Tagrel.com - Blogalong with us…

As many of my closest friends know, I have been in search of a new hobby. I have some great hobbies already, but keeping abreast of all things Disney, keeping up with the poop and scoop on the site, and doing Google searches for “gas” to increase my fart joke repertoire can only occupy about 16 hours of my day. Any of you who are as addicted to Red Bull as I am, knows that leaves at least another 4 hours each day that I need to fill with another slothfully satisfying lazy-butt interest.

You may be wondering how being a self proclaimed and anecdotally proven Lazy Butt fits in with the practice of adding unnecessary items to my agenda. This would be the perfect opportunity to clear up a common misconception about what it means to be a Lazy Butt. It has never meant that I shy away from activities. It merely means that I prefer these activities to be a little less active. As long as I can still keep two cheeks in contact with a comfortable surface, then the sky’s the limit! And the sky is exactly where this search took me.

I have always been a fan of star-gazing, although my first foray into it revolved more around Elvis-sightings than it did the heavens. But from my days as an avid fan of the Muppets’ Pigs in Space to my later appreciation of Tarzan’s rippling physique and other such heavenly bodies, it seemed obvious that I was destined to embrace this interest with the same abandon as I embrace my greek god Zeus and his celestial orbs.

I began my education about amateur star-gazing by consulting the 21st century’s ultimate source of information: Wikipedia. I realize there is a bit of controversy about the accuracy of some information to be found there, but when my choices for research are to either forsake the posterior-pleasing comforts of my home for a trip to the library, or to let my fingers do the Wikipedia walking while my gluteus maximus maximizes its contact with my soft and fluffy recline-o-matic computer chair, there would seem to be little choice. Perhaps if I had the Queen of the Nile’s hoards of burly men, so adept at the Lazy-Tut Tourista mode of transportation than this would not be the case. But barring any serious PowerBall winnings in my future, the Wiki-way may have to stay.

It must have been kismet that the first heavenly object discussed under “amateur astronomy” was the Moon. It should come as no shock that, as a person concerned with the rest and relaxation of my rump, I am already quite the expert on all things moon-related. Also, experience with carrying the much-loved Big Butt Bag on my vacations has taught me everything I need to know about phenomena such as gravity and lunar eclipses. All it took was one wrong move with the Big Butt Bag and poor Hans the bellman had several months of his life eclipsed by the back spasms and torn rotator cuff. I had hoped that my alter-ego “The Big Tipper” had salved that wound sufficiently, but now I’m just hoping that the lawsuit can be settled amicably.

Trying to erase that painful memory (for Hans, not me), I forged ahead with my research and quickly learned that there was more to this astromoony …astronomy. I could also expect to see meteor showers, which I like to think of as Nature’s Pyrotechnics. I was clearly on to something here. As a known fan of another variety of nighttime pyrotechnics – the kind that rumble forth from your innermost being, especially after a nice Prime Rib dinner with friends – it was absolutely in the ether that this new hobby would be right up my alley! I even found a website that suggested you treat meteor watching like you would the 4th of July fireworks. “Pack comfortable chairs, food and drinks, and blankets.” Obviously this is a Lazy Butt’s idea of a hobby that garners the Two Cheeks Way Down designation!

So what tools of the trade did I need to fully enjoy this new hobby? I learned that my instruments of observation could range from the naked eye, to binoculars, to a telescope. I must admit with a bit of embarrassment, though, that I initially misread that. I was under the impression that I could use a naked guy with a telescope. I didn’t realize the faux pas until it was too late to spare Zeus and me from an embarrassing moment at our first meeting with the Amateur Stargazers Expecting to See Something Spectacular. They suggested that Zeus put his clothes back on, that I let everyone keep track of their own telescope and that my instrument of choice should just be a nice pair of binoculars.

After signing binding agreements to never attend a meeting of the A.S.E.S.S. ever again, we returned home and I threw myself back into my research. It was fascinating, but I also got a little sidetracked. You understand the natural progression if you’ve ever been seduced by the Wiki-way. You start reading about your original topic, only to be enticed by another link within that page that promises further insight on a related topic, and then another, and then another. Before you know it you’ve gone from astronomy, to nuclear fusion, to the hydrogen bomb, then somehow ultimately to layer cake and other tasty confections.

Through that same process, I was suddenly in danger of learning some real science. When my serial browsing first landed me in Cosmology, I wasn’t really concerned about the prospect that there may be science content ahead. I actually thought I was on the Cosmetology page, and let’s face it – what is there about cosmetics that I don’t know? I do Mousefest on 3 hours of sleep a night, a case of RedBull a day, and I stop for every photo-op. Trust me, I know my cosmetics.

I accidentally clicked the link for Theory of Special Relativity. I didn’t even stay long enough to read any of it, though. As a long-time resident of a Southern state, I know this theory backwards and forwards. It’s been discussed at many of my friends’ family reunions and it just has to do with who is related by blood, who is related by marriage, and who are the “special” relatives who are related by both blood and marriage.

For reasons that I will never understand, I also clicked the link for more information about “gravity.” I still don’t know what I was thinking. I already know everything I want to know about gravity. Gravity is like obscenity: I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it … and it’s not good. I then saw some ridiculous entry about Gravity and its attractive influences. I was shocked, and I was finally understanding what the uproar was about the veracity of Wikipedia’s information, because there is nothing attractive about gravity and no one is going to influence me to believe otherwise. I had further proof that the Wiki-way is way off when I clicked on Equations for falling bodies and saw nothing in their equations about Coconut Rum or the Drink of the Day.

I did finally return to the astronomy page, but discontinued my astronomically dismal research once I saw that the upcoming meteor shower that I had been looking forward to was the Lyrid shower and not the lurid one. Regrettably, after that my new hobby didn’t sound nearly as enticing, and I had to wonder how sound my decision was to pursue it in the first place. After all, wasn’t I under the sway of the Wiki-way? How could I trust decisions made with such suspect information? How could I take seriously any source that failed to adequately elaborate on the obvious connection between The Cosmos and cosmetics? When you’re 13 billion years old, trust me, you and your cosmetics are absolutely connected and about as inseparable as kissing cousins. Seeing as I didn’t see any discussion of this under Cosmology or the subsection of the theory of relativity, I have no choice at this point but wash my hands of the Wiki-way.

Following this crushing disappointment, I must rethink how I’ll choose a new hobby. For now, I guess I’ll just double my efforts in my previously mentioned hobby of keeping abreast of all things Disney, and try not to be reminded of the ugly lessons I learned about gravity during my sad, sad search under the sway of the Wiki-way.

We all love to share our travel experiences, and in that regard I am not any different. Today though I would like to tell you about a part of the cruise ship no one talks about. That’s right, I’m not covering buffets, the lounge acts, or that wave pool that removes the swimsuits off unsuspecting swimmers. Not that they don’t have their perks. Today I want to talk about the cruise ship prison, or as I like to call it “the brig”.

You might wonder how someone as well behaved as myself ever got to see the inside of the cruise ship slammer. Trust me, it isn’t as hard to see as you might think. It started off with a simple stroll on the deck of the Disney Cruise line ship. As I walked around enjoying the warm sunshine I was making my usual checklist of what items I could and could not lick. That’s when I noticed that Minnie Mouse was signing autographs nearby. Unfortuanlty the line was full of little girls waiting their turn. I was faced with the obvious choices before me. I could stand in the hot sun and wait my turn, I could forget the autograph and head back to the cabin, or I could yell “LOOK IT’S HANNAH MONTANA!” Let me tell you, you get one kid to jump off the side of a ship and it doesn’t matter how many life preservers you throw at them after, they will still call security. If you are quick like me though you can get your autograph before they arrive.

So they brought me down to a lower level and put me in a room with cool metal bars. I felt like I was on CSI except no one was drilling me on the specifics of the case, I assume there is no need when the evidence was still dripping wet just a few floors above. I sat around a few hours enjoying my view from the porthole and after a stern talking to and signing a few dozen papers agreeing never to return, I was on my way. Is it sad that that I can never return to enjoy another Disney cruise? It would be, but I watch Hannah Montana and I know the benefits of an alter ego. I told them my name was Moley. Tag cruise here I come!

You all know I get random thoughts some times as I like to share them with you. And then there are things that I just always do that I think are perfectly normal. A group of friends and I were talking the other day (yes, I have friends and yes we do talk. Well kind of talk - internet you know ) The discussion was about cleaning out stuff that may or may not belong to us. I guess in some parts of the world, you are not suppose to pick up and throw away things that are just left laying around on the floor or table top or even next to the trash cans. Well, that is not the way I roll. If it is laying around, not being used, has collected 2 inches of dust or completely buried by other things, then I throw it away.

And these guys need to earn a living. That keeps the economy going and America strong. So I am just being a good American.

On occasion there are some rumblings from the parental units about how they really loved that torn t-shirt from their youth, or that someday I might actually need all those pairs of wholly socks. (like there will become a world wide shortage of synthetic fiber and those 500 socks will save the world!) Is there really going to come a day when all the paper, things we liked at one time and have thrown into a corner in our room, going to really be needed. I don’t think that will be happening myself. However maybe BetsyAnn should continue to be a collector of stuff just in case!

We Save the Best for Last! Trip Report by Tagrel

Up and at ‘em early again today, but we find a big surprise awaiting us. The vacation funds had run out on Day 15. We are not sure but we think that 3 toed sloth at Sea World might have been a professional pickpocket. Brinn thought she spotted him adding things to his handler’s backpack. Those things looked suspiciously like wallets and fanny packs of money. First we get taken at Old Navy earlier this year and now this. Nice.

It looks like the Swan is out of the picture for the last 3 days of our trip. The girls helped out with raising money. They sold their little Boogers at a roadside stand in Osceola county. With the start up money, they worked their way up to a specialty produce stand, It really worked. Whew! We got a room at Motel 7/8 about 60 miles outside of the Kissimmee landfill. It was so hot that day, we decided to spend most of our time at the 7/8 pool. Kristen decided to stay in and sleep in a bit and then spend the rest of the morning stomping on the roaches before we got back. She is really a good sport when we are on vacation. Thanks honey!

We had decided to spend the whole morning at the pool and got down there early enough that it was easy to get great lounges to relax on. We played in the pool and on the rainspout for a couple hours and then I went around to get lots of pictures of the pool. I FEEL another Pool Slideshow coming on! Now, I just need the time to create it.

It was lucky for us I remembered about a great attraction not too far from us. Florida Sharon and Group Hug John lived nearby and had a live gator in their garage. Kristen was dying to see this one so we packed up the car and headed their way. On the way we found a Chuck E Cheese. Lots of fun as a couple characters came out to say hi. We saw the Big C himself. *I* got pulled out of the big boy burger line by Helen Henny and turned to face the crowd. She placed first one hand on my head, then the other… then proceeded to tickle me under the arms… While I didn’t loose it laughing or anything, I did offer a warning that this was a DANGEROUS game of chicken to play in August in Florida! She seemed to understand and agree when she regained consciousness! Good thing it was early in the morning still!

When we arrived at John and Sharon’s house, we found they were way too smart to spend August in Florida. We called them at the lake house up in Ohio and they told us how to get into the garage to see Dexter the Alligator. This was Kristen’s favorite part of the trip. Brinn was almost close enough to get a growing up shot near the reptile but he wouldn’t cooperate and stand up straight.

Thanks to cashing in our air tickets, we had enough money that night for a huge super sized meal at Mickey D’s. Afterwards we watched the Kissimmee landfill change colors after the nightly dump truck run. I would have some great photographs of it but I had to sell my camera to this guy so we could get a rental for the trip back at Rent a Wreck.

Today our long and wonderful trip will be coming to a close.

The packed Rent a Wreck departed on time and we arrived in Albany right on schedule, five months later in January. We loaded up the luggage at the airport and headed out to our trusty real life van still waiting for us in the parking lot. The drive home was pretty easy and it was great to get home again. Our kitties were glad to see us having to go feral to survive, and the kitten was at least a third bigger than when we left thanks to a steady diet of stray dogs and aging squirrels behind our house!

It was another extraordinary trip this year! Everyone had a great time and the girls were already lamenting being home and having to take two extra jobs on the weekend to save up for next year! Just home and we can’t wait for our next trip!!!

Thanks all for sharing our trip with us! Sorry I take so long to complete these after we get back. But after 5 months away I just am SWAMPED with trying to catch up. Good thing I write MOST of the report during the trip! And good thing Dexter came back with us to help out with expenses, too!

Remember the Magic!!

Never feed a cat’s ego as much as you feed his tummy. My darling Clarence may be nearing maximum ego overdrive. When last I blogged I mentioned that I was “getting teary just watching him sleep and breathe.” I must confess this is now all he does besides eat. When he presented me a list of his demands, I knew for certain my kitty indulgence had led to a sorry end.

This is the sorry end. Clarence has become a Super Butt Model. Sadly it is only a volunteer position.

When Clarence brought in the mail this week, I knew something was fishier than Fancy Feast Grilled Salmon.

I opened the parcel and found this list of demands.

At that moment, I decided it was time to put kitty adoration aside and have a tough love talk with my dearest puddy cat. Clarence, it is time to earn your keep. You aren’t getting younger, but you are getting wider. No more play dates with Moley’s cat, Slouchy.

Slouchy

Lime Green Fluffy
It is time to contact an employment professional. In this case we found one of the top Feline Resources experts in the business, Lime Green Fluffy. Lime Green Fluffy reviewed all of Clarence’s Tender Vitae and found many skills revealed in his photo profile.

Appliance Repair

Shoe Salesman

Medical skills with CPR and respiratory therapy

Or maybe a froggy proctologist

All of these skills showed promise, but the one we decided on was by far Clarence’s greatest field of expertise. Lime Green Fluffy suggested we put ads in the classified to offer up Clarence as a Food Tester.

We haven’t heard from many employers yet but it is only a matter of time. If I like to watch Clarence sleep and breathe, just think of the multitudes who will enjoy watching him eat. I am just glad I am on the front lines of his entourage. Maybe I should go make up my own list of demands when we go on tour. In the meantime, flash photography is now permitted in our house again.

As I sit here on the eve of Valentine’s Day, I reflect on the writing of love notes. As I remember the story of St. Valentine, I seem to remember that he wrote letters to those whom he cherished. Not the gushing love notes we think of today, but notes of appreciation, friendship and love.

There are some amazing people here. Some of them are loud, and filled with laughter, and some are quiet, work their magic in the shadows just making things happen.

Tonight I reflect on one of the quiet angels on this site. SusanL is one of those people that just makes things happen. She does it without wanting anything in return, without expecting any praise, she does things because they just need to get done.

One of my many stories about Susan is her doing what I could not do. As some of you know I work for a small non-profit that helps children. One of our little ones who rarely asks for anything fell in love with a Disney movie. Unfortunately it went back in the vault before he asked for it. His father, a man with a big heart but little monetary resources, work hard to find it at a price he could afford. No luck. He did find all kinds movie items for his son. And after his son thanked him for them, he very quietly asked if the movie was somewhere. His Dad told him no, he couldn’t get it for him yet. His son looked sad for just a minute then smiled and gave his Dad a hug.

I ask some of my crazy Disney friends if they had a spare copy. They all looked and no luck. Soon I have a message from Susan that she ordered a copy and as soon as she got it, it would be here. No hesitation, no worries, she had as always just handled it.

We are all surrounded by friends and family who do little and big things for us, and strangers. As Valentine’s Day dawns, take a moment to think of them and let them know that it does not go unnoticed the things they do for others out of love.
Susan, I thank you for all that you do - the things that are know and unknown by others, with much love!

Just a few more days, it will be time for the 5th Mousefest. The time has just flown by. Yet some of my favorite recent memories have been given to me at Mousefest. One of my favorite quotes is “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by every moment that takes your breath away.” Author unknown.

I have spoken about them before with Mousefest is right around the corner I thought I would share some of them again.

A long, long time ago - Sometime in December of 2001 before Mousefest was Mousefest, a memory was made that actually set in motion the base for all Mousefest Memories. I got brave and decided to actually meet some internet “weirdo“. The one thing you are told over and over not to do. Taking the necessary precautions - public place, cell phone, other people knowing where I was going and when I would be back. I showed up at the Rain Forest Café to meet LimeGreenCheri. Now I don’t remember a ton about what happened or any specific moment that took my breath away. What I will tell you is this single event forever changed the way I breath. Sometime during that eating, laughing, sharing and finding a new best friend, we decided we would go to WDW in early December in 2003.

In December of 2003, a whole bunch of internet Disney people decided they would join LGCheri and myself at WDW. (Ok, so not our doing but I just love to claim that it was)

There were several moments during this Mousefest that my breath was taken away.
The first was an unplanned happening at the very first Tagrel.com MF meet. WillCAD and LGCheri hosted a meal at the Trail’s end. It was a great time to put names and faces together. We laughed, we ate, we teased and as now has become the tradition at MF we took a group picture. In the organizing of the picture, I saw someone we all know walk towards us. He was not planning on being there, he made no promise about coming and in a moment my breath caught in my throat and I simply and apparently not quietly said, “Dave”. Immediately after that there was a shout in Cheers fashion “Dave” from everyone standing there.
Lesson: Be prepared to be surprised at Mousefest.

At Mousefest 2004, so many memories in this trip from meeting Moley face to face for the first time, to seeing Claire and Ronnie in Millionaire, to WillCAD’s surprise guest appearance, meeting our Belle for the first time, to all the ride meets, to just making magic on one great day with Cshore and Cru, to all the other great moments.

The moment that I still hold close happened at MVMCP at the Wishes meet. It was the first time Dave (Tagrel) hosted this meet with Deb Wills. There were lots of people there, lots of laughter, hugs, and how are you?

Ellen (EJ4Disney) and her family were near the top of the Rose Garden. Ellen and her family made me feel so welcome on a solo trip one June. Her mom was the life of the party. I stopped and just spent time talking and hanging out with them.. I have a picture in my heart of Ellen and her mom watching Wishes together. A moment that took my breath away.
Lesson: In the small, quiet moments, memories are made

In 2005, there were so many great memories especially for a trip I was not going to take. Moley was my room mate and we did that very well together. Breakfast at Trail’s End with Figgy and crew - great way to start Mousefest. Touring with Topaz (Susan) at Disney Studios - great magic going from place to place and getting to see someone win the 1,000,000 points at Millionaire - breath taken away there.

Then there was Sunday. It started with breakfast at Kona Café at a little meet Will planned for us. Some people had to leave MouseFest so we had the hugs and see you soon. Then there was a suggestion of a Buzz meet at about 10 am for anyone who wanted to come. Groups formed and off we went. It was the parade taping day - it looked like we had made a terrible choice from the lines at security and turnstile. But it wasn’t - after clearing Main Street the park was nearly empty. There will be many drop dead funny things happen on this day. A new tradition will be started with a Sunday evening meal.

Yet, my breath was taken away when there was a huge pounding on a window as a group of us were walking by where Time Keeper was. It startled us. We all jumped. What should you do when you hear pounding, you should always check it out. Mr. Incredible was waving us in to a near empty room with Mr. & Mrs. Incredible, Stitch and some other characters. So this group of Mousefesters turned into little kids and played with our new friends. Our breath was taken away with a start and given back to us with an AHHHHHHHHHH

Lesson learned: Be prepared to just go with the flow. Your adventures may be rewarded with laughter, new traditions and of course a breath taking experience

Last year, Mousefest 2006. It was a very good year. So many memories, my trip report was just a list of 10 - all moments or memories that made an impact on me. There are two that still make me take a deep breath at the thought.

One was watching the space shuttle launch at night. Really I was speechless at this experience. I think I stopped breathing for a few seconds as I watched and realized this was not an illusion, it was really. I still hold that memory close.

The second breath taking moment was after getting our fast passes for EE and then heading over to the Safari for that meet. In between these two big events, there was a group that just kind of formed as we walked. As we entered Africa, Will said - there is Baloo and there is no line - so we all went over and talked to our friend Baloo. A moment that was unplanned and yet a breath taking experience.

Lesson Learned: Just go with the flow and remember where ever you are at Mousefest, whomever you are with, and what ever you are doing is just the place you are to be and stay in that moment! Hopefully your life will be measured greatly!

Bring on Mousefest 2007 - my game plan is to take a picture of every Tagrel.com Mousefester. Anyone want to play?

Booger’s Mousefest Weather Countdown takes a little diversionary turn today. The weather for December 7th can’t be mentioned without mentioning one of the meets Tagrel.com hosts this year. Ho Ho Ho Lotta Lights is a walk down New York Street to enjoy the Osborne Family’s Festival of Lights. It will start with a meeting at Muppets Square and then a short stroll over to the entrance to the lights. It is a very informal meet, open to all, and loosely organized,so that folks can pretty much come and go in the blink of a Christmas light. What I wanted to elaborate on in this blog entry was why I wanted to host this meet so much. It is not just because it is a fine place to celebrate the season and being together. It is also because of the story behind the lights.

The Story of the Osborne Family Lights

Photo borrowed from jenningsosbornefamily.com. This generous family started it all. From left to right, Jennings Osborne and his wife Mitzi and his daughter Breezy.

I live about 3 miles from the Osborne Family’s Hot Springs, Arkansas home, so his name has been famous to us long before his lights became a national controversy in the mid 90’s. This is a man who lives larger than life and has a heart just as big. He started decorating his house for Christmas when his daughter was 6 years old, a little over 20 years ago. Because he likes to build on his successes, his display grew from 1000 lights that first year to over 3 million by 1995. Folks would drive for miles to see his display at his Little Rock home. He would often be on the curbside and would be passing out candy canes to every car that passed and slowed to see the lights.

His neighbors hated the traffic so much they went to court to stop it, all the way to the Supreme Court. Eventually, the court action forced Mr. Osborne to shut off the lights at his house. But the lights were not dimmed for long. Osborne moved the display to Disney World where they grew even more each year. He also contributed lights to many of the town squares of Arkansas for all his statewide neighbors to enjoy. He lights up our lives in many other ways, right down to down home barbecues he hosts for various events. This was my own first sighting of Jennings Osborne. He had on an apron and was working next to a big fire on a hot day. Never once did his energy or spirit lag as he dished up plates with heaping servings of barbecue and all the trimmings. Just like he enjoys creating a lights feast for our eyes, he serves up other feasts and does it with a humilty and generosity you don’t often see.

The Story of Ho Ho Ho Lotta Lights

Roguepony and johnnyblack are going to keep an eye on things for us.

WDWNJ and Big Red are raising a toast to all our guests.

With the Arkansas connection and the fact I love a whole lotta lights myself, I thought a Lights Meet would be just the thing for this year’s Mousefest. At first I was on my own, but just like the growth of the Osborne lights from modest to spectacular, so grew the host list for this meet. The first two volunteers were WDWNJ(John) and his lovely wife Big Red(Cathy). I was delighted. This witty duo would be perfect to keep me company that evening. Then the group grew by the addition of roguepony and her beloved johnnyblack. How fortunate to gain two more fun loving and very giving people with their time and their generosity of spirit. I have had a blast planning with these co-hosts. I can’t thank them enough already. John is the one who wrote the description of the event. I think that description alone brought in over 90 sign ups for the event. That’s a Tag Meet record!

But wait, there’s more! No, not Ginsu knives, but even better. Johnnyblack and roguepony are bringing a deLightful surprise for our guests, as are WDWNJ and Big Red. Who’s your hosties with the mosties?! Even with these goodies, I still cannot allow the meet to be renamed Three Ho’s and Their Johns. Sorry guys, I won’t even mention it in print. But I do appreciate all the suggestions anyway. It shows you never stop thinking.

So for December 7th at 6:00 p.m. at Muppet Square, what kind of weather can we expect, Booger?

Booger’s Mousefest Weather Countdown

Temperatures are falling every day in the forecast. But this is Florida, folks. Expect the weather forecast to be wrong by the hour.

Friday, December 7 - Mostly sunny
High 64
Low 45

Updated Thursday December 6 - Sunshine
High 62
Low 45

Updated Wednesday December 5 - Sun and some clouds
High 64
Low 43

Updated Tuesday December 4 - Plenty of sunshine
High 65
Low 46

Booger’s Mousefest Tip of the Day

Don’t whine about the weather. You haven’t seen cold until your butt falls on the glacier in the middle of an Antarctic winter. Which reminds me, never order cracked ice from a penguin bartender. It has a whole ‘nother meaning at the South Pole. For those of you who are still wussies when a cool breeze wafts in, bring layers. A Zazzle shirt on top of a Cafe Press shirt and layered with a Tagalong hoodie will keep you toasty throughout the week. Once you bundle up, don’t forget to attend Ho Ho Ho Lotta Lights on December 7. I’ll be there with lights on. Booger out.