Happy happy joy joy

Hi there!  Long time, no post.  I've had a lot of exciting things going on, so ... sorry 'bout that.

As I mentioned before, I'm now an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.  This has kept me VERY busy, but in a good way.  I never realized just how much I enjoyed making dreams come true.  :)

And now, I have another amazing project. 

I'm a guest blogger on MouseBuzz. 

I've added the posts to my blog below, and will continue to do so each time I post a new article. 

Love and pixie dust to all!

Is this thing on?

What, with FREE DINING and all, I've been a bit busy.  I'm testing this Networked Blogs app to see if I can sync up all of the things that I use to communicate.  I"ll let ya know if it works.  :) 

A drive-by nerding.

Hiya LuvsTheMouseketeers!  I hope this summer-kickoff heat wave finds you well.  I've been spending a great deal of my time working toward the launch of LuvsTheMouse LLC.  On top of planning for our big "Grand Opening", I am working feverishly on finishing my 2011 trip album. 

For all you nerdy-girls (and boys) out there ... check it out.  Here are my QR codes.  One's for the blog, and one's for the Facebook page.  :)

X-Men: First Class

Let me preface this post with my giddy gleeful squee-ing about how Marvel is now part of the Disney family.  See, as a soon-to-be-travel agent selling Disney exclusively, I am invested in the company's long-term plans and diversification efforts.  Of course, it's imperative that I not only know the product I sell, but the company itself.

And really ... I'm just a nerdy comic book girl underneath it all.  So there's that.

Anyhow, I simply adore the "X-Men" franchise.  Now, I know that some fanboys (and girls) have gotten rather salty that the movies aren't true to the comic books.  But I think that the movies are good, and well done.  And I certainly wouldn't throw Hugh Jackman out of bed for eating crackers.

My Panda and I are kid-free until Tuesday (my daughter's with her dad's family, and my stepdaughter's with my dad and his fabulous wife).  So we judiciously used our "freedom" to go see "X-Men: First Class" on Friday night.  Now, we rarely venture into the theater on opening day.  But for this movie, I was willing to make an exception.  And I was NOT disappointed.

Aside from a great (and profanely hilarious) cameo from Wolverine himself, a few more of favorite actors were in the movie.  Edi Gathegi (also known as the fabulously creepy nomadic vampire Laurent from Twilight / New Moon), James McEvoy (one of my tasty crushes), and January Jones were all present.  And of course, I was really excited to see Jennifer Lawrence - she's slated to play Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movie! 

At any rate, if you are looking for a good movie - not just a good ACTION movie, but a good all-around movie - go see X-Men: First Class.  The plot was great, the acting was great ... and of course, any excuse to see Kevin Bacon play a villain is welcome. 

Digital Scrapbookers Unite!

I got hooked on Digiscrapping by a good friend from TGM.  When I was whining about not having enough time to get my albums done, Arlette suggested going digital.  I hemmed and I hawed and I procrastinated.  But then I said "Self, give it a try.  You're kinda nerdy, so it's a natural fit."



Between the ability to pick up and scrap whenever I had a free five minutes, and the "gentle nudging" by the nice folks at MouseScrappers ... I'm now about 90% done with our 2010 book.  I am really looking forward to working on my 2009 book now, too.

The photo in this post is my favorite page from the 2010 book.  If you'd like to see the rest of my work, check out my gallery on MouseScrappers.

Technology FTW.

So, after many weeks (months?) making fun of those folks that owned iPads, I finally bit the bullet. I am now the proud owner of a 32GB wi-fi model.

And the only thing I have to say about it is ... What took me so long to buy this?

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to attempt a few different blogging apps. I really like the iPad interface, and I really do miss writing about my favorite place on earth.

I wrote this post with an app called Monarch. So far, the only complaint i have is that the keyboard on the screen covers the bottom of the post Entry area, and there no scrolling mechanism. Fail.

If you have any suggestions for an iPad friendly blogger app, let me know.

My thoughts on Tron: Legacy

The fam went to see TRON: Legacy on Friday night.  In 3D, of course.

I can honestly say that I give it a solid 7/10, and most of that was because it was a great 3D experience.  I can also honestly say that ...

***SPOILERS FOLLOW***

OK now that's done ... here's what I think.

Starting with what I didn't like ...

I think that they didn't do nearly as much as they could have with the possibilities presented by the storyline.

I think that Garrett Hedlund was only marginally pretty to look at.

I think that Flynn's character was less "Flynn" and more "The Dude From The Big Lebowski".

I think it's DUMB that TRON didn't remove his helmet.

I expected SO MUCH MORE from Daft Punk.

The ISO subplot was weak.  It seemed like merely a MacGuffin to get Olivia Wilde in the flick.  Don't get me wrong, I liked the Quorra character quite a bit.  However, I think I'd have liked it better if she ended up being Sam's sister or something. The sheltered weirdo that followed The Dude around?  Not the best use of her talents.

And where the Mickey Mouse were the TANKS?  Seriously - just the discs and lightcycles?  And really, since when do lightcycles have curved trails?  Just sayin'.

Now, here's what I DID like ...

I cannot express my love for Michael Sheen enough.  TEAM ARO!  I had to, of course, interrupt my husband's nerdgasm to inform him that Aro is my favorite vampire.  Clearly, I am not Team Sparkle Vamp.  Gah.

They knocked the Sirens' costuming out of the park. Home run, people ... simply fabulous.

When they used the 3D effects?  BRILLIANT.  Sadly I think too much of the movie was shot in 2D, but when they did the effects of the programs shattering?  Brilliant.

The re-imagining of the uniforms of those in the Grid, by the way, was awesome.  And I really liked when TRON was falling at the end, and his "lines" changed from the red (CLU loyal) to white (Flynn loyal).  Even though I know that it was clearly a set-up for a sequel to the sequel, it still made me squee.

All in all ... I liked it more than I didn't.  Will I buy it on Blu Ray when it's released?  Maybe.  But it's not the ZOMG MUST HAVE IT NOW!!1! that I expected to feel.

And here ... via the awesomeness that is EPBOT ... check this out.  This year's IceHotel?  TRON THEMED.  This is at least twenty kinds of awesome.  Maybe more.

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)

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.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

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.

It's TRON-tastic!

So. Many moons ago, I fell in love with a little sci-fi flick called TRON.




Now, for the friends and family of a little kid - a GIRL kid - my obsession with this movie was really a brain-bender.  But I loved it.  I couldn't get enough of it ... the movie, the video games, all of it.

So imagine my sheer shrieking squee-ing joy when I heard that TRON: Legacy was being released.  Not just in the theater, oh no.  IN SUPER FABULOUS 3D!



***squee***

Only one thing could be better than TRON in Super Fabulous 3D.

You guessed it.  Shoes, nerdy gear, and sparkly things.  I guess that makes this a "3-squee" post.  Sorry.  Bad joke.

Anyhow, there's lots of super cool TRON: Legacy merchandise out there.  I have already decided that the XBox controller and/or the WiiMote will be mine.  Oh yes.  They will be mine.


Check out these amazing shoes ($795).

OOOH and the iPod dock shaped like a disc ($249):

Not to be outdone ...a pen to make my meetings just a bit more tolerable ($40.00):

 

And finally, some really gorgeous earrings ($495):

All photos are courtesy and (c) Disney ... you can find the entire TRON: Legacy collection here.