Canadian Buffoon's Exhausted Vacation - Update 09/01 - New TR link!

So I read your last update on the day you posted and I've been 10 days trying to get time to come back to comment. Argh...life gets in the way sometimes.
:hug:
That's okay. I totally get it.
Been absent, myself, for a bit.
It's also why I don't post
my updates too closely
together when I'm running

a contest.
I honestly don't remember one that would be my favourite.
I do remember one that I wish I had now.
Appropriately after reading your last post, I wish I had my old remote controlled R2-D2. Yes, way back in 1980-something I had a cutting edge R2-D2. He had a long metal antenna sticking out the top of him and a large remote control with a similar long metal antenna. It was cutting edge 1980's tech. I wish I had it now just for the nostalgia of it.
That sounds like a pretty
cool toy!

Of course my father tossed it out. He figured they just made Return of the Jedi and that Star Wars thing is done, they aren't making any more movies. Ahem.
Noooooo...
Wonder how much it'd
be worth now?
Dude, you're admitting that in public?
Had you just been swimming? Was the water cold?
(Yeah, I noticed you and Doc already did that schtick, but can't blame a guy for jumping on an open door)
455072
That's one thing I have never been able to do - skip breakfast. I start feeling nauseous.
Plus, there's Mickey waffles and bacon everywhere. It's hard to turn that down.
mmm... bacon.
And yet... my urge to
get to the parks supersedes
my desire for food that early

in the morning.
I would ride AS2 again. It's not the best ride in the park, but it was surprisingly more fun than I expected. You're right it's better with somebody, preferably somebody you don't mind being squished up against.
::yes::
I have never done it solo. But can definitely see how that would be less entertaining.
Yeah... no chance for a really
high score by yourself.
I've heard that team-work

is required for that.
Oh boy! If that was my kid an enlarged photo print would be going on the wall! Too good!
:laughing: Right!!!
That would be strange for sure. But intriguing just to say I tired it.
I'd have it again.
I liked it. :)

I have never ordered either individually, but have eaten both the pot roast and fried chicken in the sample platter (along with the meatloaf). All are great choices.
::yes::
I have never walked the queue. I probably should, the photos are impressive. I understand there's a chicken exit. (No way am I going on it with that drop.)
Do walk it if there's no wait.
(Well... 13 minute wait.)
It's very well done.

It's fun just to see Rod Serling.
I will be very tempted to build a droid. My bank account may be enough to convince me other wise. Maybe.
Of course I would also like a lightsaber. No way both are happening.
Yeah, that's the choice I made.
Lightsaber or droid.
For me, it was an easy choice.
I'm excited for the refurb, but also nervous. I hope the change isn't too drastic. But it's supposed to be a long refurb, so who knows.
I'm not sure either.
It could use some... modernization.

Honestly, I never noticed the turn. Makes sense, but it didn't register with me.
Watch for it next time.
I wonder if those lights will make it through the changes at Epcot. I hope so. I like them too.
So far they're not behind any
construction walls, soooo...
I'm hopeful.
 
So just checking in today as I saw that the parade is happening for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and I was wondering if you were attending?
Hi, Judy. No, unfortunately not.
I worked the night shift
last night and slept during
the time the parade was on.
I sure wish I could've, but...
I was just simply too tired.
I tried staying up for a bit,
but... when I started passing
out, I knew I wouldn't make it.

Still... pretty exciting time

to be a 'pegger.
 
I found myself instead shrunk
to the size of a toy.
455249
Let’s get small…


This, of course, presents itself
with certain opportunities.
Like being chewed up by a Pit Bull or duck taped to some high explosive fireworks.


When you're toy sized, you can
play with toys that are normally
far too small for you and even
get a date with a Barbie!
They have those “Barbies” in grown-up size too.
They just call ‘em something else.


And the folks that buy them don’t generally talk about it…


I mean... who needs more than that?
Which one, the explosive or the inflatable?


The toys just get more expensive.

car_zpsttr1tuh0.jpg
That they do…

I’d be going after an older roadster rather than a newer super-car
(but we’ve had this conversation before.)


What was your favourite toy
when you were a kid?
Hummmmm…
Don‘t think I can pick a particular “toy”
The thing I spent a good deal of my extra money on was models.

No, no… not the “Supermodels” that pose for photographers and paparazzi, eat nothing but salad and make more money then I’ll ever see in a life time (although, there may be something to be said for spending one’s cash on such things… if you’re single… errr… a-hum…)

No I mean like model airplanes, ships, vehicles and such.
I likely built several hundred of those things as a young’en
(and actually still do from time to time as an adult).

Of course that was also before I started spending my extra cash on things like guitars and Disney…


Okay... now that I'm teeny-tiny, what
should I do first?
Dodge the masses of regular sized folk that are watching they’re cellphones and not where they’re going?

A fell’a could get squished ya’ know.


Many of you guessed that I'd eat,
having not eaten yet, but... I don't
often eat breakfast when I'm at Disney.
Makes sense…
But for future reference, the Disney take on pop-tarts that are for sale over at Woody’s Lunch Box are actually quite tasty.

(whoa… there are entirely too many double entendre in that last sentence.)


So a ride, it is!
Thus complying with the Theory of Least Astonishment


So I took a spin on Alien Swirling Saucers.
“The Claw chooses!”
:laughing:



Didn’t see that one as bubbling to the top.


(Or AS2, or Alien SS, or LGM, or whatever
acronym you use so you don't
spell "donkey" and offend... no one.)
Oh, I’m all for offending folks, so *** it is.


OK, so apparently not on this particular message board…



What can I say about AS2?
It’s rather big?
It offers a great view of the moon?
It's got quite the swing?
There’s some serious motion happening there?

(insert you’re favorite entendre here)



Will I ride it again?


Nope. Probably not.
Annnnnd…
That was our take on it as well.
Yes we did it (so as to say that we had), but unless we’ve got grandkids in tow (which we ain’t got just yet) we likely won’t ride that one again.


It might be more
fun if you had Barbie sitting
beside you and she got
squished up against you
on those turns, but...
That was the best part.
Of course my “Barbie” goes by a different name…
And ain’t made of plastic…


There are other seats
for my butt that are more
exciting in this park.

DSC07974_zpspvkcquhr.jpg
Ba-dum-bump-CRASH


(Why can I write assured
but not AS2's real acronym?
A question that George Carlen once asked the Supreme Court


At least I as2ume I can?
Or did y'all just see stars?)
I see dead people…

Err…. I mean I see stars.
(or would that be asterisms?)


(Yes. I checked the
time again. Stop asking!)
but it’s just so much fun to see you get all riled up when you’re this small.


Twenty-minute wait for SDD.
Not bad at all.
Nope…
That early morning hard-ticket seems to have served you well


I must say, that kid has quite
the imagination.
Hmmm... now that he's gotten
a bit older, I wonder if he'll
become an Imagineer?

Nah. Probably not.
Investment banker, I suspect…


I mean... if you can't do this:

ha%20ha_zpsjo2v3j3n.gif


What's the point?
For a Canadian…
You’d make a pretty good American.


I exited TSL and somehow...
Grew back to my normal size.
Oh good….
Now you don’t have to keep dodging all the giants that are walking around looking down at their cellphones and not watching where they’re going.

You still have to keep dodging the folks the same size as you that are walking around looking down at their cellphones and not watching where they’re going, but that’s a different situation.


Actually, I think Disney added
a few pounds.
Disney always adds a few pounds.
(still working on dropping those back off, myself)


I'm sure that was it.
Not my general debauchery
or complete lack of exercise.
Oh noooooo…
No, no,

nope,


not at all.


:rolleyes1

We stopped and chatted for a bit,
but she had a date with some toys
and I was heading off for some
head-bangin' adventures.
The English Language must have been designed specifically for the construction of double entendres…

That’s just the only explanation for it.

522179876_zps8nhh59b6.jpg


:laughing: That poor kid's expression!
Her mom seems blissfully unaware
of the therapy bills that are
coming her way.
Ehhh…
Do like every other parent and just send ‘em out into the world completely broken and let them pay their own therapy bills.

It builds character…


Okay. Time for a DISmeet!
So long as “Betty” is not in charge of the directions.


A roving Stormtrooper patrol
stopped in front of a woman
who was so intent on what was
on her phone that she didn't
even see them approach until...
"What are you doing with that data-pad?"
One Stormtrooper intoned.
The woman looked up in surprise.
The Stormtrooper pointed at her
and said. "You've just gone from
curious to suspicious."
And walked away.

:lmao:
Yep…
That right there was funny.


We got lucky.
Getting a table is not guaranteed.
Standing is.
We weren't alone at our table,
however, but the people there
seemed friendly enough.
A bit like Trader Sam’s
But it’s surprising how most folk are friendly enough.
(Especially if it means that you can grab a good seat in a Disney park)


We both liked our drinks, except the lip-numbing
foam on the Tauntaun was a bit disconcerting!
I've never had a drink that would give novocaine
a run for its money!
We didn’t get into Oga’s this time around, but if I do, I’ll likely be skipping that one.
I’m more a Jet Juice kind’a drinker.


On the way, a young lady (teen?)
walked by in the opposite direction.
I didn't want to say anything, but...
at first it looked like she wasn't wearing
any pants and I was wondering just
how strong that drink had been.
I may need to reconsider that Tauntaun then…


But then Kari remarked that she did
a double take.
Safety note... wearing flesh-coloured
tights may result in whiplash... in others.
Saw a lot of that kind of tom-foolery going on while we were there.
Ignore their protests though, that whiplash effect is precisely what they’re going for.


Okay, okay.
Kari's not even close to being
a Beast.
She can be Beauty, too.

:rolleyes1
That Tauntaun didn’t overly affect your sense of self much, I see.


Our server was Uncle Gary.
And he was a hoot!
Hoots are part of what you’re paying for, so that’s a good thing.


I guess he assumed we were a couple.
While I was extremely flattered,
I'm sure Kari was mortified.
Do believe that pretty much as2esses the situation…


I made it up to her though, by letting
her eat food off my plate.
Ba-dum-bump-CRASH


I ordered the onion rings,
because 50s' onion rings are among
the best I've ever had.
I’ll have to try those the next time I’m there.
(to see how they stack up against the ones at the Bar-B-Q King)


she's just
one of those people that are
so likeable.


Totally opposite from me.
Ahhh, I see that Tauntaun is finally wearing off


You can only make one FP now at DHS.
Yup…
And that is a serious problem with the system



You may be shaking your collective
heads at me for not riding what is
arguably one of the best rides
in Disney (depending on who's
doing the arguing.)
No need to make the As2umption in this case…

My girl won’t get on that one but would really love to see the queue areas.
I’ve told her to come along with me and then just duck out the “Chicken Door” (and the fact that the CMs call it a “Chicken Door” is part of the problem here), but she ain’t havin’ it. I’ll be showing her your images and I may just use this same ploy in the future and have her tag along with me. If we both walk in, take some quality pics and then both walk right back out the front door together then no one feels embarrassed.


And since I took the time to
shoot it, you're gonna look at em'!
Whether you want to or not!
Awww crap…


Hay wait a minute, I actually want to see ‘em.
Continue on.


Gawd, I love that theming...
Some of their best work (and that’s sayin’ somthin’)


That was kinda the theme for this
whole trip.
I'd been fairly recently and felt
zero need to RIDE ALL THE RIDES!!!!
Indeed, I was quite happy to ride
none of the rides.
Of course I did ride here and there,
but... it wasn't the purpose of the trip.
Taking it all in, and doing new things, was.
And we were a bit like that his time around as well.
We’ve been often enough (and if I can help it we’ll be back).
So without young’ens in tow, we wanted to spend time just being there.


I was off to build my very own droid.
Really?
Just wanted to partake of the experience?

I’m fairly geeky myself, but the cost point for the stuff offered in SWGE is just a bit prohibitive.
Now if they were to have a build-you-own-guitar offering somewhere on property, I’d likely slap down entirely too much money for the chance even if it was a crappy instrument, but everyone has their own Kryptonite, now don’t they?


And for the money they were asking
to do it, I could only assume that
this thing would fetch my slippers
and make me a Margarita too.
One would think…


(FYI: It doesn't.)
And one would not be surprised…


I'm pretty sure if Disney announced
that they were going to introduce
a new experience, like...


"Coming in 2020... stick your hand
into a real Star Wars blast oven!
Leading back to my previous comment.
Y’us got’s to know your weaknesses.


I arrived on time at the Droid Depot
(Why doesn't Home Depot have
a Droid section, anyways?)
It’s a conspiracy, I tell you!


And of course, considering the $3,857,621
I spent wasn't enough, I forked over another
$4,649.99 for a chip that lets it beep more.
I'm all about that beep.
:laughing:


I was very excited. I mean... I'd just
pushed a button that cost me more
than the entire Apollo space program
put together.
Buttons are enticing things, aren’t they?

I can’t ride Mission Space without flipping every switch on the dash board at least once.

OK, maybe twice, but no more than that.


Yeah, that’s a lie too


I walked out of the Droid Depot poorer,
but dumber. So there's that.
Can’t this be said for just about any venue anywhere on any Disney property?

And yet we all do it anyway.


I had a few things to knock off my
"Disney list", here at DHS.

Too bad about the sub-par snacking.
I’ll keep your reviews in mind.

We only got one thing snack-wise at DHS.
Something they called a “Chestnut Pinecone”


455250

Dang good use of a snack credit, that was.


I headed out to the bus stop and...
there wasn't a bus waiting for me.

What. In. The. Heck.
Welcome to my world…


Two minutes! Can you believe it?
I mean... really!
Aaaaaaaannnnd, we’re back to your world.

When we did use the busses this last time the average was still around 30 min.
(and that’s the average)


6:30pm and I'm on my way to Epcot
for some Food & Wine treats.
Mmmmmm…


I noted him and thought that perhaps
Disney, for him, wasn't quite the
Most Magical Place it was
advertised to be.
We encountered a couple folks that were off the charts in that way.
Some real prize winners.
Tried to steer very clear of them.


Spaceship Earth!
Might be my last chance
to thank the Phoenicians.
We missed that one this time.
Meant to… didn’t get back there…
Glad you thanked them for me.


Hmmm... space...
I zipped over to MS and
decided to try the new
green Earth orbit mission.
What the heck?
Have yet to ride any of the green missions.

I did catch the orange side again this time.
It was strange hearing the exact same preshow monolog with a completely different actor doing the talking. Must have been something contractual.


First stop... the surprise of the night.
Coastal Eats' Shrimp Scampi.
Looks good, but scallops are a bit of a deal breaker for me.

Just…
No.



We did spend one afternoon nibbling around the world.
Specifically saved up our Snack Credits for the purpose. Most things out there are eligible and most of them are more expensive than the average Dis-Snack. Turned out to be an excellent use of the resources.


only long enough to take a
quick snap of one of my favourite
Epcot nighttime sights...

IMG_2841b_zpsxthuogf4.jpg
Do love those.
We’ll see if they stay after the refurb.
I suspect that most of them will


At a leisurely pace, from
door to pour...

Sixty-two seconds.
Good time to be sure.

We also stayed at ASMu, but…
I didn’t pay for a preferred room so I wasn’t near that close.
Actually I was about as far away from the dining hall as possible.

But…
I was only about 30 seconds walk from our vehicle and since I generally do the driving at WDW that was a win. Especially when arriving dog-tired back at the resort late in the evening.
 
Let’s get small…
Oh, wow. Does that ever take me back!
I wonder how many people reading
even know who that is?
Like being chewed up by a Pit Bull or duck taped to some high explosive fireworks.
That would work too.
They have those “Barbies” in grown-up size too.
They just call ‘em something else.


And the folks that buy them don’t generally talk about it…
:rolleyes1
Which one, the explosive or the inflatable?
If I got an inflatable, there'd
be explosions.

I’d be going after an older roadster rather than a newer super-car
(but we’ve had this conversation before.)
Yes we have. ::yes::
Hummmmm…
Don‘t think I can pick a particular “toy”
The thing I spent a good deal of my extra money on was models.

No, no… not the “Supermodels” that pose for photographers and paparazzi, eat nothing but salad and make more money then I’ll ever see in a life time (although, there may be something to be said for spending one’s cash on such things… if you’re single… errr… a-hum…)
:rolleyes1
No I mean like model airplanes, ships, vehicles and such.
I likely built several hundred of those things as a young’en
(and actually still do from time to time as an adult).

Of course that was also before I started spending my extra cash on things like guitars and Disney…
Built a few of those myself.
I liked the planes more than
anything since then you could
string them up and hang
them from the ceiling.

(With cotton "smoke", of course.)
Dodge the masses of regular sized folk that are watching they’re cellphones and not where they’re going?

A fell’a could get squished ya’ know.
This is an everyday problem...
Makes sense…
But for future reference, the Disney take on pop-tarts that are for sale over at Woody’s Lunch Box are actually quite tasty.

(whoa… there are entirely too many double entendre in that last sentence.)
:lmao:
Thus complying with the Theory of Least Astonishment
Yup. Pretty much.
“The Claw chooses!”
:laughing:



Didn’t see that one as bubbling to the top.
I didn't either! :laughing:
Oh, I’m all for offending folks, so *** it is.


OK, so apparently not on this particular message board…
Nope. Not that one, anyways.
It’s rather big?
It offers a great view of the moon?
It's got quite the swing?
There’s some serious motion happening there?

(insert you’re favorite entendre here)
:lmao:
Annnnnd…
That was our take on it as well.
Yes we did it (so as to say that we had), but unless we’ve got grandkids in tow (which we ain’t got just yet) we likely won’t ride that one again.
Yeah, one and done.
That was the best part.
Of course my “Barbie” goes by a different name…
And ain’t made of plastic…
And yet... some "Barbies"
have plastic parts that
are fairly pleasing to the eye...
Ba-dum-bump-CRASH
;)
A question that George Carlen once asked the Supreme Court
He did???
I know the 7-word skit of
which you speak... but... he did???
I see dead people…

Err…. I mean I see stars.
(or would that be asterisms?)
Bravo.
I'm impressed.
I had to look up asterism.

Wow! Nice one!
but it’s just so much fun to see you get all riled up when you’re this small.
:laughing:
Not afraid I'll lightly kick
you in the foot?

Investment banker, I suspect…
::yes::
Royalties...
For a Canadian…
You’d make a pretty good American.
We have our nasty streaks...
we just apologize for them.

Oh good….
Now you don’t have to keep dodging all the giants that are walking around looking down at their cellphones and not watching where they’re going.

You still have to keep dodging the folks the same size as you that are walking around looking down at their cellphones and not watching where they’re going, but that’s a different situation.
Yeah. Had one the other day.
Standing still watching this woman
walk towards me... and almost

right into me.

:sad2:
Disney always adds a few pounds.
(still working on dropping those back off, myself)
Me too. :sad2:
Oh noooooo…
No, no,

nope,


not at all.
So... yes?
The English Language must have been designed specifically for the construction of double entendres…

That’s just the only explanation for it.
Caught that one, did ya? ;)
Ehhh…
Do like every other parent and just send ‘em out into the world completely broken and let them pay their own therapy bills.

It builds character…
:laughing:


And.... true, too.
So long as “Betty” is not in charge of the directions.
She usually gets me where I
need to go. Usually.

Yep…
That right there was funny.
:laughing: It was!
A bit like Trader Sam’s
But it’s surprising how most folk are friendly enough.
(Especially if it means that you can grab a good seat in a Disney park)
I find most people at Disney
to be pretty darned friendly.
The magic rubs off.
We didn’t get into Oga’s this time around, but if I do, I’ll likely be skipping that one.
I’m more a Jet Juice kind’a drinker.
Ah.
Well, I liked it and could see
myself getting another. :)
Saw a lot of that kind of tom-foolery going on while we were there.
Ignore their protests though, that whiplash effect is precisely what they’re going for.
Hmmm... I dunno.
You think so?
Or do they just like the colour?

I really am not sure about that one.
That Tauntaun didn’t overly affect your sense of self much, I see.
:rolleyes2
Hoots are part of what you’re paying for, so that’s a good thing.
Very true.
I've been and had a less than
stellar server... and it's a drag.
I’ll have to try those the next time I’m there.
(to see how they stack up against the ones at the Bar-B-Q King)
I'm still upset that didn't work out.
I still talk about it.

Ahhh, I see that Tauntaun is finally wearing off
:rolleyes:
Yup…
And that is a serious problem with the system
It's awful.
My girl won’t get on that one but would really love to see the queue areas.
I’ve told her to come along with me and then just duck out the “Chicken Door” (and the fact that the CMs call it a “Chicken Door” is part of the problem here), but she ain’t havin’ it. I’ll be showing her your images and I may just use this same ploy in the future and have her tag along with me. If we both walk in, take some quality pics and then both walk right back out the front door together then no one feels embarrassed.
Do that! But... then you don't get
to see Rod Serling and the library.
Shame to miss that.
Awww crap…


Hay wait a minute, I actually want to see ‘em.
Continue on.
:laughing:
Some of their best work (and that’s sayin’ somthin’)
::yes::
And we were a bit like that his time around as well.
We’ve been often enough (and if I can help it we’ll be back).
So without young’ens in tow, we wanted to spend time just being there.
That's what I'm finding.
Alone... been there recently...
The impetus to DO IT ALL

goes away.
Really?
Just wanted to partake of the experience?
That's exactly it.
It wasn't the droid, per se...

I’m fairly geeky myself, but the cost point for the stuff offered in SWGE is just a bit prohibitive.
Now if they were to have a build-you-own-guitar offering somewhere on property, I’d likely slap down entirely too much money for the chance even if it was a crappy instrument, but everyone has their own Kryptonite, now don’t they?
Very prohibitive. And... there are lots of things Disney
sells that I won't bother with. But... I thought it might
be fun to build something.
(Going back to model days, come to think of it.)

It wasn't nearly as fun as I thought. A couple of clicks,

two screws to drive... done.
Buttons are enticing things, aren’t they?

I can’t ride Mission Space without flipping every switch on the dash board at least once.

OK, maybe twice, but no more than that.


Yeah, that’s a lie too
Buttons are enticing things...
Especially when they're on a shirt
that's straining to keep from popping

them off.
Can’t this be said for just about any venue anywhere on any Disney property?

And yet we all do it anyway.
True.
We only got one thing snack-wise at DHS.
Something they called a “Chestnut Pinecone”
Oh wow! I've never seen that.
What is it? Where is it?

Welcome to my world…


Aaaaaaaannnnd, we’re back to your world.
:rolleyes1
When we did use the busses this last time the average was still around 30 min.
(and that’s the average)
How is that even possible!!??
We encountered a couple folks that were off the charts in that way.
Some real prize winners.
Tried to steer very clear of them.
Yes. A sound policy.
We missed that one this time.
Meant to… didn’t get back there…
Glad you thanked them for me.
You're welcome.
At least I think you are.
They wrote something down

for you, but I can't read it.
I did catch the orange side again this time.
It was strange hearing the exact same preshow monolog with a completely different actor doing the talking. Must have been something contractual.
I felt that way too!!!!
Looks good, but scallops are a bit of a deal breaker for me.

Just…
No.
Okay. No scallops for you.
Shrimp okay?

We did spend one afternoon nibbling around the world.
Specifically saved up our Snack Credits for the purpose. Most things out there are eligible and most of them are more expensive than the average Dis-Snack. Turned out to be an excellent use of the resources.
::yes::
I've heard a few people
say the same.

Do love those.
We’ll see if they stay after the refurb.
I suspect that most of them will
I think they will too.
Too many people really like them.

We also stayed at ASMu, but…
I didn’t pay for a preferred room so I wasn’t near that close.
Actually I was about as far away from the dining hall as possible.
I know that walk....
But…
I was only about 30 seconds walk from our vehicle and since I generally do the driving at WDW that was a win. Especially when arriving dog-tired back at the resort late in the evening.
Ah! Then not bad at all!
 


We Have Lift Off

The alarm woke me at the
unholy hour of 6:00am.
For some reason...
Okay, the reason is exhaustion.
For that reason, waking up
this morning was particularly...
hellish.
Too many days with too little
sleep, I suppose will do that.

I was leaving Disney for a while
and... I don't know about you,
but when I'm not on Disney
property, I don't like to wear my MB.

Kind of marks me as a tourist.
I am one... but I don't necessarily
want everyone in Florida to know that.
And since you can use your phone
to unlock your room...

The MB stayed home while poppa
went out to play.


A shuttle was waiting for me
near the lobby and I got in.
The irony of that statement
didn't occur to me until later.

You'll see.

We set out and after a quick
stop at another resort, I was
deposited at the Disney Car
Care Center.

I get few perks with my job,
but "Emerald" status with
National Car Rental is one.
What that means is I can usually
skip any lines that might exist.
Today was no exception.
I walked up to the Emerald
desk and was served right away.
Moments later I was on my way.


I arrived in Cocoa Beach at 8:30am.
I had 30 minutes to kill before
the Harley Davidson store there
would open, so I popped over
to a nearby 7-11 and grabbed a
drink and a snack for later.

It always surprises me a bit
when I walk into a 7-11 in the US
and they only have 2-4 Slurpee
flavours.
Up here, the store closest to my
home has 16 different flavours.

Right at 9:00am I sashayed into
the HD store and snagged my
first poker chip of the day.
Prize in hand, I set out again.
I had a different DISmeet going
on today...

I was meeting Doc (@docsoliday1 )
and his lovely wife Coni over
at Kennedy Space Center.

I arrived pretty much when I told
them I thought I'd be there;
around 9:30am.

DSC08043_zpsw7khqbww.jpg


Doc and Connie were already
there and we texted back and
forth a couple times before we
found each other.
Since they live nearby, they'd
decided to get KSC APs.

Our first stop was the Rocket Garden.

DSC08044_zpsyiv4oyg0.jpg


Very cool, but just a hint
at the coolness yet to come.
We were heading out to catch
a tour bus and... oddly enough...
you pretty much have to pass
through the gift shop to do it.

I spotted this model of a Mars
Rover at the entrance.
I didn't notice it right away,
but it's made out of Lego.

DSC08046b_zpsc7ko2pxx.jpg


We got on the bus and set out.
Along the way, you get to see
some interesting sights here and there.

This next one looks pretty mundane,
but has a story to it.
When a rocket is assembled in the...
well... appropriately named
Vehicle Assembly Building,
they then have to transport it
to the launch pad.
You can imagine that a rocket
might weigh a little bit.
This road is what the rocket is
transported on.
And has to be re-graded each time.

DSC08048_zpssjj2q9op.jpg


Speaking of the VAB...

DSC08108_zps8fs6wsfg.jpg


This building is deceptively large.
At first glance, you kind of shrug
and move on...
But the VAB is the 4th largest
building in the world by volume.
Each stripe on the US flag
is as wide as a standard bus.
I've photoshopped one on, for scale:

DSC08108b_zpspjsefgok.jpg


What I wonder though...
is why they painted the flag
that way?
Normally, the stars are in the
upper left corner.
The flag is correct, of course...
Just wonder why they chose that side.
(And don't tell me it's about the flag code.
I know about it... but the stars on the
other, traditional, side also works.)

We passed by SpaceX's facility
and launch pad...

DSC08054_zpsvurizb8f.jpg


...arriving eventually at the
Launch Control Center for
the Apollo missions.
Outside the building is an
historically interesting garden:

DSC08063_zpswcflsmfc.jpg


DSC08064_zpshh8wqacm.jpg


After a quick look-see at
the garden, we went inside
where they had a demonstration
of what it might have looked like
during an Apollo launch...

DSC08074_zpsrbhn4lgc.jpg


...minus the people.

You can't have everything.


The next stop was the one
I'd been really waiting for:
The Saturn V display.

The last time I'd been to KSC,
was in 1978.
At that time, my family simply
drove around the complex.
The Saturn V rocket was lying
on its side in an open field.

Times have changed.
The Saturn rocket is huge.
The various stages are
lined up in order and span
a distance of over 360'.
Or longer than a football field.

DSC08075_zpsajpayvtl.jpg


DSC08076_zpsy3wk1grw.jpg


The engines are immense as
you would expect for a vehicle
that took men to the moon.

DSC08095_zpsqswws5kl.jpg


And all these engines
(except for the center one)
are all moveable!
(It's how you steer the thing,
after all.)

DSC08085_zpsibd4olks.jpg


DSC08094_zpss7ecj7sv.jpg


It's hard to believe that
all that power and hardware
is used but only the Command
Module makes the return to Earth.
Well... in one piece, anyways.

DSC08091_zpshhz44xcd.jpg


The Command Module is this
little bit that I've highlighted
for you, in case you weren't
aware/sure which it was:

DSC08091b_zpsq3icw9ux.jpg


The only other parts
that survive the mission
are the descent and (once)
the ascent stages, seen in the
photo below.

DSC08088_zpssuu1zddf.jpg


The descent stage is the
copper foil wrapped part
and remains on the moon,
while the ascent stage...
Well, usually it's crashed
either deliberately or not
onto the lunar surface.
One was used as a lifeboat
and was destroyed when it
re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
(Seen the movie Apollo 13?
Let me know if you have or not.)
And one... Apollo 10's LM
(Lunar Module) was left in orbit
around the sun.
No one knew quite where until
it was found just this past June,
almost exactly 50 years after
it was lost.
How cool is that?


There were other interesting
displays, including this one
of the infamous "space pen."

DSC08083_zpsowmmbygb.jpg


There's an internet story that
went around for a time.
The purpose was to shine a light
on the unnecessary cost of space
exploration, and the foolishness of
the US space program's brightest minds.

The story goes...
Nasa needed a pen to write in space.
A normal pen uses gravity to get
the ink flowing and of course that wouldn't
work in outer space. What to do?
So NASA put their brightest minds
to work and spent millions of dollars
to invent a pen that would work in
zero gravity...

The Russians used a pencil.


Funny, right? Silly NASA.

Except...
Firstly, Nasa, didn't develop the pen,
a private organization did.
Secondly... Have you heard of Apollo 1?
Nasa did a full run up of Apollo 1,
which included 3 astronauts in a
pure oxygen environment.
They all died when a fire broke out.
This was NASA's first real tragedy,
and as a result, they were very
conscious and wary of fires.

So... a pencil... made of graphite...
which is highly flammable.
Not to mention...
You know when you use a pencil
and you have to wipe the graphite
dust off the paper?
You really don't want that stuff
floating around and getting into
the sensitive electronics.

So if anyone every tells you
that "joke", you now have the
information to go and set 'em straight.

So there.



Continued Next Post
 
Last edited:
Continued From Previous Post

After touring the Saturn V display,
the bus took us back to the visitor
complex.

We then went to visit the Atlantis
shuttle display.

DSC08148_zps8fgkyhmi.jpg


When you enter, you watch
a short introductory film,
and then the screen rises and...

DSC08111_zps1yyxctua.jpg


DSC08116b_zpsn1d33cdl.jpg


I wasn't expecting to see it
suspended like that.
It's a very effective way of
displaying the orbiter, though.

Also prominently displayed
is the Canadarm.
That's right, we Canadians
are essential to your space
program.
Without us, you'd... build
it yourselves. :lmao:

DSC08119_zpsg3sdks9d.jpg


I walked around and then
went around the other
side and...

Holy crap.
You don't really get
a sense of just how
massive this thing is
until you look at the
underside!

DSC08135_zps8fx7t60y.jpg


Pictures do not do it justice.
But... you'll notice that I couldn't
get the entire ship in the frame.
Look at the size compared to the
two figures in the bottom left corner.


As we were about to leave the
building, we stumbled on a tribute
to the crews of the shuttles
Columbia and Challenger.

Challenger:

DSC08139_zpsrn4g94ln.jpg


Columbia:

DSC08141_zpsih5vpdiq.jpg


There were other items
such as personal effects
of the crews and mementos
such as letters.
A very sobering and thought
provoking display.

And on that sad note,
I had to say goodbye to
Doc and Coni.

IMG_2842_zpsea4aujzd.jpg


It was nice to meet Coni
and see Doc again.
This wouldn't be the last time
I'd see them, however,
so saying goodbye wasn't too hard.

The next few hours were taken up with
driving to a few more HD shops
and fighting with traffic.
I'll spare you the details.


I returned briefly to ASMu
to drop off my spoils,
then returned the car to
the Car Care Center around 7pm.
The shuttle drove me over to
DTD and dropped me off.
(Ground shuttle. I.e. Bus.)
I had a little while before
my ADR, so I wandered a bit,
taking a few snaps as the
mood struck me.

DSC08149_zps2qaxausw.jpg


DSC08152_zpsrtauop3x.jpg


DSC08153_zpsuixsjztn.jpg


When I first saw this sign:

DSC08155_zpsrfnyz4ir.jpg


I thought it was a clever
way of announcing the
location of the public
restrooms.

I mean... P P gallery?


Eventually my ADR time came up
and I made my way over to
Chez Fart Smith's Homecomin'.

They brought me to a table...
right beside the entrance and
the hostess podium.

Um... no.
I asked for a different table
and was brought to a less...
high traffic location.

I ordered a drink
(No idea what it was)
and an appetizer,
a half order of deviled eggs.

IMG_2844_zps9oj93obz.jpg


These were really good!
Possibly the best I've had.
The bacon helped.

My main course arrived soon after.
Two-piece chicken meal with
mashed spuds and mac n cheese.

IMG_2846_zps9q5lthsq.jpg


(They threw in some
gravy but the spuds were
so creamy, it wasn't needed.)

I'd heard that the mac n cheese
was sub-par here.
I don't know if they heard the
complaints or not, but I can only
assume they changed the recipe.
This was amazing!
One of the better ones I've eaten.

IMG_2847_zpsyv4gicfp.jpg


I declined an offer for dessert.
I had barely made a dent in
what I'd already been served!
I waddled off in search of the
ASMu bus stop.


I arrived at the bus stop to see
that it was shared with ASMo.
There was a separate line for ASSp.
The line for my bus was long and
winding... I knew that I wouldn't get
on the first bus. But I also knew that
if an ASSp bus came first, that I could
just take that one as my room was
almost as close to ASSp's bus stop
as it was to ASMu's.

TATMAITP*

(*There are too many acronyms in that paragraph.)

The young couple in line in front
of me were weighing their options
and I told them that they could
catch an ASSp bus too. They promptly
got out of line and went over to the
nearly empty ASSp line.
Of course as soon as they did,
a bus arrived for ASMu/ASMo.
It was less than a minute, which
I expected, but... how was Disney
going to make this happen for me?
I mean... waiting under a minute
I expect, but... not being able to get on?

Of course Disney saw this and had
already devised a solution.
The first bus was filled to capacity
and pulled away... and a second bus
immediately pulled in to the vacant
spot and I boarded.
It was nice of them to provide a nearly
empty bus for me.

Oh... and that couple? They came back
and I let them back in line in front of me.
It was the right thing to do.
They were on the same bus I was.

Stick with me, folks.
You'll never have to wait on a bus again.


Map of my day's drive.

map_zpsbanfyrif.jpg


Contest!

Answers from previous update:

1. What time do I get up
the next morning?
a. 6:00am
b. 6:30am
c. 7:00am
d. 7:30am
e. 8:00am

Answer: a, 6:0am
10 points.

2. Which park do I visit first?
a. MK
b. Epcot
c. AK
d. DHS
e. DTD

Answer: e, DTD.
15 points.

3. How many friends do I meet today?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. More than 4

Answer: b, 2.
10 points.

4. What is the average amount
of time that I spend waiting for
busses today?
a. Under 1 minute
b. Between 1 and 5 minutes
c. Between 5 and 10 minutes
d. Between 10 and 20 minutes
e. Over 20 minutes

Answer: a. Under 1 minute.
15 points.

Did you tell me what was your
favourite toy when you were a kid?
20 points.

Did you see them?

DSC07966c_zps3hob23vy.jpg


IMG_2814c_zpseqx4tdj5.jpg


IMG_2833c_zpstwjtsczq.jpg


IMG_2841c_zpspzeunxlq.jpg


10 points/photo. Bonus 10 points for all 4.


SCORES:
MinnieWebster: a:10, c: 0, b:10, a: 15, toy: 20, saw 2: 20. Total: 75.
tundra1: a:10, c:0, b:10 (+10 for actually naming them!) c:0, toy: 20, saw 3: 30. Total: 80.
mustinjourney: a:10, c:0, b:10, b:0, toy: 20, saw 3: 30. Total: 70.
dolewhipdreams: a:10, c:0, b:10, d:0, toy: 20, saw 2: 20. Total: 60.
SimplyGoofy: b:0, a:0, b:10, b:0, toy: 20, saw 2: 20. Total: 50.
docsoliday1: a:10, a:0, d:0, d:0, toy: 20, saw 4: 40 (bonus 10). Total: 80.
juniorbugman: b:0, a:0, c:0, c:0, toy: 20, saw 3: 30. Total: 50.
missjackiemcg: a:10, c:0, c:0, b:0, toy: 20, saw 4: 40 (bonus 10). Total: 80.
disneyAndi14: c:0, a:0, b: 10, c: 0, saw 3: 30. Total: 40.
buzzrelly: a:10, a:0, a:0, a:15, saw 2: 20. Total: 45.
Captain_Oblivious: b:0, b:0, b:10, b:0, toy: 20, saw 3: 30. Total: 60.
Jules76126: a:10, c:0, b:10, b:0, toy: 20, saw 4: 40 (bonus 10). Total: 80.
lvcourtneyy: a:10, a:0, b:10, b:0, toy: 20, saw 3: 30. Total: 70.
MeghanEmily: toy: 20. Total: 20.
Terra Nova guy: b:0, a:0, c:0, c:0, toy: 20, saw 2: 20. Total: 40.
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes: a:10, a:0, a:0, a:15, toy: 20, saw 1: 10. Total: 55.
Steppesister: toy: 20. Total: 20.
franandaj: a:10, a:0, c:0, c:0, toy: 20, saw 4: 40 (bonus 10). Total: 80
natebenma: toy: 20. Total: 20.



Standings:

Jules76126: 160
mustinjourney: 158
MinnieWebster: 137
Captain_Oblivious: 135
franandaj: 131
docsoliday1: 123
lvcourtneyy: 120
tundra1: 120
Terra Nova guy: 117
juniorbugman: 111
dolewhipdreams: 102
missjackiemcg: 100
buzzrelly: 95
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes: 95
SimplyGoofy: 94
Steppesister: 70
DonnaBeeGood: 62
disneyAndi14: 60
vamassey1: 55
MeghanEmily: 40
Kiotzu: 27
natebenma: 20
SnowWhiteOz: 10


If I've made any errors,
please let me know.


Questions!

1. What time do I get up
the next morning?
a. 6:00am
b. 6:30am
c. 7:00am
d. 7:30am
e. 8:00am

2. Which park do I visit first?
a. MK
b. Epcot
c. AK
d. DHS
e. DTD

3. How many friends do I meet today?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. More than 4

4. What is the average amount
of time that I spend waiting for
busses today?
a. Under 1 minute
b. Between 1 and 5 minutes
c. Between 5 and 10 minutes
d. Between 10 and 20 minutes
e. Over 20 minutes

(Gee, these look familiar...)

And...
Did you see it in this chapter?
Did you see both of them?
(No. Not the bus on the VAB
or the outlined Command Module.)


As always, PM your answers!





Coming up... all the little fishies.



 
Last edited:


The alarm woke me at the
unholy hour of 6:00am.
For some reason...
Forgot to reset your alarm?

Up here, the store closest to my
home has 16 different flavours.
How do you choose?!

Very cool, but just a hint
at the coolness yet to come.
Geeking out a lot! I need to get there someday

I ordered a drink
(No idea what it was)
and an appetizer,
a half order of deviled eggs.
Ooooo bacon on deviled eggs. The rest of your meal looks tasty too
 
Forgot to reset your alarm?
Nope.
Wanna guess what time
I'm up the next day?

Wait... I already asked that!
How do you choose?!
I let my tummy decide.
Geeking out a lot! I need to get there someday
::yes::
It's a pretty awesome place!
Ooooo bacon on deviled eggs. The rest of your meal looks tasty too
It was all really good!
I'd definitely go back
and have the exact

same meal!
 
Kind of marks me as a tourist.
I am one... but I don't necessarily
want everyone in Florida to know that.

I can understand this. One of my crowning moments was when I went through a toll booth on the 417 and the toll booth operator thought I was a local.

I get few perks with my job,
but "Emerald" status with
National Car Rental is one.

Wow! That sounds prestigious!

I had a different DISmeet going
on today...

I was meeting Doc (@docsoliday1 )
and his lovely wife Connie over
at Kennedy Space Center.

Exciting! Both for the dismeet and the Kennedy Space Center!

I spotted this model of a Mars
Rover at the entrance.
I didn't notice it right away,
but it's made out of Lego.

Neat! I seem to remember the real one isn't made of Lego though.

This building is deceptively large.
At first glance, you kind of shrug
and move on...
But the VAB is the 4th largest
building in the world by volume.
Each stripe on the US flag
is as wide as a standard bus.

Wow! That's big!

Except...
Firstly, Nasa, didn't develop the pen,
a private organization did.
Secondly... Have you heard of Apollo 1?
Nasa did a full run up of Apollo 1,
which included 3 astronauts in a
pure oxygen environment.
They all died when a fire broke out.
This was NASA's first real tragedy,
and as a result, they were very
conscious and wary of fires.

So... a pencil... made of graphite...
which is highly flammable.
Not to mention...
You know when you use a pencil
and you have to wipe the graphite
dust off the paper?
You really don't want that stuff
floating around and getting into
the sensitive electronics.

So if anyone every tells you
that "joke", you now have the
information to go and set 'em straight.

So there.

Thanks for this! I've heard this joke before and now I feel better educated!


This looks/sounded amazing! Yum!
 
and knowing
Hondo, getting an early start,
before First Order stormtroopers
were out in force, was probably
a wise move.

Of course!

strapped my blaster to my hip
(with a spare in the ankle webbing),

A lesson from the ancient history of the Old Earth's Amercan West.

I found myself, along with other
miscreants and ne'er-do-wells,

Ah, the riff-raff...

Tell me if it's unreasonable
of them to confiscate selfie-sticks.
Or do you agree with the First
Order upholding this rule?

I would have said, yes, I'm elated they uphold this. :( Sorry I'm so far behind I truly am.

:sad1:

I soon became aware of the pounding
bass-line beat that often accompanies
the arrival of elite First Order forces.

Those and sharks.

The crowd jostled and heaved
as the swifter moved to the front
and the slow-moving fell behind.

That was not a comfortable experience.

It was not a pleasant feeling and
I wondered what might happen
should someone stumble and fall.
I could see no way that they wouldn't
be trampled in the mad rush.

No. IMHO, dangerous to a degree.

Let that be a warning to the unwary,
or those afflicted with claustrophobia.
This march is definitely not for you.

An understatement.


Well done, Sir!

I knew better than to ask
what they were there for.
Either Hondo would tell me...
Or he wouldn't.
People who ask too many
questions tend to find themselves
kicked out of airlocks without
spacesuits.

Or worse, banned from Dole Whips in other regions of the galaxy.

He called it a legitimate cargo
run, but... I'm nobody's fool.

But are you somebody's?


Masterful!

I was too busy managing the
ship's systems and repairing
the damage my less-than
skilled co-smugglers couldn't
manage to avoid.

You can repair and manage all you want, you're still going to disappoint Hondo.

and various other riff-raff.

There it is.

It's five o'clock somewhere
in the Galaxy, right?

Of course!!!

The flora here on Batuu always
catches me off guard.

Funny, Alison and I JUST had the conversation about the subtle, intentional differences in the landscaping between the East and West Batuus- the West being drought-resistant, and the East more tropical, yet still other-worldly looking.

Yes, I see you, Kandall Hornsplitter;
with your green, Fangsnarth blood
stained shorts and blade filled
side pack. Her bionic enhanced
eyes ceaselessly scanned for prey
or bounty.
I know when I'm outclassed.
I gave her a wide berth.
Spending my day disemboweled
was not my idea of a good day.

Brilliant!

The smell of roasting rontos
and nunas drew me away

They always smell great!

I had just decided to grab
a bite of roasted ronto

Did you enjoy it?
 
and even
get a date with a Barbie!

I mean... who needs more than that?

I guess not much. Will you by her a Dole Whip when you get one?


The toys just get more expensive.

car_zpsttr1tuh0.jpg
You get to play with toys like that?

What was your favourite toy
when you were a kid?

My bike. For inside play? My Sunshine Family Van. Coloring books and crayons.

Okay... now that I'm teeny-tiny, what
should I do first?

Call Barbie.

So I took a spin on Alien Swirling Saucers.
(Or AS2, or Alien SS, or LGM, or whatever
acronym you use so you don't
spell "donkey" and offend... no one.)

Never ridden it. Doubt I ever will.

(Not a lot of fun, but I was
smiling, so it counts.)
Will I ride it again?


Nope. Probably not.

Sounds like my ride on Monster's Inc at DLR.

It might be more
fun if you had Barbie sitting
beside you and she got
squished up against you
on those turns

It's all fun and games until someone needs an emesis bag.


Those were my kid's favorite toys. (the blocks)

Twenty-minute wait for SDD.
Not bad at all.

Not at all!!

It's really not the same as
when you go up against
a friend/family member.
And I definitely didn't want
to be by myself.
I mean... if you can't do this:

ha%20ha_zpsjo2v3j3n.gif


What's the point?

Play to win, or don't play.
I exited TSL and somehow...
Grew back to my normal size.
Actually, I think Disney added
a few pounds.

And this... even before Prime Time. LOL.

As I passed One Man's Dream,
(I really should've popped in, actually)

Yes, you definitely should have.


Oh dear, that poor girl. :( I bet mom regretted that the rest of the day and beyond.

The Stormtrooper pointed at her
and said. "You've just gone from
curious to suspicious."
And walked away.

:lmao:

I heard that line too. Always funny!

Soon after, Kari arrived and
we were led to a table.

We got lucky.

Well, that certainly escalated quickly. Did you tell Barbie?

I had to try the Fuzzy Tauntaun,

I did too!

We both liked our drinks, except the lip-numbing
foam on the Tauntaun was a bit disconcerting!
I've never had a drink that would give novocaine
a run for its money!
Multiple drinks? Maybe. But one?

I think I'll just copy and paste this for my own TR.


Aw, cute picture.
Gary told us that "Girls' food tastes
better off someone else's plate."

I guess he assumed we were a couple.
While I was extremely flattered,

Nice of you to let her eat off your plate then!

I know Kari ordered a cheese dish,
but when I look at the menu,
it doesn't quite match up with what
I thought she received.
It might be the Fried Herb
and Garlic Cheese.

I got that too and it was super good, but not at Prime Time.

I always like seeing Kari,
however briefly, she's just
one of those people that are
so likeable.


Totally opposite from me.

I've hung out with you both multiple times. You are equally sweet and likeable.

moved
back and forth from FP to Standby
line, framing the shots I wanted

They are all very, very good- far better than mine of ToT I took a few years ago. Well done! Hard to choose a favorite.

Of course I did ride here and there,
but... it wasn't the purpose of the trip.
Taking it all in, and doing new things, was.

Welcome to the AP mentality/SOP.

(So no large knees and no wee knee.)

:rolleyes2

I'm all about that beep.

... about that beep, no trouble.

I'm all about that beep, 'bout that beep, no trouble.

I walked out of the Droid Depot poorer,
but dumber. So there's that.

WE all did.

IMG_2819_zpsdv02frer.jpg


Doesn't look too bad, does it?

Gross.

xcept... I got a bowl of this mess:

Grosser.

so I'll push through and force you
to come along on what has already
been a disconcertingly long chapter.

But all entertainting. Thanks for the good read!

Again sorry for the hiatus. I'm behind everywhere, and not sure when I'll ever catch up.

While I was munching,
Mr. Phone Argument
walked by, wife/girlfriend
still in tow... still arguing.
Hmm... not the Most Magical
nor the Happiest, either!

You paid how much to spend your time arguing on the phone with someone?

Might be my last chance
to thank the Phoenicians.

:sad:
I'm not sure why they couldn't just
do a normal orbit.
I'm disappointed, Disney.
You're overthinking this.


It may not look like much,
but this dip was packed with
flavour and nice chunks of
shrimp and scallops.
Deeelish!

I need to save some material for my own TR, so will reserve comment on this for later.

Did you tell me your
thoughts on selfie sticks?
Bonus points for saying so.

I did. But sadly, I'm out of the running now for your contest. Good questions though!
 
I was meeting Doc (@docsoliday1 )
and his lovely wife Connie over
at Kennedy Space Center.

Nice!!! Glad you could do that. Sounds like you had a great time and saw a lot! (and learned a lot!)

oddly enough...
you pretty much have to pass
through the gift shop to do it.

:lmao: of course you did.

What I wonder though...
is why they painted the flag
that way?
Normally, the stars are in the
upper left corner.
The flag is correct, of course...
Just wonder why they chose that side.
(And don't tell me it's about the flag code.
I know about it... but the stars on the
other, traditional, side also works.)

I know they are "backwards" on military uniforms as well. Maybe it was a hattip to the services?

And all these engines
(except for the center one)
are all moveable!

I guess I hadn't thought about that!

No one knew quite where until
it was found just this past June,
almost exactly 50 years after
it was lost.
How cool is that?

Super cool; I had no idea!

So if anyone every tells you
that "joke", you now have the
information to go and set 'em straight.

So there.

Interesting story!! Thanks for sharing it!

Holy crap.
You don't really get
a sense of just how
massive this thing is
until you look at the
underside!

Impressive for sure!

I mean... P P gallery?
I ordered a drink
(No idea what it was)
and an appetizer,
a half order of deviled eggs.

Nice that you can order just half!

These were really good!
Possibly the best I've had.
The bacon helped.

High praise! The Edison's were pretty tasty too.

I'd heard that the mac n cheese
was sub-par here.
I don't know if they heard the
complaints or not, but I can only
assume they changed the recipe.
This was amazing!
One of the better ones I've eaten.

I'd like to get there someday. Not sure when but hopefully someday.

Oh... and that couple? They came back
and I let them back in line in front of me.
It was the right thing to do.
They were on the same bus I was.
Aw, nice of you.
 
I arrived in Cocoa Beach at 8:30am.
I had 30 minutes to kill before
the Harley Davidson store there
would open, so I popped over
to a nearby 7-11 and grabbed a
drink and a snack for later.

It always surprises me a bit
when I walk into a 7-11 in the US
and they only have 2-4 Slurpee
flavours.
Up here, the store closest to my
home has 16 different flavours.

Right at 9:00am I sashayed into
the HD store and snagged my
first poker chip of the day.
Prize in hand, I set out again.
I had a different DISmeet going
on today...

I was meeting Doc (@docsoliday1 )
and his lovely wife Connie over
at Kennedy Space Center.

I arrived pretty much when I told
them I thought I'd be there;
around 9:30am.
Looks like you had a fabulous day! I rarely set foot outside the bubble when I am in Disney but your day looks like so much fun, I might have to try it!
My main course arrived soon after.
Two-piece chicken meal with
mashed spuds and mac n cheese.
Yum and yum! I have a brunch reservation there in two weeks and now I am seriously thinking of whether I can ask for a side of mac'n'cheese with my fried green tomatoes.
 
Okay, the reason is exhaustion.

Nah there's nothing exhausting in Disney :rolleyes1

I was leaving Disney for a while
and... I don't know about you,
but when I'm not on Disney
property, I don't like to wear my MB.

I agree. Unless I am at home, pretending I am still at Disney.

We were heading out to catch
a tour bus and... oddly enough...
you pretty much have to pass
through the gift shop to do it.

Are you sure you left Disney?

Each stripe on the US flag
is as wide as a standard bus.

Wow!

(Seen the movie Apollo 13?
Let me know if you have or not.)

Have not :scared::scared:

No one knew quite where until
it was found just this past June,
almost exactly 50 years after
it was lost.
How cool is that?

Wow. That is pretty cool!

So if anyone every tells you
that "joke", you now have the
information to go and set 'em straight.

I've heard that joke before. I hope someone uses it again soon so I can use this info.

I thought it was a clever
way of announcing the
location of the public
restrooms.

I mean... P P gallery?

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:It does look like that at first!

I'd heard that the mac n cheese
was sub-par here.
I don't know if they heard the
complaints or not, but I can only
assume they changed the recipe.
This was amazing!

Agreed. It was delicious!!
 
What was your favourite toy
when you were a kid?

When I was a little kid it was this:

455529

However, once I got older, I didn't really have time for toys. Too busy swimming and such, but I did play this early computer game where you dialed in on a modem. It was called Adventure, very primitive, but still very fun!

I don't
often eat breakfast when I'm at Disney.

I knew that much st least.

So I took a spin on Alien Swirling Saucers.

Totally got blindsided on that one!

I felt so bad for the little girl being measured. She fell just short and cried and cried.

Now see that's just bad parenting. For all their jokes about winning the parent of the year award, @Captain_Oblivious and his wife got it right with Drew, they waited until they knew he would meet the height requirements so that they didn't have to have those meltdowns.

What can I say about AS2?
I walked onto it without a wait.
So that's a positive.
I had fun. Also a positive.
(Not a lot of fun, but I was
smiling, so it counts.)
Will I ride it again?


Nope. Probably not.

It's the same ride concept as Mader's Junkyard Jamboree, which makes me I'll, so I don't ride it.

While I waited, I texted Kari
a few more times, and by
8:57am (Yes. I checked the
time again. Stop asking!)
I was on the coaster
and zooming around Andy's
backyard.
Twenty-minute wait for SDD.
Not bad at all.

Dang! I've never seen it shorter than 75 minutes!

I have played/ridden this solo
before and competed with
another Dad, but...
It's really not the same as
when you go up against
a friend/family member.
And I definitely didn't want
to be by myself.

I can see that. You also need another person to unlock most of the bonus features too.

I got in line at RNRC at 9:27am
and was blasting through LA
by 9:45am. Zero to fifty-seven mph
in eighteen minutes.
The last 2.8 seconds of that being
a bit more... intense.

I see that your bus pass extends to ride lines as well.

:laughing: That poor kid's expression!
Her mom seems blissfully unaware
of the therapy bills that are
coming her way.

Oh my god!!!! My ride pic is funny cause it's a guy who was old enough to choose to ride it by his own choice. That poor little kid, you're right. He will be scarred for life.

Soon after, Kari arrived and
we were led to a table.

We got lucky.
Getting a table is not guaranteed.
Standing is.

Did one of you play the handicapped card to get the seats? Fran usually does that for us cause she can't stand for the 45 minutes.

We both liked our drinks, except the lip-numbing
foam on the Tauntaun was a bit disconcerting!
I've never had a drink that would give novocaine
a run for its money!
Multiple drinks? Maybe. But one?

Does it not warn you on the menu that it numbs your lips or did I read about that on some Disney Blog? I went in knowing it would do that and thought it was kinda fun.

I guess he assumed we were a couple.
While I was extremely flattered,
I'm sure Kari was mortified.

:laughing: I bet her boyfriend was even more mortified!

I ordered the onion rings,
because 50s' onion rings are among
the best I've ever had.

::yes:: Truth

I (of course!) ordered Aunt Liz's
Fried Chicken, because it's amazing.

Also Truth. Is that a kid's plate? There's only Drumsticks.

You can only make one FP now at DHS.
Well... okay. You can make three... but
only one good one.

Yet another truth. :sad2:

Or... you wait in line and still can't really
take photos because that line moves
at a steady clip, too!

So what can a guy do?


You can skip the ride. That's what
you can do.

I definitely would not have thought of that one.

You may be shaking your collective
heads at me for not riding what is
arguably one of the best rides
in Disney (depending on who's
doing the arguing.)
But I was quite happy to be doing
something that I'd wanted to do
since I first walked through that
hotel lobby about fifteen years ago.

I get that, but I would have gone on the ride anyways.

That was kinda the theme for this
whole trip.
I'd been fairly recently and felt
zero need to RIDE ALL THE RIDES!!!!
Indeed, I was quite happy to ride
none of the rides.
Of course I did ride here and there,
but... it wasn't the purpose of the trip.
Taking it all in, and doing new things, was.

Well I'm glad you finally reached that point. I think it's so much more fun not trying to rush here and there. So much so that on our next trip in 10 nights we only have 3 ADRs.

Basically, you decide what kind of
droid you want to build
(BB or R2 unit) and grab the
colours that appeal to you.

Huh. Not wanting to fork over that much cash, I've never paid much attention to that part of the Droid shop.

(So no large knees and no wee knee.)

:sad2:

And of course, considering the $3,857,621
I spent wasn't enough, I forked over another
$4,649.99 for a chip that lets it beep more.
I'm all about that beep.

Another reason I don't need to build a Droid.

Doesn't look too bad, does it?
And the Key Lime part of it
wasn't bad at all.
But the whole thing is wrapped
in a thick glob of blue-tinted
white chocolate.
I don't mind white chocolate.
It's fine as a decorative feature
on a real chocolate treat.
But this thing was mostly
white chocolate with a bit of
Key Lime pie thrown in.
The white chocolate taste
was overwhelming.

Thanks for the unreccomendation. I don't really care for White Chocolate. I did try a Key Lime pie first time from Costco in Kansas City, MO and then from a freezer last week. I really need to go to Key West and try one.

It was already half melted
when I got it and so cloyingly
sweet as to be practically inedible.
I tried to eat some of it,
but after just a couple of
spoonfuls… spoonsful...
Hang on...

Okay, either is right.

After a couple of spoonfuls,
I tossed the lot into a nearby
trash bin.

Unlike the YUMMY Apple Crisp Pie that I had for breakfast this morning. I was too full last night for both Boysenberry and Apple Crisp.

I did think that maybe a nice
relaxing bath might be the
thing to recharge my batteries...
So I did.

That usually works for me too when I'm tired in the afternoon.

And it's probably a reflection
of just how tired I was,
that I passed out not once,
but twice, while in there.

Yikes! I take a bath because I can't fall asleep! Be careful!

Not long afterwards, I put him out
of my mind as I ordered a Blended Burger
from Flavors From Fire.

That was very good!

Okay... what's next?
How about...
Active Eat's Loaded Mac n Cheese.

Oooh another good one! But I don't remember it being spicy.

Okay... this is a pet peeve.
I'd never done this version before.
And... I was very bothered by the
use of the impossible trajectory.
The craft is supposed to orbit,
but it makes a 90 degree turn....
Sorry. Ballistics says that's not
possible.
Not at that speed.
Not unless you've got an
inertialess drive system... and that's
not even theoretically possible.

I'm not sure why they couldn't just
do a normal orbit.
I'm disappointed, Disney.

La la la la la....not sure I really understood any of that....I think Disney is counting on that.

First stop... the surprise of the night.
Coastal Eats' Shrimp Scampi.

Another good one!

I followed that up with
Earth Eats' Impossible Burger.
Not as good as the Blended Burger,
but not bad for a vegetarian offering.

Nope. Not enough room in my tummy or calories worth fake meat.

It was only a little after 9:00pm...
And when I returned to my
room, I just barely made it
to my bed before falling asleep.

I'm surprised you lasted that long.
 
We only got one thing snack-wise at DHS.
Something they called a “Chestnut Pinecone”


455250


Dang good use of a snack credit, that was.

That does look good but I thought it was Everest at AK before I read where you got it.

Is it cookie or cake or something else?


Oh, wow. Does that ever take me back!
I wonder how many people reading
even know who that is?

https://external.fbed1-2.fna.fbcdn....mid=5627988&ext=gif&_nc_hash=AQCh4dAQx_dH0wOP

So old, in fact, that I don't know how to properly post a GIF

:headache:
 
Last edited:
I can understand this. One of my crowning moments was when I went through a toll booth on the 417 and the toll booth operator thought I was a local.
oooohh… nice.
What did he say?

Wow! That sounds prestigious!
Sometimes it's not...
but sometimes....

I'll never forget the time
I arrived at an airport and
as I walked up to the counter
I saw that the clerk was busy
with someone, and another client
was waiting in line.
I walked up to the Emerald section
of the desk and the clerk said
"Excuse me" to the person he was
serving, stopped and immediately
came over to serve me.
It sounds bad, but... considering all
my info is on file, all he had to do
was ask for my name and give me
a set of keys, whereas with the other
client he has to go over all the insurance

and rates and get personal info, etc.
Exciting! Both for the dismeet and the Kennedy Space Center!
::yes::
Neat! I seem to remember the real one isn't made of Lego though.
No it's not.
Probably should have, though.
If it was Lego, it'd still be working
instead of dying after 14 years.

Lego is indestructible, you know.
Wow! That's big!
455632

Sorry!!! Couldn't resist!
Thanks for this! I've heard this joke before and now I feel better educated!
:goodvibes
This looks/sounded amazing! Yum!
It was really good.
I can easily see myself
getting that again.
 
Last edited:
A lesson from the ancient history of the Old Earth's Amercan West.
I was thinking more... Chicago during Elliot Ness's days.
Or... ever see The Godfather?

I would have said, yes, I'm elated they uphold this. :( Sorry I'm so far behind I truly am.
Still counts. :)
And I get it. Life gets
in the way. :hug:

Those and sharks.
:lmao:
Yes!!!
That was not a comfortable experience.
No. And yet... I'll probably do it again.
No. IMHO, dangerous to a degree.
I really don't know what they'd do
if someone (elderly? child?) fell.

Well done, Sir!
:goodvibes
Thank you!
I used several techniques
on that one.
Or worse, banned from Dole Whips in other regions of the galaxy.
:eek: Bite your tongue!
But are you somebody's?
Just ask the love of my life. ;)
Masterful!
:goodvibes
Thanks again!
Had fun with that one.

You can repair and manage all you want, you're still going to disappoint Hondo.
He's difficult to please...
Funny, Alison and I JUST had the conversation about the subtle, intentional differences in the landscaping between the East and West Batuus- the West being drought-resistant, and the East more tropical, yet still other-worldly looking.
::yes::
I saw that. I found it a very
interesting convo.

Brilliant!
:laughing: Thanks.
Had fun with that one too. :)

Did you enjoy it?
Never got to try.
Had to run from the First Order.
 
oooohh… nice.
What did he say?

We were just chatting for a moment while getting my change because it was late at night and the toll booth wasn't busy, and she asked something along the lines of how I was enjoying the cooler weather, because it had been very very warm up until a few days before I arrived. I told her I actually thought it felt pretty balmy because I'm from Canada and I had just left our first snowfall to fly there today, and she said something like, "oh you're not from here? Then yes, this must feel warm to you!" :-)

I walked up to the Emerald section
of the desk and the clerk said
"Excuse me" to the person he was
serving, stopped and immediately
came over to serve me.
It sounds bad, but... considering all
my info is on file, all he had to do
was ask for my name and give me
a set of keys, whereas with the other
client he has to go over all the insurance

and rates and get personal info, etc.

Makes sense! Nice service! Why wait in line when you'll be in and out in 30 seconds? Especially when it's a VIP like yourself.

If it was Lego, it'd still be working
instead of dying after 14 years.

Lego is indestructible, you know.

You type the truth.

Sorry!!! Couldn't resist!

*ba dum tsssssk*
 

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