Canadian Buffoon's Semi-EPIC Vacation - 10/29 - Link to new TR!

[Pluto0809]

Well... this sucks.
My work just blocked Photobucket.
Glad I loaded a bunch of photos there.

Either I try to find some other hosting site
(that doesn't meet the criteria "Media sharing")
or I stop writing while on my breaks...
Which is going to put a serious crimp
in my output.

That sucks! When Photobucket decided to charge and arm and a leg, I switched over to Smug Mug. It's not quite as user friendly as Photobucket but it works for me. Not sure if it meets your criteria above though.

 

[pkondz]

That sucks! When Photobucket decided to charge and arm and a leg, I switched over to Smug Mug. It's not quite as user friendly as Photobucket but it works for me. Not sure if it meets your criteria above though.

It doesn't.
My work's blocked that too.

 

[vamassey1]

Oh yeah. That's a deal breaker.

I thought as much.

Best buds it is!

I use it on Disney busses, mostly.

So that's how you do it. I really need some of your Pixie Dust.

Just a blink of an eye!

I hope so.

 

[pkondz]

I thought as much.

I expect you are crying profusely
right about now.

So that's how you do it. I really need some of your Pixie Dust.

You can have some if you share a bus with me.

I hope so.

It'll come! Quicker than you
expect in some ways.
(but longer in others. sorry!)

 

[vamassey1]

I expect you are crying profusely
right about now.

You can only imagine the amount of tears.

You can have some if you share a bus with me.

Don't thing that's going to happen anytime soon. Poor pitiful me.

It'll come! Quicker than you
expect in some ways.
(but longer in others. sorry!)

And then go by way too fast.

 

[pkondz]

You can only imagine the amount of tears.

I'm so sorry.
I have that effect on women.

Don't thing that's going to happen anytime soon. Poor pitiful me.

And then go by way too fast.

Now that's for sure!

 

[Tracy161]

Well, hi there!

Hi pkondz!

And... bonus! On this trip
you get two buffoons for
the price of one!

I always love a good deal!

You'll see me too. (A little later)
And for that, I apologize.

I could've sworn I heard
a faint burp as the last
bag disappeared from view.

I'm sure you did. I always do.

After retrieving our belongings,
putting my watch back on,
pulling up my pants and putting
my belt back on,

Really thorough in Canada, I see...

He does not ask me if I am
constipated because I am
practically pooping my pants
(mercifully held up by my belt.

We made it to our gate at 9:23.
They had started boarding...
but were still in the process.
Phew!

OMG my heart was racing just reading this update Phew!

I need to give a big
shout-out and an even
bigger "THANK YOU!"
to @docsoliday1.
When he heard Elle and I
were heading down,
he offered to rent his
DVC points to us.

Aww that was awesome! @docsoliday1 is a good egg, isn't he?

I told her we'd take any floor
including the roof if it got us
a closer building.

I learned that it's not
Conch... which you'd think
would be pronounced like
"launch" or "paunch",
but Conch, pronounced "Konk".

Not to brag, but I did know this! I grew up a Parrothead... aka a Jimmy Buffet, Key West-loving gal who took frequent trips to the Keys and had a "Jimmy Buffet" bar in her parent's basement. Okay, it was their bar, but still. My mom drove around with a "Conch Republic" bumper sticker on her jeep for years. She might have disowned me if I didn't know how to pronounce Conch correctly. She nearly did for singing the wrong lyrics to a Buffet song when I was 8. Strict rules in my house growing up...

I'm off to a good start! I did see it!

 

[KathyM2]

I finally found your new TR and as usual trying to catch up. I have to admit it is taking me some time to get used to the look of the Dis again!

"Welcome to the centre of
the Universe."
(Canadian inside joke)

That's no joke Toronto IS the centre of the universe lol

OKW is big and sprawling.
And where our room was...
Was in the farthest building away.

Yeah that's the problem with some WDW resorts...sheer size. I'm glad it worked out and you got something closer!

 

[franandaj]

On this trip
you get two buffoons for
the price of one!

Does Elle know that you're calling her a Buffoon?

putrid

You know? I always thought it was spelled peutrid, but it gets that little red line underneath it, so I guess yours is right!

She'd wanted to bring some
US cash with her...
but.. Wonderful planning on her part...
She'd waited until the last day to
take out the money.

Am I the only one who has everything figured out three weeks before I go anywhere?

Don't have kids, folks.
You heard it here first.

I think that ship has sailed for me, except fur kids....

We got our baggage tags at the kiosk
and got in line to drop off our bags.
We were first in line!

Which really just means we could've
come a little later.

Again

Yes. We were too first in line.
The other people you see needed
additional help with their luggage.
We were first in line at the bag
drop-off.

I'm glad you added this, because I was gonna call you on that!

We were waved forward and
Elle placed her bag on the scale.
33lbs. Well under the 50lb limit.
I put mine on next... fairly sure
that it was going to be over.


Yep.
55lbs.

Which is why I have a digital scale in my carry on. I weight my bags before we leave and before we come home.

I guess people from Calgary
have something in common
with marmots.
(Inside joke.)

That's not nice to call Calgarians (is that what you call them?) slow!

No bringing your pot
with you, folks!

Cocaine, crack, meth...
Those apparently are
perfectly fine.
But pot? Nooooooo!

Duly noted. Though I don't travel with any of that anymore.....

What he did was open it
up and remove a teensy
tiny pair of cuticle scissors.
"I just have to show this
to the X-Ray person." He said.

He did. She saw. He put it back.
I can only presume that he thought
they were cute and wanted to show her.

Ah... young love.

I digress.

Again, I think you're being Walter Mitty and fantasizing.....

Some of the advantages
to Plus seats are more leg
room, no middle passenger,
priority boarding and free snacks.

That sounds like a pretty good deal, I would say it would be good for Fran and I, but I see that the seat dividers don't look like they go up, so you're still squeezed into that one little seat.

Or whatever. I have no idea.
All I know is I was not on a
plane piloted by Frank and Beans,
or Frank and Stein.

#firstworldproblems

De-icing! On April 30th!

I'm not sure I've experiences De-icing except once in Chicago, but the only time I remember being in Chicago was in July.

Yep. She'd passed out.
Fast asleep.

I smiled and sat back.


She slept through the take-off.
She didn't wake up again
until the plane touched down
in Toronto.

Well that's good, at least she got some sleep.

"Traveling with more than
$10,000 dollars?"

Once.
Just once.
I want to answer "Yes" to
that question.
But I am not an oil baron
(or a drug dealer. I saw the sign.)
so the answer is always "No".

Do they mean cash or value? Depending on how many Disney necklaces I have, I could have easily that amount!

As we taxied, I spotted
WestJet's "Frozen" plane.

I didn't even know that was a "thing"!

Elle... passed out shortly after
take-off.

Good, even more sleep. She'll be ready to go once you get there!

In hindsight, I wish I'd put it
over someone else's head.
Because about 5-10 minutes
after we got going, it fell out
of the overhead bin and landed
on my head before falling into
the aisle.
There was a collective
"oooohhhhh!!!" from the
seats behind me.

Ouch!

I can always replace the plate
in my head, but a good camera
isn't easy to find in Disney.

Oh sure, just go to World of Disney and look in the section for metal plates in the head. They have them in all shapes and sizes.

Do you really have a metal plate in your head?

Old Key West!

I need to give a big
shout-out and an even
bigger "THANK YOU!"
to @docsoliday1.
When he heard Elle and I
were heading down,
he offered to rent his
DVC points to us.
So for what amounted to
about the same price as
a Value resort, we got to
stay at OKW instead.

Ahhhh, that's why you were so interested in my experience at OKW. Do you know what building number you were in?

OKW is big and sprawling.
And where our room was...
Was in the farthest building away.

The first time we stayed there se were really far away, but it was only for one night, so it didn't make a lot of difference.

I told her we'd take any floor
including the roof if it got us
a closer building.
She pointed to a nearby building
on the map.
"How's this?" She asked.
It was less than a 2-minute walk away.
I nodded enthusiastically.
"It might not be ready until 4pm." She said.
I assured her that was fine.

So? Bldg #?

We popped over to Olivia's which was
pretty much empty at that time of day.

And now I see why you were so interested in the menu as well.

There were a few items
on the menu that we
had both agreed to try.

Interesting that they have a completely different lunch and dinner menu.

we each had our
own conch chowder.

I would have thought it would have been less tomatoey.

And it was here, at Olivia's,
that I learned that it's not
Conch... which you'd think
would be pronounced like
"launch" or "paunch",
but Conch, pronounced "Konk".
Like the sound it makes
when a heavy camera bag
falls and hits you on the head.

You were not previous aware of that? I know you must have known the sound of a heavy camera bag falling on your head, but not the pronunciation of that word.

And...
Did you see it?

Yes, you're making inroads on taking over WestJet on row at a time.

Well... this sucks.
My work just blocked Photobucket.

Oh no!

Either I try to find some other hosting site
(that doesn't meet the criteria "Media sharing")
or I stop writing while on my breaks...
Which is going to put a serious crimp
in my output.

I ended up doing a lot of writing on my phone. It's a PITA, but about three years ago I realized that if I didn't find a way to do it from the phone it wouldn't happen. So I upload all the photos to whatever service I'm using and then write the actual text in Google docs. I can access it from any computer I'm logged into as well as my phone.

OK yours was the third TR of five that I committed to last week, that I said I would come back and catch up! I'm almost there again. I was all caught up when everyone was celebrating their epicness.

 

[docsoliday1]

Not to brag, but I did know this! I grew up a Parrothead... aka a Jimmy Buffet, Key West-loving gal who took frequent trips to the Keys and had a "Jimmy Buffet" bar in her parent's basement. Okay, it was their bar, but still. My mom drove around with a "Conch Republic" bumper sticker on her jeep for years. She might have disowned me if I didn't know how to pronounce Conch correctly. She nearly did for singing the wrong lyrics to a Buffet song when I was 8. Strict rules in my house growing up...

I did as well. My first duty assignment in the AF was at Homestead. Spent a LOT of time up and down the keys...why I'm a key lime pie snob. Never was a big conch fan, but then again, not a big seafood fan in general.
Brutal. Wrong lyrics at 8? Wow. Curious...which song and what were the wrong lyrics (IF you remember)

 

[docsoliday1]

Does Elle know that you're calling her a Buffoon?

Maybe he was looking in the mirror?
Maybe he was feeling bi-polar?

 

[Tracy161]

I did as well. My first duty assignment in the AF was at Homestead. Spent a LOT of time up and down the keys

Oh I bet you did!

why I'm a key lime pie snob.

Of all the things one could possibly be a snob about, key lime pie is among the most prestigious

Curious...which song and what were the wrong lyrics (IF you remember)

Ha! It was Fruit Cakes. The line that goes "now don't look that abstract"... I thought was "don't look at that #$% crack". Come to think of it, maybe she was just upset I swore It was, however, a genuine mistake!

 

[docsoliday1]

Oh I bet you did!

The one big regret...I didn't get my scuba certification while I was stationed there. I could've gotten it cheap and considering how much I snorkeled, not sure (other than very little money in the military) why I didn't.

Of all the things one could possibly be a snob about, key lime pie is among the most prestigious

Thanks. I never considered it prestigious. Just I've had the real thing, so if it's not authentic, me no likey.

I'm also a cheesecake snob...I make a pretty good one and many I've tried in restaurants fall very short.

Ha! It was Fruit Cakes. The line that goes "now don't look that abstract"... I thought was "don't look at that #$% crack". Come to think of it, maybe she was just upset I swore It was, however, a genuine mistake!

As an 8 yo, honest mistake, but I can see your mom being upset simply from the swearing.

Speaking of fruitcakes, my mom makes a fantastic one. I know people joke about fruitcakes being horrible and the gift nobody wants, but it's not store bought. I TOTALLY agree the store bought ones are disgusting. I can't tell you the number of people who've told me they don't like fruitcake and then I get them to try my mom's and suddenly they like fruitcake.

 

[pkondz]

Hi pkondz!

Hi Tracy!
to the TR!!

I always love a good deal!

Are you sure you think this
is a good deal????

I knew you'd be sad
to have to see that.

I'm sure you did. I always do.

Airports are always hungry
for fresh luggage.

Really thorough in Canada, I see...

But it helps with other
issues that I periodically
encounter at borders, et al.

OMG my heart was racing just reading this update Phew!

I won't say mine wasn't.

Aww that was awesome! @docsoliday1 is a good egg, isn't he?

Not to brag, but I did know this! I grew up a Parrothead... aka a Jimmy Buffet, Key West-loving gal

Not to brag, but I did know
this about you.

who took frequent trips to the Keys and had a "Jimmy Buffet" bar in her parent's basement.

This I did not know!

Okay, it was their bar, but still.

Details, schmetails.

My mom drove around with a "Conch Republic" bumper sticker on her jeep for years.

Whoa.
If you didn't know how to pronounce
it, I could see you getting in deep
trouble because of it!

She might have disowned me if I didn't know how to pronounce Conch correctly. She nearly did for singing the wrong lyrics to a Buffet song when I was 8. Strict rules in my house growing up...

I'm off to a good start! I did see it!

Starting people off easy.

 

[pkondz]

I finally found your new TR and as usual trying to catch up.

Kathy! Hi!
to the TR!

You're right on time.
The next update hasn't
been written yet.
(But it is in progress. )

I have to admit it is taking me some time to get used to the look of the Dis again!

Don't worry. Won't take long
to get used to it.

That's no joke Toronto IS the centre of the universe lol

You change lightbulbs
by just holding them in
place and letting the world
revolve around you, don't you?

How come we've never gotten
together?
I'm in TO fairly often.
Well... if you consider once
every year or two "often".

Yeah that's the problem with some WDW resorts...sheer size.

I'm glad it worked out and you got something closer!

Me too!
I did not want to be in
Central America.

 

[pkondz]

Does Elle know that you're calling her a Buffoon?

I paid for most of the trip.
I'll call her whatever I want...
and she'll like it!

You know? I always thought it was spelled peutrid, but it gets that little red line underneath it, so I guess yours is right!

Nope. Putrid is right.

Am I the only one who has everything figured out three weeks before I go anywhere?

You are not the only one.
I don't pack until the day before,
but everything is ready by then.

I think that ship has sailed for me, except fur kids....

Don't adopt.

Again

But I wasn't complaining.
I'd rather be too early,
than too late.

I'm glad you added this, because I was gonna call you on that!

I know!
I looked at the photo
and thought "Alison's going
to ask me about this."

Not kidding.

Which is why I have a digital scale in my carry on. I weight my bags before we leave and before we come home.

I thought about that...
almost bought one.
Then realized that since I normally
travel alone... the bag weight was
going to be the bag weight.

That's not nice to call Calgarians (is that what you call them?) slow!

Don't worry.
It'll take them a long time
to figure it out.

Duly noted. Though I don't travel with any of that anymore.....

Oh?

Again, I think you're being Walter Mitty and fantasizing.....

Have you seen the movie
with Ben Stiller?
I love that movie!

That sounds like a pretty good deal, I would say it would be good for Fran and I, but I see that the seat dividers don't look like they go up, so you're still squeezed into that one little seat.

I don't know... I think they
come up, the table is held in
by the seatbelt.
But you won't gain a lot of room
because of that little table.

#firstworldproblems

The struggle is real.

I'm not sure I've experiences De-icing except once in Chicago, but the only time I remember being in Chicago was in July.

Hmmm... I wouldn't think you'd
need to in July!

Well that's good, at least she got some sleep.

Do they mean cash or value? Depending on how many Disney necklaces I have, I could have easily that amount!

Cash only.

I didn't even know that was a "thing"!

They have two:

Good, even more sleep. She'll be ready to go once you get there!

She was! She was wide awake
and raring to go!

Ouch!

Yep.

Oh sure, just go to World of Disney and look in the section for metal plates in the head. They have them in all shapes and sizes.

Do you really have a metal plate in your head?

It would explain so much, wouldn't it?

But... no.

Ahhhh, that's why you were so interested in my experience at OKW. Do you know what building number you were in?

And, it's not giving anything
away, since I already told you
it was close.
Bldg 64

The first time we stayed there se were really far away, but it was only for one night, so it didn't make a lot of difference.

Ah.

And now I see why you were so interested in the menu as well.

Surprise!

Interesting that they have a completely different lunch and dinner menu.

I didn't even look at the
dinner menu. Huh!

I would have thought it would have been less tomatoey.

It was good, Alison!

You were not previous aware of that? I know you must have known the sound of a heavy camera bag falling on your head, but not the pronunciation of that word.

Now I know.
You don't have to
hit me over the head with it.

See what I did there?

Yes, you're making inroads on taking over WestJet on row at a time.

I only need one row.

Oh no!

Not happy.
At least I can upload/download
them from home and then
work on writing on my breaks.

Still.

No idea why it's blocked.
Someone must've done
something.

I ended up doing a lot of writing on my phone. It's a PITA, but about three years ago I realized that if I didn't find a way to do it from the phone it wouldn't happen. So I upload all the photos to whatever service I'm using and then write the actual text in Google docs. I can access it from any computer I'm logged into as well as my phone.

I use Google docs at work a bit.
And can see the appeal.

OK yours was the third TR of five that I committed to last week, that I said I would come back and catch up! I'm almost there again. I was all caught up when everyone was celebrating their epicness.

Good luck keeping caught up!
It never ends!

By the way...
I should have an update
up soon.

Sorry!

 

[Tracy161]

The one big regret...I didn't get my scuba certification while I was stationed there.

Bummer! I can only imagine the scuba diving potential down there

Just I've had the real thing, so if it's not authentic, me no likey.

I agree! It really IS so much better.

As an 8 yo, honest mistake, but I can see your mom being upset simply from the swearing

Speaking of fruitcakes, my mom makes a fantastic one. I know people joke about fruitcakes being horrible and the gift nobody wants, but it's not store bought. I TOTALLY agree the store bought ones are disgusting. I can't tell you the number of people who've told me they don't like fruitcake and then I get them to try my mom's and suddenly they like fruitcake.

Oooh, I'm most intrigued!

Hi Tracy!
to the TR!!

Hi pkondz! I am ashamed how long it took me to realize you'd started Not to worry! I only had 86 pages to catch up on

Are you sure you think this
is a good deal????

Absolutely, positively!

I knew you'd be sad
to have to see that.

Indeed.

Airports are always hungry
for fresh luggage.

Yep. And sometimes they don't even burp them back up

But it helps with other
issues that I periodically
encounter at borders, et al.

Truth!

Not to brag, but I did know
this about you.

Indeed you did!

This I did not know!

It was amazing. My mom dragged home from a trip to Key West all these grass reeds (no, not that kind of grass...) that she affixed to the exterior of the bar to look like we just sauntered up from the beach. I wish I could find a picture of it! Sadly, she isn't in that house anymore. I thinks she misses the bar most of all

Whoa.
If you didn't know how to pronounce
it, I could see you getting in deep
trouble because of it!

 

[pkondz]

Maybe he was looking in the mirror?
Maybe he was feeling bi-polar?

Like I just told Alison.
I paid for the da... darn trip.
I'll call her whatever I like!

 

[pkondz]

Ha! It was Fruit Cakes. The line that goes "now don't look that abstract"... I thought was "don't look at that #$% crack". Come to think of it, maybe she was just upset I swore It was, however, a genuine mistake!

The one big regret...I didn't get my scuba certification while I was stationed there. I could've gotten it cheap and considering how much I snorkeled, not sure (other than very little money in the military) why I didn't.

Dude. What is wrong with you?
I got mine up here!
In water that's (not kidding)
just slightly above freezing.
Wore 3/4" neoprene and
we'd have blue lips (from the cold)
when we got out.

I'm also a cheesecake snob...I make a pretty good one and many I've tried in restaurants fall very short.

He's right.

I can't tell you the number of people who've told me they don't like fruitcake and then I get them to try my mom's and suddenly they like fruitcake.

I've had that experience.
I've had a good friend
and a cousin who've both
made fruitcake.
And they were really good!

 

[docsoliday1]

Bummer! I can only imagine the scuba diving potential down there


I agree! It really IS so much better.





Oooh, I'm most intrigued!


Hi pkondz! I am ashamed how long it took me to realize you'd started Not to worry! I only had 86 pages to catch up on


Absolutely, positively!


Indeed.


Yep. And sometimes they don't even burp them back up


Truth!


Indeed you did!


It was amazing. My mom dragged home from a trip to Key West all these grass reeds (no, not that kind of grass...) that she affixed to the exterior of the bar to look like we just sauntered up from the beach. I wish I could find a picture of it! Sadly, she isn't in that house anymore. I thinks she misses the bar most of all

On phone, so multiquoting is out. :Sad:

At the time I could hold my breath for a long time...I forget how long now, but could swim length of Olympic pool twice underwater.
I did a lot of snorkeling and holding my breath allowed me to stay down and go further than most could, but again...kicking myself for not getting scuba cert. Some folks know, some don't, the military doesn't pay well and even though I could have gotten a discount, it was still pricey.
Still a big regret.