ResurrectionSong: A Place of Learnin'

I'm a giver. When I gain knowledge, I like to share it with everyone so that we can all benefit from each other's experiences. On this trip, I learned a lot that I think would help everyone in their daily lives.

1. The line for the Disney rides doesn't start at the Denver International Airport security check for concourse A. It just feels that way.
   
2. Piercings will set off the metal detector. This causes not only a much longer wait than you might otherwise have anticipated, but great embarrassment for everyone involved.
   
3. The plane ride goes along much quicker if you are fortunate enough to be seated in the exit row with someone who doesn't mind your opening conversational gambit being something along the lines of, "Don't worry if there's an emergency; I'll push you out of my way first."
   
4. Pleasure Island should have stayed closed to children. It was the one part of the Disney World Empire that allowed me to escape the cute little angels of others for a few hours, and it was good. But, when looking for Jell-O shots at midnight, something is lost when the dance floor is being dominated by a seven year old. A cute, agile, and energetic seven year old, but a seven year old nonetheless.
   
5. The mind (and, in my case, the wrists (each of which has been broken, each of which ache most days, and each of which curse the fact that I chose to work with computers for a living)) enjoy a break from the computer. From late Wednesday night until late Monday night, I didn't see or touch a computer, I didn't worry about my email, and the only politics that invaded was a portion of Crossfire on Sunday that I had to sit and watch. Truly, it is nice to take a break.
   
6. Don't forget to pack a poncho.
   
7. On the other hand, playing in the warm Florida rain can be quite a treat, and Epcot is a great place to play.
   
8. And don't think you can't get any wetter. Just hang out with me when there's four inches of standing water making its own little pool at the park. I guaranty that you'll be even more soaked when I'm done. And I'll be grinning like a ten year old when I'm done.
   
9. On the other other hand, at the end of play time, all of those carefully saved receipts that were hoarded throughout the trip to be tallied up at the end become just so much paper machier lining the wallet and the little resort room is hardly big enough to contain all the soggy clothing. Just a warning.
   
10. Waiting for public transportation while soggy, chilled, and standing in the rain really brings out the best and worst in people. The mad scramble for the bus, the opportunistic cutting in line, and the glares from those who are thwarted in their evil, line-cutting ways certainly show up the irritating aspects of people. The good humor, the courtesy, and the joi d'vivre and camaraderie of those of us who preferred to smile instead of glare was a heartening counterpoint, though. Either way, the soggier moments seem to bring out the essence of a everyone's personality.
    
11. Those pants will take longer to dry than you think.
    
12. An unplanned excursion to the beach adds a lot to the trip.
    
13. If volume of road trip car sing along is any indicator of greatness, then Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" must be one of the best songs of all time. And even if it isn't, it's still a hell of a lot of fun.
    
14. While the US has absolutely no corner on the bratty child market, bratty children are much cuter when they are bratty with a British accent.
    
15. For that matter, scolding kids with a British accent is pretty cute, too.
    
16. It's a trip worth taking as long as you're willing to stop being the cynical, battle-hardened adult that so many of us seem to be. It's a trip worth taking as long as you can still remember the brilliant fun of playing pretend when you were a kid.
    

The g-phrase was sad when we were leaving and I asked her why. "Because everyone is nice here, it's clean, and I like Disney. Everything should be like Disney."

Even and admitted imperfectionist like me can't help but agree with that sentiment.

Posted by zombyboy at August 10, 2004 12:00 PM | TrackBack