The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[Gabe1]

Well, Gabe... I think if you took every member of this board and assumed they had the money and time to travel from area to area to see a park, it would almost add up to one days gate at MK. That is hardly a majority and that would be assuming that we all are Disney Jet setters. We are indeed a minority. I have been to three locations WDW, DLR and Disneyland Paris. Even I didn't go to Paris to see Disneyland, I went to see Paris, but, since I was that close I went to Disneyland. No specific trip just for DLP. We being absorbed into Disney Parks tend to think that everyone is... sorry to say that is just not true and very many on the outside think of us as being pretty geeky and extremely uncool.

I'm not going to fight over this with you.

I didn't say all that and what I did say got reworked. Ultimately it is time to just Let it Go as Disney will not stop cloning and likely Disney isn't going to clone the specific attractions you want at WDW that are only in Cali

 

[donaldtoo]

Thank you for huggies.

But, no half day for me. Actually, we've been also having some mega computer issues at work, and the tech guys have been trouble-shooting issues in my office, for the past two days. It's put us way behind in our work, on a short week to begin with. (Think I have some sort of black cloud hanging over me for the past two weeks?! )

Sympathy like.
Hope EVERYTHING has been fixed, by now...!

 

[donaldtoo]

Hey, keep your paws off my stuff!!

Didn't you mean "claws"...?!

 

[Cesar R M]

Thanks, Figgy!
I may have had more than one beer, though...

View attachment 215251

Now thats some serious balance skills, and strength!

 

[donaldtoo]

@Gabe1 I think lack of Coke on your shelves at Target was part of a perfect storm of sorts. Sale prices, and the specter of a looming new beverage tax in C(r)ook County. (For those not in the know, .01 cents per ounce). We were given a reprieve of sorts, but I know a lot of people started stock piling the stuff, before it got tied up in court.

Sympathy like.

Good grief!!!!!
$2.88/case...!!!!!
Crook County is right...
Hope the courts throw that out (or, at least reduce it to a much more sane amount).

 

[donaldtoo]

View attachment 214070

 

[Gabe1]

I'm still struggling with this one.

Sitting here thinking about all the groups of school kids that I see (particularly toward the end of the school year in June, when the teachers take them on field trips).

Quite a few come down from Maine on the Amtrak Downeaster. (Amtrak comes into my station where I commute to/from work daily.) The groups range from maybe 25 kids up to 50, and they visit the "big city" to take in the culture, see historical sites, etc. I can tell you that even though the kids are all excited and distracted, their chaperones (teachers and some parents, I presume) are right there with them, watching to make sure no one gets lost, etc. Many have clipboards and take roll calls. There are ALWAYS chaperones at the front of these groups, and also in the rear.

The way I see it, whether it's a group of kids in the city, or a group of kids in the country at a camp, the basic rules of safety and child protection, should always be followed by the people in charge of these kids.

Every camp, field trip etc is different, even in our school system. How it is supervised changed depending on the event and our kids did multiple over night and week long trips, 4 day trips etc through elementary and middle school. There were several field trips I said no to because after I researched it or looked into them they were a recipe for disaster. Those I just called them in sick for. Here for day camps I went and observed. I also sent them off to away camp and I went and vetted it before I said yes they could go.

After a while you get that pit of your gut feeling for what looks acceptable and further what parents you'll let your kid sleep at their house or travel with on vacation, what park district program trips are pretty darn well organized and what are not. And still sometime we parents make mistakes too. Either we should have vetted better or we said yes when we should have said no. Sometimes it is the staff, sometimes it is the kid and sometimes we the parent make the wrong call. Raising kids even the best of kids isn't easy. And this Mom is glad I don't have to do that anymore.

 

[Gabe1]

I just stepped outside. My glasses fogged up but not before I saw lightening west and some idiot is blowing off M80s again.

 

[Cesar R M]

Yep, got that reference...

Only the box office will tell if we're veering even further off in that direction.....

the box office? nah, the internet probably will if the net neutrality gets slashed.

 

[donaldtoo]

Okay, I just had the strangest and terrifying experience and now my heart rate has come down a little. Kapono and I were sitting on the porch and I was on my computer working on my trip report here and editing my personal trip journal when I saw what looked like a bird hit the outside of the screen, then fall. No big deal right, birds hit windows....then it popped up and attached itself to the screen and I thought that was strange so I looked up and it was a bat attached to the outside of the screen!! A bat! During the day!

(Disclaimer I really hate bats, they freak me out, I can't even look at pictures of them and at Animal Kingdom during the Maharajah Jungle trek I literally run through the building that has them with my head down. And I don't run ever, but I want to see the tigers there.)

So I start flipping out and start hyperventilating. And grab the flyswatter to smack the screen to get it to move, but before I can smack it flies off. It flew off towards our neighbors tree across the street. But not before I see its weird body splayed out, and now I'm super freaked out. It's not good to see them during the day right?! I texted hubby, who is down in Illinois to do a friends wedding, and he said it is just a freak thing. I know he is probably right but I'm still freaked out.

Sorry to rant, and thanks for letting me.

Oh boy! Bat fun for you...!!!!!

Years ago at the firm I walked out of my office to get something from the kitchen. When I came back, a few minutes later, there was a small bat laying in my office doorway. I thought "How the heck did that get there?" It was obviously dying from something (rabies is very common in bats), so a coworker of mine held a gallon ziplock bag wide open (we didn't want it to touch any of the outside of the bag were we might touch) while I scooped it up with a piece of cardboard and dumped it in. It's final resting place was our dumpster.
I'm not surprised to see them outside every now and then (after all, Austin does have the worlds largest urban bat colony living under the Congress Ave. Bridge downtown - 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats), but, in our building was definitely something new.

 

[Gabe1]

I don't know about the geeky and uncool part, but most people I know think I'm nuts for spending the money to go to WDW. I've planned a few visits with my brother, only to have him back out because his husband doesn't think it's a good value and he'd rather go on a cruise. I'm hoping that now that they have a munchkin, it may tip the scales and he'll be willing to do it because she wants to go. But most people just don't understand the allure. Most people here already think it's too expensive to go to Disneyland Paris, and we can DRIVE there in about 5-6 hours so you don't have to pay for flights and it's not as expensive as WDW. It's not that they don't think it sounds cool, or fun, just that they can't imagine it's worth the money. I wonder how many would be won over if they experienced Disney just once, you know? I'm pretty sure my BIL has never been to a Disney Park in any part of the world, so he really doesn't know what he's missing, poor guy! We went a few times as kids, so my brother really wants to go back, but can't get his DH to agree to the cost. So it's not about being geeky...although, most of my friends are geeks and proud of it, so it being geeky would only increase the appeal.

Yeah, I have not tripped across much of the geeky or uncool kind of judgement by folks. Actually many envious. Our tax refund was always earmarked for our annual 2 week trip to Disney. If funds allowed we would at times take a second trip. Did you like Disney Paris? I've heard mixed reviews. My bucketlist is Tokyo. I really drool over some of the cutting edge attractions they've plus'd like Pooh. Simple attraction made better kind of imagineering. I hope your brother does get to return to WDW with his kid. So sad when one person get the final veto power in things like this. No doubt the kid would have a blast.

 

[donaldtoo]

Ok gang, I'm out...!
Y'all be cool...!!!
Laterrrrrrr...!!!!!

 

[Songbird76]

I was not happy. At 4-H camp we always had a partner and a counselor at the end of the group on any outing. I'm ready for her to come home.

Isn't there some sort of statute requiring 1 adult for every so many children? It's appalling to me that no one would notice her fall...that says to me that she must have been at the back of a very large group or someone would have heard/seen something. So obviously they don't have very much oversight. That's a huge liability. What if your DD had broken her leg and been unable to get up and run to catch up with the group? How long would she have been lying there alone before they noticed she was missing and came looking for her? WOULD they have noticed her missing? I'm so glad she's ok, but I wouldn't want her going back there!

 

[Songbird76]

I'm still struggling with this one.

Sitting here thinking about all the groups of school kids that I see (particularly toward the end of the school year in June, when the teachers take them on field trips).

Quite a few come down from Maine on the Amtrak Downeaster. (Amtrak comes into my station where I commute to/from work daily.) The groups range from maybe 25 kids up to 50, and they visit the "big city" to take in the culture, see historical sites, etc. I can tell you that even though the kids are all excited and distracted, their chaperones (teachers and some parents, I presume) are right there with them, watching to make sure no one gets lost, etc. Many have clipboards and take roll calls. There are ALWAYS chaperones at the front of these groups, and also in the rear.

The way I see it, whether it's a group of kids in the city, or a group of kids in the country at a camp, the basic rules of safety and child protection, should always be followed by the people in charge of these kids.

Agreed! A few years ago, DD's class went to the zoo and she ended up being left behind because she didn't see her group leave and they only had 1 leader who did not to a head count to make sure all the kids were there. They had procedures in place for just such an event, so it all turned out ok, but DD was scared. She was only 7 I think? And now they have 2 adults for each group with the younger kids so one can stay with the group and the other one can run a kid or two to the bathroom, etc.

 

[Songbird76]

We got Wiggles (our girl doggie), when Freddy started spending too much time under the bed. He was so happy having her, he was his old self, and taught Wiggles a few tricks too. So fun to watch them play together. The only time Freddy didn't want to share, was at meal time. He didn't get enough food, he was way underweight from the animal shelter, and we fed him and put out a bowl of dry food, so he could have a snack. He never got overweight, he knew he had something in his bowl. Wiggles came along and we fed them at the same time , Wiggles in the kitchen with me, and Freddy in the family room with hubby. They finally both knew their bowls and they never shared. Each had their own bowl of dry food. Neither one wanted to invade the other's property. They seemed to work it out for themselves, with out our help after a few weeks, when we made sure they knew their territory. We never had to monitor after a few weeks. Animals are so much smarter than people.

Ha! My brother's dogs were always stealing from the others' dishes. I caught both his boys stealing from their sister's dish and chased them away. Naughty boys!!

 

[Songbird76]

Yeah, I have not tripped across much of the geeky or uncool kind of judgement by folks. Actually many envious. Our tax refund was always earmarked for our annual 2 week trip to Disney. If funds allowed we would at times take a second trip. Did you like Disney Paris? I've heard mixed reviews. My bucketlist is Tokyo. I really drool over some of the cutting edge attractions they've plus'd like Pooh. Simple attraction made better kind of imagineering. I hope your brother does get to return to WDW with his kid. So sad when one person get the final veto power in things like this. No doubt the kid would have a blast.

We haven't been to DLP yet. We're going in October. I was sitting at my brother's house after dad died, and I was just depressed and needed a pick-me-up. I saw that there were some deals going for DLP's anniversary, so I booked on the last day the deal was available, knowing I was going to need a break when all was said and done. I was rather hoping to have at least the cattle and the house taken care of by now, but nothing so far...so DLP will be my de-stresser.
It's not so much that my BIL has final veto power...they discuss it, but my brother is REALLY bad with money and can't really be trusted because he'll spend everything before he's even got the money in the bank. So my BIL has to kind of be the heavy and say no. It's not that he doesn't want to go to Disney, it's that he knows my brother and doesn't want to be in debt for 20 years for 1 vacation. BUT, supposedly my brother is getting a promotion and raise soon, and my BIL is going back to work full time in the fall, so they will have 2 incomes...now that my niece is 4, maybe they can be convinced to visit Disney with us. I did some research and we could stay in SS or OKW in one of their 2 bedroom villas and it wouldn't cost a whole lot more than CBR was for us last year if we split the cost between our 2 families. We'd each have a bedroom. I want to say that we could even have BIL's parents join us and we would still fit, but now I can't remember. Anyway, I am hoping that it will work out eventually.

 

[Figgy1]

View attachment 215223

That would have been perfect with a glass of wine last night.

 

[Figgy1]

I see less and less coconut milk ice cream in my stores. They have gone to cashew milk, this doesn't agree with me. Little or no almond milk. I could have that, but now it's pretty much nothing. What are the manufacture's thinking?

I'm sorry. It's the opposite around here. It seems we have even more choices than last year. Maybe because we have some decent supermarkets facing competition in the healthy/organic/allergy safe departments Even Sam's and Costco seem to be jumping onto the band wagon.

 

[Figgy1]

Yes for my hand but I haven't said much on here. I don't want to be one of those people that put all their problems in this thread. The docs put me through all kinds of stuff over the past two months to see why my back has been hurting. Some days I can only sit and walking across a room kills me. Other days, not so bad. MRI recently showed 3 herniated disks in my lowest lumbar area so tomorrow I go to the hospital for my first of three spinal epidural/steroid shots. They have to sedate me so I won't move. At this point it's whatever works.

Sympathy like. Please rant away when you need to because it's only fair when you cheer all of us up every day with your wonderful pics Good luck today I hope the shots work xoxo

 

[Figgy1]

I can do either, but I like Burger king's fries. They are not too greasy.

You need a Margaritaville for their fries