Nothing to See Here...

[tksbaskets]

(Ugh...am I the only one who is bothered to no end by Jacob in "American Idol"? Eeesh. He is so over the top with dramatic facial expressions. I hope he does not win.)

No, he drives me bazerk and I can't believe Casey went home before he did. Who is voting for Jacob?

Hoping your visit is a go for next week!

 

[deejdigsdis]

Who is voting for Jacob?

NOT ME! He kind of reminds me of Sanjaya a while back. (sp?) Just the obvious choice (to me) of who should be going home next...but continues to stay and wears out their welcome.

Looks like I have a lot to catch up on. I just got back from my trip in the wee hours yesterday morning. I was happy when my husband told me he is in the works of backing everything up on the computer. (The pictures are my biggest concern.) I need to read back and see what you were able to rescue. Is your tooth pain a thing of the past? Like I said, I need to go read back.

By the way, I'm kicking myself. One of my main priorities this trip was to take a picture of the sewing machine window display. I didn't think about it until our final afternoon. I went over there and the glare was horrible. Not only for picture-taking, but just for looking in the window with my bare eyes as well! I took a few photos but they aren't great. Grrrrrrr!

I'm hoping everything falls into place for a visit in a week!

 

[azdisneylover]

Trying to think happy thoughts......Disneyland trips...happy Hidden Mickeys...happy gingerbread cookies with mouse ears...."True Blood" back on the air in 2 months...Bradley Cooper...cupcakes and ice cream.....dolphins, sunsets and seals in Catalina...fluffy white kittens (like in the new Fancy Feast commercial - that is the cutest kitten I have ever seen in my life)....Toy Story Midway Mania.... the new Little Mermaid ride...happy happy happy happy thoughts!![/QUOTE]

Great way to think! I like to give everything a good coating of chocolate, followed by a few handfuls of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans! , and wash it all down with a tall glass of ice water with a slice of lemon!

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, this will all soon be behind you.

 

[kaoden39]

Mmm Jelly Belly!! I think its time for another trip to the plant store.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Believe it or not up here we can't get a McDonald's hamburger but our local pharmacy has a whole wall of Jelly Bellys and boy do I love those things!

 

[kaoden39]

Believe it or not up here we can't get a McDonald's hamburger but our local pharmacy has a whole wall of Jelly Bellys and boy do I love those things!

So does my husband and he works a couple of blocks from the plant. The only saving grace for him is the shop is open on the hours he works. They have excellent deals in there on some things and other things are outrageous.

 

[Sherry E]

Well, I am up way past my bedtime due to being engrossed in the breaking Bin Laden news tonight, but I just wanted to pop in for a quick moment to tell you all that - and where is Sherri, because she called it exactly a few weeks ago - it appears as though I am being stood up or flaked out on by my friend for Goofy's/DTD next weekend. No big shocker, because, as Sherri pointed out before...this friend has been kind of flaky in the past.

Actually, supposedly my friend got sick (a cold) a few days ago. I didn't think she should travel out here because she was in the hospital for a couple of weeks just a month ago and her immune system seems to be weak if she is sick again already. But I never heard anything else from her beyond her having a cold.

And then I popped in on Facebook for a minute tonight and saw a comment my friend made to someone else, saying that her husband and dad are currently out here in L.A.! So, even though she didn't bother to update me about the plans, I am putting two and two together and assuming that because she has a cold, her husband and dad decided to fly out here without her, and she stayed behind with her son. I doubt that my friend would fly out here to meet them with her son in a few days. They would have all gone together.

So I sent her a message on FB, saying "Uh...is someone going to let me know what's happening?"

I mean, that's the thing that bugs me. Was anyone going to fill me in on the scoop? Last I heard, my friend was rearranging her plans just for me. And now I don't even get a courtesy e-mail to tell me she isn't coming?


Sigh. Well, I'm not that bummed....or shocked. I have my mind too preoccupied with my PC woes to be too upset about this. By the way, my computer is now making ominous groaning noises out of nowhere too - it's all part of the system failing. I spent the better part of today saving documents to another flash drive, and that is going to be my fun for tomorrow too. I don't think we are going to be able to salvage anymore lost documents so I just have to get what WAS saved off of this beastly machine before it dies again, and then work on trying to get a new PC.

I will return tomorrow and reply to deej and the others who commented!

Oh, and P.S. - something tells me that I should just go ahead and book my PPH room for the holiday season before those discounted rooms fill up...and not worry about when my friends are supposedly coming out here to join me in the PPH. I would probably only get stood up again.

 

[tksbaskets]

Yes, book that room at PPH!!!!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Well, I am up way past my bedtime due to being engrossed in the breaking Bin Laden news tonight, but I just wanted to pop in for a quick moment to tell you all that - and where is Sherri, because she called it exactly a few weeks ago - it appears as though I am being stood up or flaked out on by my friend for Goofy's/DTD next weekend. No big shocker, because, as Sherri pointed out before...this friend has been kind of flaky in the past.

Actually, supposedly my friend got sick (a cold) a few days ago. I didn't think she should travel out here because she was in the hospital for a couple of weeks just a month ago and her immune system seems to be weak if she is sick again already. But I never heard anything else from her beyond her having a cold.

And then I popped in on Facebook for a minute tonight and saw a comment my friend made to someone else, saying that her husband and dad are currently out here in L.A.! So, even though she didn't bother to update me about the plans, I am putting two and two together and assuming that because she has a cold, her husband and dad decided to fly out here without her, and she stayed behind with her son. I doubt that my friend would fly out here to meet them with her son in a few days. They would have all gone together.

So I sent her a message on FB, saying "Uh...is someone going to let me know what's happening?"

I mean, that's the thing that bugs me. Was anyone going to fill me in on the scoop? Last I heard, my friend was rearranging her plans just for me. And now I don't even get a courtesy e-mail to tell me she isn't coming?


Sigh. Well, I'm not that bummed....or shocked. I have my mind too preoccupied with my PC woes to be too upset about this. By the way, my computer is now making ominous groaning noises out of nowhere too - it's all part of the system failing. I spent the better part of today saving documents to another flash drive, and that is going to be my fun for tomorrow too. I don't think we are going to be able to salvage anymore lost documents so I just have to get what WAS saved off of this beastly machine before it dies again, and then work on trying to get a new PC.

I will return tomorrow and reply to deej and the others who commented!

Oh, and P.S. - something tells me that I should just go ahead and book my PPH room for the holiday season before those discounted rooms fill up...and not worry about when my friends are supposedly coming out here to join me in the PPH. I would probably only get stood up again.

Book your room. I don't know how she was when you were all younger but she is an enourmous flake as an adult. she has proven this over & over. Health problems aside (things like that happen) but an email or call would just be common courtesy I think. I am a little sad she flaked on you as I for one was looking forward to a trip report on how you deviously had managed to at least dip your toes into one park or the other without being rude.

 

[kaoden39]

Do it! Do it! Do it! Book that room woman and don't look back.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Wow Sherry. So sorry to hear about that. I wonder what would have happened if you hadn't noticed that small mentioning on FB. So rude. I agree with the others. Book that room for when it is best for YOU.

By the way, have you been able to work at all during this computer fiasco?

 

[mvf-m11c]

I would just book the room immediately since the rooms can fill up quickly when we get close to the dates.

 

[amamax2]

Wow, Sherry, that is just plain rude! I'm so sorry as I know how much you wanted to see her (even though you had a feeling this might happen) and how much your friends mean to you. Did she ever respond back?

Yes, book your room!!!

 

[azdisneylover]

Sherry,
Popping in to see if you have had any good luck with your computer.

On a sad note, my kids caught me with my hidden jar of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans! So, now, I must share I need to get another jar and a new hiding place!

I love those Jelly Belly Jelly Beans because I eat one bean at a time to savor the flavor! So yummy! My kids, on the other hand, I think swallow them whole! Either way, they are disappearing faster than my gray hairs are coming in!

Sorry about that, Sherry. I hope you are working on a new computer as I type, and are able to focus on your work and planning trips to Catalina and Disneyland!

 

[kaoden39]

Sherry,
Popping in to see if you have had any good luck with your computer.

On a sad note, my kids caught me with my hidden jar of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans! So, now, I must share I need to get another jar and a new hiding place!

I love those Jelly Belly Jelly Beans because I eat one bean at a time to savor the flavor! So yummy! My kids, on the other hand, I think swallow them whole! Either way, they are disappearing faster than my gray hairs are coming in!

Sorry about that, Sherry. I hope you are working on a new computer as I type, and are able to focus on your work and planning trips to Catalina and Disneyland!

Have I ever mentioned that I live less than 10 miles from the Jelly Belly plant?

 

[Sherry E]

Hi, Linda!

Yep - keep the Jelly Belly stash hidden! Sometimes it's okay not to share!

Thank you for thinking of me - I hadn't forgotten everyone in this TR who posted last...I've been kind of mopey and I was thinking I would wait to post again until I had something concrete to report, like some actual dates or something.

I was going to book my Catalina birthday boat thing online, but for some reason the Catalina Express website would not process my reservation, so I will have to call them and do it.

I have recently been reading up on some changes that have taken place on the Island since I was last there - both good and bad stuff - and I must admit that I'm not happy with some of the things I've read. Being on the DIS helps me to see that many people have different opinions, and they will express them diferently, and that not everyone will agree, so I won't let what I have read turn me off from going back to Catalina.

But still...I don't like some of the changes. There is one particular road in Avalon that has been closed due to falling rocks. It does not sound like a big deal to the average person who has not been to Avalon, but this closed road was a big highlight of visiting there. I have taken many a walk and many a golf cart ride along this particular path - it's called Pebbly Beach Road. It parallels the shoreline and sometimes seals climb up on the rocks, very close to the road. If you walk out far enough, past where the divers are, you can find a nice bench and sit down, overlooking the water. All of a sudden, apparently the powers that be in Avalon decided that falling rocks were a great hazard on this road and closed it down 4 years ago. There has been some talk about reopening it, but it has not happened yet.

But that won't stop me. I will still use my free birthday boat thingy for July and go anyway - I need to see the changes for myself!

​

As for DLR plans - I was going to go ahead and hastily book some dates for the PPH during the holidays just to get something reserved before all the rooms under my specific discount get snapped up, but then I realized that I had to actually LOOK at a calendar and see what the dates are. I felt like I was just going to haphazardly book something (under the assumption that they are not going to require me to put any $$$ down up front, which is what I was told when I called a while back), and worry later about cutting off days or adding in days.

So, initially I was thinking that I would book in that week that spans the last few days of November and the first few days of December...but I hadn't yet decided if I was going to try to catch one of the Candlelight Processionals or not. In a way, I kind of feel like I want to see it in its Disneyland locaton one time before it possibly moves into DCA. Also, if you've visited the Disneyland at Christmas Superthread lately, you will notice that we have NO Candlelight Processional photos.

At the same time, I wouldn't be thrilled with the CP crowds. But if I had plenty of days at DLR leading up to the CP to do other stuff, maybe I could deal with it okay.

​

Well, let me backtrack - ideally, I would prefer to make a full December trip. To me, it feels much more Christmasy actually IN December (even if it's a 90-degree day in December like last year!). When it's November, while 80% of the decorations are up, it still seems very Thanksgiving-esque to me. I want a Christmas time trip.

But, because my friends from Idaho did not make it out here (they would have been out here now if their trip had not fallen through), I thought, "Well, heck...it won't be a big deal to me to just book that week at the end of November/early December and let them join me IF they are in town. If they don't come to town, no big deal - I'll still go." They could not go in December - they have to go in November. So in other words, I would not be totally, 100% arranging my plans to accommodate my friends, who may or may not show up. I would still be going to DLR for the holidays anyway - but it would just be one week earlier than I would ideally prefer.

Still, no big deal.

When I asked my friend if anyone was going to let me know anything about her trip that was supposed to take place NOW, she said, "There's nothing to know right now." Apparently, they had decided against coming out now and just didn't think to tell me (even though we were making plans to go to Goofy's and DTD), and I only became clued in when I saw her comment on Facebook, which I told all of you before.

So, yes, I realize that my Idaho friends could easily either flake out on me again OR bring other people into the plan and cause me extreme stress and chaos!

Honestly, I am not worrying about it now. I told my friend that I was a bit hurt that she didn't think to let me know what was going on.

Then I said, "Look, I am going to book the hotel room for late November/early December. I am choosing the dates. I will be staying longer than you would be staying because I will want time alone, to myself. I am not fond of the idea of having 3 other people in my room, but if you want to join me for a couple of those nights that I am there and go to Disneyland, you're more than welcome to. You can let me know later in the year."

So that's that - I am picking the dates. I am already accommodating my friends by picking dates a week earlier than I would want to go, so that's about as much as I will do. I am going to carry on with my plan and if they want to come, they can get thier butts out here. They would be foolish to not take advantage of the hotel offer, but that's their problem, not mine.


Meanwhile, I know that IF my friend decides to come out in late November/early December, she will probably end up causing me stress. I can totally envision that she will bring all kinds of other people into the plan again (like she was doing with the Goofy's Kitchen plan) because they will all want to see her and she won't be able to say NO.

This is MY DLR holiday trip...which I am including my Idaho friends in on if they would like to come. This would also include Shawn and Jackie and Bob (the usual suspects) meeting up with us - because they know my Idaho friends. If my Idaho friends want to make their OWN DLR plan and invite people, that's fine on their own time. But this is my trip and I won't want a dozen other people along on MY trip!

So I can foresee that what will likely happen if they make it out here is that I will have to tell them, "You can stay these 2 nights only, and if you want to hang out with anyone else at DLR, it will have to be on another day." Or I will have to specifically say, "WE are hanging out on this day, and if you want to hang out with other people too, do it on that day." I don't want a bunch of madness happening in the middle of my trip, with people I don't know. I want a nice, calm, quiet kind of fun trip...not chaos and madness.

​

Meanwhile, another friend of mine texted me the other day and said that he was going to take the kids to DLR in June - like in a few weeks. I said, "June is going to be MEGA crowded because of 2 new ride openings, and because it's the summer season. You'll need a plan."

Then I texted again and said, "Too bad you decided to take the kids to Disneyland in June. I'm staying at a Disney hotel and having a nice holiday trip later this year, in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when crowds are lower. Oh well! Too bad! Rats!" (Mainly, I was rubbing it in his face!)

My friend texted back and said, "Maybe I should wait." Meaning, wait until when I go to DLR.

And then my friend Bridgette (Shawn's sister), who is apparently moving back to SoCal this year, said she is in for any Halloween or Christmas DLR trips this year (but NOT Catalina). She hadn't replied to the last several messages I sent her, but finally she did.


I know it won't happen, so I am not even worried about it - let's face it, everyone backs out on me, as we know from my previous almost-trips - but it would be hilarious if ALLLLLL of these friends who claim to be up for going to DLR when I go actually decided to show up. If that ever happened, THEN I would be in real trouble because I would have TOO many friends to handle and I would literally have to STACK my guests at the hotel, having some people stay on one night and other people stay on other nights. I would not have a moment's peace. I would have no time to take lots of photos.

My head would be spinning, basically. But I am not stressing because I know that most likely NONE of these people will go with me when it gets to be November. And I will be A-OK with that. I am fine with being solo or having just one or two friends with me, and not big groups of chaotic people with kids!

​

As for my computer issues - nothing has changed. It's still acting crazy. My client is still pressuring me, even though he has someone else to do his work. I realize it is because the person doing his work is charging him MORE money than I charged. I should have been charging him more, with as pushy as he is and considering how much of a mess his work is, as well as the fact that I was storing all of his work. Rest assured that when I start doing his work again (on a new PC), I will be raising his rates!

My PC is making ominous groaning noises. Half the time I can't get online because the operating system is messing the browsers up. I think my PC expert friend helped me to salvage all that was going to be salvaged - and the rest of the stuff was lost. I lost a LOT of documents and photos. But this PC has a bad hard drive and that's that. I can't work on it. I just have to try to get a new one.

And I know deejdigsdis asked about the dental issues a while back - yep, that is stll bugging me too. Major pain when I drink, eat, run my finger along the tooth/teeth in question, etc. I feel like it is much more than 'sensitive teeth.' But I can't do anything else about it at the moment.





Funny thing is - it was this time last year (May of 2010) when I started stashing/hoarding Disney gift cards, largely through survey earnings. Right now, it's not looking too hopeful that I can begin stashing/hoarding again, in light of this PC crisis and the dental problems, so I don't know how the next 6 months will unfold as far as DLR trips go, but I will forge ahead as though everything IS happening and deal with any cancellations later, if need be.

 

[kaoden39]

Hi Sherry!!

 

[Sherry E]

Hi, Michele!




I meant to say in my earlier installment that, in many ways, I almost sort of hope for another solo Disneyland holiday trip. Yes, yes, last year I did have Shawn with me on the first day and I met up with Liza/funatdisney on the last day, but for those two days in between I was totally solo. I prefer rides and meals with people, but everything else...all of the in-between time when I am not riding or eating...I am fine by myself!

There is something that appeals to me about doing another nice, quiet solo trip (or having more solo time) on my own terms instead of having a whole whirlwind of madness to deal with in involving other people.

I don't mind including other people if they communicate with me on plans and reply to me when I ask them questions about dates and things - which MOST of my friends seem to have trouble doing - and if it's a friend I have not seen in years and may not see again for years.

But as I mentioned above, this is going to be MY holiday DLR plan, and if any of my out-of-state friends who said they are going to go when I go want to join me and stay at the PPH with me, then they have to join in the plan on MY terms. I am tired of nonsense and waiting around for people to decide to get back to me on whether or not they can go somewhere. For some reason, people I know have a hard time replying to things, like simple questions such as, "Can you go to Disneyland on X date?" or "Do you want to come to Catalina with me?" It's common courtesy - just send a quick response and answer the darn question! It doesn't have to be the same day or even the next day - but don't wait months to answer a question!

So I will just plan to go solo to DLR again (hopefully without the Evil Chair or the Peppermint Cone of Death/trash can/camera episode this time) and wait to see if any of these friends contact me - since they know when I plan to go - rather than my contacting them to find out if they are going or not.

 

[kaoden39]

You know what I think? I think you are going to have a wonderful trip no matter what!! That is what I think!!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Like I said before I kind of foresaw this whole thing after Idaho had flaked so many times before. Wow I have been in the position to have to cancel things but the whole lack of courtesy in at least a text message or email or call to people I have made even tentative plans with floors me. If she had not posted the general message on FB you could have ended up not knowing until the last minute and what disappointment when you are planning on a trip to the land only to have it yanked out from under you without any notice just straight blows!

I worry about how you are going to get out of this whole computer mess. I know your client causes you stress but not working/ bringing in money has got to be even more stressful. I truly hope something comes up to bail you out of this mess soon.

If all those friends actually did show up even for one day each that would be a truly crazy TR i am sure...not sure if all that people juggling would make for a very relaxing getaway but I am sure it would make entertaining reading!