The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra

• In honor of this month being National Fruit and Vegetable Month.

Household Magazine

• A copy of a 1951 issue. Kind of fun to look at the ads from back then.

The best airline complaint

• And I thought not having an exit row seat was bad.

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Before you get all excited, no – I haven’t had another date and there’s no prospects in sight yet. I’ve changed from eharmony to match.com – but still, not that many in my area, but I’m not actively looking either.

As a side, my horrible Date #1 has updated his profile to include the following gem:

“I am a great person who has character, wit, and wisdom. I enjoy people and getting to know others. I think character and intelligence are vital in my partner and I also want a woman who takes care of themselves and won’t let themselves go and get fat. I am ambitious and want that in my partner. I also want a partner who is not afraid to take risks and is kind of spontaneous like me. I think looks are important in a relationship also.”

I should have dumped my coffee on his computer.

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When crisis hits or I need to busy my hands I tend to tackle cooking creations – mostly from www.foodnetwork.com. Lately this has become more of a challenge due to my vegetarian lifestyle – along with my strong dislike of tofu.

Tonight though I decided I should start posting some snapshots of my final product – along with a link to the recipe. You’ll have to make do with my razr phone’s photo quality (like… none) for now.

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I’m not really wanting to get into it here – but please pray for my family.  We’re all hurting, and I’m dealing with some major anger issues as a result.

 God help us through this time.

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So last week my old roommate from the Disney College Program showed up to crash at my place over Wednesday night. She hasn’t changed a bit – and it was great to see her.

We sat reminiscing all evening and reminding each other of memories long forgotten. Here are some of those with the second installment of my Disney memories, tips and tricks:

My roommates were Robynne, Amy, Kim, Erica and Allison. Robynne, Amy and I got along the best – and between the three of us we spanned the U.S. Robynne was from San Francisco, CA, I was from the Univ. of Wyoming at the time with a hometown in Illinois and then Amy was from New York. We had some great times. Robynne worked in the MGM Studios, in the little shops just before the Tower of Terror. Amy worked in the Lady and the Tramp restaurant in the Magic Kingdom (my fingers smell like calamari!!) and I worked the popcorn/soda/espresso stands in the Magic Kingdom.

My other three roommates varied. Kim was from New Jersey (I think?) and on her last day in the program got her tongue pierced. She was quiet and I don’t think she liked us much. Erica was super annoying. Just… really… annoying. She also had a sister that always came over and wouldn’t shut up. Allison was our resident out-of-place girl. You know the type – perfect make-up, always dressed just right, giggles a lot, has lots of guys hanging about. She hated it in our room for the first few weeks but gradually started to warm up to us. She worked at MGM Studio’s seating people for the shows.

This all leads into a kind of crazy story. Allison’s main squeeze that Fall of ’97 was a man named Isaac. Isaac worked in the Indiana Jones show in MGM Studio’s as a stuntman. Isaac was a huge, black man with the deepest voice I’ve ever heard and he hung out with us often in the room chatting with us. Isaac is also Isaac Singleton Jr. He said he wanted to get into the movies and it looks like he got his break in ’98. Good for you, Isaac!!

To this day I can still say “Please stand clear of the doors” in Spanish. I don’t speak any other Spanish, except the Spanish equivalent of $3.50 (the price of the popcorn buckets).

I learned how to say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards. You can too!

Cast members come up with the craziest, most magical stories. In Traditions (the introductory Disney class in which you are brainwashed into the Disney™ look/act) they tell a few of these stories. (Do not read the bullet point paragraphs if you want to retain some Disney magic.)

• Apparently one Snow White had a smoking addiction and used her break to smoke. Upon arriving back in the area to sign autographs, one of the little kids near her plugged his nose and said, “Ew, Snow White smells like she’s been smoking.” A cast member, upon hearing the little boy, promptly stepped in and said, “No, Snow White doesn’t smoke. I saw her on her break! She was hanging around that evil Cruella DeVil!”

• A common question asked by children is why there is a wire from Tomorrowland to the Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Parents are always overheard saying that it’s how Tinkerbell stays up in the air during the fireworks show. Parents, please tell your children from now on that it’s a line that Peter Pan drew in the sky so Tinkerbell wouldn’t get lost. Thanks.

• One cast member was quick on his feet one day when, while watching Chip and Dale sign autographs, he heard a child ask his mom why Dale and Dale were out there instead of Chip and Dale. (Dale is the chipmunk with the red nose). The cast member gasped for the child’s benefit and said, “Oh my, we need to fix that!” and hustled the chipmunks into the back area, where one of the Dale’s quickly put on Chip’s head). When they came back out the boy was suspicious, so the cast member informed him quietly that out back Jafar had been casting spells and had turned Chip into Dale! At that moment Jafar came out and bowed in apology to the boy. Boy, those cast members can make some magic.

Some interesting trivia – the Haunted Mansion has several chess pieces featured on its architecture. One piece is missing, however. The Knight – because when you enter the building… you are entering the night.

Also, the grass at the Haunted Mansion is cut with scissors to give it that raggedly look. For a great overview of one of the stories (and my personal favorite) read this. (p.s. the ring is embedded in the sidewalk outside of the exit of the ride. If you visit, keep an eye out for it.)

My favorite places to eat: Garden View Tea Room at the Grand Floridian, Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian Luau at the Polynesian Resort, Rose and Crown Pub in Epcot – and for the best pastry in the world, try Schoolbread in Norway. It’s incredible.

My favorite places to sit: Just outside the Rose and Crown Pub in Epcot, at the fountain in France in Epcot and anywhere on the boardwalk around the BoardWalk Inn Resort.

We most often stay at the BoardWalk Inn or the Beach Club resorts – but while I was in the College Program I stayed at Vista Way in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

So those are a few more of my memories and I hope you enjoyed reading them. My time at Disney was a wonderful time, and one that provided a lifetime of stories for me to tell.

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This fall will mark the ten-year anniversary of my participation in the Disney College Program. Even now the memories are so incredibly vivid that it just seems like yesterday I was preparing to make the trip to the land of magic and dreams.

I enjoy talking about the time spent down there. I love telling the stories and giving the insider tips and, even today, I can remember just where the closest restroom is from anywhere in the parks.

So, for your fun and enjoyment, this week I will be giving you some of the tips, tricks and memories that four months in the Disney College Program left me with.

One of the biggest jokes among the Disney cast members was the lack of intelligence shown by the majority of the individuals touring the parks. We were warned when we first started working in the parks that it was commonly known that outside of the gates there was a box clearly marked “place your brain here” which all sorts of people from doctors, attorneys, government officials down to the lowest bag lady (if she could afford entrance) would use. Some of my favorite questions:

• What time is the 3 o’clock parade?
• Are those squirrels animatronics?
• Where are the fireworks held? (I loved this one, especially since, when answering it to one gentleman, he looked totally surprised. My answer: In the sky.)
• Why can’t these people turn off the rain? I thought it doesn’t rain at Disneyworld. (Overheard at my position behind the espresso cart)

I worked in the Magic Kingdom – and most of the time spent my working hours beginning at 7:00 a.m. behind the espresso cart in front of the castle. I loved that spot. I would stand and daydream while waiting for the early risers to make their appearance. Of course, the castle at the time I was there was decorated like a huge pink birthday cake, so my daydreams were somewhat warped – but still, I had that major Cinderella complex going on at the time. One of my most favorite memories was just before the park opened. I had finished setting up my cold drink section and was leaning back against the fence behind my station. I was dressed in the standard Main Street garb – green hat, striped green and pink shirt with a pink bowtie, shiny buckle on my belt, green knickers, white knee socks and my black shoes. It was chilly so I remember looking around for my sweater when movement caught my eye. I glanced up and watched Peter Pan (in costume) jumping down the street, skipping, running and asking in a loud voice if anyone had seen Wendy. I’m sure they were just getting ready for a show rehearsal or something – but still, what kind of job is it that you get a live show at 6:45 a.m.? A pretty awesome one, I think.

One of my best friends in the park was a gentleman who sang in the Barbershop Quartet on Main Street. He was the bass in the group of four, and through him I got to meet and get to know all of that little group. Some of my best break hours were sitting on the sofa in the break room under the Magic Kingdom and listening to them rehearse.

In the little area between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, right as you get ready to pass the Alice in Wonderland teacup ride, off to your left (or right if you are going into Tomorrowland) there is a little ice cream/refreshment spot. They serve the best soft serve ice cream. Vanilla ice cream with a strawberry sorbet-like swirl. I was totally addicted to that ice cream.

One of my favorite shifts to pull was the late night shift – when just the cast members are allowed access for a late night party or such. I’d often get the ice cream station in Liberty Square – and that music still plays in my head at random times. There was some kind of magic in being able to stand there with the water and Huck’s island at my back while looking over the representation of the Colonial America.

Best nap-ride/show is a tie between the President show in Magic Kingdom and the show at the American Showcase in Epcot. Nice air-conditioned rooms and comfy seats. Great for a snoozer if you are needing one.

I should probably wrap this up for today. Just one thing that has me all excited, and the reason behind this week of memories: One of my roommates from the College Program is making her way from California to Illinois as we speak and will be spending Wednesday evening and Thursday with me. It’s been almost ten years since we’ve seen each other- and we just only recently got back in touch. I’m thrilled.

Oh, and I’ll also see about scanning in some pictures of that time period. I have some great ones!

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My dad is an amazing man – and here are a few highlights of why:

• He is the father of nine children, all of whom love him dearly.
• He works a “regular” job in 12 hour shifts 3-4 days a week and always takes overtime to bring in that extra cash.
• Instead of taking his days off to spend time for himself, he spends them doing projects around the house that my mom has for him, finishing up a property to put on the market that he helped his kids buy, doing yard work and attempting to keep his yard, and his sister’s next door yard, in some kind of order.
• He will drop everything that help out. He fixes the cars for my mom, my sisters and brothers, my aunt, my two female cousins. He fixes air conditioners, drives 30 miles to bring chicken soup and Gatorade when I get sick, fixes flat tires and provides support over the phone at 1:00 a.m. when bats or mice or other furry creatures invade my apartment

Every good dad does all of these deeds for his family. What makes my dad so special is how he does it for us, with a good attitude and giving up, without hesitation, any time for himself.

My dad will not hesitate to call me with a good joke, provide a shoulder to cry on, or encourage me to follow my dreams. He is the rock for all nine of his children to lean on … for our whole extended family to lean on, and we love him very, very dearly

.

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