Things were going very nice by the pool, it wasn't crowded at all, only a couple clouds with temps about 90.
We kept switching from the loungers to the table with the umbrella when we couldn't stand the heat anymore.
Of course, if I say things are going just peachy, well, you know we just can't have that, now, can we?
That was when the yellow shirt arrived.
These originally were called by us, Yellow shirts, that soon morphed into Yellow Jackets cuz it seemed more fitting.
The Yellow Shirt resembles a human being, in this case a female unit, but it is not of this earth!
It not only has vocal chords 5 times the size of a normal person, it then speaks into a nuclear powered microphone that makes the one that Lou Gehrig used in his famous speech at Yankee Stadium seem like a Mr. Microphone toy.
Apparently, Disney has decided that we at the pool don't know how to entertain ourselves on our own, so they hired someone to do it for us.
She started out just blasting a few songs, but then she had ot get
a bunch of kids together and start playing games.
It was just that she was so loud!
We first encountered a Yellow Shirt last year at Nero's Beach Resort, then again later in the same trip over at ASMU, remember the water balloon toss?
But this one was more geared to little kids it seemed.
Luckily, we were going to leave in a half hour anyway and at about 2 o'clock we were back in the room, changing.
We each had a couple of the pre-made Margaritas in a bottle, then we went down to the car.
The first thing we do is both of us walk over to the front tire and stare at it again. Brad Pitt never got stared at as much as this tire has!
It still seems ok so we get in, Diane driving.
And we both jump when she starts it up, I knew it was going to be loud, I just forgot HOW loud.
Our first stop is right down Buena Vista Drive, the Goodings supermarket to replace the forgotten sausage that's still in the freezer back home.
I do most of the grocery shopping now, and I knew it was going to be more than I paid at home. Diane said, "Ok, so we spend two bucks more to replace them."
HA!
I almost fell over!
A one pound package of the one long rope type sausage tht costs me 2.79 at home is 5.99 here, and a package of hot dogs is almost 5 bucks! I just spent a 1.49 for Oscar Mayer.
We bought the sausage, then I found some chicken hot dogs for 1.99, I looked at them, then put them back, then I picked them up again and looked at them, and put them back again.
Then I picked them up once again and we headed to the checkout.
One last time I gave Diane the "evil glare" for forgetting the good stuff, no, Goodings didn't carry the Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar that I love.
On teh way back she pulls into Downtown Disney as the skies start turning black, we are going to use our Planet Hollywood voucher today.
We got to look around for a bit, I checked the big balloon, and sure enough, the thing is grounded again.
Since they put the thing in DD we have never, not once, seen the thing in the air. I don't think it's reeally supposed to go up, like they say it does,
I think they're full of hot air.
We went into the Magic Shop, we were the only ones in there and looked around a bit but there really isn't much to look at.
I mentioned to the guy behind the counter, "So, you're closing at
the end of the month, huh?"
His jaw dropped. "How did you know that?"
I thought about it and I really couldn't come up with where I heard it, maybe here on the Dis.
My favorite place is the Magnet Store, I have no idea why, it just seems fun in there.
Then the rains came, and boy did they.
Problem was, there wasn't any overhangs on any of the store fronts near us, but we were able to run and get a table with an umbrella over it, you just had to stay away from where the couple little holes in it were.
As it started to let up, I shot her in the head.
As quickly as it came, it left the same we and we did too.
ONe stop we made yet was to gather information on the movie theaters there: just in case it's supposed to rain one of the days as a back up.
Forget that.
It's really confusing how much it is, and when the show times are. It was 11 bucks to get in for the few movies that didn't have "Meal and a Movie" deal, those were then 15 bucks but after trying to figure out what's what I lost interest, all I knew was that an hour and a half movie was going to cost me over 40 bucks after popcorn and a drink.
When we go to the show at home here it's 4.50 for the matinee untill 6:00.
Planet Hollywood was next and we were both hungry.
Got seated upstairs where I prefer to be, it's a little bit lighter up there, downstairs is like eating in a cave.
Now, remember in my pre trip report how I looked forward to getting the cheeseburger here? It's big and greasy and once you pick it up it's hard to put down and pick up again?
I didn't get it.
It just killed me not to, but I just couldn't, I think spending the money at Goodings might have had something to do with it too.
The cheeseburger and fries now cost 15.95!
I could swear it was just 11.95 two years ago. That was a fair price, but 16 bucks for a burger and fries?
I ended up ordering a fancy chicken sandwich that Smidgy has gotten before and liked so much, she got it again. It sounded like it will be really good too, bbq, bacon, fresh cooked chicken, not pressed meat patties, cheese, all good things.
I'm sorry, you add cheese and bacon to ANYTHING and it improves it 100 percent, I'd buy cheese and bacon ice cream if they came out with it. Hear that Ben and Jerry's?
It was ok, but I missed the juices running down my wrist when I took a bite out of the burger.
The most annoying part of our meal, though, was our waiter who tried to upsell us for everything.
We did for a change order a beer, we often just get water
so he was ahead right there, but no, he tried, and tried to
get us to order an appetizer, then he tried to get us to order steaks. It was like he was trying to make us/me, look cheap.
When we were just about finished, he came by and kind of snottilly said, "Well, I can assume you're not going to order any dessert, right?"
Now THIS, ticked me off, so I said, "Gee, I don't know, what have you got?"
And I made him go through the list, reciting from memory all that they have, often interrupting him with a question or two, sometimes saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, would you mind repeating that last thing you said?"
Smidgy knew what I was doing, we both just admitted we were stuffed before he came over and how much he irritated us.
When he was finally all done, I looked over at Smidgy and raised my eyebrows in question:
"Na, I think I'll pass," she said, "Yeah, I guess me too."
And I smiled back up at the waiter.
For once we didn't have to wait long for the check, he couldn't get rid of us fast enough!
Back in the room, that was pretty much it for the day, stuffed and tired, the sun takes a lot out of you, I read for a while in bed, she watched tv for a bit and we went to sleep.
_____________________________________________
Thursday, Sept. 8
This morning was similar to yesterday's, only a bit more difficult.
Smidgy set the coffee maker up last night so all I have to do is press the button and, "Voila!, It's a miracle, there's coffee in the pot".
This way I won't have to sell any pencils in the food court.
But I made it out without bodily harm, making the extra noise that could wake her: (water dripping through a filter filled with coffee grounds and landing in the bottom of a glass receptacle).
This time I was able to get the paper on my own, when I brought it to the counter I once again handed my favorite clerk the dollar bill and a dime and told her once again, "Keep the change."
Once again, she started to argue with me, then looked up and recognized me from yesterday and quit talking, I
smiled and walked away with her still holding the 3 pennies.
Believe it or not, once in the past I asked a clerk, "don't ykou have a penny tray on the counter?", many places by us have that so if a person is only a few cents short, or if your bill comes to like, 3 dollars and 2 cents you can just hand the clerk 3 bucks and they'll take the two cents from the tray.
But when I asked about this, the guy told me that they weren't allowed to do that.
So, with paper in hand, mug filled with coffee from the room and all my belongings in a genuine blue Disney bag with handles, my destination this morning is a little bit further.
Ok, a lottle bit further.
We had originally requested the Jamaica section, we have never stayd there, so let's not worry about the pool being open or not, or have a Yellow Shirt come and ruin the tranquility and just go to the Jamaic quiet pool like we were staying there.
If you ever stay at CBR, make sure to check out the bridge that leads from Old Port Royale across the lake.
It is the coolest thing!
It transforms itself from a bridge into an island, with little nooks and crannies leading off into hidden grottos.
(gee, that sounded almost poetic, I should write brochures)
I've got both cameras with me, and I'm not sure which one I used just then for a couple of pictures on the way across.
But pics I did take:
Tell me, isn't that the most inviting thing a kid could possibly see? A bending wooden walkway through a tended wooded scene.
(crap, I'm doing it again)
Soon you come across a strange chair that just begs you to go and sit in it, even if for just a few seconds;
But look at all the foliage in the photo, doesn't it look like it belongs in the Triassic Period?
Again, I have both cameras with me, these last couple I'm pretty sure I got with the old Canon Sure Shot. The idea was to use that one mostly around the resorts only cuz I have gotten spoiled with putting the little digital in my pocket at the parks.
Plus, when we get home, it's always fun to drop off the film at Walgreen's and have Diane ask me every day if I picked up the film yet.
And,,,,, I love to hear her mumble to herself while she's waiting.... "Someday my prints will come!"
Then, you are back on mostly a bridge again, with Jamaica to the left up ahead and Aruba to the right.
There was a great shot of Jamaica from here, but service vehicles were in the way, I tried to cut most of them out of it but the pic was getting too high.
Before I headed to the Jamaica pool, I walked over a bit to Aruba, even though we have stayed here twice now.
Then I go to Jamaica.
I have the entire pool to myself! It was wonderful.
It's about ten after nine now, I used the towel I brought with to dry off a chair, then I flipped over two nearbye loungers to let the dew run off.
It was so quiet, I could hear birds, crickets, and not a cloud in the sky.
It's nice how they color coded the pools so I can figure out where I'm at when I'm posting the pictures.
Darn, it was just so beautiful just then to me, all I could think about was, "Man I wish a had some smokes right now."
But I did do what I could, I walked over to the drinking fountain.
Sitting back in my chair at the table I just loved the peace and quiet that
has been eluding me lately in the morning when it comes to pooltime.
Then the Panzer Division pulled up from the rear, Two guys on separate riding mowers splitting up now and working each side of the pool area.
Then the infantry moved in armed with gas powered gigantic leaf blowers that they used around the pool deck instead of power washing it, this was two more guys.
This all just paved the way for the worst offender of them all, a guy then arrived with a gas powered chain saw or hedge trimmer that put the others to shame.
I had never, ever, seen any employee anywhere working at a CBR quiet pool in the past, now they can't get close enough to me.
The leafblower guys didn't take too long and they were gone, and the mowers would come near and then fade away.
But that darn bushtrimmer couldn't get close enough to me. I just wanted about 1 good hout of pain free relaxation nand 15 minutes before they even kicked in, I got up to go take some more pictures to get away from him.
So, let's really meet Jamaica, CBR style.
Even the beach looks inviting, doesn't it?
And of course, right behind my around the corner I find this, a year ago this would have been probably one of the coolest DSA's in all of Disney to me, it's in an almost entirely enclosed courtyard, now it's just mocking me.
We are going to end this now with one final picture.
You know how I always talk about the dreaded "parking lot view?"
Well, I thought it was time to give the parking lot a fair shake and let it publish it's own view,
so here we have, A Parking Lot's View!
Steve. after all that.. i'd say you have every reason in the world to WHINE!! Hate that you're having to go through all that. hopefully all the pain and discomfort will pay off and your eyes will at least stabilize!! 20/20 vision would be way too much to ask.. i mean.. what would you have to write about in your TR's if you were able to see perfectly therefore no Nebo falls in the world..
Hey at least they were just journalistic liberties and not any other types.. or this TR could have been taking an ugly turn.. The beast would strike again!!! Have a Manhattan on me (yes i still remember i owe you one if we ever run into each other in the world)..
Yes, I'm only up to 6 centimeters now and if it doesn't open up more this is really gonna hurt!
I have such irritation for servers like that, trying to make you feel bad for not spending more of YOUR money.
I love your torture of the witless numbskull waiter. Gah, those types really kill me! Your description of the panzer and infantry troops swooping in makes me think you have Starship Troopers on the brain. Pre-Disney trip, you mentioned that movie as a good one to watch and I have watched it, but it has been awhile so I need to rewatch it.
Got to love those October babies, I'm one too. 
