On Saturday, we headed out to the movie theaters.  Our waiting was over.  It was time to play the music.  It was time to light the lights.  It was time to meet the Muppets on The Muppet Show… I mean, the Muppet movie.

The movie opens with a montage of scenes of Gary and Walter growing up.  As Gary gets taller, Walter remains the same height year after year.  Of course, Walter also looks a little bit different as he’s a bit fuzzier than a normal human.  One might say even a bit felt-like.  Walter’s woes over being different subside the minute he sees the Muppet Show on the television.  From that moment on, he’s hooked.  He’s the Muppet’s number one fan.

Fast forward to the present and Gary and his girlfriend of ten years, Mary, decide to take a 10th anniversary trip to Los Angeles, California.  Gary surprises Walter by telling him that he’s coming too to see the Muppet Studios.  A musical number later and they’re on their way.

Oh, yes.  There are musical numbers.  Characters and extras will just burst out into spontaneous song and dance numbers.  My boys and I had heard much of the soundtrack earlier, so we knew what to expect once the music began.  Or at least we thought we did.  The music took on a whole new light once we saw it in context.

For a quick glimpse into the music of the movie, here’s a Muppets social media comments-enhanced preview:

Back to the movie, though.  Gary, Mary, and Walter find Muppet Studios all but abandoned.  Apparently, the Muppets went their separate ways a long time ago and people have forgotten about them.  Walter stumbles across a plot to tear down the buildings and drill for oil.  It’s up to Gary, Mary, and Walter to find Kermit, gather the Muppets back together for one last show to rescue the theater.  Along the way, they have to decide what is really important in their lives.

My boys loved it.  They were singing parts of the soundtrack for the rest of the day (and requesting that I play them the MP3s after that).  I’m still laughing over cameo appearances and over jokes.  It was all that a Muppet movie should be.  There was fourth wall breaking (After Kermit declines to help save the studio, Mary comments “This is going to be a short movie.”), call backs to their previous movies (as they are gathering Muppets together, they drive past a used car lot out of which Sweetums runs yelling “Hey you guys! I want to come too! Not again!!!”), and new jokes.

I would definitely recommend for everyone to see this movie.

Now, I have one more thing to say about the movie, but it’s a major spoiler.  It gives away the entire ending.  So, if you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading here.  Go on out and see the movie and then come back and read the rest.  Go on.  I can wait.

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Have you see the movie yet?

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You have?  Ok, then.

Anyway, some people were disappointed that the Muppets didn’t win back their studio in the end.  They came up way short of their goal and lost the studio to the evil Tex Richman.  People said that they should have won.  I’ll admit, I was looking for some sort of impossible win as well.  I even thought that perhaps Statler and Waldorf would donate the money.  (Anonymously, of course.  They wouldn’t want the Frog and company to know that they actually enjoyed making fun of the show.)

But they didn’t.  They lost.  The important thing, though, is that they realized what was important to them.  It wasn’t the studio, it was each other.  Even without the studio, they would keep performing and stick by each other.  No matter what happened, they wouldn’t break up again.

And then Gonzo accidentally bonked Tex Richman on the head just before the end credits and they got their studio back anyway.  Leave it to Gonzo to employ a Dues Ex Bowling Ball.

Back on September 8th, I posted the first half of our travelogue of the trip that Irene canceled.  I meant to post the second half, but got side-tracked.  So here it is:

Thursday, September 1st:

Thursday would have started with a light breakfast (either something packed with us or at the Pop Century’s restaurant).  Then, we’d head over to Epcot.  We might have gone on a few rides, Test Track and some other favorites, but our main draw would have been in the World Showcase.  Here, we’d have brought out our Hidden Mickeys guidebook and browsed through the countries, looking for Mickey shapes hidden in various places.  There would have been many photos taken as we found Mickey Mouse hidden in the most unlikely of locations.

As lunch approached, we would have headed to the San Angel Inn in Mexico.  When we last went to Disney World, we brought the boys on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros.  They loved it so much that we wound up riding it two more times.  The beginning of the ride takes you through the San Angel Inn facing a big pyramid.  This seemed like the perfect spot to have a nice, romantic lunch with my beautiful wife.  (The “Grilled fillet of fresh Mahi-Mahi prepared with capers, olives, bell peppers, spanish onions and tomatoes, seasoned with white wine, and spices, served over a bed of poblano rice” sounds mouth-watering.)

After lunch, it would be time for more rides and hidden Mickey hunting.  As the day ended, though, we’d hop on board the Monorail to go to the Grand Floridian.  Once there, we’d have eaten at Narcoosee’s.  Here I’d likely have gotten the Spring Vegetables dish (Delta Asparagus with Meyer Lemon Sauce, Sautéed Baby Vegetables, Wild Mushroom Quiche, and Toasted Cous Cous with Spinach and Preserved Lemon).

Friday, September 2nd:

Friday would have likely seen us going to the Magic Kingdom.  Here, we could have gone on Small World, Haunted Mansion or any other ride and have been seated side-by-side.  (Something that we haven’t done in years.)

Both lunch and dinner would have been in the Contemporary Resort.  Lunch would have been at The Wave.  (The Vegetarian Cuban Sandwich with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Bulgur Wheat Salad sounded fantastic.)  Dinner would have been at the California Grill (possibly the Handmade Fettuccine with Sautéed Chanterelle and Summer Mushrooms, fresh Buttermilk Ricotta, Tiny Basil).

Saturday, September 2nd:

Our last full day at Disney would have been spent back at Epcot, at least for part of the day.  When considering restaurant options, I had initially written off France as not working with my dietary restrictions.  However, once I looked at the menu for Les Chefs de France, I fell in love with a few of the options.  A big contender would have been the Lasagnes de legumes du soleil a l’huile d’olive au thym (Zucchini, eggplant, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes baked into thin layers of pasta).

Dinner would have been at Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.  My last dinner at Disney World would have been House-made Yukon Potato Gnocchi with Heirloom Carrots, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Fresh Ricotta, English Peas, and Sweet Corn Nage.

Sunday, September 2nd:

On Sunday, we would have packed up, grabbed a quick bite to eat and caught our Magical Express ride back to the airport.  Part of us would have been reluctant to leave, but part would have been happy to see the kids again.  We would have been relaxed and refreshed and ready to restart our parenting duties.

Ah, what could have been had Irene not ruined our plans.

Arrr, me hearties.  Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day.  We be big Disney fans and me boyos love that scurvy scallywag

Captain Hook.

The little landlubbers also love Jake and the Neverland

Pirates, I thought this be quite appropriate.

Especially because me boyos

met Sharky and Bones at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.

So pepper ye speech with “arrrr’s” and “avast’s” me hearties.  Shiver me timbers!

I wrote briefly about our cancelled trip before.  Normally, writing is very cathartic for me.  Yet, I wasn’t feeling any better.  After putting some thought into it, I realized two things.

One, I knew, intellectually, that there were roads closed and flooding and loss of life due to Irene.  Still, when I looked at our house, I saw a lack of damage and thought “It wasn’t that bad, maybe we *could* have made it work.”  That doubt in our decision to cancel ate away at me.

Two, I had geared myself up psychologically for this time off.  I was looking forward to waking up beside B without any little guys barging in.  I was looking forward to walking hand-in-hand with her without having to keep an eye on where the boys were.  I was looking forward to eating beside her without worrying about getting home before bed-time.  I was looking forward to going to sleep beside her without having the boys sleeping in the next bed over.  No worries.  No responsibilities.  Just B and I enjoying each other’s company for five glorious days.

Instead, the entire trip evaporated into nothingness thanks to Irene’s meddling.  I needed some time to grieve for the trip-that-never-was.  I had even intended to write this last week, but it was too painful.  Now that a bit more time has passed, here’s a quick overview of what could have been had Irene not intervened.  (NOTE:  We might not have done things exactly as described here.  I’m mostly imagining how things might have gone with our dining reservations as anchors.  With luck, we’ll reschedule soon and I’ll be able to make real blog posts with our real travels.)

Sunday, August 28th

With Irene not a concern, we packed the car up early and headed down to see my parents.  The boys hugged Bubbe and Grandpa and we had some fun shopping, eating out, and talking.

Monday, August 29th

We began the morning with breakfast at my parents’ house and then had a leisurely day together.  We ate lunch at a Greek restaurant near my parents that we love.  (Their spinach pie is to die for and I’m perpetually trying to replicate their chickpea recipe.)  As we tucked the boys into bed, we said goodbye to them knowing that this would be the last time we’d see them until we returned.

Tuesday, August 30th

We woke up very early and my father drove us to the airport.  After checking in and getting past security, we had some breakfast in the food court (or perhaps something we took with us from my parents’ house).  Then, we got on our flight and we were off to Orlando.

After landing, we boarded the Magical Express for the Pop Century hotel.  We quickly checked in and left our carry-on bags at the hotel.  Then, we headed over to Hollywood Studios for our lunch reservation at the Hollywood Brown Derby.  I ordered the Coriander-dusted Grouper with Cauliflower Risotto, fresh English Peas, crunchy Sunchokes, and a Yellow Tomato Coulis.  It was fabulous.

We spent the rest of the day in Hollywood Studios and I made good on my promise to ride the Rockin’ Rollercoaster with B.  (Given my fear of falling, I typically avoid fast, winding, flipping rollercoasters.)  We had some snacks to hold us and then saw Fantasmic.  We returned to Pop Century tired and hungry, but very happy.  A quick stop at the Pop Century food court for dinner (and Tie-Dyed Cheesecake) and then we headed to our room for the night.

Wednesday, August 31st

We woke up Wednesday morning for our first full day at Disney.  After grabbing a quick breakfast, we headed back to Hollywood Studios.  Getting there when it opened, we quickly headed for Toy Story Mania.  After quickly procuring some fast passes, we rode the ride together.  Then, once the Fast Pass time arrived, we rode it again.

As noon approached, we went to our lunch reservation at Mama Melrose’s.  We went here during our honeymoon 10 years ago so this was going to be an extra-special lunch.  I opted to get the Wood-grilled Tuna over a seasonal Vegetable Risotto, warm Vine-ripened Diced Red and Yellow Tomatoes, and Olive-Caper Butte.  Yum!

We stayed in Hollywood Studios for a bit longer and made sure to stop by Starring Rolls Cafe for a cupcake.  When we went there in March, they had, sadly, just closed for the day so I was never able to get my cupcake fix.  This time, however, I got to try not just one cupcake but two.  (B ordered one and I ordered a second and we split them.)  Delicious!  Yes, I took photos of it all.

After awhile, we left Hollywood Studios and bus hopped to Animal Kingdom (Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom lodge to Animal Kingdom).  To be honest, this is the Disney park in which we had the least number of places we wanted to visit.  We went on the safari and a few more items.  With our half-day at the park ending, we caught a bus back to the Animal Kingdom lodge.

Normally, this would mean dining at Boma.  We *love* Boma.  But we decided to shake things up so we (*gasp*) were NOT eating there!  We were eating at Jiko.  It was tough deciding between the great options, but I finally decided upon the Aleecha, Shimbra Asa, Inguday Tibs with Goat Cheese, Cream Ethiopian Vegetable “Stack”, Chickpea Cake, and Spiced Mushroom-Spinach Roll.

Stuffed, we bus hopped back to our hotel for some much needed quiet time and sleep.

Coming next week, part 2 of the Travelogue of the Trip That Irene Cancelled!

As you read this, B and I will be enjoying time in Disney World to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  (This post has been scheduled, however.  Therefore, as I write this, our trip hasn’t begun yet.)  Meanwhile, my boys will be (hopefully) enjoying time with my parents.  Yes, we will be spending 5 days without our kids.  This will be the longest that we’ll both be away from them.  (The second longest was BlogHer last year.)  Part of us will surely be missing them being sweet, cute, and/or excited, but this time will be spent relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. 

The above words were written as we planned for a wonderful 10th anniversary trip in Disney without the kids.  Instead, Hurricane Irene hit.  Our original plan was to drive to my parents’ house on Sunday, stay until Tuesday and then fly out leaving my parents in charge of the kids.

Let me repeat part of that.  The original plan was to drive to my parents’ house on Sunday.  My parents’ house on Long Island.  My parents’ house on Long Island that Irene was bearing down on.  Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

Then, we decided to wait for Monday to see whether we should cancel or go.   However, attempting to plan for two very different scenarios (stuck at home for a week or away from home for a week) was too stressful.  Plus, if we lost power, we might not be *able* to cancel in time.  We finally decided to cancel and focus on staying safe until Irene passed.

Thankfully, both Disney and Southwest Airlines were great about refunding our money (Disney) and giving us credit for another plane trip (Southwest).  Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to take a sans kid romantic vacation sometime soon.

My Aloha Friday question was going to be: What is the longest that you’ve been away from your kids?

Considering that our vacation was cancelled, though, I’ll ask: Have you ever had to change your vacation plans due to weather?

Actually, why not answer both?

Don’t forget to enter my Hot Wheels Nitro Speeders giveaway!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #103

2001

2009

2010

2011

2011, Part 2 – A Sans Kids 10th Anniversary Trip

Cancelled due to Irene.

Don’t forget to enter my Hot Wheels Nitro Speeders giveaway!

As Irene passed and the winds and rain died down, I noticed something strange on Twitter.  Some people were saying that Irene was all hype and a Fail.  I couldn’t disagree more.

No, Irene wasn’t as destructive as she could have been.  If anything, though, that’s a win, not a fail.  If Irene fails to kill more people or destroy more property, we win, we don’t fail.  Besides, I’d rather the government err on the side of saving lives instead of doing nothing.  Had government officials said “Irene’s all hype, don’t evacuate” and people died thanks to flooding in low-lying areas, people would have been criticizing them for Katrina-like inaction.

Besides, it’s not like Irene was without consequence.  Thousands lost power.  Many areas flooded.  Some people were even killed.

On a much less serious note, Irene forced us to cancel our plans.  We were going to leave the kids with my parents and then go to Disney World to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  The vacation was all planned out.  We had restaurants we were going to try (that we normally wouldn’t go to with the boys).  We had also purchased Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets and planned on going on some hidden Mickey scavenger hunts.

With Irene bearing down on our house and my parents’ house, and flooding and power loss (not to mention house damage) a real possibility, we decided to cancel the trip.  We didn’t want to be stuck at home, unable to go on the trip, and lose out on all the money we had paid.  We got refunds, but we’re still extremely disappointed that we didn’t get to go on our romantic Disney trip.  It’s not downed trees or extreme flooding, but Irene had an large affect on our lives.

As I mentioned earlier this week, the boys and I loved the new Phineas and Ferb movie.  I even bought the soundtrack and have been listening to it nonstop.  One thing I like about Phineas and Ferb songs is that, though kids enjoy them, they are intelligent enough for adults as well.  In fact, there are many words/phrases in the songs that kids just won’t know the meaning of.  Instead of simply leaving your kids in the dark, why not use the songs as a teaching opportunity?

With this in mind, let’s look at one of the new songs from Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension: Robot Riot.  (Lyrics are courtesy of the Phineas and Ferb Wiki.)  One quick warning, though, the following might have spoilers for the movie.  So watch the movie first!

It’s gonna be a mechanized melee
A bit of a big bot brawl
When we get through you’re gonna know it’s true
The more metallic they are the harder they fall
And don’t mess with me ’cause I’m a whole lot of trouble
when I’m backed up against the wall

Right at the beginning, we have four words to go over: mechanized, melee, brawl, and metallic.  Mechanized, you can explain, is a reference to the robots.  Anything mechanical – with computers or gears inside – can be said to be mechanized.  A melee, involves a bunch of fighters on each side battling in a disorganized fashion.  In the context of the movie, Phineas and Ferb’s friends, using all of their previous inventions, battle the Norm-bots for control of the Tri-State Area.  They aren’t using any kind of organized tactics, they’re just all destroying as many robots as they can.  Brawl is a similar word, meaning a large fight.  Finally, metallic means made out of metal (referring again to the Norm-Bots).

We’re gonna kick some robot chassis
So you better tell your robot nation
Say your robot prayer, ’cause you better prepare
For an automaton annihilation

Notice those last two words?  “Automaton” and “annihilation.”  Depending on the age of your child, these words might be new.  You can explain to them that automaton is another word for robot and to annihilate something meant to destroy it.  While you’re at it, you can explain that “automaton annihilation” is an example of alliteration – the repetition of a sound over a series of words.

You think you’re gonna take us down
Well, mechanical man you just try it
You gonna ride that rail out of town

This is a Robot Riot!

I think you know what I mean
This is a Robot Riot
I’m gonna break you down
And sell you for scrap metal
But I’ll keep enough to build myself a trampoline
‘Cause you’re momma was a blender
and your dad was just a washing machine

This is a Robot Riot!

I’m gonna rip you up, I’m gonna break you down
I’m gonna take you to a chop shop down town
You know that you’ll be dreadin’ this android Armageddon
I think you better check your fluids ’cause I know you’re sweatin’
You know you’re gonna lose and sing the robot blues
You’ll blow a fuse and take a robot snooze
I will deactivate ya, because I kinda hate ya
Don’t wanna beat around the bushes, gonna decimate ya

Here we have the phrase “chop shop” as well as the words android, armageddon, and decimate.  Children might not recognize that “chop shop” is a kind of operation (usually illegal) that takes a car and rips it into pieces.  Android, like “automaton” from earlier, is another word for robot.  Armageddon is a word that usually describes the world ending in a violent fashion.  In this case, though, it means that the end of the robots is going to come violently (as Phineas and Ferb’s crew rip them to pieces).  Finally, decimate means to destroy on a grand scale.  Considering the thousands of Norm-Bots streaming out of the portal, defeating them would truly be a decimation.

This is a Robot Riot!

Oh man it’s on!
I’m gonna rip you up
and put you back together
In a new configuration just to mow my lawn
‘Cause your sister is a fridge,
and you know her light is always on
This is a Robot Riot!

Robot Riot Robot Riot (Look Out!)
Robot Riot Robot Riot

This is a Robot Riot!

You better listen up
I got some breaking news
I’m gonna melt you down and pour you on some baby shoes
I’m really on a mission
I call it demolition
And when I’m through you’re gonna need more than a new transmission
No matter how you strive.
You’re gonna take a dive
I’m gonna mess you up and devastate your hard drive
I’m gonna shut you down, I’m teaching you a lesson
Rip out your CPU and show it to you still processing

Here we get into some computer terms (hard drive, CPU, processing), an automotive term (transmission), a phrase that might bear explaining (“pour you on some baby shoes”) and the word demolition.

You can explain what a hard drive (the place a computer stores items) and CPU are (the “brains” of a computer).  You can also explain that processing means performing a series of operations.  In the context of the song, this means that they would rip out the robots’ brains and show it to them while they (the brains) were still working.

A transmission is the part of the car that transfers power from the engine to the wheels.  It is stereotypically a part of cars that needs to be fixed at great expense.  A robot that is so broken that it needs “more than a new transmission” is pretty much broken beyond repair.

The phrase pour you on some baby shoes” refers to the custom some people have of coating their babies’ first shoes in bronze or other metals.

Finally, the definition of the word “demolition” (completely destroying) might not be known to kids, though the action would be familiar to any kid who built a block tower and then knocked it down.

This is a Robot Riot!

I’m gonna rip you up, I’m gonna break you down
I’m gonna take you to a chop shop down town
You know that you’ll be dreadin’ this android Armageddon
I think you better check your fluids ’cause I know you’re sweatin’
You know you’re gonna lose and sing the robot blues
You’ll blow a fuse and take a robot snooze
I will deactivate ya, because I kinda hate ya
Don’t wanna beat around the bushes, gonna decimate ya

This is a Robot Riot!
(I’m gonna rip you up I’m gonna break you down I’m gonna take you to a chop shop down town)

This is a Robot Riot!
(I’m gonna rip you up I’m gonna break you down I’m gonna take you to a chop shop down town)

This is a Robot Riot!
(I’m gonna rip you up I’m gonna break you down I’m gonna take you to a chop shop down town)

This is a Robot Riot!
(I’m gonna rip you up I’m gonna break you down I’m gonna take you to a chop shop down town)

Alright!

In the end, you can both enjoy the songs from the Phineas and Ferb TV show and movie *and* use them for educational opportunities.  When you’re done, your child will enjoy the songs even more as they understand some of the terms/concepts that might have escaped them previously.

Friday was the long awaited day.  No, not anyone’s birthday.   It was the premiere of Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension.  The boys had been looking forward to this movie since the commercials first began airing.  They are huge Phineas and Ferb fans and the prospects of a Phineas and Ferb movie excited them.  (NOTE:  If you haven’t seen the movie, I’ll try to not give away the ending, but you really should watch it before reading this.)

As the movie opens, Phineas and Ferb begin to have just another ordinary summer day.  Of course, in this case, “ordinary” means “building a pair of giant Platypus shaped launchers and a giant shuttlecock they can ride in to propel themselves across the city.”  Something goes wrong and they crash into Doofenschmirtz’ latest inator.

Phineas and Ferb fans know, of course, that Doof and the boys never really meet.  There are a few close calls here or there, but the evil scientist and the boys are from two separate identities that Agent P/Perry the Platypus possesses.  Perry is forced to hide his Agent P identity (as revealing it would mean being taken away from the Flynn-Fletcher household that he loves so much).  As such, he can’t stop the boys from helping Dr. D (as they call him) from repairing his Otherdimensioninator and opening a portal to another dimension.

This dimension contains a warped world where Doofenschmirtz rules with an iron fist, the boys are conformists who don’t know what summer is, Perry is a cyborg working for Doofenschmirtz and Candace secretly runs the rebellion.  The Evil(er) Doofenschmirtz is intrigued with the idea of a whole new Tri-State Area to conquer and the boys seem unable to return to their home dimension.  This sets up the bulk of the plot.

Meanwhile, Perry’s cover is blown leading to something amazing in a cartoon aimed at kids: actual emotional progression.  Phineas goes from angry and hurt to accepting.  The progression never feels forced.  The emotional resolution is very touching as well.

Of course, there’s action too.  Tons of action.  Candace-2 takes out a dozen or so Norm-Bots (the evil robot minions of the second dimension’s Doofenschmirtz) with some help from Perry and the boys.  Our gang is forced to confront a Goozim (giant, hairy beast the size of a two car garage… if not bigger).  And, of course, there’s the ending battle back in Phineas and Ferb’s home dimension against thousands upon thousands of Norm-Bots in which…

Well, you’ll just have to watch to see what happens.  I’ll just say that the boys and I were practically jumping up and down on our couch with excitement during this scene.  I believe this annoyed B quite a bit but it’s an amazing climatic action scene.  Did she think we’d sit unemotionally still?

We’ve already watched it two or three times.  (Thank you DVR!)  I purchased the soundtrack and the boys and I rocked out to the songs from the movie.  I might even pre-order the movie on DVD for them.  I always recommend the Phineas and Ferb series to people and this movie is no exception.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll blare “Robot Riot” a bit.