Observations on Disney, floating, dreams and fiber.



Our trip to Disney was great. We had a wonderful time together, and I think we had some good, teachable moments with our daughter. We were able to work on facing our fears, not panicking, not throwing a fit, being respectful of others, not complaining, being patient and communicating - all skills I (still) need to work on myself. It was a delightful and exhausting vacation – one that was sorely needed. Next time I think we’ll stay a bit longer and take a slower pace, but the trip itself was such a huge blessing to our family, and you guys can thank Toni for making it happen. ‘Cause she’s awesome.

A few observations on Disney…..

There’s just no experience like Disneyworld, man – it’s an all-encompassing empire unto itself, and it’s done very, very well.

Nobody has better marketing, cross-promotion, product placement, branding , packaging and the general overall ability to separate you from your money like Disney. It’s astounding.

No matter how carefully you plan, Disney is expensive - it just is. If they can mark it up, they will.

Disney’s meal plans are a lifesaver, and saved us a lot of money. The only downside is that I simply can’t eat that much food anymore, though I did my best. Overall, the food is great – I didn’t have a single bad meal the entire time, and I still had a few places I wanted to try. Our friends recommended some great places to eat, and we’re glad we listened.

Brazilian tour groups love Disney. We saw no fewer than six huge different groups, and they seemed to be having a good time. Also, Brazilians dress differently than Americans, especially in large groups, and their group leaders carry tall, triangular flags when they travel.

There are a lot of morbidly obese people than I thought, and I think that most of them are the result of years of systematically pouring a steady diet of crap into their bodies. You can blame genetics, but only to the extent that you’re unwilling to quit drinking sodas, eating McDonalds and refusing to exercise.

I think a lot of folks rent an electric scooters because they’re just plain lazy. I don’t think that many folks have outwardly unidentifiable ailments that prevent them from walking. Personally, I think walking around Disney would do a lot of them some good.

I don’t think you should put your kid on a leash if you can possibly avoid it.

I’m glad I didn’t carry a backpack, fanny pack, wear a big hat, or do all three in conjunction.

I think I’m a bigger fan of taking your kid when they’re older than younger. I saw a passel of little kids that looked just plain miserable in the happiest place on earth, and they looked happier than their parents.

The shows at Disney are masterful, and the rides are just a blast to experience, even as an adult.

The Fast Pass (which allows you skip long lines) is one of the Greatest Things Ever.

I still love the disposable camera. I have a few pics I’ll post as well, because now they put the pics on a CD for you when you get your film developed.

You can never drink too much water. Florida is hot, but not as bad as Texas.

I need to take vacations a little more seriously, man – I think I need to learn to relax more. Did you guys know that I can’t float in a swimming pool? I sink like a stone because I’m too tense – even at Disney I can’t relax enough to float. I’ve tried to float several times, but I just can’t seem to do it. I don’t know I it’s the water on my face that causes me to panic or what, but I can’t make myself relax enough to float. I don’t know what to do with that.

I run into a lot of odd folks at work. I mean, odd folks need cars too, but every so often I can't help myself. I got this gem from a (potential) customer I was working with online. it said:

"sorry i dont drive in dallas area . going to a local dealer hear of which can deliver . thanks."

Accordingly, I made this entry into our database.

"This ever-so-slightly inarticulate customer doesn't want to actually come to the dealership, either to select, purchase or to otherwise fill out any paperwork that would result in actual ownership, but wants us to deliver a car to her (or him, as the customer's gender remains unspecified.) Apparently, our dealership is located amidst some kind of Forbidden Zone in which the customer refuses to operate any type of motor vehicle for reasons known only to them. Why they chose to contact a dealership in the Forbidden Zone is beyond me."

What else? I still have a dream from last night I’m trying to shake off. It wasn’t a nightmare or anything, just something I’d rather have not made the transition from dreamworld to something I actually retained after I woke up. Does this happen to anybody else? It generally goes away after about 12-24 hours, but it’s troublesome until then, and even if I try to pray it out it still sticks to my mind like hot tar. Truthfully, it re-opens an old wound every time; and while it simultaneously hurts and pleases, I wonder where the impetus came from. Am I being attacked in my sleep? Is there a spiritual door open somewhere that needs to be closed? Is it just some remnant from my subconscious that working itself out, or is it just a bunch of random crap with no real meaning being processed by some part of my brain that humanity can’t possibly hope to comprehend, understand or fix? I’m going to go with the latter, because truthfully, that one makes the most sense to me.

One more thing to add, since it managed to make itself an issue today, and that's the unfairness, lack of respect and disregard for your well being that your emotions can demonstrate. I was fine last night. This morning? A bad dream associated with based on some unforseen latent sense of loss (I guess?) hits me just before I wake up, lingers all day on the fringe of my concious mind and my entire Wednesday just goes off track. My resulting gripe is, of course, multifaceted:

A) I didn't ask for it
B) I'm not focusing on the topic, and yet the element from the dream still reappears unbidden
C) There's little (if any) sense of reality tied into this whole fiasco
D) I no longer have any sense as to why I'm still dealing with this particular issue
E) I have no idea how on earth something can tantalize and hurt like hell at the same time. That's just cruel.

What else? I sure like having enough fiber in my diet, man. Does that make me old, healthy, or just another degree of weird? Too many good things happen when you’re eating enough fiber to not mention it.

To that bizarre end, I shall close. Thanks for reading, guys.