http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/blog.php?4585-Drince88-s-Life-Lessons-and-Pet-Peeves MousePad is a discussion forum covering family travel and entertainment, especially Disney. To visit the forum, go to http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/ . en Sat, 18 May 2013 23:18:02 GMT vBulletin 15 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/blog.php?4585-Drince88-s-Life-Lessons-and-Pet-Peeves http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?830-Laissez-Les-Bons-Temps-Rouler-2011 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 22:59:21 GMT Mardi Gras season officially starts on January 6th (Kings Day aka Epiphany) and lasts until the day... Mardi Gras season officially starts on January 6th (Kings Day aka Epiphany) and lasts until the day before Ash Wednesday. This year was one of the longest seasons that I'll see in my lifetime. But parade season is basically the 2 weeks before Mardi Gras.

This year, I was in Disneyland for the first weekend of parades, but I did get to see how the folks in Anaheim thought the season should be celebrated. I got a couple of cute pictures of Mickey & Minnie in their Carnival Finery,
and even had a chance to try some 'King Cake' .
When I mentioned to friends at work what the King Cake was like, they said that when THEY were young (they're my age, but I only moved here 8 years ago), King Cake didn't have cinnamon or icing, but was just the bread and colored sugar. So I guess Disney is just a little behind the times in their rendition.

But once I got home, it was time for some parading!

I ended up going to parades every day from the 3rd through the 7th, and even saw a little bit of Zeus on the 8th, before my friends and I headed into the Quarter. NORMALLY, we stay in the fairly family friendly Uptown area, but we wanted to have a little different experience this year. HOWEVER, we did leave the Quarter at about 2pm, so it was still somewhat tame at that point!

First, some pictures from the parades Uptown. Due to camera/photographer/safety limitations, I don't even attempt to get pictures from night-time parades, so you'll only see stuff from a couple of day parades here.

Tuck's is a fairly irreverent Krewe
some of their throws include printed toilet paper, mini-plungers, and toilet seat-sunglasses.

They also have a fairly decent showing of adult (i.e., not High School) Marching Groups. I don't think they included the Rolling Elvi (though they'd totally fit in), but it did include the 610 Stompers (610 being an Interstate that bypasses New Orleans proper)
the Muff-a-Lottas,
and a group of Vikings from out of state .
Even though the skies opened up BAD as Tucks was finishing, I still think the weather wasn't too awfully bad compared to what it was like in their home!

Tuck's theme was "What's Appening" poking fun at various internet/computer related things, including having no reception

No where to Wii on Mardi Gras day (slight play on the idea that it's hard to find a place to relieve yourself on Mardi Gras)
.

St. Augustine Marching 100 is a popular band, even getting to perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The year after Katrina, they joined forces with St. Mary's and Xavier Prep to form the MAX band. It's good to see them back full strength!

The Krewe of Mid City has very distinctive floats using lots of colored foil. The pictures don't capture the color and liveliness of these floats. (Remember these are Mardi Gras floats - NOT Rose Parade/Grand Floral Parade floats!)


I like these puppets
and I'm not even sure which parade this float is from, but I thought it was cool looking. I can tell you it's from one of the 'old school' krewe's, because the wheels on the float have NO rubber on them, making for a very bumpy ride for the riders.

Although I didn't get to see it, the Red Beans Parade on Lundi Gras, but I did get a preview of an in-progress costume.

Mardi Gras really is a family affair, particularly Uptown, which was infested by these bees
But even elsewhere, early in the day, you can see kids out and about.

This was a whole group of people who put on a 'circus' but when a young boy in a monkey costume came up to them, he joined right in with the organ grinder and his pal!

I took this picture for those who are fans of SteamPunk - they had a group of 1/2 dozen well-dressed people in the group

And this 'costume' of the miner's rescue capsule was pretty amazing (I think it was made out of metal!)

This 'alcohol meter' costume is very similar to the official logo of the sewerage and Water board
And these next two were just fun trios of people. The center robot, actually had his 'head' pop up!


But I bet you're wondering what I did to celebrate the day. I WAS going to be an oily pelican, but decided at the last minute (Sunday morning) to change. In homage to Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish President, who was on Anderson Cooper a lot, I went as the item he kept requesting early on. Locals really got it, tourists, not so much.



There were quite a few groups of people referencing the Deep Water Horizon tragedy, including this group of oily crawfish.




All in all, Mardi Gras 2011 was a REALLY great time, and I look forward to seeing what next year's celebration brings! ]]> Drince88 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?830-Laissez-Les-Bons-Temps-Rouler-2011 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?770-2010-Food-amp-Wine-Festival-Booths Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:03:30 GMT Had a great time at the 2010 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival (15th Anniversary). I've managed to attend this event a number of times over the past few years, and make an effort to come for at LEAST a long weekend. This year was a longer trip, due to events on two consecutive Saturdays, but we still didn't try EVERYTHING. We did try most of the savory foods, but not all of the desserts. And no where near all the drinks.

And by the way - I LOVE how easy it is to do tables now! I just wrote it up in Excel, and just copy/pasted it between the table marks and it was all formatted nicely!

]]> Drince88 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?770-2010-Food-amp-Wine-Festival-Booths http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?314-Yes-Virginia-It-Can-Snow-in-New-Orleans! Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:42:50 GMT Thursday, December 11, I arrived at the airport full of anticipation of a MouseFest trip, and it's not even raining.

I'm sitting at the gate, "Is it snowing?" yep, it was. Watch it continue to fall and waiting and waiting for the plane we were supposed to take out. It arrived, they unloaded everyone, we were lined up in order, "We're not going yet, stick around because we don't know when it will let up" and then the dreaded words "Your flight's been cancelled"

Wait to see if they make a general announcement about what they're going to do (like everyone confirmed on the 8:25 pm flight (from the 8:40 am scheduled flight) but you'll be standby on two other non-stop flights between now and then, if they go off) - but no announcement. So I call the 800 number, and they have me confirmed on the 8:25, but can't book me onto those two earlier flights - presumably because they didn't know if it would melt/stop soon enough. I'm watching the snow that had accumulated on the plane at the next gate (that had been sitting longer) slough off from the rain and warmer temps melting it - but they still didn't know officially:rolleyes:

Because I was confirmed on a flight in less than 24 hours, I needed to check in - but the SW concourse doesn't have wireless! So I go stand in line to check in and get my boarding pass, and the agent decides then that she's going to roll over the checked-in people from my flight, to the 11:40 as standbys (which is what I asked her to do for me). New computer systems, things that don't happen all that often and 'uncertainty' about the weather leads to her making multiple phone calls, doing things on the computer and then having to un-do them, and finally getting them.

BUT, the 11:40 did take off (albeit pushed back really late and had to deice). There were even a few empty seats, probably from people on my flight that decided not to stick around the airport and chance it, including a gal I 'met' on the shuttle bus who had tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party that night!

Bu I did make it to the MK to meet up with Mark and Mike for dinner - but missed all the other meets that day. I'm just glad that I didn't have to wait to arrive until 11 that evening - I was FAST asleep by that point!

Oh, and regarding dinner - you know the economy is affecting things when you can call Disney Dining at 5:45 and get a 6:15 for Liberty Tree the same day, on the night of a Party! I'd never eaten there before, and so did get to enjoy it (as well as good company!) before the characters went away. ]]> Drince88 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?314-Yes-Virginia-It-Can-Snow-in-New-Orleans! http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?296-Food-amp-Wine-Festival-Booth-Items-2008 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:02:19 GMT Yes, I can go a bit overboard at times! My sister and I just got back from a WDW trip where we... Yes, I can go a bit overboard at times!

My sister and I just got back from a WDW trip where we sampled most all of the food, and some of the drink from the Festival Food Booths. As we're going along, we use the 'patented' "Check-Plus-Minus-Dollar Sign" rating system. Check, Plus, and Minus are pretty standard use, and Dollar Sign is for things that we think are an especially good value.

So, what did we think? Here are the ratings, by booth! (Oh, and if anyone knows how to do tables in here, send me a PM - I think that would have been a better way to present this info!)

Plus ---- Montreal ---- Cheddar Cheese Soup $3.25
Plus ---- Montreal ---- Maple Glazed Salmon with Roasted Corn and Arugula $4.25
Check Plus ---- Montreal ---- Maple Custard with Almond Crumble $2.50
Check (plus on the salad) ---- Boston ---- Boston Crab Cake with corn and barley salad $4.00
Check Minus ---- Boston ---- New England Lobster Roll $7.00
Check ---- San Francisco ---- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese $2.75
Plus ---- San Francisco ---- Seared Beef Medallion with Cheese Polenta $3.75
Plus $ ---- San Francisco ---- California Strawberry Shortcake $2.75
Check Plus ---- New Orleans ---- Cajun Crawfish Etoufee $4.00
Check Plus ---- New Orleans ---- Seafood Gumbo (shrimp, crab and catfish stew) $3.75
Plus ---- New Orleans ---- Praline Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce $2.75
Check ---- Buenos Aires ---- Pastel de Choclo (Beef and Corn Casserole) $3.75
Plus ---- Buenos Aires ---- Grilled Beef with Chimichurri sauce $4.25
Check Plus ---- Santiago ---- Camaron con Pebre (shrimp with cilantro sauce) $4.00
Check Plus ---- Santiago ---- Spicy Beef Empanada $3.75
Check ---- Santiago ---- Dulce de Leche (caramelized milk pudding with toasted almonds) $2.25
Plus ---- Mexico City ---- Chilaquiles (baked tortillas with chicken and cheese) $4.00
Check ---- Mexico City ---- Quesadilla con Chorizo (spicy sausage and cheese tortilla) $3.75
Check Plus ---- Mexico City ---- Capirotada (Mexican bread pudding with white chocolate) $3.50
Check ---- Lyon ---- Quiche au Fromage de Chevre et poireaux $4.00
Check Minus ---- Lyon ---- Creme Brulee Chocolat au Lait (milk chocolate creme brulee) $3.75
Check Minus ---- Munich ---- Spaetzle with Creamy Mushroom Ragout $3.25
Check Plus ---- Munich ---- Regensburger Sausage with sauerkraut in a pretzel roll $3.75
Check Plus ---- Munich ---- Apple Strudel $2.75
Check plus ---- Athens ---- Greek Salad $2.75
Check ---- Athens ---- Spanakopita (savory spinach and cheese pastry) $3.50
Check ---- Athens ---- Melomakarona (honey spice cookie with walnuts) $2.25
Check ---- Cork ---- Potato Leek Soup with a Dubliner Cheese Crisp $2.75
Check minus ---- Cork ---- Boxty with bacon chips and Kerrygold garlic and fresh herb butter $2.75
Check $ ---- Cork ---- Irish Cheese Selection with Apple Chutney and Brown Bread $3.25
Plus Plus ---- Cork ---- Frozen Irish Coffee $7.50
Check plus ---- Bologna ---- Cream Puff with Mascarpone and Gianduja Chocolate $3.50
Check (needed more garlic) ---- Barcelona ---- Chilled Tomato and Garlic Soup $2.50
Minus ---- Barcelona ---- Seared Tuna Loin with Roasted Red Peppers $4.00
Check Minus ---- Vienna ---- Beef Goulash with a bacon dumpling $3.50
Plus ---- Vienna ---- Tafelspitz (boiled beef brisket with red potatoes) $3.75
Check ---- Vienna ---- Buchteln (apricot jam roll with vanilla sauce) $2.50
Check Plus ---- Krakow ---- Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup $2.75
Check Plus ---- Krakow ---- Kielbasa with Potato Pierogies $4.50
Plus ---- Krakow ---- Chopin Vodka Raspberry Cocktail $8.25
Minus ---- Istanbul ---- Meze (eggplant puree, cucumber, tomato salad, pita bread) $3.00
Plus Plus ---- Istanbul ---- Manti with Yogurt Sauce $3.50
Plus ---- Istanbul ---- Pistachio Baklava $2.75
Check ---- San Juan ---- Mofungo (green plantain mash with pork cracklings and shrimp salsa) $3.75
Check ---- San Juan ---- Pastelon de Amarillo (beef and yellow plantain casserole) $2.75
Check ---- San Juan ---- Brazo Gitano (gypsy's arm guava roll with shredded coconut) $3.00
Plus ---- San Juan ---- Frozen Pina Colada $6.50
Plus ---- San Juan ---- Frozen Mojito $6.50
Check ---- Marrakesh ---- Kefta (grilled beef and hummus in a pita pocket) $3.95
Minus ---- Marrakesh ---- Brewat Spicy Chicken Pastry $2.95
Plus ---- Marrakesh ---- Walnut and Honey Baklava $2.50
Plus Plus ---- Marrakesh ---- Iced Mint Tea $2.00
Check Plus ---- Cape Town ---- Durban Spiced Chicken with coconut milk-infused root vegetables $3.75
Check Plus ---- Cape Town ---- Bobotie with Mango Chutney $3.00
Check ---- Cape Town ---- Spice Cake with a chocolate sauce $2.25
Check ---- New Delhi ---- Samosa with Tamarind Sauce (spicy pea and potato pastry) $3.25
Plus ---- New Delhi ---- Shrimp in a red cury sauce over rice $4.00
Check ---- New Delhi ---- Mango Mousse $1.75
Check plus ---- Tokyo ---- California Sushi Roll $3.00
Check plus ---- Tokyo ---- Spicy Tuna Roll $3.50
Check Minus ---- Tokyo ---- Seaweed Salad with Shrimp and Orange $3.75
Minus (we may have had a BAD piece) ---- Shanghai, China: ---- Chicken Sha Cha $3.50
Check Plus ---- Shanghai ---- Pork Pot Stickers $3.50
Plus Plus ---- Shanghai ---- Mango Gingerita $7.50
Check ---- Wellington ---- Kiwi Meringue Tartlet $2.50
Plus Plus ---- Melbourne ---- Pepperberry Prawns on the barbie with sweet potato hash $4.75
Plus ---- Melbourne ---- Chilled Barramundi Fish with a fennel slaw $3.50
Plus ---- Melbourne ---- Grilled Lamb Chop with caramelized onion jam and pea shoots $5.00
Plus ---- Melbourne ---- Wattleseed Mousse (coffee-infused lady fingers with filling) $2.75
Check ---- The Mouse Catch ---- Asiago Pressato, Italy
Check ---- The Mouse Catch ---- Manchego, Spain


A couple of specific notes: NOt sure if there was enough alcohol in the Mango gingerita from China to justify the price, but it was REALLY gingery. NOT recommended if you're not a big ginger fan.

The Vodka cocktail from Poland was probably too small for the price (but it was good).

The two San Juan, Puerto Rico drinks were good, but there were sometimes issues with the QC on the machines, and some versions we saw come out were a little runnier then they should have been.

If there had been a chef in the France booth, we would have had them check the cooler temp, which is part of why the Creme brulee didn't get a higher score. Also, I think we got a BAD piece of chicken in China. As in potentially spoiled bad. We probably should have said something on that one.

We also did the Food & Wine Pairing in Italy, which was WAY more food than I've gotten in the past at similar events. Additionally the Greek Feast was a lot of fun, though I'm not sure the full value was there for that meal. I'll include full reviews of those in my trip report. ]]> Drince88 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?296-Food-amp-Wine-Festival-Booth-Items-2008 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?256-Hurricane-Gustav-Lessons-Learned Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:56:23 GMT *Lesson Number 1:* When you have an INKLING that you might be evacuating, MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS... Lesson Number 1:
When you have an INKLING that you might be evacuating, MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS RIGHT THEN. Most have 24 hour cancellation policies, so if you don’t have to evacuate, it’s ok, you just cancel. Don’t do it, and you get to go even farther away. (Actually, though, in this case it may have helped some, since it didn’t seem that traffic was going to let up going through Jackson)

Lesson Number 2:
Go with your gut and take ‘back roads’ – regardless if the LSP are saying ‘oh that Interstate route is just temporarily backed up because it goes from 3 lanes to 2’ – but if you get to the place where it’s 2 lanes – you can never get off! STOPPED on an interstate, people getting out of their cars, well AFTER that 3 lanes to 2 (MANY MILES past that 3 lanes to 2) is NOT my idea of smooth sailing. (I'm going to try to post the Excel chart in my Photo Album and will link to it if it works. Yes, I am an Engineer - who else would plot distance and time on an XY graph for fun!)

Lesson Number 3:
Contraflow, even when working well, has to end at some point. It was backed up 9 miles when the 2 lanes on each side of the interstate each went to 1 lane before merging back together on the ‘right’ side.

Lesson Number 4:
The first exit with multiple services (including McDonalds) are going to be VERY backed up. The line to the restroom at the McDs was VERY long – Rock n Rollercoaster long (ok, maybe I exaggerate a little). I went up the road a little to a DQ which didn’t have much of a line, but the food line was decent.

Lesson Number 5:
You may be required to stop for long trains once you get off of Interstates onto U.S. Highways.

Lesson Number 6:
“Rest Stop and Welcome Center” in Arkansas can consist of a single toilet and a nice lady who gives you lots of literature about things to do in her state. Which is a lot better than the Louisiana Welcome Center, which was CLOSED!

Lesson Number 7:
It helps to decrease confusion when reading Mapquest directions to look at the distances for each segment as well as the turn-by-turn directions.

Lesson Number 8:
If the hotel claims to have wireless internet, specifically request a room that is NOT at the end of the hall and far away from the wireless thing.

Lesson Number 9:
Remember the age of your cat. 15 year old arthritic joints deserve more than just a towel in the bottom of their carriers to sleep on for 14.5 hours. (I did let him out a couple of times to sleep on my lap or on the suitcase in the back – but don’t tell MickeyDogMom!)

Lesson Number 10:
Despite best intentions, don’t expect to be able to work much with your brain the day after a 14.5 hour drive.

Lesson Number 11:
When you’re evacuating from an area that may lose power, you really don’t need to bring your battery radio and flashlights/batteries with you. They can stay back (accessible) where the power outage is expected to occur. (But do bring a flashlight along in case the power goes out from the remnants of the storm hanging over your evacuation location for 2+ days.)

Lesson Number 12:
For a hotel used to longer-stay business travelers, don’t expect them to have adequate breakfast supplies when they’re full of families.

Lesson Number 13:
If the hotel elevator has a history of breaking down, make sure you ask for a room that is NOT right next to the stairs. Otherwise intelligent men (HUGE assumption here) think they can bring the luggage cart down the stairs at 6:00 am. They maybe can, but not without waking people for solid sleep and scaring cats back under the bedspread. (And if they took it around outside, they will NOT melt in the rain!)

Lesson Number 13.5:
When reserving a hotel, make sure that it’s not one of the ones that have gotten rid of bedspreads – cats need some place to hide. (He’s always gravitated to foots of beds, underneath the bedspread. Hotels, which he hates all the noises, in my house, when visitors come, etc.)

Lesson Number 14:
If you’re planning on using your laptop to watch DVDs, make sure your drivers are up-to-date, especially if you have spotty internet connections in your room, so you’ll have troubles updating them.

Lesson Number 15:
Yes, while ‘waiting’ for a hurricane to get closer so the NHC can give you a better idea if you’re going to have to evacuate, it may feel like a “Shoot me now or shoot me later” situation, you WILL make it through it emotionally, albeit with some scars potentially.

Lesson Number 16:
Even if you’re evacuating with ‘too much stuff’ – there is likely to be someone else evacuating with even more. Case in point – the truck with a chest freezer and refrigerator in a trailer, along with a generator (that may or may not have been running). They were NOT going to lose the contents of their refrigerator or freezer this time around!

Lesson Number 17:
Leaving early in the morning to return home is a GOOD THING. Helps you beat the crowds on the roads. And avoiding the place where 2 2-lane interstates merge into 1 2-lane interstate is a very good idea, even if it does mean going over a 20+ mile bridge.

Lesson Number 18:
There are a couple of things you can do to make decisions about returning home easier, and deciding if your power was out too long to eat the food in the freezer: Have a plug in answering machine - if it picks up, you have phone and power; and leave a single ice cube in the bin when you turn off the ice maker. If it's in its original shape, it's safe to eat the food!

Lesson Number 19:
There really is No Place Like Home - even if you may have to turn around in less than a week and leave again! ]]> Drince88 http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/entry.php?256-Hurricane-Gustav-Lessons-Learned