Pizza. Epic Mickey. Glee. WIN.

Sorry that I'm MIA.

Panda got me some delicious pizza.  And the Collector's Edition of Epic Mickey.  And Glee's on.


Even my Sam-Cat is in on the action ...

Tomorrow is the day!

I am giddily anticipating the release of Epic Mickey tomorrow.  I've already had my fit at GameStop for not having a midnight release party.  After all, if they can have one for stupid Halo ... why not My Favorite Mouse?

Harumph.  Clearly they just don't understand how important this is to me.

Anyhow, I'm ecstatic.  The release date is upon us.  Panda pre-ordered the collector's edition for me, so I can't wait to get home from work tomorrow and play it.

Also on the docket for release tomorrow:  Waking Sleeping Beauty.  This documentary chronicles the reworking and resurgence of the Disney Animation team.  I've heard such wonderful things about this movie, so I really am anticipating it.

Besides ... I need something to occupy my time until next Tuesday. What's that, you ask?  Why, it's the Blu-Ray release of Eclipse. Yes, I admit it.  I'm one of "those women" ... the Twilight moms.  ***paperbag over head*** 

Here's to some great video and gaming releases this week!

photo courtesy Game Informer / GameStop.

Black Friday FTW!

So, my husband got his first taste of the madness that is Black Friday today.  He's never went shopping on this fateful and joyous day.  So of course I schooled him.

During our travels today, we came across two things that were for mommy (me) ...  Check them out.

First, my hubby threw this in the cart ... the Epic Mickey Wiimote Charging Station.

 

You sit the Wiimote in the inkblot cradle, and it charges.  He also snagged a black Wiimote for me.  Get this - its eyes light up!  It's really spooky, but very very cool.  You can't see the Mickey figure very well, but it is on the lower right corner.  He's wielding the paintbrush!  Speaking of ... check out my other exciting purchase:

 

 Yes, that's the paintbrush nunchuk.  Seriously, it's really cool.  I'm really excited about using it to play the game. 

Tuesday will be quite the stressful day for me ... so many choices!  Do I zone out with Epic Mickey all night?  Or do I take an hour-long break for my weekly Glee fest?  Of course I'll break for Glee.  But still.  Decisions, decisions.

(photos courtesy of Toys R Us)

It's a holiday post!

But not the one you think.  Yes, I know today is Thanksgiving here in the US, but I have to wait for the turkey to finish cooking.  So ... while we wait ... let's talk about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Or, in the lexicon of my fellow Disneyphiles ... MNSSHP.

This year was our first outing to MNSSHP.  I'd heard wonderful things about it, and was really excited about going.  At first, I balked at the extra admission price.  But then I realized that the price of admission was a small price to pay for the possibility of very low lines.  I figured that it was worth a try.

I cannot express how happy I am with that decision. 

My daughter and I arrived right after the 4:00 PM "cutoff".  We had a very short wait in line for admission, and we walked into a magical park.  Cast members were everywhere ... they asked to see our admission ticket, and gave us a wristband.  These wristbands were wonderful - because I personally witnessed some guests being denied entrance to a ride queue and being "gently ushered" toward the gate later in the evening.

Upon admission to the Magic Kingdom, we snapped a photo on Main Street USA.  We were given a special MNSSHP PhotoPass card to use that day - because it allowed us a discount and access to some stock Halloween photos.  This is a very good thing, in consideration of the fact that my fabulous little Fujifilm "point and shoot" didn't capture very good photos of some of the key moments.

After getting our photos taken, we quickly headed back toward Adventureland and Frontierland.  Our goal for the night was to ride The Mountains as many times as possible.  In fact, we had discussed our "game plan", and had bets on how many times we could just walk on to each of Maddie's favorite rides.  It turns out we ran the Splash / Thunder Mountain circuit four times back-to-back before we got bored with the rides.  Isn't that funny ... we bored of two of Maddie's most favorite rides on the planet!

After our ride-a-palooza on the two Mountains, we decided to pop in to Pecos Bill's for a quick bite.  I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the burgers we received.  And oh, the toppings bar was a very welcome surprise.  The fries were the same fries as are found throughout the parks, but the burgers were much tastier.

During the first "Boo To You" parade, we took the train around to the Toontown stop.  We disembarked, and made a beeline toward Maddie's other favorite ride ... Space Mountain.  We rode it twice in a row and then went to stake out our spot on Main Street USA for the HalloWishes fireworks.

Simply amazing.  I think that Disney really does fireworks "right", and this show was absolutely no exception.  Ordinarily, I"d say that you can get a better view of fireworks to the side of the castle - but I highly suggest actually staying in "the hub" for these.  You are immersed in the magic, as they explode all around you.

After our fireworks experience, we then ran quickly to the front of the stage.  One of the biggest perks of MNSSHP is the rare appearance of the Villains.  My daughter just LOVES Maleficent (or, as she says, Falefficent).  Of course, we giddily waited to snap a photo with her:

After this, her night was nearly complete - but wait!  There's more!

The Boo-To-You parade is wonderful.  In my opinion, it's second only to SpectroMagic.  Every float was amazing, there were rarely seen characters on board, and the song (heard by clicking here) is so catchy that it'll be in your head for MONTHS after the party. And the best part?  The last float, with Goofy.  It blows bubbles!

All in all, I give MNSSHP two thumbs up.  It was a great time, the lines were super short, and we got to see some things that we never see in the parks during regular hours.  In my opinion, it's worth the extra money.

Gowalla ... Foursquare ... Facebook Places? Stalk-tastic!

I admit it ... I love Foursquare.  I have been "playing" for a while, and have amassed such fabulous badges as "I'm On A Boat!"

However, I must say that I'm intrigued by Disney's partnership with Gowalla.  They have several "trips" outlined; including one for kids not tall enough for "The Mountains" at Magic Kingdom.  I think it'll be a fun distraction and a fun project to do while in the parks.  Granted, I'm a Liner, so I'm already furiously tappity-tappity-tapping on my phone while visiting.  But this really seems like a good thing to try.  And of course, they have park-specific "pins" to earn by checking in at different places!  Fun!

As I'm an Android user, Gowalla wasn't available for my preferred platform until very recently.  I have just installed and downloaded it to my precious (aka my Droid), and will give it a whirl this weekend.  Add me as a friend ... connect with me by clicking here.

I'm off to visit with some of my Second Wives Cafe friends (and by "some", I mean "at least ten").  We're going to Foxwoods Casino to play bingo, and we plan to catch up with each other.  We haven't been together for a year and change, and there's much to celebrate (new boyfriends, new husbands, new jobs, and even Heather's pregnancy).  I can't wait to see my friends.

Have a wonderful and magical weekend!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

I am an enigma wrapped in a riddle. I am a girly-girl that loves handbags and lipstick ... but I'm also a sucker for a sleek sports car with a fast engine.

Obviously, I love Disney. But I also love my BMW ... almost obsessively. So when I saw this ... I nearly squee'd out loud in my office.

Photo courtesy: http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bmw-tron-concept-is-a-true-crossbreed-26583.html

Check it out ... that is a BMW (I think an M5 or maybe one of the X6 crossovers with a lowered chassis). And I am in love.

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A Question

So, Panda and I have decided to visit Disney for Christmas next year. Hurray!

However, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ends the week prior to Santa's Big Day.

Which would you rather do: MVMCP, or wake up there on Christmas Morning?

PS ... trying a new app for posting. Not sure if i like it yet.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Sneaky. Very Sneaky.

One of the few things that my daughter actually requires out of a Disney trip is breakfast in Cinderella Castle.  I'll have a separate review of Cinderella's Royal Table (CRT, for short), but I think that there's one facet of Maddie's preferred experience that rates a mention.

Take a look at this photograph.  It's one of my favorites from our recent trip.  It's my friend Theresa and her absolutely ADORABLE daughter Vici, with my daughter and I.  Now, once you're past our hotness (and the girls' cuteness), focus on what you see.  Or more accurately, what you DON'T see.

Do you see (or not see) it?  I promise, it's not a trick:  That is a TOTALLY EMPTY MAIN STREET U.S.A.  We are alone on the Magic Kingdom's Main Drag. 

How did I manage this, you ask?  Well, it's because I'm special and amazing and twenty shades of awesome.

Seriously, it's something that just anyone can do.  You don't have to be a magical Fairy or a Princess! 

Simply schedule your ADR (Advance Dining Reservation) for anytime between 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM.  Yes, it's prior to park opening.  But CRT and Crystal Palace offer reservations beginning at 8:05 AM.  I prefer to have reservations at about 8:30 AM.  Security lets the first "wave" of people into the park at 8:00 AM, and you can enter at about 8:15.  By that time, most of the crowd has cleared out, and you can luck your way into awesome photos just like this.

Hot babes - and adorable kidlets - not included. 

Epic Mickey

I'm sure that it comes as no surprise that I'm a bit of a nerd.  I love video games, and all sorts of things that are nerdy.  Just because we have an Xbox360, a PS3, a Wii, and our own individual DSi's doesn't mean that we're THAT nerdy.  Right?

Anyway, imagine my giddy reaction when Epic Mickey got a November 30 release date.  Squee! 

From early synopses of the game, it seems a bit dark and more of an adventure than just mindless repetition.  This is a good thing.  I like games with compelling storylines.  I wish it were on the Xbox or the PS3 though ... the video resolution on the Wii is totally subpar.  The desire for motion control is a nonsense reason to make it Wii-exclusive ... the PSMove and Kinect have removed that barrier (excuse?) from game programming now.  I'd prefer to have a controller-based game with high-quality video, folks.

And now I'm even giddier (more giddy?) that Hot Topic has started releasing clothing and accessories to accompany the game.

Here's a few cool things that caught my eye.  I might have to fight the mall crowds this weekend to pick myself up something new (and likely shiny).

The first thing I noticed, via today's Stitch Kingdom email, was the Epic Mickey necklace ($12.00).

The neckace comes in both the basic black and the art scene (what I posted above).  It's a little big for my usual tastes, but it sure is cool.  It would be a great accessory to wear with a simple crew neck black (or the right shade of blue) sweater.  Wonder how many comments I'd get at my uber-conservative workplace about that necklace?

The next thing is a key cap.  It goes over the top of a regular key.  I think I'm going to grab one of these for my office door key.  It's a whopping $4.99 ... a small price to pay for a giddy smile while at my cubicle farm, no?

Finally, no 1337 Gamerz would be found dead without a totally nerdy novelty t-shirt.  Of course, Hot Topic never disappoints ... they have two really cute shirts.  Prices vary (extended sizes are more expensive), but are about $25 each.

Frustrated, Incorporated.

I've written several posts from my beloved Droid, but it appears they have not posted.  That's okay, I will just have to re-live our most recent trip as I re-write them.  As a random nerdy-girl aside ... Blogger is a Google product.  My Droid, although made by Motorola, runs Android (another Google product).  So, pray tell, why can't I post properly to my Google blog with my Google phone? 

OK, end of rant.  On to the important stuff.

I'm having a serious case of MTM today.  You know, Missing The Mouse.  I long to relax and people-watch at the International Showcase this afternoon.  The dole whip from Orange Leaf is lovely, but it's not the same as eating it on the Polynesian beach.  And oh, how I'd love to listen to my daughter's delighted squeals while riding Expedition Everest today.

Alas, living in Ohio has certain drawbacks.  And by "certain drawbacks", I mean ... it's not Orlando.

So, I'll have to cure my MTM and re-write my posts.  Sit tight - I have a lot to say.