Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 8
Today's our last day - our flight leaves at 7:25pm tonight. Woke up exhausted - lack of sleep the night before last and our very late night combined with the long day yesterday has taken it's toll. I'm pretty zombie-ish and focus on getting packed and ready to go. I'm accused of ruining our last vacation morning. Words are exchanged. It takes us a few minutes to work through it, then we're good again.
We head downstairs to the airline check-in stand beside the hotel entrance. We check our luggage and wait for the bus to Animal Kingdom. One of Todd's favorite rides, Kali River Rapids, was closed for refurbishment this week. A plus of having to shift the trip by two days is that now it's open and we can ride it before we leave - I got us fast passes a couple of days before using the My Disney Experience app (still more on that later). As an added bonus, Jackie is going to meet us again today to spend a little time before we have to leave.
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 7
Saturday, December 14th. Today is our only full day at Disney's Hollywood Studios, so let's get going!
The park opened at 9am to the public, but today was an Extra Magic Hours day for resort guests. That meant that people staying on-property in a Disney hotel could get into the park an hour early at 8am. We decided to take full advantage of this and slept in.
We did manage to get up and get going early enough to walk past all the people waiting at the gate and make it inside the park by 8:45, which was more than enough time to ride Rock 'n' Roller coaster and get in a 5 minute line for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Check, and check.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is such a sweet ride. Launching 0-60mph in under 3 seconds, zipping through 3 inversions in the dark, flying by and through lit up neon signs, all while Aerosmith cranks out of speakers by your headrest - not to mention how smooth the ride is - this is a perfect roller coaster! I could ride it over and over again if the line wasn't long.
The park opened at 9am to the public, but today was an Extra Magic Hours day for resort guests. That meant that people staying on-property in a Disney hotel could get into the park an hour early at 8am. We decided to take full advantage of this and slept in.
We did manage to get up and get going early enough to walk past all the people waiting at the gate and make it inside the park by 8:45, which was more than enough time to ride Rock 'n' Roller coaster and get in a 5 minute line for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Check, and check.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is such a sweet ride. Launching 0-60mph in under 3 seconds, zipping through 3 inversions in the dark, flying by and through lit up neon signs, all while Aerosmith cranks out of speakers by your headrest - not to mention how smooth the ride is - this is a perfect roller coaster! I could ride it over and over again if the line wasn't long.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 6
Friday the 13th and we're off to the Magic Kingdom. Holly and Brian got all of us nice matching t-shirts, with each of us being one of the seven dwarfs. I'm Dopey and Todd's Grumpy. Hmm...is there a message there? :o)
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| In the back row: Bashful, Dopey, Grumpy, Doc, Sleepy. In the front: Happy, Sneezy. Photo courtesy of Sleepy, I mean Brian. |
Redbeard
Here's the un-cropped photo from Printemps in Paris with the chandelier Christmas tree. The date was December 22, 2000, not 2001 as I had previously captioned. I've corrected that post.
That winter we spent Christmas in Paris, and New Year's in London. Someday I may write about and post photos from that trip.
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| Thirteen years ago this week.... |
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 5
Epcot today, and surprisingly few photos. We spent the morning and early afternoon riding a few rides with Brian, Holly and the kids, then Todd and I split off around 3pm to explore the World Showcase. One of the things I'd always regretted from past trips was not spending time really exploring the different national pavilions of the area, so we made it a priority this trip.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Just In Time For Christmas
Some time before Thanksgiving I posted this on my Facebook page, as I'm sure millions of other people did. Needless to say the responses I received to the post were underwhelming (as in none).
It seems the Thanksgiving twerky was to no one's liking. I thought it was hilarious. So naturally when I heard about the following this morning I felt I had no choice other than to create a reminder to look it up and post it to my blog when I got home. Just a heads-up before you click on Continue Reading - what follows is not for the squeamish.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: chickenbear.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 4
An early start today - going to the Magic Kingdom. Jacob has an appointment to transform into a pirate and join the Pirate's League, and Katie is going to get princessified at the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique.
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| We got there early enough to watch the opening ceremony at the front of the park |
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Ah-ha!
I figured out how to link the videos so they can be made larger and the resolution can be increased. I'm going back now to update other videos in the blog. No more tiny, crappy movies for me! Bwah-hah-hah!
To celebrate, here are videos of a guy in see-through pants, the coolest doughnut shop bathroom on the planet, and a fountain spitting on kids. Enjoy.
To celebrate, here are videos of a guy in see-through pants, the coolest doughnut shop bathroom on the planet, and a fountain spitting on kids. Enjoy.
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 3, Part 2
I totally forgot to put the videos up in the last post.
I also forgot the first thing we did when we got to the Magic Kingdom for the Christmas Party.
I also forgot my New York hat. I just can't let it go, I'm sorry.
In the Town Square Theater at the front of the Magic Kingdom, you can now meet and greet and TALK to Mickey Mouse! This was too cool to pass up, so even though we felt a little old and foolish, we had to meet Mickey. It was kinda magical. Check out the video of the people in front of us below.
I also forgot the first thing we did when we got to the Magic Kingdom for the Christmas Party.
I also forgot my New York hat. I just can't let it go, I'm sorry.
In the Town Square Theater at the front of the Magic Kingdom, you can now meet and greet and TALK to Mickey Mouse! This was too cool to pass up, so even though we felt a little old and foolish, we had to meet Mickey. It was kinda magical. Check out the video of the people in front of us below.
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 3, Part 1
I stopped making notes this morning, so the photos are going to have to guide me now. My last entry was:
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| OMG it was good (plus the one I had didn't have all that crap on top)
Bay Lake Sunrise: 4 Orange Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, and Sweet-and-Sour with a splash of Sprite.
Photo copyright: eatingwdw.com
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Friday, December 20, 2013
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 2
Up at 7am. Going to Animal Kingdom today.
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| Sunrise. Or, "Uh-oh, there goes Cape Canaveral." |
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 1, Part 2
We touched down in Orlando, and the weather was amazing - high 70s, bright and sunny with a breeze. With a couple of exceptions, it would stay like that for most of the week.
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| Blue skies over Orlando |
Monday, December 16, 2013
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 1, Part 1
Up at 4am after alarm went off. No text or email alerts so far. Left the hotel at 4:30 to go the the Parking Spot, then on to the airport.
Got to the airport about 5:20am. No problems at security. Flight before ours shows cancelled, but 7:20 flight still shows green with boarding scheduled for 6:55.
Nervous/stressed about the flight, so we walked from one end of the terminal to the other, then back to the gate. We saw several people asleep in cots.
The plane was parked at the gate. However at 6:45am they announced a flight delay to 7:30am due to a missing flight attendant. Then they came back and announced a delay until 8:00am, then 8:10, then 8:30, then 8:40, 8:50, then 9:30am. EXTREMELY ANXIOUS. Todd was trying to lighten the mood by taking a video, but I wasn't having it. You can practically hear my eyes rolling:
Got to the airport about 5:20am. No problems at security. Flight before ours shows cancelled, but 7:20 flight still shows green with boarding scheduled for 6:55.
Nervous/stressed about the flight, so we walked from one end of the terminal to the other, then back to the gate. We saw several people asleep in cots.
The plane was parked at the gate. However at 6:45am they announced a flight delay to 7:30am due to a missing flight attendant. Then they came back and announced a delay until 8:00am, then 8:10, then 8:30, then 8:40, 8:50, then 9:30am. EXTREMELY ANXIOUS. Todd was trying to lighten the mood by taking a video, but I wasn't having it. You can practically hear my eyes rolling:
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 3/4
Text alert came over at 10:30 last night: flight cancelled. On hold for AA agent for 2 1/2 hours, then working with agent for another hour. Now flying out AA Sunday the 8th at 7:40am, landing in St. Paul, MN at 10:05am, then flying out Delta at 10:51am to land in Orlando at 3pm. Assuming our plane leaving Dallas actually takes off, and assuming it takes off on time, that barely meets the MSP airport's minimum connection time.
We called and since our entire flight is booked through AA, our luggage will transfer to the new plane in MSP - we don't have to get it and re-check it.
Of course if our plane leaves Dallas and is delayed we're screwed on the connection, but booking another flight out of MSP will be easier than trying to get out of Dallas. We're trying to mentally prepare for our Dallas flight getting cancelled again.
Going to drive to a hotel near the airport tonight, and take the shuttle to the airport in the morning from the Parking Spot next to the hotel. If our flight is cancelled we will try standby, barter, whatever we need to do to get on another flight that will actually leave DFW.
Disney Trip 2013 - Day 1/2
Continuous plinks of ice heard against the window all night long.
Up at 4am to find Todd on the phone. 12pm flight cancelled due to ice. Reached an American Airlines agent three hours later at 7am (she was great by the way). All flights to Orlando today either cancelled or booked. Tried connections through Minneapolis, then through Detroit - also cancelled or booked. After an hour with the agent, finally rebooked for tomorrow morning at 9:30am. Hoping that won't also be cancelled.
Called Disney and was able to shift our reservations forward a day with no penalty. Whew. Just had to pay the difference for one night from a Thur. rate to a Fri. rate.
Todd calling airline again now to change departure date for return flight.
Nerve racking. All is white and covered in not snow, technically; "accumulated freezing rain", I guess.
Up at 4am to find Todd on the phone. 12pm flight cancelled due to ice. Reached an American Airlines agent three hours later at 7am (she was great by the way). All flights to Orlando today either cancelled or booked. Tried connections through Minneapolis, then through Detroit - also cancelled or booked. After an hour with the agent, finally rebooked for tomorrow morning at 9:30am. Hoping that won't also be cancelled.
Called Disney and was able to shift our reservations forward a day with no penalty. Whew. Just had to pay the difference for one night from a Thur. rate to a Fri. rate.
Todd calling airline again now to change departure date for return flight.
Nerve racking. All is white and covered in not snow, technically; "accumulated freezing rain", I guess.
Disney Trip 2013
Just got back from our trip to Disney World with friends. We had a great time, but it was heck getting out of here due to the ice storm. The next several posts will be about the trip, and will be photo-heavy.
Friday, December 6, 2013
It's A Cruel, Cruel Summer. No, Wait, The Other Thing...Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful
Winter is here. After almost reaching 80 degrees on Wednesday, the temperature plummeted to below 30 by 7pm Thursday. We had 9 hours of freezing rain Thursday night / Friday morning, and these are the results:
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Come Monday, It'll Be All Right
Jimmy Buffett wouldn't lie to me, would he? Because I am really not ready for this weekend to be over.
Random end-of-the-weekend photo: Here's some birds in the top of a tree from my walk yesterday.
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| They were all in the top of this one tree |
Friday, November 29, 2013
Winter Music - Part 2: Forgotten Song
Forgotten Song
I was reading an article about new Christmas albums being released this year, which caused me to listen to and purchase Mary J. Blige's new album, A Mary Christmas. Soon to become a classic, and only $7.99 on iTunes right now!
What really caught my eye in the article though, was a reference to a new album by an artist covering the song Old Toy Trains. I don't care for the artist mentioned, but seeing that title brought back a small flood of memories about Christmas time while I was growing up. I had forgotten that I had forgotten the song, it had been so long since I heard it, but I'm pretty sure I used to love it when I was little.
I'm not sure who used to sing it on the country radio stations we listened to back then - although it was written and sung by Roger Miller in 1967, Glen Campbell released a version on his 1975 Christmas album, That Christmas Feeling. I would have been 5 at the time, so it was probably the Campbell version that was getting airplay.
I listened to the samples of both Roger Miller's recording and Glen Campbell's, then decided to purchase the song sung by a country artist named Joe Nichols. I have never heard of him before, but he has a great classic country voice, and his version sounds clean, clear and traditional at the same time. The album is called A Traditional Christmas, and the title is apt. I highly recommend giving it a listen. Also at only $7.99 on iTunes right now, it's well worth the price.
I was reading an article about new Christmas albums being released this year, which caused me to listen to and purchase Mary J. Blige's new album, A Mary Christmas. Soon to become a classic, and only $7.99 on iTunes right now!
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| A Mary Christmas by Mary J Blige |
What really caught my eye in the article though, was a reference to a new album by an artist covering the song Old Toy Trains. I don't care for the artist mentioned, but seeing that title brought back a small flood of memories about Christmas time while I was growing up. I had forgotten that I had forgotten the song, it had been so long since I heard it, but I'm pretty sure I used to love it when I was little.
I'm not sure who used to sing it on the country radio stations we listened to back then - although it was written and sung by Roger Miller in 1967, Glen Campbell released a version on his 1975 Christmas album, That Christmas Feeling. I would have been 5 at the time, so it was probably the Campbell version that was getting airplay.
I listened to the samples of both Roger Miller's recording and Glen Campbell's, then decided to purchase the song sung by a country artist named Joe Nichols. I have never heard of him before, but he has a great classic country voice, and his version sounds clean, clear and traditional at the same time. The album is called A Traditional Christmas, and the title is apt. I highly recommend giving it a listen. Also at only $7.99 on iTunes right now, it's well worth the price.
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| A Traditional Christmas by Joe Nichols |
Winter Music
I'm putting together my Christmas/holiday/winter playlist, and two songs jumped out at me first thing.
Tam Lin (Child 39) by Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer from their album Child Ballads. This is an amazing song from an amazing album. Stephanie Coleman, writing for NPR summed it up as "...an epic ballad that clocks in at nearly seven minutes and has 27 verses. It's the story of a young maiden who gets pregnant by a woodland shape-shifter named Tam Lin. As he morphs from one fearsome creature to the next, his lover has to hold on to him until he finally becomes human."
This is not really a song for the holiday list, but it came up on shuffle while I was putting it together, and I could not believe that I hadn't already sung it's praises.
The second song is The Heartache Can Wait by Brandi Carlile. This song is on the compilation album The Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs, which was released in 2008, and is an excellent album for the season.
For me, this song combines all the mixed emotions that can sometimes come with the holiday season when the days are short, dark and cold, but filled with music and sparkling lights. While there's always the hope of a magical, spiritual, and joyous winter and Christmas, all adults know that some years things just don't work out that way. The Heartache Can Wait captures the feeling of the holiday season and a little winter sadness at the same time, which makes it a special and honest song in my book.
Tam Lin (Child 39) by Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer from their album Child Ballads. This is an amazing song from an amazing album. Stephanie Coleman, writing for NPR summed it up as "...an epic ballad that clocks in at nearly seven minutes and has 27 verses. It's the story of a young maiden who gets pregnant by a woodland shape-shifter named Tam Lin. As he morphs from one fearsome creature to the next, his lover has to hold on to him until he finally becomes human."
This is not really a song for the holiday list, but it came up on shuffle while I was putting it together, and I could not believe that I hadn't already sung it's praises.
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| Tam Lin (Child 39) from Child Ballads by Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer |
The second song is The Heartache Can Wait by Brandi Carlile. This song is on the compilation album The Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs, which was released in 2008, and is an excellent album for the season.
For me, this song combines all the mixed emotions that can sometimes come with the holiday season when the days are short, dark and cold, but filled with music and sparkling lights. While there's always the hope of a magical, spiritual, and joyous winter and Christmas, all adults know that some years things just don't work out that way. The Heartache Can Wait captures the feeling of the holiday season and a little winter sadness at the same time, which makes it a special and honest song in my book.
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| The Heartache Can Wait by Brandi Carlile from The Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs |
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