The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[Mac Tonight]

Is it wrong to miss the pandemic? There was no one on the freeways and gas was $2.45.

Ugh. Just paid $5.29/gallon this morning. Thankfully my wife's car has a smaller tank than mine... but unfortunately, its also the one we use most often :/

 

[Californian Elitist]

Took this photo near Union Station/Olvera Street/Chinatown a few weeks ago. Big yikes.

 

[PiratesMansion]

In retrospect, I may have picked a bad year to get a job with a long commute.

 

[Mac Tonight]

Am I imagining things, or is Stitch having a weird resurgence right now?

There’s randomly a new line of Happy Meal toys at McDonalds:

Super7 has Stitch in their newest wave of Disney Ultimates! figures line:

And for WDW’s 50th, Funko has a new POP! with Stitch in the People Mover, even though his Tomorrowland attraction is gone.

 

[Brer Panther]

Maybe Chapek just really likes Stitch?

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

Lamplight Lounge: Are reservations a must? And is it a good option for kids (age 10 and 7)?

 

[The Mom]

Even when I was a vegetarian for 10 years, I never understood why people who didn't eat meat wanted meat-looking products! Now I am anemic and can't NOT eat meat.

Speaking of which, Disneyland really needs to improve their pork buns. There is no excuse.

My daughter felt the same way - I once offered to pick up vegetarian hamburgers and her response was, "Why would I want to pretend I'm eating meat? Yuck."

 

[LittleBuford]

Even when I was a vegetarian for 10 years, I never understood why people who didn't eat meat wanted meat-looking products! Now I am anemic and can't NOT eat meat.

Many of us who don’t eat meat like meat very much. For example, I love the taste of bacon but deplore the way that pigs raised for food are treated. Vegan meat substitutes are a godsend for those who feel as I do.

 

[LittleBuford]

Are you disgusted by eating animals and animal products, or aren't you?

This is a false dichotomy. I’m not disgusted by eating animal products, but I am disgusted by the way such products are brought into existence. It’s no different from someone choosing fake fur over the real thing.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Many of us who don’t eat meat like meat very much. For example, I love the taste of bacon but deplore the way that pigs raised for food are treated. Vegan meat substitutes are a godsend for those who feel as I do.

I agree. The way animals are treated is so awful--and then people want to eat that? I am lucky to live in an area where there are lots of local family farms who find their way into the grocery stores. Unfortunately, I can't not eat meat, but I try my best to get it from better places!

 

[Dear Prudence]

For someone who has the world's worst doll phobia, I sure do love "it's a small world".....

 

[mickEblu]

Disney isn’t offering LL on ROTR today. Something to do with the rain maybe? Do they care about people waiting outside in the rain?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Didn’t see a thread for it, so commenting here - made it onto today’s first Soarin’ Over California flight. I hadn’t caught any of its other returns, so it felt great to experience it again!

The ride opened earlier than everything else in the park, so was able to hit up Mission Breakout for rope drop as well. Topping things off, RSR didn’t open with the park, but when it did open, the single rider line was a breeze.

Great morning in DCA! Also was lovely to see the prep for World of Color’s return & ride a tram for the first time in years.

 

[mickEblu]

Didn’t see a thread for it, so commenting here - made it onto today’s first Soarin’ Over California flight. I hadn’t caught any of its other returns, so it felt great to experience it again!

The ride opened earlier than everything else in the park, so was able to hit up Mission Breakout for rope drop as well. Topping things off, RSR didn’t open with the park, but when it did open, the single rider line was a breeze.

Great morning in DCA! Also was lovely to see the prep for World of Color’s return & ride a tram for the first time in years.

Nice! Did they get rid of the “dirt” on the screen? And can you still see the grid lines during scenes with white backgrounds?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Nice! Did they get rid of the “dirt” on the screen? And can you still see the grid lines during scenes with white backgrounds?

Not 100% positive, but I didn’t notice either of these myself.

What I did notice (could be a consequence of the digital switch) was the color saturation looking different than I remember. Particularly during the Napa balloon scene, the sky seemed a bit over-saturated.

Still a great experience, and so nice to smell the forest and oranges again!

 

[Parteecia]

Portion Sizes! Look at the plate the teenage blonde girl is taking from the buffet. It has one taco and one burrito, but they are about two thirds the size of tacos and burritos today. There is no rice or starches on the plate.

We served the standard Mexican combos, enchiladas/ tacos/tostadas/burritos with rice and beans that we plated to order. Portions were definitely smaller.

Plating and Presentation! Look at the taco and burrito sitting alone on the plate. No side dishes, but also no cosmetic touches or accoutrement.

Lol. When you worked on the line all that mattered was slapping those orders out as fast as possible, looks be darned. I had actual nightmares about hammering out platefuls, looking up and seeing infinite people in line. It was such a relief to move into the kitchen where there were different and finite tasks, and of course a much freer atmosphere (When I first moved into the kitchen the guys tiptoed around me. So early on I pretended to make a mistake so I could cuss a blue streak. They relaxed after that.).

Prices! I zoomed in on the menu at the back, and the prices for luncheon platters like our teenage friend got run from about $2.25 to $3.00.

I recall a side of rice or beans as 35 cents and costing the stand 3 cents.

 

[TP2000]

Took this photo near Union Station/Olvera Street/Chinatown a few weeks ago. Big yikes.

View attachment 625230

Prices have all gone over $5 a gallon in OC now too. And that's the cash price, for 87 octane. If you don't have $150 in American cash in your pocket to fill up the tank and you need to pay with a card, and your car requires Supreme, it's close to $6 per gallon in OC.

The rest of the country is a buck or a buck fifty behind us, but they're catching up. I imagine SoCal will be at $7 per gallon soon. That's gonna leave a mark!

 

[mickEblu]

Excited for my DL trip this coming Tuesday. Aside from it being 72 and sunny its going to be a rare adult trip. Going with my uncle who's kind of more like a big bro as he's only 12 years older than me. Don't get me wrong, I love going with the fam but it will be nice to enjoy the park for a day and rip through a bunch of rides without strollers, diaper changes, meltdowns etc. Ill probably feel guilty for a solid hour when I get there. Lol. Anyway Unk texted me saying he wants to get away from a stressful situation right now and go to DL for the day which is really cool as somehow my reputation and well known love for the place literally changed the culture of people around me. AS in it wasn't even weird for him to text me that.

So on the Must Do List based on my Uncles preferences at DL I have Pirates (last ride for a while), Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain and if we have time Matterhorn. He's never been to Galaxies Edge so Smugglers Run and ROTR are on the list too. I'm curious to see what he thinks of them. Im going to try to throw in a circle tour on the DLRR for some classic vibes and a nice change of pace. I always like to throw in a dark ride or something with classic charm when I play tour guide so probably Snow White (for the new scenes) and maybe Casey Jr too. Im hoping the fact that its Splash Mountains first day back or Toontowns last day doesn't draw crowds.

At DCA the Must Do list is much shorter and consists of RSR, Guardians and Incredicoaster. Soarin over California would be on the list but I know my uncle and if those screens are in the shape they were last time I rode he won't enjoy it. If we have time I may throw in Goofy's and Spiderman but only if his curiosity to see the new ride is still there after I crap all over it.

For lunch of course it will be the new special - Legs and Baguettes

 

[DrAlice]

Excited for my DL trip this coming Tuesday. Aside from it being 72 and sunny its going to be a rare adult trip. Going with my uncle who's kind of more like a big bro as he's only 12 years older than me. Don't get me wrong, I love going with the fam but it will be nice to enjoy the park for a day and rip through a bunch of rides without strollers, diaper changes, meltdowns etc. Ill probably feel guilty for a solid hour when I get there. Lol.

I speak from experience when I say: Nope. No you won't. It will be glorious.

Have fun!

 

[mickEblu]

I speak from experience when I say: Nope. No you won't. It will be glorious.

Have fun!

LOL. Thanks!