The Countdown. Part 3.

So yeah. I suck so bad at keeping up with a blog. But no one is reading this...so it's not like I'm all that motivated. TELL ME IF YOU'RE READING!

Anyways, I'm going to go in order of opening date, so the next park up is Epcot. Then DHS. Then Animal Kingdom. Then park-wide stuff like food and shopping. Then overall favorites. Maybe I'll even include non-Disney parks in a post.

Onwards.

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The Bottom 5 Rides at Epcot!
I'm combining WS and FW

5. Segway Test Rides at Innoventions
I'm counting this as a ride because I got on something and made it move. I stood in line with my mom, and EVERY operator we passed asked me some variation of "Are you SURE you're over 16?" I was like "I'M 20, I'M GRADUATING COLLEGE, AND MY MOTHER IS STANDING RIGHT HERE!" Annoying to the max. Also, driving a Segway ranks among the top most awkward things I have ever done.

4. Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros
I probably hate this because my ex loved the Three Caballeros, so we rode this one a lot. It's pretty bad, too. It's like no one could speak Spanish for "look like you're actually interacting with the characters and don't stare blankly in front of yourself." That chef guy is TERRIBLE. The Three Caballeros song is pretty catchy, though. I'll admit that.

3. Living With the Land
I actually know people who love this one. I'm not interested in gardening or fishery things at all, so it's pretty dumb to me. I understand why it exists where it does, though.

2. Mission: Space
I love, love, love thrill rides. The thrillier the better. Mission: Space, though, makes me uncomfortable. It doesn't make me nauseous or anything, it just makes me really uncomfortable. It would be fine if the launch/re-entry lasted, like, a half-second less. I do enjoy the pre-show, though.

1. Soarin
My hate for this one can be summed up by my dad's response: "Soarin? More like borin'!" This is, quite possibly, the most pointless ride ever devised. LOOK AT ME! I CAN SIT ON A BENCH AND DANGLE MY LEGS IN FRONT OF A MOVIE SCREEN! OOOOOOOOO! If I was actually hang-gliding, shouldn't I be laying on my stomach? Yes.

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The Top 5 Rides at Epcot!
I'm combining WS and FW.

5. The Seas With Nemo and Friends
It's super cheesy and the vehicles are blatant re-imaginings of the Doombuggies from the Haunted Mansion over in MK. This ride is on the tops list for a few reasons:
-I love the jellyfish room. It's so pretty to look at. I want to reach out and touch them.
-The Angler Fish room. I'm pretty positive that this is one of the robot arms from Test Track. The Angler Fish has a special place in my heart due to the first time I rode the ride. I was leaning forward talking to my friends in the next Clammobile, and out of nowhere comes this thing SWINGING AT MY HEAD. It was terrifying. And awesome.
-Peach. Right before you unload, Peach is stuck to the final window into the aquarium, and she spends all day complaining about being stuck on the window. She tells you how many clams have come by and how tired she is of hearing the Big Blue World song. It's pretty awesome.

4. Maelstrom.
I remember riding this one when I was a kid and being scared that we were, in fact, going to go "OVER THE FALLLLLLLS" even though I had watched from outside and knew FOR A FACT that we weren't going over the falls. The ride scared me from the very start when you see the head of Thor or whoever that is and he shoots a laser at you out of his eye. I had no idea there were polar bears at the end. These days, however, I love it because it is just so BAD. Why is there always a super long line for this? The only educational part of it is "the spirit of Norway will always be ADWENTURRRRR" (yes, adwentur...that's how he says it). This was also where Rylee and I witnessed the old "yawn and stretch" move. Good times. Good times.

Off topic: I'm watching Phineas and Ferb. "As they say in Mexico, 'dosvidanya.' For those of you watching, that's TWO vidanyas!"

3. Spaceship Earth (the new AND old versions)
For those of you who don't know, SE went down for refurb while I was at Disney for my first CP. I was able to ride it right before it closed and then right after it re-opened. The old SE was about the history of communication, not it's more about the evolution of technology. It's basically the same, but it's now hosted by Dame Judi Dench. Worth the ride simply for the sassy engineer with an afro and go-go boots. She's my favorite animatronic in all of Disney World.

Off topic, again: Disney Channel just had a commercial for the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. I'll have more on that in my next post. Just know: it's freakin awesome.

2. Journey Into Imagination with Figment
I know. I'm the only person who likes this. I can't help it...the song is freakin' catchy and Figment is just too adorable. And who knew skunks smell like coffee?

1. Test Track
Yeah, after a couple of rides, it kinda loses it's "YAY!" factor and gets boring, but the outside track part continues to be fun. "Put up 2, 5, and 7." "SEVEN?!" "Yeah. Seven."

The Countdown Continues. Part 2.

So I definitely didn't post yesterday. Whoopsie. TWO posts today, then.

Magic Kingdom Attractions

The BEST attractions at the Magic Kingdom

2. The Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor
There's a lot of hate out there for MILF (yeah, that's the abbreviation. hehe.), and I don't understand why. I've never had a show where I didn't laugh. The audience "participation" is awesome. I love the re-telling of the Monster's Inc. story because the guy that plays Randall always does something wacky and Boo is always the most adorable kid in the park. I also love the mind-reading bit because I once saw it, and when they went to the woman she went "Que?" And had no idea what to do. It was so awkward. And I've always wanted to be "That Guy." In the beginning, they used to reference "That Guy" a whole lot. They seem to have lessened the "That Guy" comments. I bet they had complaints.

1. Philharmagic.
The best and most awesome attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Sure, it's your basic 4-d Disney attraction, but this one trumps all the other because of the delicious pie smell. Oh man, that scent is amazing. I know I've held my arms to the vent so I could smell that aroma all day long on my skin. Even while I'm driving in my car, if I hear "Be Our Guest," I expect to hear the whirring sound of the scent sprayers and smell fresh baked pie coming out of my air vent. Mmmm. They should sell perfume, candles, and/or air fresheners in the Philharmagic gift shop. People would buy it by the case. Or, at least, I would.


The WORST Attractions at the Magic Kingdom

5. The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management.
What IS this? Remember the catchy Tiki Room song? In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room? Yeah, forget that. Now you get to sit in the Tiki Room and listen to Gilbert Godfried yell at you. And then everyone sings Conga. Because nothing says Disney or Polynesia like Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. And they sing Hot Hot Hot. Buster Poindexter is not more Polynesian than Ms Estefan. Terrible, terrible, terrible.

4. The Hall of Presidents
It's nice for a nap/to get out of the heat/to tell your teacher you "learned stuff" during your trip to Disney World. I hear there's a type of person who actually enjoys history and learning about the Presidents. Too bad this isn't their list. Boooooring. Heck, even some of the presidents nod off during the show.

3. Any parades/fireworks
Pointless.

2. Stich's Great Escape.
Here's a waste of space. I just came up with a terrible line: The only thing it's great at is making the Guests want to escape! KAZAAAM! I'm convinced the only purpose of the shoulder harnesses is to keep Guests from walking out. Plus, if you have weak shoulders, you will shortly suffer broken shoulders. The only way to survive this attraction is to sit up ridiculously straight at the beginning when the harness comes down and then slouch for the rest of the show. The burp isn't all that bad, but I'm tired of all of Disney rides/shows squirting me with water. I don't enjoy it.

1. The Country Bear Jamboree.
I'm sure this was awesome in 1971. In fact, I'm positive. I just took my mom to the Magic Kingdom, and she wanted to see the Jamboree and see how they've changed it. She, apparently, loved it as a kid...so much so that she had the record with the songs on it. After watching it, she looks at me and goes, "They haven't updated this at all in 40 years. They haven't even replaced the fur." Dear Disney Imagineers, update the music, update the AAs. Seriously.

The Countdown is On. Part 1

Blog coming later tonight. Sorry I didn't post yesterday--was sick with pinkeye :-(

So, I definitely didn't post last night. Oops. Sorry about that. My eyeballs start hurting after a little while on the computer.

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The Countdown Is On. Part 1 of an Ongoing Series.

In preparation for the CP, I am writing a series about my favorite and least favorite things at the Walt Disney World Resort. It will be broken down into the parks, then into rides, shows, restaurants, etc.

Today, we start with the Magic Kingdom because it is the park with which everyone is most familiar.

Aurora's Top 5 Rides* at the Magic Kingdom

5. Splash Mountain.
Many people would put this at the top of their respective lists, but it's at the bottom of my top five. The ride is certainly enjoyable, but I feel like they tried too hard to tell the Br'er Rabbit story and completely missed. You have to ride numerous times to actually *get* what's going on. "Why are we in this cave with bees in it?" "Ohhhhh, I'm supposed to be plunging into the briar patch!" You switch roles between observer of the story to actually being Br'er Rabbit. Worst part of the ride? The freakin water cannons at the top of the briar patch. You've begun your ride, and you circle around the top of the briar patch, eagerly craning your neck to watch the boats go down the fall. Suddenly you find yourself being shot in the face with gallon upon gallon of water. NOT COOL! You get more wet from those stupid cannons than from the actual drop. It sucks for me, especially, because I'm often the person to load last, which puts me on the cannon side. Or I ride with a jerk who ducks without telling me about the cannons. Other bad points about Splash: if you're going to thumb your nose at the public for the response to Song of the South by installing what is basically a Song of the South ride, at least include Uncle Remus, as it IS his story. None of this Br'er Toad/Frog business.

4. Space Mountain.
I'd put Space higher on my list, but it's going down for refurbishment while I'm down there, so it loses points for not being open. Also, I'm pretty sure it's possible to get whiplash from the current ride. Points are given, however, for the time I rode and my friend behind me was suddenly hit with the need to, ahem, urinate. The entire ride was spent listening to him yell how badly he had to use the restroom. Hilarious.

3. Jungle Cruise/Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
This one is a tie. The Jungle Cruise is on here only because I would love to be a skipper. It's my kind of dry humor. Needs to be updated, though. Also, skippers should be hired through Entertainment, not Attractions. Buzz is on here because I love anything to do with Buzz. Also, I consistently beat the people with whom I ride. However, I definitely think they could do better with the ride itself (different colored lasers, for example, so you know which one is yours. It wouldn't be that hard to ensure that no one in the room had the same color as you, since only so many cars can fit in a room).

2. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
I have no idea if that is the actual name of the ride or not. I just like the Heffalumps and Woozles scene because I had this tape when I was a kid that had that song on it. I used to sing that song ALL the time, even though I had no idea where it was from. Also, I like the effect when you enter the flooded room and your honeypot feels like it's floating.

1. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
8 words explain my love for this coaster. "This here's the wildest ride in the willllderness!" Sitting by yourself on this ride could be a potentially bad idea. If you're my size, you'd better have buns of steel--you have to grip that seat to prevent falling out. I love the visuals as you ride...especially (of course) the dinosaur. Could be in my top rides of the Walt Disney World Resort. We'll see.


Aurora's Bottom 5 Rides* at the Magic Kingdom

5. Pirates of the Caribbean.
I don't understand what the story is supposed to be here. I've heard lots of theories, but with the addition of Jack, none of them make sense. And the whole "Jack is looking for the treasure map" makes NO sense with some of the scenes. Also, the use of flash photography on this ride has gotten out of hand. They may as well add a strobe light effect to the entire thing. Ugh. I just don't get it. And I don't understand the love for it, either.

4. Snow White's Scary Adventures
Look, the first time I rode it, I expected something scary, so I was ready to jump at any minute. Boy, was I disappointed. Also, does Disney hold stock in blacklight-responsive paint? Between this ride and Peter Pan, I know just how many soap spots are on my clothes and how white my new shoes are. I suppose it would help if I actually liked Snow White. Hey, speaking of Peter Pan...

3. Peter Pan's Flight
Here's another one I don't understand. It consistenly has the longest line in all of Disney World property (yes, longer than Soarin' or TSM). The ride, frankly, sucks. I really don't know what the big deal is.

2. The Haunted Mansion
Like Snow White, the first time I rode this (during my first CP), I expected scary things. It wasn't scary, and it wasn't "scary funny" as so many people like to call it. It was like riding through an episode of Scooby Doo (which, by the way, has similar rides). Like so many other rides, they need to choose a story and stick with it. A lot of people have died here, apparently while having a party. The people who dress worse than the party people do get to have their own party in the graveyard. Also, the rooms are alive, and there's a funeral being held, too. Oh, and there are ghosts on the stairs. Did we mention the murderous woman in the attic who enjoys beheading her multiple husbands? Seriously, Disney, what's the point here? Like Pirates, the scenes have nothing to do with the ones that came before or the ones that come after. And that annoys me.

1. Astro Orbiter
A lot of people hate this one for the height. I have no problem with heights. I hate this one because of the hassle. I have to stand in line to ride an elevator to the top. There might be three in my party, but we're three adults who require three SEPARATE rockets. Do not try to make me squeeze in with another full grown person. Also, I'm always on the elevator with the worst people in the world.


So there you have it. My best and worst rides* of the Magic Kingdom park. Yes, some of the opinions are based on stupid things, but it's my blog and I can say what I want.

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*rides means things that move. While Stitch's Great Escape may have a shoulder harness, it does not move, so it will be considered a show

Fun fact.

So I'm going to try to update this daily from now on, even though I know I'll fail at this goal miserably. Oh well.

First off: I don't think I wrote a whole blog about this yet, just a sad statement. Rylee, the girl I was going to room with, didn't get accepted into the CP. It's probably because she left her first CP to go be an au pair in France...I know it's not because of her work ethic or whatever, because *someone* who got kicked out of our apartment during the last CP got herself accepted for Fall. Whatever. It's dumb. So now all of those awesome plans Rylee and I had will never come to fruition. And it's sad. We had videos planned and fun things for our apartment planned (like decorating our room completely with the Jonas Brothers), and now none of those things will ever happen. It's very depressing since we've been planning to be roommates for MONTHS now. I even made her a stuffed penguin, which I will now have to mail to her. Sad.

Second thing: I found a new roommate! Her name is Autumn, and we get along pretty well online, so hopefully she won't try to murder me in my sleep or be some crazy person in real life. So, umm...*fingers crossed*. lol, I'm just kidding. Autumn's pretty swell. Our birthdays are TWO days apart. I'm, like, exactly 48 hours older than her. That's cool, right? We'll celebrate our birthdays together!

Third thing: I had to leave the Facebook CP group because it got really really annoying. Mostly it's because of one person who thinks she knows everything, but she really doesn't. Like, I kept telling everyone that if you use the roommate matching, you don't get to choose your apartment size or complex, and she kept telling everyone I was wrong. Well, wouldn't you know it, I WAS RIGHT. Because, you know, that's what happened to me. I keep seeing her telling people all this stuff about "stand in line with the people you want to be in an apartment with!" It doesn't matter with whom you're standing in line--if you already chose a roommate, the program already assigned you an apartment. I'm not kidding. You can ask, but they'll tell you the only way to choose is to leave your roommate.

Fourth thing: I have pink eye. Possibly in both eyes. It sucks.

Blog. Because videos are lonely if you do them in your bedroom by yourself.

This will really have very little to do with Disney. It's just something I feel like talking about.

So last night I was up the entire night (well, that's actually a lie--I laid down for an hour from 4am to 5am) attempting to write a paper for my advertising class. It was only a five-page paper, and it's not like I've never written anything longer (try 3x+ longer), but I just couldn't find any sort of motivation to write it. I spent all day yesterday, all day Sunday, and the part of Saturday that I was home working on it. As of 5am this morning, I only had two sentences written.
It's not like I hadn't done research or prepared. I had outlines and post-its and all sorts of stuff in preparation for the paper. I just couldn't write it. And therein lies my blog.

As a kid (elementary, middle school), I loved writing. It was my favorite thing ever--especially creative writing. I once wrote an awesome story about a leprechaun when I was in, like, second grade or something. If I find it, I'll transcribe it here. I wrote another great story about squirrels on a quest to save a dying friend...that one was in High School. Heck, I even occasionally got in to my research papers. Especially if it was something in which I was interested.

That has changed over the past four years, though.

I started college willing to write papers and research. And I did. And I wrote them well. However, as the years dragged on, I very quickly grew tired of writing. To be fair, at first it wasn't so much the writing, but the constraints. I don't understand length requirements. If I can say in two and a half pages what someone else needs 6 pages to write, I think I'm the better writer because I'm concise and will hold a reader's attention. I'm wrong though. Quantity over quality. I could write the best papers ever (and I have *toot toot*) complete with amazing commentary about how perfect my paper is, but I will not get a perfect score because I wrote three pages when the professor wanted 5--EVEN THOUGH I covered everything and analyzed it all and, apparently, wrote it fantastically.

Now, though, I'm past the frustration with constraints; I'm simply burned out. You can only require someone so many times to write about things for which they do not care. Yes, I know that the big joke is that college is one big paper, but COME ON. I've written hundreds of pages over the past four years. I think by this point we have established who can write and who can not. No one is going to, in the next 8 weeks, suddenly figure out how to form a coherent sentence if they do not already know how.

So that is why I ended up writing a five-page paper (yes, I finally made a length requirement!) at five this morning. I have absolutely no motivation to write because I know I can write, my professors know I can write, and I'm just sick and tired of writing. I've burned out on writing, and I've burned out on school.

I used to be the kid who loved school, who couldn't wait to learn new things. It turns out you stop learning new things in 8th grade, and you just continuously re-learn what you've already sat through year after year. Sure, you go more in-depth, but that's really unnecessary. That's why I have avoided science classes all through college (save for Astronomy). I'm fascinated by things like magnets and planets and chemistry, but I have no desire to learn the math behind them and then beat them into the ground. I'd much rather know that there's a north pole and a south pole and that opposites attract, that planets are in space and are fun to color, and that if you mix things together, you can sometimes get other, cooler things.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with the rest of my life because school has made me resent everything in which I could have ever had any interest. I have no desire to be a videographer or a script writer or a journalist. I don't want to sit in front of a computer and draw all day because I have to. I want to film or write or draw because I want to. I guess, though, that being a grown up is about "have to"s and not "want to"s. I don't know that I AM an adult, yet, though. Sure, I'll have graduated college, but I still won't be able to buy "adult" beverages, and since that seems to be the thing by which everyone measures adulthood, I still have a few months after graduation before I turn into an adult much like a carriage turns into a pumpkin.

*and I swear to you, anyone who picks this apart because I talked about writing will only annoy me further. I wrote this like I speak, and I like to add unnecessary commas to signal pauses and modifiers in the wrong places in a sentence because that's how I would say it out loud.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Rylee didn't get accepted. Dang.