Home from Disney World
Nov. 16th, 2006 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebIt's interesting to see what you notice when you come back from vacation.
This time I noticed that the buildings around here are all rectangular and brown. They are barely fanciful at all. And the streets are dirty. There was a rusty razor blade on the sidewalk at my bus stop. I put it in the trash, but I left all the cigarette butts and other trash.
And it's harder to be organized again. In Disney World I had two suitcases worth of stuff, and two suitcases plus two drawers plus half a closet to store it in. Luxury living!
We slept at least eight hours a day, although it still wasn't quite enough because we walked at least ten miles a day. But we had only to plan one day, in the context of a couple of others, and although it was physically demanding, it was emotionally easy.
Since coming back I have gone to work, remembered to get a flu shot (on the last day offered by my employer), unpacked, gone to dance class, and washed a load of laundry, and I haven't even been back 24 hours yet.
My boss was glad to see me today. We had a monthly meeting with our users, and one ran to hug me when she saw me at the meeting. It's nice to be appreciated.
At work I learned that there is talk of greatly reducing the health plan for retirees at my company, and I figure that if it's talk now, it will be fact in eight years and two months when it becomes relevant to me.
Oh, did you want to hear about Disney World?
Okay, but just a little. (So sleepy. There were high winds across Texas yesterday, delaying flights. We got home just after 2:00 a.m.)
I highly recommend visiting Disney World. Nowadays there are four separate parks: Magic Kingdom (the original park), Epcot (half technology and half cultures from around the world), Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios. They also have two water parks, many resorts, and other assorted vacation destinations.
My favorite all-around adventure (they don't have mere "rides") was probably "It's Tough Being a Bug" in Animal Kingdom. This was a show where a large and very cute animated ant made us honorary bugs and started teaching us about some of the defense mechanisms that different bugs have. Via demonstration. Like a normal movie, we got sight and sound. But we also got smell-a-vision and at least three forms of tactile information. I won't spoil all the surprises, but after some harmless demonstrations, other bugs refused to see us as honorary bugs and instead treated us as enemies. The interaction was more powerful than I'm used to, and you really do start to wonder what all is going to happen to you. Especially after getting squirted with acid from a termite. And hit by a dart. And then a cupcake is coming at you.
So it had good characters, even a thin plot, many facts about bugs, surprises, scares, and gross-outs.
My favorite adventure for experiencing repeatedly was probably Star Tours at the MGM Studios. It's a simulation ride that takes place in the Star Wars universe, but you are just taking a shuttle to a local moon. With an inexperienced droid. Who has the Pee Wee Herman voice of Paul Reubens. (Actually, a bad imitation nowadays, but you can fix that in your head.) And so there are some accidents and mistakes and dangers and great fun. And besides the big screen, you get to watch the robot. And you get to watch the other screen announcing the ship status with dry humor. My favorite part was when we were approaching another vehicle at an unsafe speed. And the other vehicle was transporting gasoline. And the guy at the nearby desk sees what's about to happen and ducks under his desk. But then when our brakes work after all this time, and the flammable truck continues on its route unmolested, the worker comes back out from under his desk and goes back to work.
My favorite roller coaster was Big Thunder Mountain Railway in the Magic Kingdom. It had a good mixture of drops and twists for a nice long exciting coaster without anything intense lasting too long. But then also it was gorgeous. You start in a dark cave full of bats. Then you go through a cave full of stalactites and stalagmites. Then you're going in an out of beautiful red rock formations with sights such as dinosaur bones sticking out, geysers, buzzards, goats, and a guy in a bathtub.
The roller coaster with the best plot was the Rock 'n Roller Coaster in MGM Studios. You start with a pre-show of some rock band finishing up a recording at G-force Studios when their manager comes in and says they are supposed to be at a show right now. She apologizes to us, but they have to go. Finally it's decided that they can't just leave us. They're going to give us back stage passes and limo service. To the other end of LA. In a stretch limo. A super-stretch limo. That's really fast.
Then you get into the roller coaster which shoots you off like a rocket for way too long (2.5 seconds or so) and then around twists and turns and corkscrews mostly in the dark with rock music playing and all kinds of warning traffic signs. Then you pull up to a red carpet and that's the end of the ride.
The scariest ride was Mission: Space at Epcot. There was a very long high-G-force lift-off, and then not so crazy after that, but you're definitely stuck to your seat. Meanwhile you have duties as pilot, commander, navigator, or one other role I forget, and it's not so easy to do this, but I did. One my first ride, there was an empty seat between me and another guy, and we took care of that person's duties as well. Very exciting. But draining. I didn't want to do that.
There is also another version which simulates the effects with a simulator instead of spinning. Riding this afterwards, it seemed mediocre, but really it was just fine. I wish I has ridden that version first.
Afterwards (or instead) you can also participate in a group video game involving either picking things up and placing them on problems or providing the things and adjusting gauges. I really enjoyed this dumb game for some reason. Part of the team score was based (probably falsely) on teamwork, and at first the only teamwork I could see was staying out of each other's way. But then I learned we can pick up other people's pieces and do their duties for them when we're done with ours.
That's all for now. Good night.
This time I noticed that the buildings around here are all rectangular and brown. They are barely fanciful at all. And the streets are dirty. There was a rusty razor blade on the sidewalk at my bus stop. I put it in the trash, but I left all the cigarette butts and other trash.
And it's harder to be organized again. In Disney World I had two suitcases worth of stuff, and two suitcases plus two drawers plus half a closet to store it in. Luxury living!
We slept at least eight hours a day, although it still wasn't quite enough because we walked at least ten miles a day. But we had only to plan one day, in the context of a couple of others, and although it was physically demanding, it was emotionally easy.
Since coming back I have gone to work, remembered to get a flu shot (on the last day offered by my employer), unpacked, gone to dance class, and washed a load of laundry, and I haven't even been back 24 hours yet.
My boss was glad to see me today. We had a monthly meeting with our users, and one ran to hug me when she saw me at the meeting. It's nice to be appreciated.
At work I learned that there is talk of greatly reducing the health plan for retirees at my company, and I figure that if it's talk now, it will be fact in eight years and two months when it becomes relevant to me.
Oh, did you want to hear about Disney World?
Okay, but just a little. (So sleepy. There were high winds across Texas yesterday, delaying flights. We got home just after 2:00 a.m.)
I highly recommend visiting Disney World. Nowadays there are four separate parks: Magic Kingdom (the original park), Epcot (half technology and half cultures from around the world), Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios. They also have two water parks, many resorts, and other assorted vacation destinations.
My favorite all-around adventure (they don't have mere "rides") was probably "It's Tough Being a Bug" in Animal Kingdom. This was a show where a large and very cute animated ant made us honorary bugs and started teaching us about some of the defense mechanisms that different bugs have. Via demonstration. Like a normal movie, we got sight and sound. But we also got smell-a-vision and at least three forms of tactile information. I won't spoil all the surprises, but after some harmless demonstrations, other bugs refused to see us as honorary bugs and instead treated us as enemies. The interaction was more powerful than I'm used to, and you really do start to wonder what all is going to happen to you. Especially after getting squirted with acid from a termite. And hit by a dart. And then a cupcake is coming at you.
So it had good characters, even a thin plot, many facts about bugs, surprises, scares, and gross-outs.
My favorite adventure for experiencing repeatedly was probably Star Tours at the MGM Studios. It's a simulation ride that takes place in the Star Wars universe, but you are just taking a shuttle to a local moon. With an inexperienced droid. Who has the Pee Wee Herman voice of Paul Reubens. (Actually, a bad imitation nowadays, but you can fix that in your head.) And so there are some accidents and mistakes and dangers and great fun. And besides the big screen, you get to watch the robot. And you get to watch the other screen announcing the ship status with dry humor. My favorite part was when we were approaching another vehicle at an unsafe speed. And the other vehicle was transporting gasoline. And the guy at the nearby desk sees what's about to happen and ducks under his desk. But then when our brakes work after all this time, and the flammable truck continues on its route unmolested, the worker comes back out from under his desk and goes back to work.
My favorite roller coaster was Big Thunder Mountain Railway in the Magic Kingdom. It had a good mixture of drops and twists for a nice long exciting coaster without anything intense lasting too long. But then also it was gorgeous. You start in a dark cave full of bats. Then you go through a cave full of stalactites and stalagmites. Then you're going in an out of beautiful red rock formations with sights such as dinosaur bones sticking out, geysers, buzzards, goats, and a guy in a bathtub.
The roller coaster with the best plot was the Rock 'n Roller Coaster in MGM Studios. You start with a pre-show of some rock band finishing up a recording at G-force Studios when their manager comes in and says they are supposed to be at a show right now. She apologizes to us, but they have to go. Finally it's decided that they can't just leave us. They're going to give us back stage passes and limo service. To the other end of LA. In a stretch limo. A super-stretch limo. That's really fast.
Then you get into the roller coaster which shoots you off like a rocket for way too long (2.5 seconds or so) and then around twists and turns and corkscrews mostly in the dark with rock music playing and all kinds of warning traffic signs. Then you pull up to a red carpet and that's the end of the ride.
The scariest ride was Mission: Space at Epcot. There was a very long high-G-force lift-off, and then not so crazy after that, but you're definitely stuck to your seat. Meanwhile you have duties as pilot, commander, navigator, or one other role I forget, and it's not so easy to do this, but I did. One my first ride, there was an empty seat between me and another guy, and we took care of that person's duties as well. Very exciting. But draining. I didn't want to do that.
There is also another version which simulates the effects with a simulator instead of spinning. Riding this afterwards, it seemed mediocre, but really it was just fine. I wish I has ridden that version first.
Afterwards (or instead) you can also participate in a group video game involving either picking things up and placing them on problems or providing the things and adjusting gauges. I really enjoyed this dumb game for some reason. Part of the team score was based (probably falsely) on teamwork, and at first the only teamwork I could see was staying out of each other's way. But then I learned we can pick up other people's pieces and do their duties for them when we're done with ours.
That's all for now. Good night.