pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Happy belated birthday! I'm a day late, and since I didn't get you anything, also a dollar short. So it all works out!
Thanks Laura!
Happy belated birthday! I'm a day late, and since I didn't get you anything, also a dollar short. So it all works out!
Sitting by the door catching up on the DIS.
30 more minutes before
we turn the lights off at 9pm.
It's been raining here all night,
so numbers are down a little.
So far (and I only anticipate
another handful of kids, if any)
we gave out candy to 115 kids.
How was it in your neighborhood?
So I keep forgetting you are two hours ahead of us?
We have 15 more minutes until I turn off the lights.
We bought way too much candy this year.
Last year I was digging into stashed supplies to make ends meet, this year we have a ton left over.
I didn't count how many kids but all I know is that we had tons of folks come here hoping to score big. I'm not trying to be racist or doing any sort of profiling, but our neighborhood is not one full of kids and it's sort of easy to tell who isn't from the neighborhood. Lots of folks seem to come to our neighborhood thinking the payout will be better.
This year the Neighborhood app had a trick or treat map and I think that actually discouraged folks from coming around as not many people signed up on the app.
We'll be bringing a lot of candy to band tomorrow night!
Official Count: 0!!!!!
Nope, not even one. Pays to be rural. We just buy candy and eat it all.
Yes!!! And when is that?That's it!
Next time you're coming!
At least if you're eating with me. Or you can leave and I'll sit and relax.Note to self.
Build time into schedule
for protracted meals.
Got it.
haha, I almost didn't say it but I thought it wouldn't seem like a post from me if I didn't!I was actually thinking of posting
that I wasn't going to put up
the next update until you asked.
Zero because we don't give out candy. The last time I did it several years ago I think there was six people. However, my neighbor goes all out with the decorations. They played really LOUD music for an hour and 45 minutes. It's a good thing I like them.How was it in your neighborhood?
I'm coming to your house!!!(We give out full size chocolate bars.)
I'll usually leave the lights on til 10pm
just to catch any stragglers.
This year, with the rain,
9pm was enough.
I don't think we ever have.
More than we need,
but never "way too much".
I've done that.
I remember one year
when the kids were really little,
we ran out and so I took
some of theirs
(They had tons.)
Ruby wasn't happy that I was
giving away chips, though!
Interesting.
I don't know if they were from the hood
or not, and I didn't care.
I'm just happy when the kids show up.
I want to be "that house" that kids
make sure they don't miss.
(We give out full size chocolate bars.)
That's just... weird to me.
I guess I'm old fashioned.
Just go door to door
(where the lights are on.)
Yes!!! And when is that?
At least if you're eating with me. Or you can leave and I'll sit and relax.
haha, I almost didn't say it but I thought it wouldn't seem like a post from me if I didn't!
Zero because we don't give out candy. The last time I did it several years ago I think there was six people.
However, my neighbor goes all out with the decorations. They played really LOUD music for an hour and 45 minutes. It's a good thing I like them.
I'm coming to your house!!!
I was tired enough that I turned the light off just before 9PM
I put the stuff I didn't mind parting with in a bowl and then the rest of what we bought in another bowl. The "other" bowl had more candy and we didnt even go through the first bowl. That defines way too much.
We had werthers caramels. I think we still have them a year later!
Well a lot of ours barely qualified as kids and it was kind of obvious who came from the neighborhood and who was crashing. The younger kids mostly and the ones with the clever or expensive costumes.
There were some pretty ghetto costumes at our front door.
You are very generous! We don't give out slouchy candy, but not full sized bars.
I think a lot of folks did that, but not as many as we had last year.
I must admit to feeling some trepidation
when I posted the previous chapter.
I essentially wrote about nothing
except my day spent in airports.
Then I left you all figuratively
standing with me at the bus stop.
Once, when I had begun
one of my TRs in
the same manner,
I received notice that reading
about it was a complete
waste of time.
I truly thought about skipping it,
or at the very least, paring it down
to just a few words.
Perhaps a sentence or two.
But that's just not me.
I feel that writing about that first day,
the trials and tribulations of merely
getting to Disney World,
sets the tone for the entire TR.
And it's my style.
So for better or worse,
there it is.
Seconds later, we were driving under water,
past the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower
and turning into the Magic Kingdom parking lot.
Here!
Made even better when a Monorail
passed by directly overhead.
Bag check.
Normally, I don't worry about bag check.
I'm never bringing in anything that
I'm not supposed to bring.
Next up is something I'd never done before.
I rented a locker.
Yes, I wanted to bring my tripod,
but I didn't want to lug it around all day!
Besides, later I'd need to...
No. I'll get to that a bit later.
And incidentally,
this is why I didn't use DME
to bring my bag to my room.
I could have used it,
but I wanted my tripod for the park,
and it was in the checked bag.
Of course I also needed....
Well, I already said
I'd get to that later.
Soak it in, people.
The fall decorations were out in full display.
I decided to go to the ADR first,
and see if they could get me in early.
If not, hopefully I could eat quickly
and still make the FP.
Well, let's see, shall we?
It's funny.
Every time I first get to Magic Kingdom,
and I cross the threshold into the park
or see the castle for the first time...
I get goose bumps and I break out
into a silly grin.
But not this time.
I wasn't feeling it.
I wasn't feeling much of anything.
Actually... I was...
Wishing I hadn't come.
It took about an hour before
I finally started to feel... normal.
And it was little things that did it.
Those bits and pieces of thoughtfulness
and surprise that make up
the Magic of Disney.
A father hoisting his giggling child
onto his shoulders.
A couple, skipping hand in hand
towards another adventure.
A CM, smiling broadly.
I eventually smirked at something...
gave a grudging nod at something else...
and eventually found myself
with a big grin on my ugly mug.
You know what the problem was?
Burn out.
No. Not because I'd been essentially
awake for Gawd knows how long.
It was shift after shift after shift at work.
It was working until I couldn't work anymore,
and then working some more.
It was working 32 hours out of every 40.
Repeatedly.
I hadn't realized just how bad
it had gotten until just then.
I couldn't put my finger
on why I wasn't happy,
but when it did happen,
it was like the proverbial
weight had lifted off my shoulders.
Man it felt good to be back!
I really needed this vacation.
I needed....
Disney.
You may be noticing a certain... theme
to the above photos
I was only going to include one in the TR.
But then I thought... screw it.
Shove 'em all in.
So... Voila.
But I'm not eating here, so I walked on by.
Ha! Kidding!
Yup. Just like on the ride.
Perfect!
It did feel a little weird at sucking
up Dr. Slush's balls though.
But I soon got used to it.
Looks good?
she actually looked concerned
until she looked at me
and realized I was joking.
(Later)
"So? How is it safari?"
And when I finished:
"Did you leave room to
travel through the desert?"
I paid my bill
and headed for the door.
It was 5:16pm and I had
precisely nine minutes
before my FP expired.
Is there any better feeling in the World
then walking by hundreds of
sweating, tired guests
as they stand in an unmoving line?
I just made it.
I had two separate instances of men
saluting me with their drinks.
I toasted them back in return.
I felt like royalty.
Or upper crust, at the very least.
Time for another new experience!
First, though, I had to tell someone
that yes, indeed this was the way
to the train.
I climbed the stairs and of course
the train was waiting there for me.
And most of you already know
where I'm probably headed.
And you're right.
Haunted Mansion.
But if you guessed I had a FP for it,
then I'm afraid you're wrong.
I pretty much never FP HM.
I will once my original FPs
are used up, if there's one available.
But it's too fast a loading ride
for me to worry about it.
Yes, there can be lines,
but usually, I don't have any issues.
Once our host showed us
'his' way out, the door opened
and I was the first one out.
I usually am.
I always enter HM and position
myself near the doors
so when I enter the stretching room
I can position myself nearest the next door.
Ahhhhh.... Best. Ride. Ever.
It was right about there that I realized
I was walking in the wrong direction.
(Did you notice the water bottle?
What kind of jerk tosses a water bottle
while riding Peter Pan???)
And it was okay.
Well... maybe a bit better than just okay...
Well... maybe I sharpened my spoon
into a knife and threatened to stab
anyone who ventured to close.
Made eating with it problematic.
Problem solved.
I just stuck my face in it
and inhaled.
Sooooo good.
The speaker continued:
"If you can hear my voice,
you will NOT be able to see
the fireworks.
That big tree behind you
will block your view!"
I looked over my shoulder,
sure enough, there was a large tree.
But...
Nah. I'm not buying it.
Maybe I'll miss a bit, but...
I'm not moving.
And I didn't.
Stupid CM!
Why didn't he say:
"No! Seriously! You won't see it!"
I found a spot and... well... just stood there.
It felt... odd.
Normally I skip the parades and do rides.
The crowds for the rides are smaller
since most everyone's watching the parade.
Is it just me?
Or does Goofy's eye creep you out?
And were you so focused on that,
that you failed to see Minnie?
Or Mickey?
Bonus points if you tell me.
Obviously a mannequin.
They don't make feather dusters
like they used to.
Ha! They spelled "Honour" wrong!
And did I miss it?
Or did they remove (or cover)
the pirate with the overly hairy leg?
(The one sitting on the bridge
that you go under.)
I was watching for him, but...
How'd I get old?
Just yesterday I was a kid!
Still am at heart,
but the body? Not so much.
I'm filling out a formal complaint.
I caught up to, and started to pass,
a couple of young families consisting
of Moms & Dads and littles
ranging in age from babe
to pre-school.
The baby was fussing
and the kids had obviously
reached the end of their ropes long ago.
I hung back and let them precede me
in the line.
There was already a fair amount of people
in line, so I didn't know if it would really matter.
Still, let them go first, 'cause I've been there.
I arrived at the stop at 12:22am
and the bus arrived fashionably late
at 12:26am. Four minutes.
It took a while to load,
since there were two people in ECVs
who had to be loaded first.
Eventually the bus started to load,
and yes, those two families
were able to board.
But I wasn't.
I got back to the Resort around one am.
As I staggered back to my room
(thank Gawd it was so close!)
out of the corner of my eye
I spotted a cat crossing
the walkway behind me.
A cat? I don't think I've ever seen
a cat at Disney.
Huh. There's one from Disney
saying I could ride 7DMT
anytime I wanted... yesterday.
I laughed. I guess I could
have ridden it after all.
So... How's your day going?
Hopefully a bit better than mine.
You did that!
That's awesome!
Did you close your browser
and re-open it?
That works sometimes.
So it's pretty obvious
which is better, right?
Our town's treating time was 5-8:00. and we had 77
Turned off lights around 7:30. I needed to get off my foot. I've been home two days & seeing my foot doctor today.
Sunday I couldn't even stand on it. It's better but want to know what it might be causing it.
Back in the days we would get over a 100. We bought a little less but still made sure it was "good" stuff leftover.
I love seeing the costumes and little ones.
I had a small girl as Pluto who wanted to know if I had a doggy in the house. Yes. Where? He's sleeping. Why? He's older then your puppy.
I looked out and saw in the driveway her mom with a little black Lab(what we have) and she was dressed as Minnie. Made my day.
Of course I had another who with her jacket on and dress, I commented "oh a princess" I was corrected, "I'm a mermaid"
I'm not sure how many we had - we got home a little late, and the kids handled the first hour for us.
But, I totally overbought again
I'm guessing we only had about 50 kids total.
Our neighborhood is spread out, and doesn't have street lights or sidewalks, so on the one hand, we don't get kids coming in from other areas, but otoh, since there aren't a lot of kids, people tend to give out better candy.
Dd went the day before with a friend in a huge subdivision with sidewalks, and wasn't as happy with that haul.
We had quite a few too. We also had a sign up on the neighborhood app thing. I didn't sign up, seems silly.
Anyways, I love seeing all the kids.
We give out a few pieces to each and our house is lighted.
We also go all out on our pumpkin carving.
Some kids come back twice because they say we have the best house and I always tell them they are more than welcome to come back as many times as they like.
Ok, so pain meds kicked in... going to try this again
and hopefully the new key board doesn't cause me to lose it again. lol Yes, it is the keyboards fault...not mine!
I am glad you chose to put this in your TR. I love travel days. It is nice to see that others are as crazy as I am when it comes to travel day! Not to mention it wouldn't be a PKondz TR without it!
/sigh so love that feeling of anticipation!
What? You did bag check? What's up with that? You don't do bag check!
See, you don't do bag check@#!%! What are you up to?
Just can't wait to see these next fall!
Good choice!
This picture just say's it all! Amazing!
This made my tear up. Made me sad! For just a moment... I thought a fellow Disney junkie had gotten on the band wagon!
There it is! The magic!
I should have known it wasn't Disney. You had me worried for a few moments!
You need not say any more! I could feel the relief just settling in. all that stress, worrying, responsibility... I just could imagine it melting away!
Yes and I am soaking it all in.
Thank you for this!
Had me for a moment! Good choice!
So glad to hear this! It's on the list to try on our fall trip next year. Hope it does not change to much before then!
You should not be so serious!
I love the cheesiness!
Run Forrest, Run!
Nope! Best ever!
OMG! This is awesome at it's finest!
How did you not spill the wine and the serious look on your face? I don't think I could do it!
Haha, I so knew you were up to something as soon as I started reading this TR!
That is just so cool!
I have not rode the train either. Guess I need to add this to my list of must do's. Don't know why/how this happens when my youngest son loves trains. We ride them every where else we go. hmmm.
I should have known better! Haunted mansion is silly to fast pass.
I NEVER go through the doors first. Side story...First time I went to Disney, (I was 15) I was waiting in line at HM. My family was the first in line to enter. I stood right at the doors waiting. The big double doors opened...No one was there...What??? How did that happen... so I, in all my 15 year old wisdom start to walk in on a mission not knowing what to expect. I could see the other side of the room and I thought I would head right for it. I had my sights cause there had to be an exit somewhere! I took 3 steps and next thing I knew, this GIANT ( I kid you not, I think he was 7 feet tall) man steps right in my way from NO WHERE I tell you. NO WHERE! And in the loudest voice he says "WELCOME" and I am sure there were other words he said, but I did not catch them, see... I was to busy literally getting my heart out of my stomach and trying to stop going forward and jumping backwards 5 feet all at 1 time right square into my aunt who I knocked on her bum! So I make it a point of NEVER EVER being the first one through ANY door ANY WHERE in HM. Nope! NEVER! And incase I didn't make it clear, NEVER!
Yes! It has been my favorite since day 1!
You went the wrong way... what was it you did on the train? Imagine me.. sticking my tongue out saying Nay-nay!
I have yet to try one of these.
blame it on the classic "It applies to everyone else but me" syndrome?
Because he already knows that it will not do any good penetrating through thick skulls? It's not his first Rodeo ya know!
This is the only parade we really watch now that the little's aren't so little. I am so sad it will be leaving! Well, unless it is replaced with something the scale of Paint The Night or something of the sort. Then it might get me over my sadness. I am a huge Christmas crazy person (If you can't tell by my forum name! Sheesh) and this parade just always reminds me of Christmas.
When I first looked at this pick.. My thoughts were... Shooting the 1 eyed bandits are we? You seemed to really get a lot of good pictures this time around. lol
Have you ever seen Firefly or Serenity? This reminded me of Lenore from Serenity/Firefly.
I love how you caught this in action. Her face is awesome!
Fixed!
I just watched a Youtube video of this a couple days ago and the video was from August and he was in there...
I tried. It does no good. They don't listen. Sorry to burst your bubble here!
I learned from our VERY FIRST family trip that this makes no sense. It makes life easier on the little's and the parents if you JUST LISTEN to those that have no voice!
Not to mention you were secretly hoping you would not be on the same bus!
Maybe one of the cats they let loose in the parks at night found it's way to your resort?
Where is The Doctor with his Tardis? Doesn't he know you have a FP to get to?
Your body's way of saying "Hey dope! It's time to rest?"
yes, I did, and it didn't!
Yup, sure is! Nothing better than Pkondz Air! It is always right where it is suppose to be!
I know at some point it was mentioned many years ago. I never made full note of it. I'll never forget it now though.You never asked!
Actually, I never told
but since it's on FB now...
She said you're welcome.Tell her thanks!