Adulting is Hard, So I'm Running Away! ~ An Oct 2016 PTR ~ Update 10/19: Peace Out, Yo!

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[IowaTater]

Wooohooo for a relaxing staycation!!! If I lived that closed to the beach, I'd be hanging out there too.

I agree. That rise in cost for MNSSHP hurt a little. And then I read somewhere that Disney reported a loss of earnings for their Q2??? WTH Disney??

That's awesome that you got most of your ADRs changed. I've been hearing from a lot of people that they've been releasing more ADR times too.

I think you have the right idea with the scooter. Keep it for now and then as it gets closer, you can make a more definite decision.

 

[chunkymonkey]

All caught up now! Congrats on all your ADRs! They look divine! Insanely jealous about a few of them...ok well, all of them! I love how you got Monsieur Paul in there as well as Yachtsman! We had to cancel our ADR because it conflicted with the Star Wars Fireworks...well yeah our third viewing of the fireworks but they were just so good and it was our last night...but we made up for it with a delicious meal at Sanaa instead.

Congrats on the weight loss! 50lbs! That's amazing! And you're looking good in your pictures from your staycation!
It looks like you are all set for your trip! I hope things work out with the ECV. I can see the pros and cons of both. When we were at the Poly someone parked their ECV in the hallway of the hotel and not in the room. Are you allowed to do that? It wasn't in the way or anything, just wondered if you could do that.

 

[Elevationist]

Shameless plug. lol I finally have some actual merit to my pre-trip report if you find the time to check it out and want to have some boring ramblings feel free.

Beep beep, I'm on my way!

You have fantastic results on your health journey! Exciting to have some options open up for you transportation wise.

Hopefully! It would be nice, for sure!

No shame in taking the boat to Epcot or other resorts though - it was such a nice relaxing ride, and because of the heat, I had no qualms at all about getting back on the boat to go from Boardwalk to Beach Club. It's a holiday, not an endurance challenge!

You're right. And I might, depending on timing. Maybe. Who knows!

Wooohooo for a relaxing staycation!!! If I lived that closed to the beach, I'd be hanging out there too.

I've taken it for granted for many years. I'm trying to get better about that and go put my toes in the sand more often!

I agree. That rise in cost for MNSSHP hurt a little. And then I read somewhere that Disney reported a loss of earnings for their Q2??? WTH Disney??

Maybe that's why they're charging more for everything! Though as crowded as the parks are these days, I can't imagine that they're losing money! Crazy!

That's awesome that you got most of your ADRs changed. I've been hearing from a lot of people that they've been releasing more ADR times too.

Thanks for inspiring me to go check and see what I could find!

I think you have the right idea with the scooter. Keep it for now and then as it gets closer, you can make a more definite decision.

Yep, that's the plan! Either way, I'm good to go!

All caught up now! Congrats on all your ADRs! They look divine! Insanely jealous about a few of them...ok well, all of them! I love how you got Monsieur Paul in there as well as Yachtsman! We had to cancel our ADR because it conflicted with the Star Wars Fireworks...well yeah our third viewing of the fireworks but they were just so good and it was our last night...but we made up for it with a delicious meal at Sanaa instead.

THREE TIMES?!?! Girl! Your SW addiction is phenomenal.

Congrats on the weight loss! 50lbs! That's amazing! And you're looking good in your pictures from your staycation!

D'aww, thank you so much!

It looks like you are all set for your trip! I hope things work out with the ECV. I can see the pros and cons of both. When we were at the Poly someone parked their ECV in the hallway of the hotel and not in the room. Are you allowed to do that? It wasn't in the way or anything, just wondered if you could do that.

Hmm, I don't know how that works in the Deluxes! I know in the values/moderates there were sometimes places for me to park and plug in in the exterior corridors, but I would only do that during a mid-day break. Overnight, I always brought it into the room with me, (1) to keep it out of the way of Housekeeping carts, and (2) just to keep it safe (since I'm responsible for any damage to it).

 

[cajunfan]

I'm baaaaaaacccccckkkkkk!

What have I missed??? You mean I actually have to go back and read it? You won't just tell me what I missed the last week and a half???

Fine, then! I will go back and read...

 

[Elevationist]

I'm baaaaaaacccccckkkkkk!

What have I missed??? You mean I actually have to go back and read it? You won't just tell me what I missed the last week and a half???

Fine, then! I will go back and read...

Dude, I did one update during that time, I think you can handle it!

 

[cruzstitch]

The Night Circus



Hi there! I'm new. Also travelling to WDW in October, we will arrive just before you leave. I had to say, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I know what you mean about the visuals. I could practically smell the food while I read (and re-read) this book. I want to crawl into this book and live there every time I read it. Also, if you send an e-mail to the address for Bailey at the end of the book, you will TOTALLY get a response (yes, I'm a nerd). I saw that you also read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, another of my favorites. I dressed as Karou one year and my husband made me her weapons and I drew hamsas on my hands. Anyway, thanks for the entertaining PTR!

 

[Steppesister]

Finally getting a day to play catch- seems like that's all I do around here these days.

But yes, it was a pretty freakin' exciting day when the party tix went on sale! Got mine for Tuesday the 11th. Super-de-dooper stoked for my first one. Planning my costume too.

Glad you are still in weight loss mode. Truly, what an accomplishment at 50 pounds! That's a huge achievement.

And YAY for the ADR adjustments! Perfecting them to even better times is such a plus. Nicely done!

 

[Saphire5742]

I Just Love this pic of you! Disney Halloween Adorableness!

So because I'm doing so much better physically since I started walking on the treadmill and losing weight (50 lbs, woo!),

I am so happy for you.
Also you've inspired me to go on my own weight loss journey (as soon as I get back home, for the third and hopefully last time)

Also, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everybody who wished me a happy staycation last week! It was GLORIOUS! As promised, I did absolutely NOTHING responsible. Not even a single load of laundry.

Definitely looks glorious, and plenty restful.

 

[Elevationist]

Hi there! I'm new. Also travelling to WDW in October, we will arrive just before you leave.

Hello, new person!

The Night Circus

I had to say, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I know what you mean about the visuals. I could practically smell the food while I read (and re-read) this book. I want to crawl into this book and live there every time I read it.

Yaaaaasss! Exactly! It's exquisitely written!

Also, if you send an e-mail to the address for Bailey at the end of the book, you will TOTALLY get a response (yes, I'm a nerd).

Bahaha! That's so awesome... It never even occurred to me to try! I'm definitely going to now!

I saw that you also read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, another of my favorites. I dressed as Karou one year and my husband made me her weapons and I drew hamsas on my hands.

NEAT! I'm far too lazy for cosplaying anything, even for Halloween, but I admire the heck out of people that do it!

Anyway, thanks for the entertaining PTR!

Thanks for being here!

Finally getting a day to play catch- seems like that's all I do around here these days.

Guuuuurl, you and me both.

But yes, it was a pretty freakin' exciting day when the party tix went on sale! Got mine for Tuesday the 11th. Super-de-dooper stoked for my first one. Planning my costume too.

Hooray! Have you decided on a costume? I think I'm still just gonna keep it casual with my orange and black ensemble. Maybe I'll add a black or orange tutu, just for fun!

Glad you are still in weight loss mode. Truly, what an accomplishment at 50 pounds! That's a huge achievement.

Thanks! Though this month I'm less in "weight LOSS mode" and more in "stalled out but holding steady" mode. But considering circumstances has kept me out of the gym a lot this month, and a couple week ago I allowed myself my first and only cheat day since I started this thing almost 5 months ago... I'm pretty okay with that!

And YAY for the ADR adjustments! Perfecting them to even better times is such a plus. Nicely done!

Yes, I was quite pleased!

I Just Love this pic of you! Disney Halloween Adorableness!

Thank you! I'm going to do something similar but different for this year's MNSSHP!

I am so happy for you.
Also you've inspired me to go on my own weight loss journey (as soon as I get back home, for the third and hopefully last time)

You can do it! If I can, ANYBODY can. Because I'm the WORST at this stuff!

Definitely looks glorious, and plenty restful.

It really was, I'm dying for another staycation already!

 

[Elevationist]

93 days until FP+!
152 days until WDW!
****************************************************

Hey, ya'll!

So I think that I've actually managed somehow to stay relatively caught-up on all of your threads for the last two weeks! Aren't ya'll just so SUPER proud of me?!

I really only have one teeny tiny drop of trip-related news to share. On a whim, and because I have Deluxe Dining, I crossed off a couple of counter service places I planned on hitting, and grabbed a couple more ADRs: Paradiso 37, and Trattoria al Forno!

Here's my week, and ADRs, as they stand now...

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!!! I can't wait!

As usual, I've been reading a lot...

• The Trials of Apollo, by Rick Riordan: It was really cute. But his books always are. It was a good start to a new series, so I'm excited to read each installment over the next few years.
• Uprooted, by Naomi Novik: I stumbled upon this on just browsing Amazon one day, and decided to give it a chance. I loved it. Like, serious loved it. Definitely recommend to anyody who enjoys fantasy/fairy tale type stuff.
• The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, by Emily Croy Barker: I think I stole this suggestion from @ALEXandFAB here on the DIS. I did enjoy it, and I'm glad I read it. But that being said, I had some issues with it, too. It's really long, which normally I don't mind, but a good 200 pages or so in the middle could have been completely cut out and it would have had zero effect on the plot. Also, the ending sucked. So I suppose it's a good thing the author is working on a sequel, but still!

Speaking of @ALEXandFAB ... What are you reading these days, anyhow? Your recommendations have been pretty on point!

Not that I need really more books in my queue... I finally got around to joining GoodReads.com last weekend (if you use the site, feel free to add me as a friend: https://www.goodreads.com/elevationism ), and already my "To Read" shelf has, like, 135 books on it now. And many of those are just the first book of a series. (For series, I only add the first book if I haven't started reading it yet, since I might not like it.)

And finally, as those of you on my Facebook likely already know... On Wednesday this week, I ended up crossing paths this tiny little baby girl at a gas station after work...

(The above photo is when I first got her home, after the vet tech cleaned up her eyes but before she had her first of several baths.)

SO! What had happened was... A older gentleman was there at the gas station, begging people to take this filthy little TEENY TINY baby kitten that he'd just found in the middle of the road because his wife said he couldn't bring her home. She was in the back of his pick-up truck, crying her little lungs out, and I stood there listening as I was pumping my gas. Then I tried my hardest to just ignore it drive away... But I couldn't. So I took her from him, and he thanked me profusely. Ya'll, she fit in the palm of my hand. I got in my car with her, and she quieted down as soon as I cradled her to my chest. Then I went, "Oh crap. Now what?"

I rushed her over to the rescue organization that I adopted my Harley from back in 2010, and they couldn't take her (nobody to care for her overnight), but they hooked me up with formula and feeding supplies and care instructions. They took all my info, and are supposed to be reaching out to their network of fosters to find somebody who can take on a kitten so young that still needs to be bottle-fed. She's only 2-3 weeks old. (Probably closer to 3 now.) I explained that I work full-time so during the day she's going to have to go a while between feedings, which I could tell the vet tech didn't like very much, but there's nothing I can do about that. They promised to call around and find a foster who can give her the round-the-clock care she needs. Still no word from them, though...

So. I have a temporary resident in my apartment! Her name is Princess Cupcake McFluffybutt. She lives in her "nest," which is a cat carrier under a towel in my dining room. All things considered, she's doing pretty well, I think. I had to give her a few baths (she was infested with fleas), and her eyes were pretty goopy (one was completely crusted closed when I met her). Both of those problems are gone now, and she seems to be growing each day!

(Post-bath snuggles on our first night together.)

Slowly we're getting the hang of one another. She still fights the bottle and chews on the nipple, but is gradually getting better about eventually latching on and suckling. After 2-3 rounds of this, I'm eventually able to get the required amount of formula (and sometimes more) in her at each feeding.

Then it's potty time... Kittens can't eliminate on their own until 4-5 weeks of age, so I have to gently rub her belly and bits to get her to go. She's hates it, but she is pretty good about going pee for me, although I've yet to get her to make poopy. Thankfully, she did it on her own twice yesterday, so I feel better about that. No luck today so far, though!

After that, we play/snuggle for a little while, and eventually she settles down and either falls asleep or just gets very relaxed. That's when she goes back into her nest until her next feeding. She doesn't wake up crying hungry or anything, she stays pretty chill. Every now and then I'll hear some little mews and squeaks come from her carrier, but then she falls back to sleep. But as soon as I wake her up and take her out for her next feeding, she goes cray-cray! Also, she likes to get on my shoulder and behind my neck and play in my hair.

(What a difference just three days can make!)

And before ya'll ask... No, keeping Cupcake myself is not an option. Two cats is my limit. Between routine care and vet visits, I can barely afford the two that I have. Plus, I've had three in my apartment before (when I had a roommate with a cat), and I found out first-hand that I'm much happier just having two of them around full-time. Not to mention I decided a long time ago that Butters and Harley, once they pass on (hopefully many maaaaany years from now), I'd like to maybe finally get a dog. So no more permanent resident cats in my home!

Plus... As much as I enjoy her, she's also a lot of work and stress at this age. The gym is totally off the table at the moment, as I have to rush home right as soon as I get off work. (And once I'm home after work, it takes an act of Congress to get me to go back out. As soon as I walk in the door, the pants come off, the jammies go on, and I'm DONE. Once I'm in, I'm in for the night!) And weekends? What weekends? Normally on a Saturday after work (like today), I would head to the park and soak up some sunshine and then hang out at the coffeehouse reading for a while. So that's obviously not happening. I was supposed to go out on the boat with my parents tomorrow... Cancelled that because it's bad enough that I'm gone to work all day 5 days a week, the least I can do is be at home on my days off to feed her lunch. I'm not into high-maintenance pets or people... It's one of the multitude of reasons that I don't have (or want) human children!

But please don't misunderstand... I do absolutely adore her completely, and don't regret for a moment my impulsive decision to take her from that guy at the gas station. I know that I'm saving her sweet little life, so I'm okay with making some changes and sacrafices for a little while. I only hope that they find a good foster or forever home for her soon, so I can get back to my normal routine, and so that she can have more stability. Maybe I'll get lucky and whoever she goes to will stay in touch with me and update me on her progress.

So for now, and the foreseeable future, she's my little mooshy Cupcake baby, and I'll enjoy this time with her that I have!

(That face, though! )

 

[Dentam]

She sure is a cutie!! Three cats would be a lot though so I understand why you don't want to keep her. She might be happy to join you on one of your outdoor outings though - just bring her along in her carrier and get her a mini frappuccino to enjoy beside you beachside!

 

[Saphire5742]

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!!! I can't wait!

And I can't wait to read all about it! This is truly turning into a food lover's paradise vacation.

So. I have a temporary resident in my apartment! Her name is Princess Cupcake McFluffybutt.

Awwwwwwww, she is absolutely adorable! And I just LOVE LOVE LOVE your name for her. How on earth did you come up with that?
It's so wonderful what you are doing for her. Hope she finds a good permanent home soon.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[ariane37]

I completely understand why you can't keep her. We have two; had three at one point and.....two is good. DH isn't even a fan of cats or animals in general but when we met it was love me, love my cats It's wonderful that you took her in and are nursing her until a suitable foster family is found though! Right now there's a stray outside/around our house that my male cat plays with when he goes out. I know the stray is friendly and whenever I open our door to let Jackie in the stray looks at me like, "Hey! We goin' in now?" and I feel horrible. But you can only do so much

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

What a cutie patootie!

 

[kastoney]

I really only have one teeny tiny drop of trip-related news to share. On a whim, and because I have Deluxe Dining, I crossed off a couple of counter service places I planned on hitting, and grabbed a couple more ADRs: Paradiso 37, and Trattoria al Forno!

YUMMY!!!!!!! I've heard great things about Paradiso 37, I'm just too much a lazy **** to go to DTD

A older man was there begging people to take this kitten that he'd just found in the middle of the road because he couldn't. She was in the back of his pick-up truck, crying her little lungs out. I tried my hardest to just ignore it drive away... But I couldn't. So I took her from him, and got in my car with her, and she quieted down as soon as I cradled her to my chest. Then I went, "Oh crap. Now what?"

Poor baby. Lucky she found you.

She's only 2-3 weeks old. (Probably closer to 3 now.) I explained that I work full-time so during the day she's going to have to go a while between feedings, which I could tell the vet tech didn't like very much, but there's nothing I can do about that. They promised to call around and find a foster who can give her the round-the-clock care she needs. Still no word from them, though...

2-3 weeks. That is insane. I can't believe someone would leave such an indefensible baby all by themselves.

Her name is Princess Cupcake McFluffybutt.

Why did I not think to name Casey this????

Kittens can't eliminate on their own until 4-5 weeks of age, so I have to gently rub her belly and bits to get her to go. She's hates it, but she is pretty good about going pee for me, although I've yet to get her to make poopy.

WHAT????????????? Never heard of anything remotely like this

THAT FACE, THOUGH!

Pretty darn perfect, but good on your for knowing that she has another destiny

And once I'm home after work, it takes an act of Congress to get me to go back out. As soon as I walk in the door, the pants come off, the jammies go on, and I'm DONE. Once I'm in, I'm in for the night

I'm with ya sista. Once I him home there is no turning back.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Cupcake is adorable. I hope you can find a good home for her.

La Trattoria is a good choice and really convenient for someone staying at the BC. We are going to try and go there in October.

 

[soniam]

OMG! She is adorable! I can see why you took her in. I can also completely understand not being able to keep her. But thank you for doing what you are doing. We have two cats in a house. I can't imagine 3. One is almost 20 years old, almost toothless, and I think completely deaf. The other is younger. Once DS leaves the house and the younger cat goes to kitty heaven, I don't think we will get another pet. I have had pets my entire life, but we want to travel more and move around some. It's not easy with pets.

I really want to try Paradiso 37. I hadn't really thought much of it before. However, on our March trip, the music and smells from the place really made me want to eat there. I am looking forward to your review of it.

 

[cinderkelly]

Your ADR list is seriously impressive! It's going to make for an awesome Dining report!!

Oh baby Princess Cupcake she is adorable. Looks like the universe put her at the right place at the right time for someone as awesome as you to come along and care for her. She's a very lucky kitty!! Hopefully they will be able to find her the perfect forever home soon, but she sure is getting the best care available with you! I wish I lived closer or I'd come and scoop her up to live with Angus!