Tonight, I was reading an article on MSN about tourist traps. You can read it here. It got me thinking about my love for travel, love for tourist traps, and well, I guess you could say my love for cheese. So, I thought I'd go over my favorite (so far) tourist traps.
Gatorland- Located just miles from Mickey's house, Gatorland is a throwback attraction that is tops in my book. I have several photos of DH at Gatorland during our 10th anniversary trip to Orlando in 2003 on my fridge even today. Oh, how I wish I had those photos scanned onto disk. The Gator Jumparoo is really a site to behold. Raw chicken (yeah, this isn't for Peta lovers) is rolled out over the water and gators jump astonishingly high to get them. The only thing I love more than the Jumparoo is the gift shop. Great souvenirs that go beyond the fantastic line of t-shirts and such. Really, take your dog sitter some gator jerky or maybe your mother-in-law needs a real taxidermy alligator head. I haven't been to Gatorland since before the fire in November of 2006. Mostly because I have declared that Hoot be at least 6 before I will take him to Gatorland. He's just too fearless and forge ahead to get him keen on the idea of feeding wieners to alligators. Well, that and he needs to be big enough to fight off emus, as this is also one of the more notorious sites of Susie gets attacked by birds. (Oh, I don't blame Gatorland, I blame the birds.)
Stone Mountain Park- Yeah, I could wax nostalgic on this one for a while. I could even do a SMP employee retrospective. Of course my favorite things pre-date the evil privatization of the park: the carving, the skylift, the railroad, the riverboats (both the Scarlett O'Hara and the Henry Grady), the plantation, and the carillon. But, mostly I still go gaga over the lasershow. (Yes kids, if I am alone in the car and Ray Charles starts in on Georgia, I may have to pull over.) There is also a ton of new stuff in the parks that have been embellished or added since my last visit in early 2004.
Graceland- My only visit to Graceland occurred during what we like to call the Post-Olympic Viva Los Delta tour. We hit Tupelo for the Elvis birthplace on the drive to Tunica Mississippi. Then, we stayed and gambled a few days, driving up to Memphis to visit Beale Street and Graceland. I had a minor fit at the Walkman guided tour when I was given a nasty pair of earphones, but an employee hooked me up with a fresh pair. I really wasn't prepared for how well the recorded tour and history came together, which resulted in tears as I listened to Elvis sing "How Great Thou Art" when I stood in front of his grave. Someday, I'll have to take DH to stay at the Heartbreak Hotel. They have 24 hour Elvis movies on the television!
Well, I wasn't quite prepared for how nostalgic I would get when I started this post. I originally meant to plan out February's budget tonight, but my love of tourist traps just kind of kept me going. I do have plenty more to post on the subject, but maybe on another night.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Consider it a Public Service Announcement
Tonight, we were channel surfing with Hoot, when we hit the beginning of the PBS series Nature as it debuted: Is That Skunk? Halfway through the show, as Hoot showed no sign of boring with skunks, they gave out the secret mystical formula that will erase the odor of the spray. As my four year old son was so excited, I glanced over to my one year old dog on the couch. Needless to say, I paused the show, grabbed a pen and paper and wrote it down. I'll call it:
Skunk Juice
(never to be made inside a house or building)
1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon detergent (dish or laundry)
mix in a very large, very open bucket as it will pressurize. Keeping away from the eyes, coat the victim liberally. Let sit for five minutes and rinse. This will totally break down the molecular structure.
PS: If I die and you inherit or find my recipe book, do not make Skunk Juice for your Halloween or Super Bowl parties. I simply needed a very safe place for this recipe. However, it does fall right after Alton's Cocoa Mix.
Skunk Juice
(never to be made inside a house or building)
1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon detergent (dish or laundry)
mix in a very large, very open bucket as it will pressurize. Keeping away from the eyes, coat the victim liberally. Let sit for five minutes and rinse. This will totally break down the molecular structure.
PS: If I die and you inherit or find my recipe book, do not make Skunk Juice for your Halloween or Super Bowl parties. I simply needed a very safe place for this recipe. However, it does fall right after Alton's Cocoa Mix.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Ack! Just when you think you're in the clear....
Or maybe Achoo! would be more appropriate. You know the old adage if momma ain't happy, no body's happy? Well, apparently if momma ain't well, no body's happy. I've had a nasty cold for the last week and while I'm in the final throws of snotdom, I realize just how much it effects everything. Laundry piles up. Dishes pile up. Groceries become sparse. Husbands become useless. Menus get tossed to the wayside. Yep. It is true.
However, there is a very silver lining. Even though he repeated drinks after me, and honestly, no unattended bottle of water is safe, Hoot hasn't done more than sneeze a couple of times. Go figure. I guess my body is still more shot dealing with my leg than I thought. I've upped the vitamins and plowed through an entire tube of Airborne but alas, I still became the grouchy snot monster.
And, speaking of monsters... I hear that Cookie Monster will not be so Cookie Monster anymore. If I look on the Sesame Street website, I see he is still Cookie Monster there. Hoot is not a big fan of SS, so I haven't seen this for myself, but oh, I lament if this is true. See, Cookie Monster is my favorite. He's very special to me. He's blue. He loves cookies. And he is a Scorpio, with his birthday nestled the one day that is between my birthday (November 1st) and my mom's birthday (November 3rd.) If he truly has become the Veggie Monster, I will be so very sad. I hate political correctness.
However, there is a very silver lining. Even though he repeated drinks after me, and honestly, no unattended bottle of water is safe, Hoot hasn't done more than sneeze a couple of times. Go figure. I guess my body is still more shot dealing with my leg than I thought. I've upped the vitamins and plowed through an entire tube of Airborne but alas, I still became the grouchy snot monster.
And, speaking of monsters... I hear that Cookie Monster will not be so Cookie Monster anymore. If I look on the Sesame Street website, I see he is still Cookie Monster there. Hoot is not a big fan of SS, so I haven't seen this for myself, but oh, I lament if this is true. See, Cookie Monster is my favorite. He's very special to me. He's blue. He loves cookies. And he is a Scorpio, with his birthday nestled the one day that is between my birthday (November 1st) and my mom's birthday (November 3rd.) If he truly has become the Veggie Monster, I will be so very sad. I hate political correctness.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My Vision Board
I've just finished a lovely run of three days off. Merry Christmas to me, it's my holiday time. I was planning to work on my 2009 plans and finalize our big yearly goals, but I have decided to try a different route this year. Instead of a spreadsheet (oh, don't fear, I'm not leaving excel, what would I do?) I am creating a vision board.
Don't know what a vision board is? Think of it as a giant collage of everything you want in your life. Travel, money, love, new furniture, a working dishwasher... you name it, get a photo of it, and paste it down. Yes, I know. Its a very law of attraction kind of thing, Hippy guru nonsense, right? Well, I don't think so.
I believe that focusing on any thing, good or bad, will only magnify that thing. Don't like the idea of the law of attraction thing? Think of it more scientifically. Most Psychology 101 classes get introduced to self fulfilling prophecy. Cling to that if you need to. Or, heck, jump on that placebo effect thing. The power of absolute belief can be an enormous thing.
So, I put down my Napoleon Hill and picked up a piece of white foam board. I felt a little like I was about to make my charts and explanations for the science fair, but who cares, right? I've spent a little time with my magazines and some scissors. I've cut out all kinds of things. Furniture, a Wii, an entire kitchen, appliances and such. Most of what I considered my foundation was travel related and that is as far as I've gotten.
Right now, standing up against the fridge is the foam board covered with travel pictures. The drawings from my Disney Vacation Club packet for Animal Kingdom Villas make up a large part of the base. There is also photos from Australia, Paris, Tuscany, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Scotland. Pretty good basis, I think. There is only one non-travel related item on the entire board so far: a picture of a brand new kitchen that is the basis for how I want to redo mine.
So, while I have quite a few things to add yet, I am enjoying the board just as it is right now. Hoot loves it, too. Oddly, on some level, I think he gets it. He keeps asking me to put the new vacuum picture on it. What a strange boy. He's been asking me to buy him a Dyson for over a year now.
Don't know what a vision board is? Think of it as a giant collage of everything you want in your life. Travel, money, love, new furniture, a working dishwasher... you name it, get a photo of it, and paste it down. Yes, I know. Its a very law of attraction kind of thing, Hippy guru nonsense, right? Well, I don't think so.
I believe that focusing on any thing, good or bad, will only magnify that thing. Don't like the idea of the law of attraction thing? Think of it more scientifically. Most Psychology 101 classes get introduced to self fulfilling prophecy. Cling to that if you need to. Or, heck, jump on that placebo effect thing. The power of absolute belief can be an enormous thing.
So, I put down my Napoleon Hill and picked up a piece of white foam board. I felt a little like I was about to make my charts and explanations for the science fair, but who cares, right? I've spent a little time with my magazines and some scissors. I've cut out all kinds of things. Furniture, a Wii, an entire kitchen, appliances and such. Most of what I considered my foundation was travel related and that is as far as I've gotten.
Right now, standing up against the fridge is the foam board covered with travel pictures. The drawings from my Disney Vacation Club packet for Animal Kingdom Villas make up a large part of the base. There is also photos from Australia, Paris, Tuscany, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Scotland. Pretty good basis, I think. There is only one non-travel related item on the entire board so far: a picture of a brand new kitchen that is the basis for how I want to redo mine.
So, while I have quite a few things to add yet, I am enjoying the board just as it is right now. Hoot loves it, too. Oddly, on some level, I think he gets it. He keeps asking me to put the new vacuum picture on it. What a strange boy. He's been asking me to buy him a Dyson for over a year now.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
January Goals
I finally have nailed down my January Goals, if not the budget. Officially, January will be Recoup, Reconnect, and Re-Introduce Month. All three items have multiple meanings towards my quest for an ever improving life.
Recoup-
I totally need to take the time to focus on healing my ankle. I also need to recoup some of the energies that have otherwise been zapped by my late health problems. I've got to get rest, TAKE MY IRON (I really began to wonder if the anemia wouldn't be the end of me), and keep my leg elevated as much as possible. Sometimes this is a little unorthodox. This morning, I spent an hour and a half playing inside Hoot's Mickey Mouse tent with my leg propped up. We also do quite a show with cars on my bed.
Reconnect-
The holidays may be all about family, but I always feel a bit estranged when they are over. Then, there's the weird sensation when I haven't seen a co-worker lately, but I spent so much time with them in December that is odd. Kind of a roll reversal, if you will. So, reconnecting with Hoot & DH is a biggie for me this month. I also have to reconnect with family that I usually talk to on the phone several times a week. That just didn't happen as much.
Re-Introduce-
Ah, the big three parter.
Re-Introducing the almost vegetarian/vegan diet we'd been eating until mid-December. It's about eating better for us, not the politics. Getting rid of the crap like refined sugars and white bread- oh, sorry, same thing- really made a difference on us as a family, and we are almost full tilt back on board.
Re-Introducing the budget. It's not that I didn't have one for December, it's that it got so crazy around here, it went out of control. The crappy take out food didn't help the pocketbook either.
Re-Introducing a goal based lifestyle. We went nuts. We drifted. We drove thru. I think you get the picture. Our only goal was to "get through it" and we did. We just got through it.
Overheard in the bookstore:
I really need to get a book on statics since I'm taking it this next semester.
What's statics?
You know, when you use numbers and charts and graphs and stuff to figure things out.
Oh, statistics?
Yeah, statics.
Recoup-
I totally need to take the time to focus on healing my ankle. I also need to recoup some of the energies that have otherwise been zapped by my late health problems. I've got to get rest, TAKE MY IRON (I really began to wonder if the anemia wouldn't be the end of me), and keep my leg elevated as much as possible. Sometimes this is a little unorthodox. This morning, I spent an hour and a half playing inside Hoot's Mickey Mouse tent with my leg propped up. We also do quite a show with cars on my bed.
Reconnect-
The holidays may be all about family, but I always feel a bit estranged when they are over. Then, there's the weird sensation when I haven't seen a co-worker lately, but I spent so much time with them in December that is odd. Kind of a roll reversal, if you will. So, reconnecting with Hoot & DH is a biggie for me this month. I also have to reconnect with family that I usually talk to on the phone several times a week. That just didn't happen as much.
Re-Introduce-
Ah, the big three parter.
Re-Introducing the almost vegetarian/vegan diet we'd been eating until mid-December. It's about eating better for us, not the politics. Getting rid of the crap like refined sugars and white bread- oh, sorry, same thing- really made a difference on us as a family, and we are almost full tilt back on board.
Re-Introducing the budget. It's not that I didn't have one for December, it's that it got so crazy around here, it went out of control. The crappy take out food didn't help the pocketbook either.
Re-Introducing a goal based lifestyle. We went nuts. We drifted. We drove thru. I think you get the picture. Our only goal was to "get through it" and we did. We just got through it.
Overheard in the bookstore:
I really need to get a book on statics since I'm taking it this next semester.
What's statics?
You know, when you use numbers and charts and graphs and stuff to figure things out.
Oh, statistics?
Yeah, statics.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Happy New Year!
Yes, I know it is already the 7th day of 2009, but today seems like one of the first normal days of the year. I've spent so much of the last week and a half laying down with my right leg elevated. I was warned back in November when I hurt myself that without rest and elevation, my wound would take many months to heal. Well, it was impossible to get off my feet back then, so I resolved to take to my bed anytime I possibly could. It has made an amazing difference. Already, the wound has made more healing progress than in the last two months combined. However... yeah, bed rest is boring. Any TV watched has to also appeal to the four year old of the house. And, I've been really, really wishing for a laptop.
Yesterday, I did manage to take the Christmas tree down and pack it away. The living room looks a little naked, but naked in a good way. I also worked a little on my budget before I headed back to the couch. I've gotten some of January worked out, but the spreadsheet is pretty sparse after this month. I wish that the rest of the bills from the ER trip would go ahead and get here. Some of them haven't even been presented to the insurance company yet. What a pain.
I've also plotted out my vacation time for the rest of the year. Starting August 1st, I get four weeks a year! Combine that with my holidays and personal days, I get a little over five weeks off a year. Yep. I get a month. Smokin', huh? All that for a job I love. Life is good.
So, I guess I've started my 2009 planning, but just haven't gotten that far into it yet. I should to be back to at least two posts a week, but am aiming for an average of three as part of my New Year's resolution. That makes me very excited. I'm always happier when I'm writing something. Writing or planning. Or planning to write. I think it may be a sickness.
Yesterday, I did manage to take the Christmas tree down and pack it away. The living room looks a little naked, but naked in a good way. I also worked a little on my budget before I headed back to the couch. I've gotten some of January worked out, but the spreadsheet is pretty sparse after this month. I wish that the rest of the bills from the ER trip would go ahead and get here. Some of them haven't even been presented to the insurance company yet. What a pain.
I've also plotted out my vacation time for the rest of the year. Starting August 1st, I get four weeks a year! Combine that with my holidays and personal days, I get a little over five weeks off a year. Yep. I get a month. Smokin', huh? All that for a job I love. Life is good.
So, I guess I've started my 2009 planning, but just haven't gotten that far into it yet. I should to be back to at least two posts a week, but am aiming for an average of three as part of my New Year's resolution. That makes me very excited. I'm always happier when I'm writing something. Writing or planning. Or planning to write. I think it may be a sickness.
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