something!! So generous!

Kids that age don't think in terms of money. They think in terms of stuff.
You can't have that... but you can have.... this!!!!

 

[pkondz]

I'm first! I'm first!! I'm first!!!

You are? I hadn't noticed.

I have seen the bottom of phones so I was pretty sure that's what it was.

Okay. I had a reason to. For the TR.
What's your excuse????

I tried the cheese soup at the F&W kiosk and it was ok. Too many vegetables in it.

Are you sure it was the same soup?
I don't remember anything other than purée.

We got to Le Cellier on our last trip for lunch right before they changed it to two credits. We both got the filet. It was good. The mashed potatos and risotto were very good. Didn't think much of the pretzel bread though.

I love risotto. Maybe I should've ordered it after all...

Nah. $382 is a lot to pay for risotto.

I got an eclair to go one year in France. We didn't have a fridge in our room so by the time I got around to eating it, it had gone bad.

Ew.

I didn't think much of the Behind the Seeds Tour. Although we did it on our last day after being there a week and I was exhausted. It was too hot in there and no where to sit down so that could be why I was underwhelmed.

Yeah, I could see that.
No fun if you're burnt out.
Figuratively and literally.

Garden Grill is good too - if it's rotating.

I've heard some good things about it.
With the same qualification.

What did you need in France? This is a hard one! I'm going to say Jesus since the skywriter wasn't done yet.
How many people on Living With the Land? Just you, I believe.
The burning bush? It's an actual bush. In one of your gardens from Canada pics.

Noted.

My mom did the same thing. I thought I hated all kinds of veggies but I love them roasted: asparagus, sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower...

I seldom have roasted veggies.
Maybe I should look into that a bit more.

All this Disney talk has me longing to go back again, and of course try riding Soarin' properly, eat the correct things, and generally just get back to the magic. If only I could remind myself this every time I am tempted to spend money on a Starbucks. Especially if I want to pay for DD21 to come along for the ride, to introduce her to DW. She has never been, and likely thinks she is too cool, but I know better!

That's it! Bring the little kid in her out!

I think everyone who reads/writes these TRs are basically whipping themselves into a frenzy to go back!