Disney Day 5 and 6

Dead Robot February 17, 2012 Disney, Travel Leave a reply

On our last two days at Disney, fellow Instagrammer @RhinoBear joined us as we visited EPCOT and Magic Kingdom for serious riding and wandering.

John works for Disney and it was like having a personal databank at our beck and call. We asked him a ton of questions about what it was like to work at Disney. He offered to take us to another park and get us in with his staff pass (we didn’t have Park Hopper tickets) we declined his generous offer because we felt that would be too much like taking advantage – we had already drained his brain with our constant questions. He really made the days interesting and fun.

Since these were repeat days, I didn’t take many pictures (more video than anything else). We rode all that we needed to ride, we saw all that we needed to see and we ate junk food as much as we could.

It was a nice vacation – but it felt too brief. Like we were only there for a couple days, not nearly a week. Every time we were stuck waiting for something or just had a few moments of thought I kept on thinking about having to go home. I didn’t get a good Disney buzz on, sort of like never achieving REM sleep – waking up unsatisfied.

Not to say the trip was unsatisfactory, far from it. We laughed, we ate, we took great shots, we met new friends… I just felt that with the trip being last minute and without the build up of anticipation, there was no equalizing payoff when we had the fun.

As well, the weather was ok – cloudy only one day, and only pleasant, not summery warm, during the day. Also the onset of a cold/flu/bronchitis didn’t help with my energy level. Again, I can’t complain, but my description of the weather sort of summed up the trip: “pleasant”.

In terms of WDW experience points, I think we now know to take the dining plan when we go back – eating in the World or driving to a local restaurant is pretty much the same cost: expensive. Might as well resign to the fact that you can get big portions with WDW dining, at least. Also we’ll stick with the rental car, despite the busses being so readily available. At the end of a long day of rides and walking, waiting on a bus is the suck.

Anywhoo… it was a pleasant trip. I’m already counting the days until December’s Cruise and Parks combo with Sylvie and Shawn!

I Don’t Remember That Part…

Dead Robot February 16, 2012 Gaming Leave a reply

Okay. You have my attention…

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Kinect Star Wars – Girly Vader Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

All Right, +1 for Kinect Star Wars – Topless Robot.

Gay Troops Going To DisneyWorld

Dead Robot February 16, 2012 Disney Leave a reply

Okay first, I didn’t know Disney had a military-centric resort. But in hindsight, I’m not surprised.

Secondly, it could be argued that the homogenization of homosexuals is complete now that this convention has been moved from Vegas to Disney. But I’m actually quite proud of it. Gay Days aside, I like seeing visible gay presence in The World.

OutServe 2012: Gay Troops Going To Disney World Army Resort.

Disney Day 4

Dead Robot February 15, 2012 Travel 2 Replies

Our morning started with breakfast at the Polynesian Resort – my favorite fake Hawaiian spot on the planet. Many have tried to recreate Hawaii away from Hawaii but I think this hotel is probably the best because there is a 70s vibe locked into it somehow. Like it’s ingratiated into it’s DNA. Maybe because I use to see it on TV growing up in Disney specials.

Why there so early, you ask? For Tonga Toast Kona Cafe, of course! Imagine two really thick pieces of French toast, stuffed with fruit, slapped together and covered with slightly cinnamon infused sugar. It was about the size of a baby. And delicious. Don’t use the syrup, use the strawberry coulis – you will thank me for it.

After we roll ourselves down to the dock and take a jetty over to Magic Kingdom. Don’t forget to grab transport trivia cards from the captain!

Our day in the Kingdom was decadent. Since we were going to return and spend an entire day doing the rides on Monday, this day we reserved for wandering and photographs. I think we only rode 2 rides and visited one attraction during our visit that day. An entire day of no-stress wandering in a place where so many people feel like they need to get things done was almost like we were rubbing it in stressed out parents’ faces.

You’ll see a couple pictures of characters in the mid-day show – take notice in their faces. Disney is phasing in full-head animatronic characters for shows. You’ll note that some action shots make Donald look kind of stoned: eye lids half closed, mouth open in a breath. I like it!

We headed over to Downtown Disney for dinner and a walk through the shops. Over at the Lego Store, I think they were giving away free air or something – it was mad house packed in there. So busy I had an Apple Store flashback where all I could think about was how long it must take the staff at the end of the night to reset the store. It’s was about this point that I really noticed all the sick kids. Sure I noticed kids coughing in various other parks, but as I fiddled with a jar full of Lego heads, I saw a kid cough into his hand then dig his mitts into the jar next to me.

That night at the hotel, I could feel a tickle in my throat. I passed it off as too much A/C on my Canadian constitution…

Shake That Thang

Dead Robot February 14, 2012 General 4 Replies

This weekend, my sister-in-law came up from Vermont to visit and while it was a great time, it certainly was odd having a woman around the house.

It meant that nighttime trips to the bathroom included some sort of pant-wear, it also meant that the door had to be shut, much to the anger of the kitties. When you have two guys living together things tends to de-evolve into pantless fart machines. Having a guest makes that all the more painfully obvious.

One morning I was feeling mischievous and I ran from the bath (freshly showered) to our bedroom, nude. No one saw me even though I knew Syl was in her room reading while SharkBoy was somewhere else in the apartment. I was safe.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards the bedroom – ah here comes SharkBoy, I though. I also thought it would be funny to flash him some man-bits as he walked past the door, seeing how the taboo of naked was 24 hours strong and the act would garnish some prudish kind of indignation reaction.

I start to whip my hips side to side, fast, to make DeadRobot Jr swing in the breeze. I raise my arms over my head, the backs of my wrists touching, like Marylin Monroe. Flap flap flap.

…just as Sylvie crested the bedroom door.

Our faces were like mirrors. Our eyes locked first and then hers went down. Mine went wide. We both screamed. I launched myself into the closet, gasping for breath between the screams and the laughter.

“YOU’RE NOT SHARKBOY!” I yell.

“MY EYES!!” She yells.

We’re family now.

Spin Spin Sugar

Dead Robot February 9, 2012 Distractions 1 Reply

From regular reader (oh god thank you) and local grumpyguts, postbear, comes this video. I could watch it for hours.

Retro Apple iPhone Cases

Dead Robot February 9, 2012 iPhone Leave a reply

Valentines is coming soon, honeybunny! I would like Blueberry please!

Retro Apple iPhone cases – Boing Boing.

Disney Day Three

Dead Robot February 9, 2012 Travel 4 Replies

Sorry I’m late with the updates, I’ve been hit with bronchitis that some kid at DisneyWorld gave me. Little fucker…

Okay so Day Three: EPCOT. Which as you Disneyphiles know as the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. Sadly, it’s not so much experimental but it certainly can take an entire day to see all of it.

SharkBoy announces as we near the gates that he forgot the battery to his DSLR back at the hotel room. We press on regardless and wait for Rope Drop (or Drope Rop as SharkBoy has been calling it all week – adorable!). This time we do our usual run to Soarin’, grab a FastPass and ride the ride before the lines get crazy. Then over to Test Track for two runs and back to Soarin’. We even managed to stay awake for the entire Ellen’s Energy Adventure. Bam!

We didn’t do Captain Eo or Figment’s Imagination rides (one was down, the other was “meh”) and we spent the rest of the day wandering through World Showcase, slowly and with meticulous attention to all the details. Lunch was had at Via Napoli where the pizzas were extremely delish! Then back to The American pavilion to see the Voices of Liberty show which got SharkBoy all blubbery (he loves a good harmony acapella group).

We managed to stay late here, long enough to see the fireworks (even though we were freezing our butts off) and made a pact to return on our “Free Day” so that SharkBoy could have his share of pictures and meet up with fellow InstaGrammer, RhinoBear. Stay tuned!

Gardens in the entrance

I love this place

Via Napoli ovens… Rar!

The best thing in Paris

Recruiting kids

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Dead Robot February 6, 2012 Distractions 5 Replies

Yesterday, SharkBoy and I spent the day consuming a lot of media.

In other words, we didn’t get our lazy asses off the couch, much. We’re both teetering on bronchitis, both of us inflicted with some phlemmy parasite that some horrid child must have given us while at Disney World. Early yesterday morning we decided that we weren’t going to do any chores and just watch movies.

We started with the Criterion release of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, the one with the restored footage and the depressing ending. I remember when I first saw this movie, the roommate I had at the time back in ’85, went to the theatre manager to complain about the actual movie. With tears streaming down her face she logically explained that the ending was so sad that she deserved her money back. I’ve never seen this kind of reaction from anyone over a movie ever again in my life. Well, close second was my ex-boyfriend at the time after seeing The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover – he spent the last half of that movie crossing and uncrossing his legs and making disapproving little “Tsk” noises, which led to a huge fight in the parking lot. So now, I either talk all the way through it or walk out or both if the movie is contentious.

Me? I thought Brazil was awesome. Then and more so now, after trying to pick out details in the corners of the action. The visual jokes abound in it – like all the duct work (in Sam’s mother’s home, all the antique lamps have ducts leading into them) or the slogans on the posters in the background.

Then we actually did get off our asses and went to the Lightbox to see Johnny Guitar with Joan Crawford. I have to say I love seeing movies there. The chairs are comfy, the auditoriums are near perfect for sound quality and who doesn’t like seeing Joan up on a big screen, back when camp was king? One thing though, if you arrive late for the show, that’s fine, sit down fast and settle in but for fucks sake DO NOT CHECK YOUR PHONE FOR TEXTS after you sit down. You lost that fucking right when you entered the theatre late, you stupid shaggy dick mongrel.

Johnny Guitar on the big screen was amazing. We both noticed how all the actors spent most of the movie standing in one spot, delivering their lines, looking amazing in their costumes while standing on hugely elaborate sets. And how awesome Mercedes McCambridge’s acting was, when put up against Mrs Crawford. Especially her voice which was a cross between The Wicked Witch of the West and Ethel Merman.

We then hoofed it back home to the couch again to see Muppets From Space. Yeah a real Oscar winner. But at least it had 99% more Pepe the King Prawn in it than the last film.

All this time on the couch I created this little gem of a movie of our day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios completely on my iPad (see, I was getting to that, Mr Title Referencer…).

My point for all this is that I didn’t spend any time yesterday working on pictures for today’s post, so enjoy the movie!

Disney, Day Two

Dead Robot February 3, 2012 Travel Leave a reply

We wake, well rested and ready for Hollywood Studios!

I’ve always loved the faux studio theme because it works so well in an amusement park dedicated to movie studios, where creating fake scenes is their job. It’s rather meta.

We arrive for rope drop and shuffle our way over to Toy Story (No running!) for FastPasses and our first ride. Since the line was only 10 minutes we took advantage of that and rode it right away. As we left, the wait time had risen to 40 minutes. By 1pm, I am sure they had run out of FastPass tickets. It’s that popular.

After that we rode Star Tours 3 times. Yes. 3 Times. SharkBoy was getting a bit woozy after 2. I could have stayed all day. With all the combinations (54 to be precise) we managed to get two the same. Garrrh! But still, we RODE IT 3 TIMES!!

After we watched the Little Mermaid stage show which has the most creepiest stage puppet I’ve ever seen. Ursula is “full size” and basically is horrific to behold in terms of it’s movements and it’s manic eyes. It always freaks me out a little when I see it.

Quickly we rock on over to Rockin’ Roller Coaster for some Aerosmith fun. My man boobs flew around much like Steve Tyler’s! Then, zip right over to Tower of Terror where a bunch of Brazilian students in a tour decided that yelling and chatting all the way through the line, the pre-show and the basement queue was ok with them. Sigh. But the ride was amazing – at one point my camera, firmly strapped around my neck, hovered over my left shoulder in weightlessness. Weee!

After that the day blurs. We’re still a bit tired and yet we manage to wander around the park taking pictures for another couple hours. We do the Great Movie Ride (This… Is… ALIEN!) and somewhere in our confusion we forgot to go see the Indiana Jones Stunt show. Woops. It was my choice not to go see the always crowded Lights! Motors! Action! because I was sure I’d manage to fall asleep on a bleacher. Not an easy feat, I tell you.

We leave the park and walk over to Disney’s Boardwalk Villas for a quick looky see and we muse about becoming Disney Vacation Club members yet again. Sigh… some day…

Back at the resort, we could see EPCOT’s fireworks from our balcony, and along with a couple other people, watched at the night sky lit up like some idyllic war-torn country. We hit the hay early!