Category: Disney

The Great Epcot Twitter Experiment

Disney, DisneySMMoms, Photos, Travel, Twitter, Vacation

On Friday, March 18th, while B was in the DisneySMMoms conferences, NHL, JSL and I went to Epcot.  We sought out the characters and topiaries (more on those later), but at one point we happened upon the phone booths in the UK.

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Seeing it, I remembered reading that all of these booths were actual working pay phones.  They even had numbers that people outside of Disney World could call.  I wondered: If I tweeted the number from one of these booths, how long would it take before someone called me?  What kind of conversation would I have with a Random Twitter Follower?

My kids were not too keen on this experiment.  They just didn’t see the fun in it.  My seven year old actually said: “Dad, this trip is not about you.  It’s all about us!”  That clinched it!  The experiment was on!

I walked up to one of the booths, looked for the number and tweeted:

Tweet-Out

Then, we waited.  We didn’t have to wait long, however.  Soon the phone rang.  I picked it up and was asked if I was “TechyDad.”  After I answered “yes”, I had a nice (if short) conversation with @moth_editor and @cheimbuch!  (Short because the boys were getting restless and I wasn’t going to make them wait too long.)  We waited a couple of minutes after the phone call ended to see if anyone else called, but nobody did so we left.  I couldn’t help wondering how many times the phone rang that day leading Disney parks-goers wondering “Who is TechyDad and why is someone calling Epcot for him?”

Thanks to everyone who participated and those of you, like @BabiesGottaHavT, who tried calling and just got a busy signal.  By the way, if you want to try calling the Epcot UK phone booths to see what random people you get, here are the numbers:

Left Booth: 407.827.9862
Center Booth: 407.827.9863
Right Booth: 407.827.9861

That information comes from @adisneymom who had a similar idea (and coincidentally executed it the same day as my Twitter Experiment).

A few days later, when back in Epcot, I stopped to take some photos of my boys in the phone booths when the center phone rang.  I answered, but it turned out to be a wrong number.  At least I got some nice photos of my kids placing some calls (as NHL attempted to dial the phone without entering an area code… or putting in any money).

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Disney World Vacation 2011: Hidden (and Not So Hidden) Mickey and Friends #DisneySMMoms

Disney, DisneySMMoms, JSL, NHL, Photos, Vacation

B quite nicely explained our arrival in Disney World for the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.  As we checked in to our room and made our way around the hotel and parks, NHL and JSL began noticing things they hadn’t noticed before: Mickey Mouse. 

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No, not that Mickey.  I’m talking about the more hidden variety.  Like on the floors of the hotel in the tiles.

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Of course, Mickey wasn’t alone there.  His friends Pluto, Donald, Minnie and Goofy joined him.

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In the room, the boys noticed a Mickey hidden (not so subtly) in our towels.

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They also spotted his face in a lamp.  (Again, this one was pretty obvious.)

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Then, JSL made a discovery.  There was a second Mickey on the desk.  Not on the lamp, but hidden in the woodwork.

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Later on, we discovered that the tiles by the elevator held a certain fairy.

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I’d like an extra large order of pixie dust, please.

When it was time for us to join B for dinner (after her Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree), we spotted a few more Mickey-and-Friends in the rug.

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We also noticed, in the Grand Floridian’s lobby, Chip, Mrs. Potts and a certain magical rose.

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Our final Hidden Mickey of the night, though, was the proudest one.  NHL and JSL looked at the floor and declared “Mickey!”  Sure enough, there was a Mickey hidden in the pattern.

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A family saw me taking this taking this photo and wondered why I was taking a photo of the floor.  Then, they saw the Mickey.  As we walked along the same path for awhile, their daughter kept pointing out Mickey’s appearance in every tile.  I’d like to think we transferred a bit of Hidden Mickey Fever to her.  (The only cure: More Mickey Mouse!)

Of course, that night the boys got to see the real Mickey Mouse along with Minnie, Goofy and Pluto:

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Oh yes, and I also got this dessert, despite the fact that I had a full plate, because of Minnie’s appearance on it.

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20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 10: Disney World Weight Gain

20lbs in 20 weeks, Disney, DisneySMMoms, Fitness, Food, Travel, Vacation, Weight Loss

It was to be expected.  I gained weight while at Disney World.  It was always going to be a battle between the calories burned by walking throughout the parks (and sweating in the Florida heat) and the calories consumed from the wonderful food Disney World has to offer.  The food won.  When I left for Disney, I weighed 188 pounds.  Upon returning home, I weighed 193 pounds.  That’s a gain of 5 pounds.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 193
Goal Weight 185
Lost 12
Left Until Goal 8

This setback, though expected, means that I now have 10 weeks to lose 12 pounds.  I also have Passover looming on the horizon.  During Passover, I’m not going to count points as Passover food tends to be high calorie and high in carbs.  Matzoh alone is 120 calories and 27 carbs per sheet and I can easily eat 3 slices for breakfast slathered with cream cheese before I feel full. There is no option of low calorie/low carb bread or rice during Passover.  Matzoh seems to permeate everything that gets made and so it won’t be a good situation to be tracking points in.  I’ll try to give myself a fighting chance by loading up on fresh fruits and veggies and by not buying a ton of Passover cakes/cookies (no loss as they tend to taste awful).  Still, I expect weight gain during those two weigh-ins.

I guess that just means I’ll have to try extra-hard to lose weight during the 8 weigh-ins that I have left during which I’ll be tracking points and (hopefully) losing weight.

Aloha Friday: Favorite Disney Character

Aloha Friday, Disney

During our past week at Disney, we saw many characters, including my two favorites.  My top favorite is Goofy.  As I said in my last post, I think Goofy’s a geek.  After The Goof is Tigger who I like for his boundless energy and constant optimism.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Who is your favorite Disney character and why?

 

 

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 McLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #80

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