6/29/15 The Mouse Done Gave Us A Good Shakedown?

    We were done with our last park yesterday, but we stayed an extra day, mostly to rest and reflect on the fun we had.  Chubs just came in to tell me he could do with a more expensive watch, apparently, his G-Shock isn't impressing him.  He too would like a +$1000 watch, crazy Baby.  His hat could be better he let me know, his baseball hat was alright, but he rocked a derby and a couple other hats and the boy looks good in all of them, Me? "mas puto" as George Lopez likes to say.  I tried a bunch of hats, I have always liked idea, I just can't pull it off, my head is too fat.
    The main reason we went back to Downtown Disney is that Boy wanted art for his room/apartment.  We've been working on idea of fixing up their rooms in my eye.  I want Boy to have a cool ass room.  He is comfortable enough having it look like a common teenager lives there.  So there was a painting he had told me about, I kind of agreed I liked it for his room.  The only thing left to disagree on was that he needed painting to be hung in his apartment.  I discussed fact that we have insurance, they don't.  If something happens to painting in our house, insurance would take care of it. If it disappeared in apartment, then bad guy wins, no replacement.  He called his roomies  who wanted nothing to do with anything that might be of value.  Funnier thing to me was that he had about $150, I was going to cough up rest.  I gave him $200 and told him, get it.  All of a sudden he wasn't so sure.  I said this will be yours, I'm not gonna keep it cause I'm paying for a bigger part of it.
    We walked all the way to end of Downtown  Disney  and I guess talk of art got me going.  There is a store which specializes  in Disney art and I guess I was  in the mood.  I bought 3-4 paintings which I will frame when I get the chance. 
    It was an uncomfortable day with heat, found myself looking for stuff just to stay distracted while sun went down.  Gelato from a store facing the sun going down is not great.  Large store with multiple departments  and large "ac" vents was better.  We stayed there a good while.
    Only way to end night any better was at a steak dinner.  We had dinner at Black Angus Steakhouse and it was perfect.  The restaurant itself was a little old and dated, but the food was terrific, if a little pricey.  But everything from the biscuit rolls to the filled mushroom caps, wings, to salad, potatoes and steaks were just yummy.  My newest discovery is that I can order an Arnold Palmer anywhere over here in Florida, and it even gets mentioned in the menu.  I've been making it for years by mixing  half lemonade and half tea.

6/28/15 We Leave The Final Park, Heads Held High?

    We trained hard, starting from youth, every physical endeavor has helped prepare us for this day.  We, the warriors straight from the land of Texas, here to explore and claim what is ours or what our souvenir money will allow.  We started at the beginning of the week not knowing what to expect from one another, sometimes it seemed that my cough might slay me before I even made it to the fighting fields.  I thought I had overtrained to too big a size, instead of battling, my enemy would just let the elements best me.  But nay.
    Once the sunset came, I knew we had won our battle, even if ultimately, we would suffer my mother-in-law in a wheelchair.  The little old lady gave it all she could but alas on our way back to our chariots, after the marvel of fireworks blasting in the skies and not one but two parades, her knees, like a boxer tasting defeat screamed "no mas" and we were lucky to find an old wheelchair to wheel her home.  She still high fived the group of daughters sorrounding her as earlier in the day, she was thinking of skipping the park altogether.
    Funny, once a person knows they are made of tougher stuff, they begin to believe in themselves.  At the start of the week, I was suggesting we rent battery powered scoters for the old fogeys.  They said no, they would just rest as necessary.  They hung in there and maybe I shook them as I tried commanding from above to keep moving.  In our first endeavor, they circled the wagons and turned on me, their new captain and commander.  They gave me the look of disapproval and a bit of a cold shoulder.
    No worries, a good field leader can adjust, and before too long I was employing different strategies to motivate this sad sack of would be's and half forgottens into a mish mash of troops that would follow their captain to the ends of the earth.  I was able to show them lands of tomorrow, and adventure, and even a land of fantasy.  I gave hope where there was none, Oh, I was majestic, but still.  What did I get to hear in the end?  Was it a thank you Big Mando, nope, just a plain "stop spending money on shit".

6/27/15 Vacation Chilling?

Today is a rest day so here we are

I'm laying in bed at noon feeling bizarre

All week long we have been running from park to park

I've managed to push it up but at least 11am until it gets very dark

Today is laid back, I'm drinking coffee and it feels so rich

I don't want to get up, the fan blowing, oh yes, scratching that itch.

We'll be out later, I'm a spender of a dollar

in Downtown Disney is where I am a mauler

some would even fancy me a shot caller,

you know I don't lie say it!!! "In Mando We Honor".

Anyways, it was nice hearing the boys splashing in the pool

not the older one, of course, Boy is too cool.

But my little dorky Chubs, he is having quite a blast

he'll joke while in line with all, but sit between mom and dad for the ride that part has not passed

Boy has been having a good time acting like our son

got him a new watch at Universal, maybe that's why he allows his feelings to be at "fun".

Wife just finished her shower, she was quiet and reflecting

now she's back to normal, a-bitching and inspecting...

the older nephew, 16, I find funny half man half child

one minute trying to sneak from my beer, the next debating whether to buy a plastic sword

the other boy stays away from me, I think I scare him

but he's good with my Chubs as they enjoy a good swim

The rest of my in-laws have been good to great

worried about my coughing to the point of letting me try their pills

I know it's not a good idea but I've rested and never quite got the chills.

We have one more park tomorrow, it'll be good,

then one more day of rest before we get back to our hood.

6/26/15 Epcot Still Rules?

    We are finally in a good groove, stopped trying to be at the parks at 9am and just taking in what we can in the alloted time.  Today, we were in Epcot around 11:30am.  We took the usual half hour before actually coming in to the park doing requistite pics of the sphere and all the pretty flowers.  I am getting used to these missteps, just give me some shade so it's not so hot.
    Our first ride was the world, or sphere.  It is a pretty cool ride showing us how important some of our inventions have been.  one the biggest was paper (papyrus), it allowed ideas to be written down and carried out by others making decisions in war more accurate, or recipes for cooking to be copied precisely.
    Then we got a bit askew because my mother-in-law wanted these poster sized photos they do after riding a ride called Figment of your Imagination or something.  The ride is for toddlers, but the photos are great, they use the castle or the EpCot sphere as the background and apparently, up to the whole family, about 18 of us got in the picture.  The problem here was that Wife's brother has not wanted to walk with the rest of us.  That works out as it is 6 more butts requiring more potty breaks.  He claimed to be in Nemo of the Seas so we went on it, five minutes and we were done.  Then we headed to the Figment ride to end up in the the photo studio.
    The photos took about 5 minutes, but putting everything together ended up with us sitting there almost 1.5 hrs.  I even fell asleep on a bench, but come on, room was warm, nothing interesting to see and nothing to do, Wife in the center of the photo hubbub making sure everything was turning out right.
    When we finally got out of there it was after 4pm and we were able to use our first effective fast pass to board Soaring, this might be the best ride in this park, it tries to resemble hang gliding if it needs a decription.  After this, it started raining hard , I mean we were walking in two inch puddles while trying to get to the Canada display to start on the world showcase.
    It seemed to take forever to get there, but that is fun part, going from country to country, eating and tasting something different every time.  I had a sandwich but they gave it to me covered in mayo that had congealed, it tasted funky.  The Lemoncello was delicious in Italy, then a grapefruit beer in Germany, ending with a mangoflavored maragarita in Mexico.

6/25/15 Universal Studios Still Gets Job Done?

    Universal Studios is admittedly starting to feel like an aged parked.  They almost waited too long to upgrade their core rides.  It is a big park, but there are only about ten rides/shows.

    The first show is the Terminator show and after all the hoopla in the awaiting staging rooms, it is nothing more than cap guns and smoke.  This might have worked in the 1990's but today's crowd needs more creativity.

    Then we went to ET which we found to be a cute ride, but really, it's a movie from the 1980's and there was never even a sequel.  You sit in a makeshift "bike" set-up and then run around and eventually fly over the city, then you are transported through space into ET's homeland which is a moon like atmosphere.

    The Simpsons Ride followed and it based on cartoon characters invented in the 80's.  This is the same system used by the Deloreans in Back To The Future.  But of all the rides, this must be the best bang for the buck.  Chubs loves this ride, at end of the night, he even rode it a second time.

    Men In Black followed and that is a very cool ride.  It is so hip, they provide lockers for anything loose on you.  Once on the ride, it kinda hustles and spins the crap out of you to confuse.  The goal is to shoot bad aliens, they are running amuck all over the city.

    After Men In Black, we walked into a new Harry Potter section, complete with a diagonal alley that seemed hidden to rest of the park.  Chubs and his cousin both bought wands there just cause and we ate an OK meal in a huge feeling "castle."

    We then went to Disaster The Movie and the In-Laws enjoyed this show because Wife and younger  Sister both ended up as characters on screen.

    Twister was next and it should not exist as a ride, nothing but some wind and noise.  It really is a letdown.  It was a good movie, but not enough to warrant a ride that's going to be around for 20 years.

    Finally, we got on a Shrek 4D movie and it was actually good.  Although Prince Farqwad is dead, his ghost is back to steal Fiona, and a wild chase is on through the countryside.

    All in all, it was a good day to be in the parks.  It was hot, but not overbearring, and then it rained hard around 6 o'clock, cooling off everyone.

6/24/15 The Happiest Place On Earth?

    Wife likes to put on her rose colored glasses when we come to Disney.  I don't doubt that the place is great as an over the top indulgance for our senses.  We do stick to the lamer rides, but we could push it if we wanted and fry our brains on a roller coaster in the dark, or maybe try a cigar at a humidor in Downtown Disney.
    The reality is most parents are frazzled by the second or third day, specially if they have a bunch of kids hanging off of them, saw one last night cussing at his table "I don't give a shit what you think you want, you're all getting chicken nuggets and that's that.  Wife was a little shocked, I thought this guy is a hero.  Who else would voluntarily bring that many kids to one of these parks?  My mother in law knows me at least 27 years and she too was shocked when I "lose it".  After I calmed down, I said sorry, BUT you know me, we didn't just meet for this trip, I have an asshole streak that I don't hesitate to let out, specially if I get stressed.
    Us guys should not be judged like you judge each other.  By percentages, more of the men walking around here are the good guys, the ones who love their families, who instead of blowing any extra money on themselves, plan these trips for the family.  What do I get of animatronics and weirdos dressed like cartoon characters?  I do it for Wife who loves this stuff and my boys, who still finds things to enjoy out here, even if Boy is trying his hardest to be Mr. Grown-up.
    My brother in law is here, his wife and their four kids, throw in his mother in law and another aunt, a niece and two nephews.... he is really bringing in the fun.  We went on one ride with them, Toy Story, and I guess they didn't pay attention to height requirements, but I was sure there would be trouble.  After standing in line for an hour and a half, we get to the docking port and it was 6 kids for them, all under 7-8 years old, and all his in laws stayed outside, I call bull-to-the-fucking-shit!!!  You bring kids, best be ready to help them ride.  My complaint is not at brother in law, but at his mother in law, aunt, niece, any of them could have helped with the extra kids.  You came to the park to sit in the heat?
    We are having an ok time, I am having to accept that people are different, my folks are used to the other parks, I can yell an "andale" (hurry) and people react.  This guys freeze up which is worse, what do you do when you want your group to go faster and their reaction is to pull in like a circle of scared gazelle?  Maybe I should eat the weakest one, teach the others to listen better.

6/23/15 Hollywood Studios Was Much Better?

    Yesterday was a rough start to our "fun" week but maybe we do need to listen to Boy and cut out Animal Kingdom entirely.  It is a hot, humid, smelly park, with little options to find AC places.  I wanted to include it because my in-laws had not seen it.
    Hollywood Studios has a different format.  It is set around big shows/rides/presentations for a given movie.  We walked in and were about 5 minutes from the start of Indiana Jones Stunt Set.  They go through and show us behind the scenes how they prep for a fight scene, or other interesting features in a movie.
    After this, it was to my personal favorite in this park, the Star Wars ride.  It had a "40" minute wait, but did not seem that bad, thanks to the conversing and the fact we were standing in mostly cool shade.  Once in the bldg, it took no time to make it up and we were out in no time.  We then spent a long time in the souvenir store, Chubs wanted a lightsaber built by hand, which takes time only because the kids think the pieces matter.
    We were then able to slide very quickly to the Muppet Show, which is a theater with interactive elements.  I honestly zoned out and Chubs gave me a few elbows when I started snoring.  It is a cute show, but it hasn't changed much from the past.  After, we walked through the souvenir shop, bought nothing, and then we headed to a restaurent where we could eat in air conditioned and relative quiet comfort.  The burger was forgettable, and even the soda was mostly carbonated water, missing the part that makes it yummy cola.
    At this point, we headed to the Great Movie Ride and it took about 110 min to get on.  My m-i-l said she thought the salad she ate might have given her sickness and rushed to the bathroom after standing in line all that time.
    Maybe to be careful, I headed to bathroom, but I just farted a bit.  We then went and got together with My brother in Law and all rode the Toy Story ride which is fun.  
    After this, there were small rides like Ariel's Under The Sea Sing along and then it felt like we saw entire park.  We don't do roller coasters or thrill rides, so the two big ones left were OK.  Wife then expected I would sit for 2.5 hours for the nine o'clock showing of  Fantasm.  She suggested I could leave early, mostly because we have needed fans to be really comfortable.