I’d heard the devastating news that Horizons had closed in 1994. I braced for that reality on my trip from 12/19/95 – 12/27/95. I remember walking into the park from the International Gateway (it was relatively new) and I wandered over to Future World just to check things out and LO AND BEHOLD Horizons had been reopened! đ€Żđ
Cold and rainy day! âïžâïžđ§
Mostly walk ons at MK. All rides were running! No fastpasses needed.
Friars Nook – Creamy Macaroni & Cheese Tots
Caseyâs Corner – Plant-Based Slaw Dog
Begging Disney Ducks
******* BREAK TIME! ******
Ale and Compass Lounge
Still cold and rainy and now also windy! Just went to Mexico and back for dinner.
San Angel
Purchased art and had it signed by the Ashley Taylor! In the pouring rain! I hope it makes it back home.
Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcake from Beach Club Marketplace for dessert.
The gorillas đŠ donât go outside unless the âfeels likeâ temp is 50 degrees. We found that out while going on the gorilla walk. No meerkats either.
Safari (Fastpass)
Navai River Ride (Fastpass)
Stella gave me a kiss at Yak and Yeti.
Then it got warm(er)…
Gorillas! No Lilly sightings but the CM said she is now 8 years old and the size of her Mom.
We took the bus from AK to EPCOT.
Bread bowl
******* BREAK TIME! ******
Met up with Ann who came in from Dunedin. Had dinner at Big River Brewing đ then drinks at the Belle Vue Lounge.
Since no one was outside the performers came inside the lobby so we saw the cutest hula hoop girl in a 30âs sailor swimsuit. She was adorable.
For a change of scenery we moved to the Ale and Compass Lounge and Aaron saw they sort if had my purple drank on the menu!
The âïž!!!!
Star Wars Launch Bay
Tower of Terror (Fastpass)
It was a little too much for Stella but she was compensated with cotton candy.
Muppets 3D (Fastpass) with Mom, Luke, and Stella while everyone else did Rockin Roller Coaster.
Sci-Fi Diner for Lunch then our first visit to Toy Story Land!
Slinky dog (Fastpass) đđđ
******* BREAK TIME! ******
Jiko
We took the bus to EPCOT from AK Lodge. That bus drops you off very far from the entrance!
SSE – a walk on
We met up with Mike and Sandi and enjoyed some EMH.
Cloudy, windy and cold all day. Started out with a leisurely stroll in EPCOT.
Then the Seas
Beaches and Cream for lunch.
******* BREAK TIME! ******
(Included a nap WITH THE HEAT ON)
Took Lyft to Poly. It was so cold that the Torch Lighting Ceremony was canceled as was the Dinner Show but they did a few numbers next to the Lounge.
Tambu Lounge – BEST Mai Tai on site.
Monorail was down so we had to take a shuttle bus. The bus had the extra stop of the Contemporary BEFORE MK. Trip took almost 40 minutes so we missed our window for quick serve before the fireworks.
Around Firework time the temp was damn cold for FL
Pooh – to kill time after the bus rush. Too cold to do anything else.
Got on the bus, not sure what time, but at 9:08 pm we noticed the driver drove to the wrong hotel. Instead of pulling into the Yacht Club, he drove to the Caribbean! We finally got to Yacht Club 17 min later. So we spent over an hour of our day for round trip travel to MK.
Got off at Yacht club Crewmans Cup to grab a bite and drink. Not much for vegetarians so I had mashed potatoes. ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
Sunshine Seasons for breakfast
SSE (Fastpass)
Color by number
Figment Art hunt
Chefs de France for lunch
I’ve been thinking about this poster down the hall from me.  Its pretty, but its information about the sun is pretty spectacular. To really understand it, you have to go back to the basics about light.  We can only see light within a certain range of wavelengths and frequency. This range is called the visible spectrum.  Here is what this looks like in pretty picture form:
What’s a basic way to study light? Well, don’t stare at light and hurt your eyes. Please. A better method is spectroscopy – which spreads a light source out. You could use a prism for this.  As the full spectrum of visible light travels through a prism, the wavelengths separate into the colors of the rainbow because each color is a different wavelength. Violet has the shortest wavelength, at around 380 nanometers, and red has the longest wavelength, at around 700 nanometers. If the light doesn’t pass through any low-density gas, the spectrum shows no features and is considered a “continuous spectrum”.
If the light however passes through a cool “cloud” of gas, that “cloud” can absorb particular wavelengths and we can an adsorption spectrum.  If you don’t have a prism, you could instead use an imaging Fourier transform spectrograph (IFTS). You probably have one in the telescope you live in on top of that mountain right? A spectrograph is an instrument that separates incoming light by its wavelength or frequency and records the resulting spectrum in some kind of a detector. This device will produce a spectrum that features spectral lines. The appearance of spectral lines is caused by atoms and molecules in a material that the light is passing through. Those atoms and moelecules both emit and absorb radiation at distinct wavelengths.
Absorption lines will appear when there is a hot light source (like our Sun) passing through an intra-meaning cool material (like gas). The radiation is absorbed by the cooler gas causing the lines (or reduction in intensity corresponding to the spectral transitions of the elements in that gas).
For most elements, there is a certain temperature at which their emission and absorption lines are strongest. The lines you see in a star’s spectrum act like thermometers.
This picture below looks like its the poster down the hall from me, but upon close inspection, its actually different. Â The same scientist, Bob Kurucz involved with the original poster made a version 2. Â Â This spectrum below was taken through the atmosphere, through oxygen and water lines in addition to the solar lines.
In the spectrum on the wall, he has removed the O2 and H2O lines so the spectrum looks the way it would appear above the atmosphere. It is the way the sun would look from a planet or another star. Â And here is the poster I get to see every day.
First I was picked up at work in Bestie’s air conditioned Caddy and she whisked me away to the Friendly Toast in Burlington, MA. It was definitely better than the Inman Square location has been over the years.
Knowing how I long for the malls of the 90’s, Bestie took me into the Burlington Mall.  We got ignored in Sephora, played with the overly priced going out of business sale items at Brookstone, then she tolerated my need to visit the Disney Store.  It had the standard not too impressive stuff but I noticed some promo items for the Solo movie behind the cashier.  Turns out if you pre-order the movie they include a Lithograph Set.  I made the pre-order instantly, but what the hell am I going to do with these weird prints?
Then, for $1.19 I purchased an ABSURDLY large Solo tote.
The bar we planned to go to didn’t open till 5pm and it was just after 3pm, so then, Bestie decides to spend the time with an awesome surprise! Â Reflexology! Â She took me to Happy Feet in Waltham which involved a dimly lit room filled with the most orderly setup of beds where we got clothes-on massages. Â Total unexpected relaxation in the middle of an epic day.
After feeling like we had no feeling we stopped at The Outer Limits comic book store on the way to the car. Â I think I could spend HOURS in there but upon first entering I had my eye on yet another Han Solo item! Â Han Solo Hoth Coffee Mug! Â Bestie had it taken out of the case for a look. SOLD!
At this point – we are unstoppable. Â Next we hit up the Baldwin Bar in Woburn. Â Since neither one of us live in Woburn so we were only good for one cocktail each. We convinced the hostess that we would be in and out in 45 minutes and she agreed to seat us. Â I had the “Paper Sun” which was my first experience with Maurin Quina. Â I think it needs to be added to the rotation if I can find it!
While enjoying our libations we contemplated dinner. Â The result was a decision for South Shore bar pizza at the Lynwood. Â On our way there, we stopped at Bestie’s house to pick up her homemade KahlĂșa Cheesecake featuring a chocolate brownie crust covered in a decadent chocolate ganache . Â I will give you a second to read that again –Â homemade KahlĂșa Cheesecake featuring a chocolate brownie crust covered in a decadent chocolate ganache.
Truly one of the best days with the best company a woman who is emotionally 14 could ask for!
Dudes. I was hacked! We think we know who did it and they will suffer greatly. But in the spirit of living positively and leading with kindness, lets even it out. Please consider donating to this dude”s Pan Mass Challenge! The Pan-Mass Challenge raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through an annual bike-a-thon that crosses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Dorfman is a multi-talented, hack-alterting, and awesome dude riding for the first time.
Look at the smile! You can sense the awesomeness!
If you need inspiration for why donating is important – I invite you to jam out to this video.
Happy New Year!  Its 2015, a year that to many of us in certain age groups see as such a futuristic year.  Based on the movie, Back to the Future II we had some well documented exciting things to look forward to by now:
Things not happening on the regular:
Things here or on the way!
There is still a lot of wonder and imagination left in what the future holds for us. Â It looks very different from the “retro future” we came up with in the 80’s but it still exists. Â Here’s hoping that the folks at EPCOT can return some of the wonder that used to exist in Future World!
Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough accessories for your power naps? Â I never used to, but I sure do now!
The Power Nap Capsule
The frame and canopy create a personal, semi-enclosed napping space that can help you block out distracting sounds and sights.Â
The Power Nap Head Pillow
The pillow allows users to tune out their surroundings, creating a dark, quiet microenvironment ideal for achieving a deep, restful sleep whether stranded in a crowded airport or recharging between meetings at work.
The second item in this series is actually a request from Nancy.
Hand-made Guinea Pig Scale-Mail and Helmet (Armor)Â – as seen on Ebay!
This hand-made scale-mail and tiny steel helmet will keep you guinea pig protected and secure in all situations. The scale-mail is made from polished steel scales and steel rings.
Does it get any better than this? Â Probably not. Â Unfortunately this is a custom item that is part of an auction for charity so there is no way Nancy is going to get it. Â If the price seems to high but you would still like to help out other pigs, you can donate to the Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue!
Obviously I want the Inflatable Backyard Log Flume from Hammacher Schlemmer!
I know what you are thinking but it says it supports up to 200 lbs! Â Who needs Splash Mountain (hilarious pics) or Lake Compounce’s Saw Mill Plunge? Â Why invest in a multi-million dollar project when you can hook up a hose and an air blower?