Geeks on a budget - 12/22, complete! Read reflections within....

[silversae]

Erica rocks the house with her trip reports. Having just landed back in canuck land i'll try to post something here sooner, rather than later...for now...laundry...unpacking! and um dealing with a WEEEEE small sunburn.

 

[nenner1]

Thanks Jen!
I really think that would help Cosmic Rays. It was really ridiculous. I like "funny-smelling building funny" - I know EXACTLY what you mean

OMG, it still smells like that in there?

I'll have to stop in just to get a whiff of nostalgia!!!

 

[zweihund]

Erica rocks the house with her trip reports. Having just landed back in canuck land i'll try to post something here sooner, rather than later...for now...laundry...unpacking! and um dealing with a WEEEEE small sunburn.

Just a wee one
Oscar waited for you to come home all night, it was so sad! You'd better get posting soon, so the time will pass more quickly

OMG, it still smells like that in there?

I'll have to stop in just to get a whiff of nostalgia!!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Mize Wazowski <<<<that kind of looks like him don't you think? I hope we get to see this at MNSSHP in Oct.

Boy........that is some RAIN.

Did you ever figure out the portions for the Wedding Cake Martini....I went back searching for the ingredients....I really want to give that a try.

 

[Tink rules]

Mize Wazowski <<<<that kind of looks like him don't you think? I hope we get to see this at MNSSHP in Oct.

Boy........that is some RAIN.

Did you ever figure out the portions for the Wedding Cake Martini....I went back searching for the ingredients....I really want to give that a try.

Ya know... you'd think I actually drink more than I do!!! Not sure if this helps...

Wedding cake martini
Ingredients

1/2 ounce Absolut vodka
3 ounces Amaretto
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce pineapple juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
The mix

Pour the liquid ingredients into a shaker 1/2 full of cracked ice (except the heavy cream)
Shake, shake, shake for a minute
Allow your shaker to stand for a full minute
Strain your martini cocktail into 2 freezing martini glasses
Top each glass with 1/2 of the heavy cream

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Erica! Lovin' your minnie trippie within your pre-trippie! I had spaced that you had this thread going! I am jealous of your Steve and Barry's! We have a Super Walmart! I know everyone else wishes they had one

 

[Mozart]

We have a Super Walmart!

Walmart = the source of all evil in the universe

(See Mozart. See Mozart type. See Mozart badmouth Wal-Mart. See Mozart run for his life.)

 

[Tink rules]

Run Mozart!!!! RUN!!!!

But I must run now to MY Super Walmart (down the block from me...) to buy cheap shampoo....

Erica... too bad they don't sell cheap booze!!! (Beer doesn't count...)

 

[zweihund]

Mize Wazowski <<<<that kind of looks like him don't you think? I hope we get to see this at MNSSHP in Oct.

Boy........that is some RAIN.

Did you ever figure out the portions for the Wedding Cake Martini....I went back searching for the ingredients....I really want to give that a try.

Ya know... you'd think I actually drink more than I do!!! Not sure if this helps...

Wedding cake martini
Ingredients

1/2 ounce Absolut vodka
3 ounces Amaretto
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce pineapple juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
The mix

Pour the liquid ingredients into a shaker 1/2 full of cracked ice (except the heavy cream)
Shake, shake, shake for a minute
Allow your shaker to stand for a full minute
Strain your martini cocktail into 2 freezing martini glasses
Top each glass with 1/2 of the heavy cream

There ya go! I can't tell you how heavenly it tastes, you have to see for yourself.

Erica! Lovin' your minnie trippie within your pre-trippie! I had spaced that you had this thread going! I am jealous of your Steve and Barry's! We have a Super Walmart! I know everyone else wishes they had one

I can't believe I have lived this close to one for so long, and it took a Canadian to tell me what I've had all along! Craziness. The girls from work are planning a tentative field trip there on Friday......I might go!

Walmart = the source of all evil in the universe

(See Mozart. See Mozart type. See Mozart badmouth Wal-Mart. See Mozart run for his life.)

You'd DEFINITELY run for your life at OUR Super Wal-Mart - ours is a little scary.

Run Mozart!!!! RUN!!!!

But I must run now to MY Super Walmart (down the block from me...) to buy cheap shampoo....

Erica... too bad they don't sell cheap booze!!! (Beer doesn't count...)

Totally!

 

[FatherForce]

Super WalMart = Super Scary

 

[Disneygrl36]

Ya know... you'd think I actually drink more than I do!!! Not sure if this helps...

Wedding cake martini
Ingredients

1/2 ounce Absolut vodka
3 ounces Amaretto
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce pineapple juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
The mix

Pour the liquid ingredients into a shaker 1/2 full of cracked ice (except the heavy cream)
Shake, shake, shake for a minute
Allow your shaker to stand for a full minute
Strain your martini cocktail into 2 freezing martini glasses
Top each glass with 1/2 of the heavy cream

Planning to try this very soon. Thanks Tink

 

[Database]

I loved Order of the Phoenix - I thought they did a great job of making a good movie out of a book that was at times difficult to read. Halfway through Deathly Hallows so far.

We liked the movie as well. I just finished Deathly Hallow's for the second time this morning.

Thanks for the pre-trippie! I learn SO much from your threads.
1)Scratch Pomengrante Martini.
2)Wedding Cake Martini.... sounds awesome...... must go to liquor store and purchase more "stuff"......

 

[zweihund]

Oh, did I mention I was doing a trippie within a trippie that is still a pre-trippie? Because I've been sitting back here for about two hours now with "nothing to do" - and then I remembered, I DO have something to do. So sorry.

Ok, when last we left our characters we were soaking wet and stinking to high heaven on the long road back home. Once we got home, we cleaned up and had dinner, and then went to see a great little movie that I was not expecting to be great: Knocked Up.

FUNNY! Like, really REALLY funny. And I am not a fan, in general, of "stupid humor". So go see it before it's gone.

Monday came all-too-soon and both Lionel and I had to work. We left Sarah to go in search of the world's largest M&M with Cameron, while Lionel attempted to teach the youth of America how to create a folder on the desktop and I taught a guy with no use of his legs how to put on a pair of pants.

When I got home, Sarah called to inform me that she was at Wonderworks. I've never been there, but from what I could gather it was like a big playground full of giant bubble makers and flight simulators and the like. Said Sarah in her report:

"I spent way too much time upside down today."

We decided we weren't going to touch that one.

While Sarah and Cameron were off playing on I-Drive, I was researching restaurants. I've been reading dining reviews and thought to myself, we can't call ourselves Disney junkies if we hardly ever go there to eat! My goal was to find some unique dining experiences for Tuesday's lunch and Thursday's dinner. Tuesday was Animal Kingdom, so I settled on Rainforest Cafe. It's RIGHT THERE, and I had no idea how long we would want to stay in the park because thunderstorm o'clock and omigod it's hot-thirty are at different times every day through the Florida summers.

Thursday was a little tricker: we had all of Epcot from which to choose. In the end, I opted for the Rose and Crown. Lionel and I had already been to Teppanyaki (Japan) and Alfredo di Roma and we really wanted to try something new. Canada was out, because.....well, she can have that anytime. America was out because......burgers and fries? Please. I did consider Coral Reef, but I wanted to make sure that we would be in a good fireworks viewing area post dinner. So, Great Britain won.

I spent hours researching, and when they got home? And I told them? They said "ok, sure." I forget that not everyone is a freak like me, who would be all like "ROSE AND CROWN? NO WAY! SERIOUSLY? WOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!"

I know. I'm a nerd. But you know what? You're reading my nerdiness. And you like it.

Next up? We finally find Nemo, and slosh our way around the world.

 

[silversae]

When I got home, Sarah called to inform me that she was at Wonderworks. I've never been there, but from what I could gather it was like a big playground full of giant bubble makers and flight simulators and the like. Said Sarah in her report:

"I spent way too much time upside down today."

We decided we weren't going to touch that one.

For those of you have yet to meet me (oh wait, that's all of you less our fearless trip writer erica)....i don't drive. That's a story for another time, but although i'm a gamer geek, i abhor flight simulators, which happen to be my father's favorite. We used to do this whole bonding thing in which he'd show me his "leet flying skills" and i'm show him how i could crash into the ground 20times in a row.

Needless to say, when they strapped us into the flight simulator and informed me i'd be driving, i warned my gunner cameron that he might want to switch with me He declined, advising me that i couldn't possibly be that bad and that he'd be fine. 2 mins into it, after spending probably close to 1.58 seconds of that upside down, he was <THIS> close to pushing the giant red emergency stop button!

Our friend who was watching the whole thing on the screen outside the simulator, later commented that he couldn't figure out what the hell we were trying to do.

Beyond that, wonder works is kinda fun. Where else can you lie on a bed of needles, experience what it's like to be in a hurricane (hey we don't have those in Canada really!), blow giant bubbles, sit in a simulation earthquake AND have a techno dance off, ALL in one go!

I'm guessing it MIGHT also have been made a bit fun by the fact that we had a few drinks before going...but, well in my defense i was merely practicing for October!

 

[zweihund]

I'm guessing it MIGHT also have been made a bit fun by the fact that we had a few drinks before going...but, well in my defense i was merely practicing for October!

And this was even BEFORE we alcoholic-slushied our way around the world!

 

[zweihund]

I just want to make an announcement:

LIONEL IS READING THE PASSPORTER.

 

[zweihund]

Tuesday: Animal Kingdom. Or, as we mortals like to call it, the day it got hotter than the sun.

The only thing better than waking up on a Tuesday and knowing that you have the day off from work is waking up on a Tuesday knowing that you are going to Animal Kingdom. Wheeee!

We got moving early, by some miracle. Sarah is the queen of fast showers. We’re not sure if it’s a Canadian thing or just a Sarah thing. We know with certainty that it is not a geek thing, because we like to linger.
Anyhow.

We headed to the park with one mission: to find Nemo. Sarah had been to Animal Kingdom before, but she had not yet seen this attraction and neither had we. So, apart from a ride on Everest, this was the main priority. That, and trying not to melt. Did we mention that it is hot in Florida in July? And that Sarah is from Canada?

We arrived around 10 am, and discovered that for the second of three Disney days, we had left the little squirt bottle fans at home. Great. We did the next best thing, which was covering ourselves in SPF 30 sunblock. Good timing too, because we JUST missed the tram. I think I’ve been on the Animal Kingdom tram all of once in my life, because we always end up walking. The rest of the guests looked at us like we were nuts, but at least we were catching some breeze in the brutal heat as we glided across the grass toward the front gates. Plus, we arrived seconds before they all did on the next tram.
In your FACE, naysayers!

We’re here!

Once inside, Lionel ran to get us lunch reservations at Rainforest Café while the rest of us checked out the wait times. 60 minutes for Everest. Seriously, people. Why waste a Disney hour in a line? Sarah was no noob, she headed straight for the fastpass machine like a pro. The Gods were smiling upon us, as the passes fell right before lunchtime. Perfect! Off to wait in the Nemo line!

Lionel and I had wanted to see this show since it opened, but somehow we never managed to get in the crazy line in time. Remember how I made fun of those Everest losers? Well, we waited for 40 minutes in the blazing sun to find Nemo. At least he got lost in a theatre that was air-conditioned.

To make the wait less miserable, Sarah and I headed off to Dino-land in search of ice cream, which only melted halfway by the time we got back to the boys. The children in front of us were drooling as we slurped down our treats, and one tugged on his Dad’s sleeve: “Daddy, can I have ice cream?”
“Not now.”
I felt guilty. But only a little bit. One of the best things about being an adult at Disney? You can eat ice cream ANY TIME YOU WANT.

After about 20 minutes the guards took down the rope and we were heading to salvation in the form of a cool, indoor theatre. No, wait, let me rephrase that. We THOUGHT that was what was happening. The sweat running down our faces was almost mixed with tears as we discovered the sad truth: we were merely being corralled to another waiting area which had one single oscillating fan. And it was JUST out of reach.

“Dear God,” I thought, “we’re going to kill Sarah before her vacation is halfway over.” In truth, the Canadian was taking the sauna-like temperature better than the three Floridians, who stood there panting like tired dogs. My hair was completely soaked, and I wasn’t having fun at all. The water was almost gone. I was starting to feel like we were stranded on a desert island and all of the coconuts were gone, when they finally opened the theatre doors. A wave of air conditioning hit me, and it was bliss. If only Disney could find a way to harness this beautiful climate control and cover the entire park with it. If ONLY!

Inside, we discovered that the hordes of Brazilian tourists had decided to join us for the first show. They cheered and sang football songs, and started the first of many “waves.”

You know the wave: you see it at football and baseball games. It always seems to die out before it gets to the end because of all the party poopers. Well, let me tell you this: there were A LOT of party poopers in this theatre. HOT party poopers, who wanted no more to do with this teenage Brazilian wave than they would with a steaming cup of coffee. The Brazilian teens stood and sat, and the wave stopped. They tried again, and a few people joined in. Again, and again, and again until finally about half of the upper tier was participating. The teens cheered, and many grumpy faces in the front row crossed their arms and shook their heads. There would be no fun here, not right now. Not like this!

We giggled at the angries, imagining the rest of their day filled with suppressed smiles and holding purses while everyone else went on Everest. This is Disney, folks. Serious business.

Quick, take the picture before the fun police come!

I have to interject here that this was the FOURTH attempt at this photo. Sarah's eyes would not stay open! I chose this one because I look the least drunk, and even though I know no one who has read my other trip reports will believe this, I had not had a drop yet! Pinky swear. Still, this pic came out better than our first attempt, which made Sarah and I convulse uncontrollably with laughter every single time we looked at it:

The show was great! I liken it to the Lion King on Broadway: the actors were there, but they blended with their “fish” – Sarah, master of the covert non-flash photo, took these:

If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do! The actors are all great. Though I think the woman who plays Dory has straight espresso running through her veins. They did a great job of making it feel like you are under water, and they cover almost every single part of the original film in 30 minutes! My one disappointment? My favorite character, our namesake, was not in the production! Maybe the true title should have been “Finding Jacques”?

Next: Dinosaurs, Yetis, and mean tourists. Oh my!

 

[Tink rules]

I just want to make an announcement:

LIONEL IS READING THE PASSPORTER.

Oh man!!! I hope you guys are using different colored highlighters!!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Loved the new installment of the trippie within the pre-trippie. I agree with you about the Nemo show....it is wonderful!!!!! Why is it always so D@#$ hot at Animal Kingdom---like at least 10 degrees hotter than any other park.

On a personal happy note....I got to make my 90 day on-line cruise ressies last night. We went out to dinner & to a club to listen to some music.....we didn't get home until 12:40am & the window opens up at midnight now....thank goodness I was mellow from a few cosmos or I would have been like this . I got everything I wanted so the cosmo gods must have been helping me out .

 

[zweihund]

Oh man!!! I hope you guys are using different colored highlighters!!!

Loved the new installment of the trippie within the pre-trippie. I agree with you about the Nemo show....it is wonderful!!!!! Why is it always so D@#$ hot at Animal Kingdom---like at least 10 degrees hotter than any other park.

On a personal happy note....I got to make my 90 day on-line cruise ressies last night. We went out to dinner & to a club to listen to some music.....we didn't get home until 12:40am & the window opens up at midnight now....thank goodness I was mellow from a few cosmos or I would have been like this . I got everything I wanted so the cosmo gods must have been helping me out .

Congrats on all your ressies!