We are here to change the world.
Back from Disneyworld! Jaime and I were at the very lovely Beach Club for three days to celebrate 2 years of remission and 7 years of awesome togetherness. It was a blast. We hit up Epcot in the morning of the first day - for the record, there's a coffee stand near Test Track that has great apple fritters. I picked up a Duffy on the way to World Showcase. He doesn't have any outfits yet; I'm thinking baseball uniform to start with. Next time. Despite my moral reservations, I tried veal while having lunch in Italy, and damnit, it was delicious. I still can't approve of purchasing it for home consumption, but on special occasions, I suppose I can let the gruesome-factor slide. We then spent our afternoon cavorting about the Florida Mall (where I scored some scarves and jewelry from H&M as well as a veritable motherlode of Lush goodies) before heading to the House of Blues for dinner and mother-pluckin' Jimmy Eat World, y'all!
Okay, so I really really love Jimmy Eat World. This was my third time seeing them in concert and they just get better and better. Seriously, check this stuff out. Mind-blowing, yeah? Oh, and by the way, the bespectacled gentleman whose scantily haired but exquisitely cheekboned head you can see from 0:12-0:14 in this video would be Jaime. My short self was on the other side of him. I screamed my lungs out and bopped and sang and ended up walking away with a Jim Adkins guitar pick, which made me just about explode with glee. I mean, I love the band, so any souvenirs are awesome (I got Rick's set list last time I saw them), but getting something from Jim just means the world to me.
For years, literal years, I struggled with my anxiety disorders with no medication. I was desperately afraid that if I tamped down the anxiety too much, I'd tamp down what makes me me; I thought it might lobotomize my creativity. What eventually got me to push through and take the pills was Jim Adkins. He doesn't talk about it much, but there are lyrical references (see: Bleed American, Pain) and you can find interviews here and there where he mentions his troubles with anxiety - apparently, he started having panic attacks while they were touring for Clarity. What eventually got it under control for him was medication. I said to myself, "If Jim Adkins can take anti-anxiety medication and still make a CD like Futures, what am I so afraid of?" So I did it; I took the leap, took the Zoloft, and my life has seriously never been better. I feel like it wasn't really me living before the medication, it was the anxiety. I don't know where I'd be right now mentally if I hadn't had that push of inspiration from Jimmy Eat World's music. A guitar pick from Jim is just about the greatest little token I could get from them. Here's the solid evidence of his success, of his continued musical career and his untarnished creativity, and I get to take it home with me. What a gift. What a seriously amazing gift.
Aaaaanyway, Epcot had extra magic hours on Friday night and we were thirsty after the concert, so we sprinted in long enough to grab a Fanta and ride Spaceship Earth before we passed out. Saturday was the day of Kingdoms - first Magic (where I purchased a Minnie apron that I've been wanting for a while now and matching Minnie and Mickey mugs and we got Ezra as our ghost FUCK YEAH) and then Animal. Fun fact: The Flame Tree has the best ribs in the entire fucking world. You have to eat with purpose, because the sheer touch of lips may cause the meat to fall off the bone. It's that tender. Mmmmm. Scoped out some animals, fist-bumped for the Dinosaur ride photo, and oh! Bought a big Carnotaurus doll. It's so lifelike that Benny is wary of it. Completely serious - he jumped when I wiggled it, growled at it, attempted to sniff its butt, nudged it with his nose repeatedly and in various locations, and (this is the kicker) barked at it when he managed to get a moment alone with it. And Benny is not a barker. So yes, this doll is the most badass doll ever. Love.
Saturday afternoon was devoted to visiting Benny at the pet resort. We took him out to the dog park; he made friends with a pup named Mojo and ran around like a maniac until he flumped. Saturday evening, we gorged ourselves at a seafood buffet (where I drew Adventure Time characters on the paper tablecloth in crayon) and then wandered around our hotel and over to the Boardwalk, where we encountered a very odd fellow. This guy walked up to us, a girl lingering behind him silently, and said that we were the fifth people he'd asked this: "Do you respect your elders?" Jaime said yes and the guy asked him why. "Because they have more life experience," Jaime explained. The guy seemed to like that answer - he and the girl told us they'd heard "because they covered for us when we screwed up," "because they respected their elders," and "because we got our asses beat when we didn't." Everyone chuckled; it was odd, but not too odd. What happened next took it there - he asked where we were from, and we told him. "Ahhhh, the big [initial deleted to maintain my mysterious persona]," he said. He seemed familiar with the area. He then held out his umbrella - a large black-and-white striped affair - and asked Jaime to hold it. Jaime did the logical thing. "No," he said. The guy insisted; "No trick," he said. "Free umbrella! Just go with it."
And that's how we got a free umbrella. It's a really nice one, too, with a carbon fiber tube and Mickey golfing on the canopy. Retails for over $40. It's officially Jaime's, since not only was he the one it was directly given to, but also I have my own umbrella which I am quite content with. Weird night.
Side note: This morning, I saw a guy in maroon skinny trousers and a slim-cut leather jacket carrying a rainbow striped umbrella. I want to be his friend.
Oh, also saw a family with two adorable little boys while watching fireworks. The younger one had gotten a Yoda pin that day and just had to read it aloud and tell Jaime all about it. The mom laughed, while the dad kind of rolled his eyes and said, "We get this show every night." I told them, "Hey, it's been a long time since my brothers were that cute."
For our last day of vaycay, we returned to Epcot, as it is the undisputed king of parks. They have dolls of the catball thing from Captain Eo - can you believe that? Of course, I had to have one, which led to an amusing conversation with the cashier. She cooed over it and complained that everyone says it's creepy, to which I replied that Jaime told me not to get because, and I quote, "It's creepy." This then devolved into the respective merits of cuddling with a cat/butterfly/rat hybrid or a dragon. I campaigned for the catball, but only because there's no debate without two sides. In reality, I love Figment more; I mean, I walked out of that store with a fleece plush of said lovable purple fellow, so it's not like I played favorites noticeably or something. Dragon and catballs both have their merits.
... And I bought a rainbow zebra scarf, and we traded a castle vinylmation for the Jon from Carousel of Progress one and a duplicate Figment pin for one of the logo from If You Had Wings. Yes!
In the end, we made it home well before the Super Bowl (which I half-watched for the commercials and mostly ignored in favor of Puppy Bowl clips online) and Glee (which I will have a post about later... probably) and found one last souvenir in my e-mail inbox:
Taken while Benny was in playgroup with some other pupsters.
Best. Vacation. Ever.
Okay, so I really really love Jimmy Eat World. This was my third time seeing them in concert and they just get better and better. Seriously, check this stuff out. Mind-blowing, yeah? Oh, and by the way, the bespectacled gentleman whose scantily haired but exquisitely cheekboned head you can see from 0:12-0:14 in this video would be Jaime. My short self was on the other side of him. I screamed my lungs out and bopped and sang and ended up walking away with a Jim Adkins guitar pick, which made me just about explode with glee. I mean, I love the band, so any souvenirs are awesome (I got Rick's set list last time I saw them), but getting something from Jim just means the world to me.
For years, literal years, I struggled with my anxiety disorders with no medication. I was desperately afraid that if I tamped down the anxiety too much, I'd tamp down what makes me me; I thought it might lobotomize my creativity. What eventually got me to push through and take the pills was Jim Adkins. He doesn't talk about it much, but there are lyrical references (see: Bleed American, Pain) and you can find interviews here and there where he mentions his troubles with anxiety - apparently, he started having panic attacks while they were touring for Clarity. What eventually got it under control for him was medication. I said to myself, "If Jim Adkins can take anti-anxiety medication and still make a CD like Futures, what am I so afraid of?" So I did it; I took the leap, took the Zoloft, and my life has seriously never been better. I feel like it wasn't really me living before the medication, it was the anxiety. I don't know where I'd be right now mentally if I hadn't had that push of inspiration from Jimmy Eat World's music. A guitar pick from Jim is just about the greatest little token I could get from them. Here's the solid evidence of his success, of his continued musical career and his untarnished creativity, and I get to take it home with me. What a gift. What a seriously amazing gift.
Aaaaanyway, Epcot had extra magic hours on Friday night and we were thirsty after the concert, so we sprinted in long enough to grab a Fanta and ride Spaceship Earth before we passed out. Saturday was the day of Kingdoms - first Magic (where I purchased a Minnie apron that I've been wanting for a while now and matching Minnie and Mickey mugs and we got Ezra as our ghost FUCK YEAH) and then Animal. Fun fact: The Flame Tree has the best ribs in the entire fucking world. You have to eat with purpose, because the sheer touch of lips may cause the meat to fall off the bone. It's that tender. Mmmmm. Scoped out some animals, fist-bumped for the Dinosaur ride photo, and oh! Bought a big Carnotaurus doll. It's so lifelike that Benny is wary of it. Completely serious - he jumped when I wiggled it, growled at it, attempted to sniff its butt, nudged it with his nose repeatedly and in various locations, and (this is the kicker) barked at it when he managed to get a moment alone with it. And Benny is not a barker. So yes, this doll is the most badass doll ever. Love.
Saturday afternoon was devoted to visiting Benny at the pet resort. We took him out to the dog park; he made friends with a pup named Mojo and ran around like a maniac until he flumped. Saturday evening, we gorged ourselves at a seafood buffet (where I drew Adventure Time characters on the paper tablecloth in crayon) and then wandered around our hotel and over to the Boardwalk, where we encountered a very odd fellow. This guy walked up to us, a girl lingering behind him silently, and said that we were the fifth people he'd asked this: "Do you respect your elders?" Jaime said yes and the guy asked him why. "Because they have more life experience," Jaime explained. The guy seemed to like that answer - he and the girl told us they'd heard "because they covered for us when we screwed up," "because they respected their elders," and "because we got our asses beat when we didn't." Everyone chuckled; it was odd, but not too odd. What happened next took it there - he asked where we were from, and we told him. "Ahhhh, the big [initial deleted to maintain my mysterious persona]," he said. He seemed familiar with the area. He then held out his umbrella - a large black-and-white striped affair - and asked Jaime to hold it. Jaime did the logical thing. "No," he said. The guy insisted; "No trick," he said. "Free umbrella! Just go with it."
And that's how we got a free umbrella. It's a really nice one, too, with a carbon fiber tube and Mickey golfing on the canopy. Retails for over $40. It's officially Jaime's, since not only was he the one it was directly given to, but also I have my own umbrella which I am quite content with. Weird night.
Side note: This morning, I saw a guy in maroon skinny trousers and a slim-cut leather jacket carrying a rainbow striped umbrella. I want to be his friend.
Oh, also saw a family with two adorable little boys while watching fireworks. The younger one had gotten a Yoda pin that day and just had to read it aloud and tell Jaime all about it. The mom laughed, while the dad kind of rolled his eyes and said, "We get this show every night." I told them, "Hey, it's been a long time since my brothers were that cute."
For our last day of vaycay, we returned to Epcot, as it is the undisputed king of parks. They have dolls of the catball thing from Captain Eo - can you believe that? Of course, I had to have one, which led to an amusing conversation with the cashier. She cooed over it and complained that everyone says it's creepy, to which I replied that Jaime told me not to get because, and I quote, "It's creepy." This then devolved into the respective merits of cuddling with a cat/butterfly/rat hybrid or a dragon. I campaigned for the catball, but only because there's no debate without two sides. In reality, I love Figment more; I mean, I walked out of that store with a fleece plush of said lovable purple fellow, so it's not like I played favorites noticeably or something. Dragon and catballs both have their merits.
... And I bought a rainbow zebra scarf, and we traded a castle vinylmation for the Jon from Carousel of Progress one and a duplicate Figment pin for one of the logo from If You Had Wings. Yes!
In the end, we made it home well before the Super Bowl (which I half-watched for the commercials and mostly ignored in favor of Puppy Bowl clips online) and Glee (which I will have a post about later... probably) and found one last souvenir in my e-mail inbox:
Taken while Benny was in playgroup with some other pupsters.
Best. Vacation. Ever.