Pre-Trip 2 Broke Guys (now with Table of Contents!)

dizfan917 · Mar 27, 2017

so it's not ALL fun and games... you ARE working!! lucky guy.

BuddyThomas · Mar 27, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
Hell, yes - I'll be 46 in August. I remember my grandmother being 46 and she was already "old."

The potential downside down here is we may lose property value if the place is underwater in 10 years LOL.

What the----?!?!?! You're 4 years younger than me?!?! Plus you get to go every five minutes?! Why, I oughta ---!

BuddyThomas · Mar 27, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
The beer flight in Germany was nice, we enjoyed it relaxed on a bench facing the water.

View attachment 193618 View attachment 193619

We were thinking about heading over to Magic Kingdom to see wishes, and I started getting cold feet about it. I just thought all the travel time back-and-forth, the crowds, etc. and since we were now pretty sure we're coming back in a few weeks, I'd rather do that one evening we're doing only Magic Kingdom – and let tonight be only Epcot, with minimal hassle.

Of course, I had this epiphany just as we exited spaceship Earth, so it was a long walk back to WS, and B expressed how exhausted he was. I'm glad he did. So I only forced him back to "The Land" and "The Sea" instead of all the way to WS lol.

View attachment 193620
"The first drag queen."

The idea was solid - take our time and do Nemo, Soarin, and even the little ones we never do like the Lion King boat thing, etc.

The problem was: the Lion King ride was closed, the other ride downstairs was closed, and Soarin had an hour wait (maybe because everything else was closed?) No FP available. We weren't waiting 55 minutes. On to Nemo.
View attachment 193621
Clamshell selfie.

We spent a good amount of time on a leisurely walk through the aquarium, which B especially likes. No dolphins. Were the dolphins "closed" already, too? Feh.

Trumpfish:
View attachment 193622
These barely moved:View attachment 193624
Awww:View attachment 193625
And of course, right back where we started the day, with an oblique gay reference:View attachment 193626

So with no more nearby options and a tired husband, I called it early, picked up the pup (got her early enough to qualify for a half-day refund) went back to the room, and I guess I was beat, too, because I was out like a light.

We drove home on Saturday. I had to cover my store for the last few hours, and when I got home, B had this on the kitchen table for me:

View attachment 193627

And yes, it was better than the festival! Bigger glass, more shake.

Ya know, it's a shame I'm not still with ICM. Based on these 5 million pages of trip details, I'm relatively certain I could have gotten you a book deal to do some sort of humorous travel guide and I'm not even kidding. Of course, now I work for a play publisher so I'll have to wait until you turn your talents to theatre.

Tony the Tigger · Mar 28, 2017

BuddyThomas said:
Ya know, it's a shame I'm not still with ICM. Based on these 5 million pages of trip details, I'm relatively certain I could have gotten you a book deal to do some sort of humorous travel guide and I'm not even kidding. Of course, now I work for a play publisher so I'll have to wait until you turn your talents to theatre.

I wrote (or re-wrote what someone else started writing) my first and only play in high school. It was called "Murder, We Wrote." It played at the school and the local senior citizens' home. We entered it in some contest which mercilessly crucified us because it was cliche and the title begged comparison with the TV show. (I considered it more of a parody.) (They said the name of the TV show was also poorly thought out because it begged comparison with the film, "Murder, She Said." Tough crowd.)

Anyway, it launched one of my friends into some kind of "career" in singing/acting (she teaches at NJPAC now, I think) and the girl who started writing it took full credit for writing (and directing) it - she did direct it - and she won the English award at graduation. I remember sitting next to my mother at the award ceremony hearing, "The winner of this award wrote a play that was performed around town..." and then they called her name. :depressed:

Ha!

But it was worth it because I wrote myself as a British playwright and got to do the accent through the whole thing. And wear a clown costume for Act III. :geek:

Tony the Tigger · Mar 28, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
For whatever reason, I was up later than 3am.

And what time is it now, kids?

Yep. 3AM. At least this time I slept from around 11:30PM.

The other two are up, too.

Well, this morning I got a good lead on a record collection and made an appointment to go see it in the morning at 11. I also submitted a proposal for a three year extension on my store lease, interviewed a potential new tenant for the building, got my store on track for the week, and tried to rest a bit. (Ha!)

Got Kylie to BFPC around 2PM. To my relief, the lobby was empty of other dogs. One of the two girls behind the counter asked me to "step back towards the center of the room" - what?! and then neither were in a hurry to check us in, nor were the other employees milling about. I was baffled. Kylie was crying because she wanted to go out back. After several uncomfortable minutes like this, I just took her out back and muttered something about this taking too long. (I can understand when it's busy. It wasn't.) All weird.

Had fun out back, no fights. Came back in, still no one else there at first, and the girl asked so many questions as if we had never been there before - some really annoying like, "And what do we call her Mickey toy?" Um, a Mickey toy. Who cares? At this point, her collar was already off, another dog was in, and she wanted to greet it. I'm on the floor holding her while answering stupid questions and realizing how slow the check-in process is even when it's dead. Boo.

I did not see Adam, @dizfan917

Headed over to Epcot.

These birds were literally nesting under SSE in some kind of equipment. They were bringing twigs over and ordering tiny IKEA furniture.

After Figment (FP from the parking lot) I made a beeline to the U.K. for my corned beef dish. Woo hoo!

What do I do at WDW without my husband?

Walk faster. (Ha!) What else? Eat the whole corned beef myself. What else? Get dessert!

The strawberry tiramisu at Italy. Nice. Now what to drink?

The Hugo-Charles elderberry (again?) Brut.

Swing and a miss. Bad drink, poorly constructed, and at ten bucks, not a good value.

First, they squirt some elderberry syrup (not liqueur) into the flute, which is thick and settles into the stem. They pour champagne on top which doesn't blend with it at all, no matter how much you swish it around. Topped with one fresh-ish mint leaf. Folks, I cannot recommend this one.

To wrap, Three Caballeros, and then my lucky Frozen FP. Standby was 105 minutes. I got on the FP line at 5:25 and was off the ride by 5:45.

So for the crowd calendars calling today an 8 or 9 out of 10, there were no lines at the food booths, and there were FP available. The park did not feel crowded. Nice afternoon.

Tonight we decided to just go to the local Chinese buffet - and B can expense it! :joyfull:

Both tired, and want to push it more tomorrow night when he doesn't have to work the next day. Nice, relaxing evening, picked up the pup - and here we are all awake - now at 4AM LOL.

MinnieM123 · Mar 28, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
Nice, relaxing evening, picked up the pup - and here we are all awake - now at 4AM LOL.

It's hard to sleep on vacation, even if you're tired. You just get so wound up that it's hard to sleep--at least for the first night.

Tony the Tigger · Mar 28, 2017

Almost forgot - the new numbers are out:

$1,118.82 is the new total of Chase points. Haven't used any yet on this trip - I guess it all depends on dinner tonight, which is up in the air at this point, probably something on the monorail loop since we are going to MK tonight.

I officially nixed the butler dinner today for September. Mixed feelings, but I think it was a good decision. I'd rather spread that budget around to a few signature dinners, and feel better about random splurges like, "hey, let's finally stop by the tequila bar when we go on Three Caballeros this time!" without any hesitation.

Still might add a tour, too.

So today Kylie was at BFPC by 10:15am. Much easier check-in, and I thanked the staff for that. The guy's name was Adam, but he said it was the other Adam who was from Wisconsin lol.

I didn't know him from Adam.

Fun time in the back play area, and I had to get to my vinyl appt in Kissimmee by 11. Ended up buying a few hundred really nice records :joyfull:

and got back to the room between 3 and 4. After I think about a half hour nap (very refreshing!) my phone rang. I jumped up, looked at the clock (4:45) and my first thought was, "OMG, I slept all day!)

Silly Tony, that's impossible. My brain is so mean to me sometimes. :bored:

Brian got back about a half hour ago and is asleep. I think I'm going to go to the gym for a little bit to let him rest - I plan on staying late tonight, none of this leaving by 9pm stuff.

And we have to go visit Kylie on the way to MK. She's been there all day and will be until 11 or 12 tonight. I can't. Gotta take her out to play in back for awhile. My poor puppy. :cry:

Hmmm...maybe eat at Olivia's near BFPC? Decisions, decisions.

Tuvalu · Mar 28, 2017

$1,118 is the magic number today for me too....only in real dollars, not Chase points. That's what it cost to have the car readied for our trip on Saturday.

And we thought it only needed an oil change. :greedy:

MinnieM123 · Mar 28, 2017

Tuvalu said:
$1,118 is the magic number today for me too....only in real dollars, not Chase points. That's what it cost to have the car readied for our trip on Saturday.

And we thought it only needed an oil change.

Cars = money pits . . . :cautious:

Tony the Tigger · Mar 28, 2017

Tuvalu said:
$1,118 is the magic number today for me too....only in real dollars, not Chase points. That's what it cost to have the car readied for our trip on Saturday.

And we thought it only needed an oil change.

Oh, no. Boooo.

But we should play the lotto.

Tuvalu · Mar 28, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
Oh, no. Boooo.

But we should play the lotto.

I know right??!! The number with change was $1118.33, so not exactly the same as your 1118.82 ~ otherwise we WOULD be playing!

Tuvalu · Mar 28, 2017

Good call on canceling the butler dinner BTW.

Tony the Tigger · Mar 29, 2017

Tuvalu said:
Good call on canceling the butler dinner BTW.

Thanks. I'm thinking maybe save that for another occasion (or not.)

So our last night (this week) was a combination of meh and tragic (not really tragic - just go with it, OK?)

Sometimes I have to laugh at myself when planning options and thinking we can do x-y-z in so many hours. Then I self-edit. Then we still only get to "y."

As mentioned where we left off, I wanted to let B rest, visit Kylie, have a decent but not splurgy dinner, see Wishes, and either stay at MK or go to Swan for karaoke. Must pick up dog by midnight and leave in the morning.

When I woke Brian around 6:45PM, it took him a little longer to get going (which is fine.) So we got to BFPC a little late, and Kylie was having such a great time running around (like more than usual) I told the CM afterwards, "She was downright frolicking." So that ran over on time as well.

We decided on Olivia's because it's across the street from Kylie, reasonably priced, takes the AP 20% off, and we know we like it. We'd be a little rushed, but I was already bargaining with myself if we didn't see Wishes, it was ok.

Before leaving the room, I could have made an ADR for 8:10, but hoped to arrive earlier and use our party of two superpower (right, paddlefish?) We arrived at 8PM. We were told min 1 hr wait. I got on my phone and booked an 8:20 ADR lol. We were seated by 8:30.

Something was off at Olivia's. The staff seemed harried. One very nice man who was aware we waited to sit also followed up to get our drinks, knowing our server was in the weeds. When she did come over, she responded to our "how are you" with the head tilt and crooked face and a grumble. I said, "Getting pulled in all directions?" She nodded. Maybe they were short-handed.

We were seated outside (first time) which was nice. I couldn't decide between two dishes so I ordered one and B ordered the other. (See how he is? Awww.) We did the "eat half and switch plates" thing.

We ordered the crab crusted mahi-mahi and the Duval burger (with shrimp on it.) The food was...

To be continued...gotta drive home!

Tiggerish · Apr 3, 2017

Nice cliffhanger there...

Tony the Tigger · Apr 3, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
So our last night (this week) was a combination of meh and tragic (not really tragic - just go with it, OK?)

Tony the Tigger said:
We ordered the crab crusted mahi-mahi and the Duval burger (with shrimp on it.) The food was...

The food was "meh."

We've never had a bad meal before at Olivia's, but we've only ever gone for lunch - appetizers, sandwiches, drinks (of course.)

"Crab-crusted Mahi Mahi served with a tropical Couscous, Avocado, Pico de Gallo, and Mango Butter"

The crab crusted mahi-mahi sounded like a good idea, but it was a brick of fish that was so salty as to make it almost inedible. Now, I know I'm sensitive to salt, and I had this dish first, so I waited to switch plates with Brian, and he said it was way too salty, also.

(I don't think I've ever sent a plate back in my life, unless it was the wrong item completely.)

I've never been a big fan of couscous, but that was the best thing on the plate.

My wine was the best thing on the table.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
Crisp, bright notes of lime, gooseberry, and grapefruit lift the palate to a refreshing, clean finish

That was beautiful. Gotta remember that one.

As for the Duval St. Burger:

"topped with Grilled Shrimp, Pepper Jack Cheese, Avocado, and Pico de Gallo on our Pineapple-Coconut Roll"

I don't know why that sounded good to me - probably because I could "cheat" by having a burger, I've never thought to put shrimp on a burger before, and the roll sounded interesting.

The roll wasn't interesting.

The burger was fine. I'm not used to burgers without ketchup or bbq, and either would have been a little odd on this one, but it needed something. Fortunately, Brian ordered the slaw rather than fries on the side, which was the best thing on the plate, and improved the burger when taken in the same bite.

OK, Olivia's. Everyone deserves a "one bad." For what we spent, I was now second guessing myself about places we could have gone, spent a few dollars more, and had a better meal.

Overall, the experience was fine, just not the food.

Side note: just before they called us for our table, I heard the hostess telling someone else you could eat at the bar and order the full menu. I wish she had told us that at 8PM, we would have absolutely done that, and then the rest of this would not have happened.

The tragic part. (OK, I'm being melodramatic.) (Not really.)

The whole night was centered around seeing Wishes. Well, we saw something around 9PM, don't know what it was, don't think it was Wishes, we were still sitting outside at our table at Olivia's.

(sigh.)

OK, let's salvage the night. The choices: go to MK post-wishes, open til 11PM, fight crowds, go on the same few rides we always go on. Or: go to the Swan for some karaoke before we have to pick up Kylie around midnight.

Drinking wins!

In the few times we've been to the Swan for karaoke, it's not that busy, you can sing many times in a short time period, it's full of tourists who love you, and we (and I say this with only modest exaggeration) "take over the room." We get great applause, we take requests, we do duets with strangers. We get asked if we are "ringers" or professional singers. (Yes, I know, consider the source LOL.) We're not Pavarotti but we can pull off a pop song, each of us, equally (although Brian has a better voice, absolutely.)

This place has been good for our egos.

Until tonight!!

You are now entering the Twilight Zone. But instead of an elevator going up and down, you are going up and down on a stage. You are performing your best-loved numbers, but the people who usually love you, have no reaction whatsoever. This is the Black Hole of Swan karaoke. This is...the Black Swan.

I kid you not, it was the TZ. Different karaoke host, different bartender - the bartender for the first time ever said he would not validate our parking unless we ordered food. (Is that new?! It usually ends up being a moot point, but still. Weird.) I think we had two drinks each and it was like $50. My crowns-on-the-rocks were nowhere near as full as they used to be.

One important thing about karaoke (if you take it a little seriously like some people) is to read the room. Know your audience. Sit back and listen first, see if they are clapping for just anyone (a la "She Bangs") or if they appear to appreciate a certain genre over others, etc. Yes, yes, sing what's in your heart, but with a large enough repertoire, you can tailor your picks to make the most people enjoy themselves.

I went first, tipped the KJ (host) and opened with a can't lose warm-up that I never mess up: "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & The Beaters. (Remember, from Family Ties?) It crosses genres. It's nostalgic. It's easy to sing.

I could tell by the second verse, no one was with me except the one weird guy sitting directly in front of me, and the table of women to the right of the stage (whoever sits next to the stage is there to party after their convention and usually not very picky.)

Brian was giving me the "I can't hear you" sign from the bar (on the opposite end of the room.) I was singing loudly. I was holding the mic close (not too close - germs!) and I was checking the mic handle for an on-off switch in case it was off. No dice. It ended. Thank you, both of you in the corner, for clapping. I asked Brian if I stank - he said no, it was my usual but he couldn't hear. OK.

Brian did "Lady" by Kenny Rogers - another crowd pleaser. Never goes wrong. Holds a big note in the middle, tall drink of water belting his heart out. Meh. Where was this crowd?

Oh. This crowd was pretty much all from the same convention. So when five drunk girls got up to do "Little Red Corvette," they were handsomely rewarded with heaps of applause. They were part of the group.

They also skewed younger. OK, we'll try one more round. Maybe two. It's not the first time I've had to win over a crowd. It can be fun.

New direction, younger tune: Matchbox 20. "Push." The opening music usually elicits a positive response. Nope. Crap. They can't hear me again. Some guy came up during the performance and adjusted something on the controls which we think was designed to help that, but it didn't. So weird! (Where was the host? No clue.) I was yelling the song. And it ended.

Other people did young people music. Didn't work. Random stuff was connecting. I told Brian his best bet was one of two fun favorites he does really well: Runaround Sue or Brown Eyed Girl. He has such a throwback 50's white boy voice with a hint of Irish, and those work well. Especially the latter, when he gets to the end, he changes the lyrics to "cross-eyed girl," "green-eyed squirrel," etc. (Sorry if I've mentioned that before?)

No reaction. Nothing! Nada. No love for my husband.

At that point, I wussed out, stopped trying to pick a third disaster, er, song, decided to go get my puppy who loves me and always claps when I sing to her, and was ready to pay an obnoxious $20 parking fee for that 90 minutes of humiliation.

As always, the parking booth was deserted, and we left with no parking fee. (Ah, a silver lining!)

See what I mean? Tragic. Not gonna lie, I was a little bummed and wondering, "have I lost it?" LOL. Oh, no. Wait til they see me in September!!! [Insert Qbert string here.]

That's all folks - picked up the pup, got a salad from Wendy's, went to bed, drove home. Brian's been sick-ish ever since. I think I'm renewing my store lease for 3 more years but don't have the paperwork yet (rent has gone up tremendously.) And I'm spending most waking and some sleeping moments trying to get my store ready for Record Store Day on 4/22. Plus my car broke down twice - first, alternator, now, fuel pump. arrgh!

Can we just skip to September?!?

B has steady work down here starting May 1, and fairly steady work until then, so I don't know if he'll be able to do another mini-Orlando trip, and I don't know if I'll be able to go, anyway. (Not kidding about Record Store Day.) But will keep you posted!

In the meantime, enjoy your own trips! I'm still trying to decide if/which tour for the anniversary trip.

Tony the Tigger · Apr 3, 2017

Tiggerish said:
Nice cliffhanger there...

Ha! You posted that while I was typing!

Tiggerish · Apr 3, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
Ha! You posted that while I was typing!

Kim Crawford makes nice wines. I'm a big fan of his unoaked chardonnay. Back when F&W festival was about educating attendees about food and wine (rather than seeing how much more they're willing to pay for less), when the winemakers ran the seminars instead of the marketing dudes, I met Kim Crawford's wife as she was conducting the session. For a New Zealand Sauvie, though, I prefer his neighbor Babich.

Too bad about the karaoke letdown. Boo. Yay for free parking, though! I have to admit, I can't stand "At This Moment". Probably because I lived through it being overplayed. :joyfull:

dizfan917 · Apr 3, 2017

Tony the Tigger said:
So today Kylie was at BFPC by 10:15am. Much easier check-in, and I thanked the staff for that. The guy's name was Adam, but he said it was the other Adam who was from Wisconsin lol.

I didn't know him from Adam.

Fun time in the back play area, and I had to get to my vinyl appt in Kissimmee by 11. Ended up buying a few hundred really nice records and got back to the room between 3 and 4. After I think about a half hour nap (very refreshing!) my phone rang. I jumped up, looked at the clock (4:45) and my first thought was, "OMG, I slept all day!) Silly Tony, that's impossible. My brain is so mean to me sometimes.

WAIT!!

So is it the Adam from WI that is dating my friend Kristopher?! How many CMs from WI named Adam can there be?! I'm sure you'll meet him eventually...

I'm glad he was faster than the other CMs, at least...

Tony the Tigger · Apr 3, 2017

dizfan917 said:
WAIT!!

So is it the Adam from WI that is dating my friend Kristopher?! How many CMs from WI named Adam can there be?! I'm sure you'll meet him eventually...

I'm glad he was faster than the other CMs, at least...

I'm assuming it's the other Adam!

MinnieM123 · Apr 3, 2017

Bummer about Olivia's and also about karaoke over at the Swan. Sounds like an "off" night all around. It happens.

Sometimes, if I have an outstanding experience somewhere, I'm almost inclined to not return--I think deep down, I won't be able to recreate that feeling of euphoria from the same place, on a second visit. Anything less, would be a major letdown.

You did well "wowing" the crowds on a few previous visits to the Swan--I had to laugh about how you two would take requests and shut down the place! :hilarious:

Pre-Trip 2 Broke Guys (now with Table of Contents!)

dizfan917

Well-Known Member

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

MinnieM123

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

Tuvalu

Well-Known Member

MinnieM123

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

Tuvalu

Well-Known Member

Tuvalu

Well-Known Member

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

Tiggerish

Resident Redhead

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

Tiggerish

Resident Redhead

dizfan917

Well-Known Member

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member

MinnieM123