Friday, April 18, 2008

The Sweatiest Place on Earth

I feel as though I've had to write a month's worth of blogs in advance. I nearly have. I was supposed to be home today, but then family drama strikes, as it does time to time. Instead, I'm going BACK to Florida this weekend to deal with my grandmother and her situation. Fortunately, it will also mean nights in a heated, screened in swimming pool at my aunt's place. Not too bad.

So, I'm going to entertain you with pictures from last weekend that have nothing to do with writing. I'll preface these pictures by saying it was 90 and sunny and I very nearly sweat (or is it sweated?) to death. I was soaked at one point and I hadn't been on any water rides. I don't even want to know how I smelled. Ugh. Anyway, not the pictures I'd send in with my Miss Alabama submission...

I hit Animal Kingdom first. You can tell by the energy and hygiene level in this picture. All downhill from here. This was my first time to this park and it was very cool. Elephants, tigers, gorillas, giant fruit bats, hippos, rhinos...all in a very natural environment. I also got to ride Expedition Everest. My friends ended up working a half day and met me at the park because her husband was a coaster freak and she wouldn't ride with him. So, I ended up on every thrill ride I was certain I wouldn't go on.


This includes a horrible ride at Disney Hollywood Studios called the Tower of Terror. Bad. Bad. Bad. I don't know what I was thinking. I hate rides with big drops. This one dropped me 14 stories six times. My friend's husband told me that was the most he'd ever dropped. (The ride is random and you never know how many times you'll fall or when.) I rediscovered religion as I plowed to the ground the 4th or 5th time. Fortunately I got to follow this up with the Aerosmith Rockin Roller Coaster which was the best ride all weekend. I loved it.



Late Saturday morning we got up and hit Magic Kingdom. I was in awe by the castle. We went straight to Pirates of the Carribbean since I'd never ridden it and now it has 3 animatronic Captain Jack's. Didn't get to meet the impersonator, though. :( Instead I got some pirate mouse ears. That was pretty cool. I resisted the urge to pay $35 for an "I love Jack" shirt in the gift shop. My friend and I covered Adventure and Frontier Land, hitting the Tiki Room and the Jungle Cruise before we took the Monorail to Epcot. When it's 90 degrees, I have to say the Mickey Mouse ice cream bars are the best tasting things on Earth.


Epcot closed at 9 that night, so we headed over there to the Flower and Garden Festival they were having. My favorite part were the character topiaries. They had Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, Snow White and all 7 Dwarfs, Lady and the Tramp...more even. Very cool. We also met up with some other friends for what they consider to be the Epcot highlight - drinking around the world. I had cider in England, Champagne in France, some tangerine drink in Morocco. By the time they got beer in Germany, I had to grab a pretzel and cut myself off.


My friend who doesn't ride roller coasters got a surge of confidence fueled by alcohol, so when Epcot closed, we went back to Magic Kingdom until it closed at 12. We went on Big Thunder Railroad and Space Mountain. My favorite, however, was the teacups. Would you believe there wasn't a line for it at 11:30? There was a line for Peter Pan and the others, though, so we went through It's a Small World and made our way out for the night. The castle looked even cooler lit up.


I walked so much last weekend, I wore holes in my socks.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to take a week there with Little Sister. That might be more than any one human can stand, even if there are fewer crowds and lower temperatures. We'll have to see. Maybe 4 days.


What's your favorite ride? Are you a teacups girl or a coaster freak? Have you ever ridden the Tower of Terror? Ugh.

SP

Last week's blog winner is lauraJ. She picks up a book and a giant Mickey Mouse lollipop I bought at the Main Street Confectionary Shop. Please email me at smartypants@writingplayground.com to claim your sweets within 7 days.

Circle of 5 Status:

1 Agent Partial that has vanished into the 7th circle of hell, never to return
1 Novella pending with Nocturne Bites
2 Laurie Entries Pending
2 Short Stories & 4 Short Features Submitted to Trues

This was a sad week for the Circle. It seems like a good idea to send out 20 queries, until you get back 20 rejections all at once. My circle is shrinking to nothing. I didn't win a Nocturne pitch appointment, I got an R back on one of my short stories, my full and partial agent requests were rejected, as was my last of 5 agent queries. Writing this, the Laurie finalists haven't been announced yet, but who knows how that will turn out.

13 comments:

Rhonda Nelson said...

Love the pics and your trip sounds fabulous!

Keep the faith on your Circle of 5, SP. It'll happen!

Problem Child said...

AC is go to implode from excitement long before our October trip...

I just hope its cooler by then...

KK

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

My favorite ride has always been Thunder Mountain. Although I did enjoy Expedition Everest when we went last year, there's something different about riding a rollercoaster with your 5 yr old. I spent the entire time with my arm stretched over her lap - like my arm could keep her in if her seatbelt failed while we were upside down. She, however, LOVED it. That's what happens when you have a tall for her age fearless 5yr old.

We should all go to Disney together, SP. The children will entertain each other in line and we can keep each other from theme park parent meltdown.

Instigator

Anonymous said...

I have never been to that them park but if I did it would be the teacup rides. At this point in my life, 46, I can no longer "do" roller coaster rides, messes up my equilibrium. Enjoyed the pictures that you shared. Have a great weekend! And hang in there with your writings.
robertsonreads

Playground Monitor said...

The teacups make me sick. I can handle coasters as long as they don't have loops or corkscrews in them. We rode Space Mountain about six times the last time we were at Disney.

Haven't ridden the Tower of Terror, but I've ridden a drop ride at Six Flags (this was eons ago so not sure it's still there) and I've ridden the opposite -- Space Shot, which suddenly propels you upward and gives you a few seconds of weightlessness at the top.

Again, this was eons ago so I think I might require Depends to ride those things now. ;-)

I hope we can take Grandbaby to Disney when she's older. Little children really make the magic happen at the Magic Kingdom.

PM

PM

Angel said...

Hmmm... don't do drops, loops, shots, spins... pretty much anything else. No roller coasters for me. Guess it's magic kingdom all the way. This is why I haven't been to Six Flags since I was a teenager and had a choice.

I went to Disney when I was 15 years old and rode the teacups with my mother. Luckily, I didn't throw up until after I got off. :)

The one ride I did enjoy at Disney that was a roller coaster (but tame by many standards) was directly across from the Haunted Mansion. It only went side to side, not up and down. And the ride inside the big golf ball freaked me out because you came down backwards. Oh well, I'm not much of a thrills girl. *shrugs*

Angel

Terri Osburn said...

Sounds like you had a great time and love the pics. I have a friend who LOVES Captain Jack. She'd kill for that shirt.

I haven't been to Disney but my Kiddo went with her dad during spring break a few weeks ago. I'm planning to take her back first week of September. I think I'm almost more excited than she is.

I love roller coasters but certain ones mess with my back. Scoliosis stinks. And I could never do the teacups. Like Angel, I'd throw up but more likely during the ride instead of after.

On that circle of 5 - keep telling yourself just having that circle is a major accomplishment. All those R's won't mean much when you get all the A's that are coming.

Sherry Werth said...

Oh what fun! I haven't been to any of the theme parks in years. My daughter has the same problem with rides that Angel does. Even traveling on a curvy road makes her kinda nauseous. So we have become 'beach people' and that's only after we have dramamined her up to get there!

mslizalou said...

I'm a coaster girl. I loved Tower of Terror too. I however, can't ride the teacups, or any other ride that spins you around like the teacups. I will throw-up every time. I can ride just about any roller coaster there is with no problems. Now I really have to plan a Disney trip soon. I haven't been in 2 years, and I really love Disney.

Laura J. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laura J. said...

take 2:

Oh, Thank you so much! Email on the way.

My favorite ride is Splash Mountain. Last year when we went we rode 4 times. And the sign that says "You MAY get wet"...they ain't kidding. One time while we were riding a storm came up. A few boats behind us they closed the ride. We of course were already splashin along. Because the closed the ride, by the time we got over the mountain for the big splash, we were stuck in a massive downpour so needless to say we were soaked. The best time to ride it is at night, a one point on the ride there is a great view of the castle all lit up.

My five y/o daughter likes Tower of Terror, but she is the same kid who at not quite 2 through a major tantrum in the middle of Six Flags because she couldn't go on the roller coaster where you stand up.

Katherine Bone said...

I'm late and you may never see this but I wanted to say, "Rockin Roller Coaster Rocks!!!"

Tower of Terror, check. Space Mountain, check. Everest, double check! All are the best rides ever! The Viking ride in Epcot, awesome! POTC, ever so fabulous and a must every single time!

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE, Disney World. Get to go once a year. Alas, next year will probably be the last consequtive year I'll be able to go as #4 will be graduating.

No worries, I still have the grands to go with!

Hugs on the Rs, SP. Hang in there. Your Circle of 5 will prevail. :-)

limecello said...

Hopefully next week is better! I enjoyed the pictures - and I definitely prefer the teacups/scrambler rides much more than roller coasters.