WDW Trip Report - Day 1

This is my first ever trip report for Walt Disney World. I've read some other ones and mine will most likely be a little different because I'm a guy.

Wednesday - Part 1 - Travel
Jill and I got up when we used to go to bed. I was all showered up by 3am and we were in the car headed towards the airport at about 3:50am which was about 5 minutes later than we wanted to leave originally. Not too shabby. To be honest we had planned to leave at 3:30am because we were expecting freezing rain. Thankfully nature was on our side as was Iowa's snow/ice removal crews. We got to the parking lot at about 4:20am. The rain stopped just long enough for us to get the bags loaded on the shuttle and get to the airport. We took off some of the cold weather gear and checked in.

I was amazed when I saw an actual line to get through screening. This is not typical for our little airport. We grabbed some food at Kracky McGee's (yes that's what the food place is called) then proceeded to our gate for some people watching. Jill stared at this guy wearing a jacket with the president's seal on it. She thought he was sketchy but I pointed out that he has an Admiral's Club membership so he's probably mostly on the level. She worries. We got situated on the plane and were off to Dallas.

It's a short flight but we're considering flying Midwest next time since they offer a direct flight to Orlando now. It would be nice to just get all of the flying out of the way as quickly as possible.

DFW airport was like a sauna. The people watching was top notch though. We had another quiet flight to Orlando. Woo hoo.

Orlando was pretty easy this time. The Disney crowd was almost nonexistent. We got on a bus quickly and they left within minutes. I think we sat on the bus for a good half hour last time before leaving for the resort.

Wednesday - Part 2 - Resort and Animal Kingdom
We were quite pleased to get there as quickly as we did. I checked the room for bed bugs then we hit the food court for a late lunch.

Our first bus experience to Animal Kingdom was pleasant again mostly because everybody had left earlier. We were greeted at Animal Kingdom by the ambiance we love and crap load of Brazilian tour groups that are now apparently always at the parks.

We hit up Expedition Everest which is one of our favorites. I'm glad that Jill and I were fortunate enough to see the Yeti in it's animatronic glory. There was none of that this time. It doesn't move at all now and there is a strobe light that flickers a few times as you roll by. Thankfully Dinosaur still has a bunch of dinosaurs that move about and scare little children. We rode both rides twice.

We rounded out the evening by riding Primeval Whirl and being told to fuck off by a Brazilian teenager. I also bought a hat with a rolled up t-shirt in it. I just wanted the hat. The rubber band was pretty fun though. I shot Jill in the bum and she got mad at me.

Wednesday - Part 3 - Food Court and bedtime
After a good trip opener we headed back to the Pop Century food court to try "Mom's Night Out" which I think is supposed to be like a frozen dinner because mom is out whorin' it up with her bingo friends. We got a crap load of food. I ate all of mine and Jill's cornbread. I paid the price for that meal.

We slept like the dead that night. The first night for us is always rough since we have a really good bed at home. All other beds are akin to a sleeping bag on the floor. We don't get a king bed too often since most rooms we get have two queen beds. We stay in hotels a lot but they're rarely what most would consider to be classy places. As long as the sheets are clean, the AC works, and the water stays hot we're satisfied. Most people would hate a lot of the places we stay. Jill and I get excited when we find a bargain.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

I'm going to do it all over again...

Why should I have to start doing things differently because the odometer rolls over a new year? I kicked ass in 2009. Let's recap shall we?

I lost weight which for me isn't really a good thing since I've always been obnoxiously scrawny. I'm trying to hang out between 165 and 170. I hit 175 in 2008 and found myself having to try on pants again. What that means is the size of Levi's that I'd been wearing for close to ten years suddenly didn't fit. I dropped down to 160 and thanks to cooking at home I'm holding strong at a good weight for me. I don't see myself decorating my physique with muscles any time soon though. Maybe next year.

With weight out of the way I can focus on money. I plan to continue earning this year. My employer may actually come through with a raise. This didn't happen last year but I did manage to keep my job so I'm not going to complain. I'm coming up on my six year anniversary with them and I don't plan on giving up on them. With earning comes spending and while Jill and I have been somewhat thrifty we can definitely do better. Since my clothes fit I don't need to buy new clothes. If I do I'm going to stick to my new rule of only buying off the sale racks. No garment should cost more than $15. There are household projects on the things to do list but thanks to some new tools I can buy larger pieces of wood and cut them to whatever size I need rather than having to pay for small pieces. Tools kick ass. Besides that I just need food and Jill and I are getting pretty good at stocking up on vittles.

Health is a biggie for me. Jill has been on my ass to see a few doctors about my health. I feel fine for the most part but I'm still mostly out of shape and I'm due for a checkup. Once we're all done with our Disney trip I've got some appointments to schedule.

That's really it. I can't think of anything else that needs to be changed.

So this is what a white Christmas is like.

I've been living in the Midwest for three winters now and this is easily the most obnoxious. My first winter here was ridiculously cold. Last year was pretty mild except for one big storm that we missed while we were in California and some freezing rain that caught me by surprise. This year is another year of firsts for me.

We got a pretty good helping of snow in October while I was in California but I figured there would be more when I got home. Nope. No sign of any until December. November was pretty easy. There were some pretty warm days and getting around for Thanksgiving was a breeze. Then December rolled in and all bets were off.

Out here it's a well known fact that it's very hard to predict the weather because we sit right where everything seems to meet up meaning it could be any number of things depending on which way the wind is blowing or which storm system is stronger. Last year they sat on their hands and waited for things to happen before reporting for fear of being wrong. The result was a lot of people getting caught with their pants down while nature kicked their asses. Admittedly most people out here get their weather forecast by looking out the window and head out on even the worst of days. I think they really enjoy seeing their car in a tree or ditch on the news later in the evening.

A lot of people probably think Jill and I are a bit too obsessive about the weather. We're over-planners to begin with so it's only natural that we watch the radar prior to making any weekend plans. If it's going to be bad we stay in, canceling plans if needs be. It's just not worth the risk. Tangent over.

I've been through my first few blizzards and I think we're very fortunate that the snow accumulated the way it did. There's something magical about taking 30 minutes to quickly blow the little bit of snow from the driveway and sidewalk while the people across the street spend hours clearing their snow. Some do it in shifts. Others half-ass it and then drive through it for fear of breaking a sweat. Only one of them does his like clockwork. Here comes another tangent.

We have a neighbor we refer to as Gary Gone Wild since he spend his first summer here topless. He works out of his garage doing odd jobs fabricating things for people. He does okay with it. We have to listen to him grinding metal all day long but he does close shop in the evenings. Aside from the pile of junk he stores in his driveway he's one of my favorite neighbors. He's usually the first one out clearing snow. Like me, he does his entire driveway and sidewalk while everybody else just does their driveway since nobody gets ticketed for neglecting to do their sidewalks. I wish the rest of our neighbors had the same work ethic as Gary. Tangent number two complete.

Even though I've spent a great deal of my vacation trapped at home it's been really nice. The snow gives me a reason to go outside and stay busy rather than napping the day away. I say, bring on more snow as long as it continues to fall everywhere but my driveway.

Let it snow... for hours on end... and have it make the news.

My adorable wife took pity on me and suggested a snow blower this year. We shopped around and looked at a few. We were hesitant to take the plunge since they're expensive and we figured we'd have time to make an educated decision since there were plenty to choose from. The next day we heard on the news that we had 8 inches to look forward to on Tuesday. Snow on Sunday kept people out of the stores so we headed out Monday during my lunch break to buy one. There were just a few left so we lucked out. I'm sure there were a lot of disappointed people at Lowes that afternoon.

I figured out the trick to it pretty quick. I'm still adjusting to not having a completely clear driveway and sidewalk but I'll live. It's really nice to be able to effortlessly clear snow while my neighbors take a few hours to do theirs or half of theirs.

After a quick clearing the snow started to really fall and blizzard rumors were confirmed. Rather than worry about how much I was going to have to do the next day I chose to watch my neighbor instead...

Around midnight we saw lights and a Hyundai warming up in the driveway, surrounded by heavy snow. At the end of the driveway was a pickup sliding back and fourth. It was parked behind the Hyundai earlier. Their mother was visiting for the day and decided it would be a good idea to drive home that night. The real story however was the douche in his pickup. Rear wheel drive and deep snow don't compliment each other. Come to think of it neither does front wheel drive. A moderately intelligent person would have grabbed a shovel and cleared the driveway but this guy decided to just spin his wheels. His wife even came out with a shovel and instructions. Rather than listening he started pointing to where he wanted her to dig. She then threw the shovel into the yard and went back inside.

He was slightly peeved by this because from what I gather it's her job to do the shoveling. He dug a little bit hoping that if he could just get some momentum he would make it all the way up. Nope. He continued to spin his wheels for another half hour or so and even tried to find alternatives to shoveling. None of them worked of course. The mother and wife came out later and there was a brief argument. The wife then got behind the wheel and the mother and douche pushed the truck. She went up the street and was gone. We'd find out later on the next day that the truck was abandoned around the corner. The mother picked up the wife and they hopefully made it to wherever they were headed.

There is nothing better than watching my neighbors be dumb and they never disappoint.

I have a short list of movies that I will not watch ever again. It's not because I don't love these movies. I just don't like blubbering like a girl while watching a movie. My wife can cry during any movie but I'm more selective.

Most people think my list is too short. They immediately start naming movies I should be including but honestly as sad and tragic as those movies are I spend more time appreciating the story than I spend actually absorbing the moment enough to muster up some tears. For me it has to be a little more than just a depressing moment. That's why I don't cry watching most Robin Williams dramas, Dancer in the Dark or Shindler's List. I'd be lying if I didn't say that there is a dominant theme in the movies that affect me. I don't own these movies because I'd never watch them and I certainly don't leave them on TV when I come across them. I simply look for an educational program or sports to keep my mind occupied.

I'll feel sad in any movie where an animal dies. It's a funny thing about that. I can watch just about anybody get gunned down but as soon as something bad happens to a dog I feel bad even if the dog belongs to the villain.

Let's take a look at what does it for me. A few of these are guaranteed sobbers for most people that have seen them. If you haven't seen the movies don't spoil it by watching these clips.

Field of Dreams
Youtube doesn't have a the touching, yet manly conclusion. In summary, Costner plays catch with is dad and and then I get something in my eye. This one is pretty much man specific. I can't think of a lot of women who reach the end of this movie and break down.

Life is Beautiful
Most people regard holocaust films as a cop-out when compiling sad movie lists. This one is special because the point of view of the characters and a stellar performance by an obnoxious Italian. I saw this movie once and it was enough.


Sling Blade
I can watch BBT do Karl Childers over and over because it's damn funny and at the same time the sincerity of the character is profound.


The Iron Giant
Anybody who hasn't seen this cartoon probably thinks I'm dumb for turning on the waterworks at the end of a family movie. Give it a watch then call me. Superman bitches.


Feel free to share any movies you think I might have missed. I think it's a solid list. Remember I'm not talking about mopey movies. These are films that get me all choked up and require a certain amount of swallowing and blinking. I could do a million blogs about depressing movies.

The Dog

What's the deal with dogs? She has to take a crap and whines at me to take her outside. Once outside she wanders the yard for 10 minutes until she ultimately decides to go in the spot where she always goes.

When I need to do my business I don't wander from bathroom to bathroom in my house sniffing around to help me decide which of my three toilets is the best one to use.

Why are dogs so stupid?