It’s godawful late, and I’m typing at the tail end of my own energy, but I have to say that it had been a good day.
We went to the Magic Kingdom today, and the kids said it was their best day ever.
That’s a victory I’m not conceding, ever.
It took the majority of the day, and I had pushed myself to the point of low blood sugar (thus resulting in a mandatory fish and chips plate) and being separated from the family for 30 minutes, but the kids met Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Tiana.
Note: I got to meet Merida while walking Ben around. We had a chat about the different kind of bows and how recurves were the best. Good times.
Also, and a purely selfish note: I met Winnie the Pooh!
That’s one happy introvert.
Before we could head back to our room, however, we had to stay for the nighttime fireworks display.
None of my fireworks photos came out that well, but this one was pretty.
Once we got back, the kids were asleep in under 30 minutes, and I’m not far behind them. Tomorrow is Epcot, and the traveling nerd part of me will be having too fun.
I’m glad the kids grew up with travelers for parents. They asked all the right questions, at least until we reached Pandora.
We spent the day in the park that was basically one big zoo. As tired as this made us, I’m glad we went out here for the day. They saw zebras, tigers, and silverback gorillas.
And I might have gone a bit camera-crazy.
I mean…damn but that’s a good setup.The Asia setting was so well done.I’m not one for roller coasters, but that looks awesome.
We ended our stay at this park in Pandora, or as I like to say: “James Cameron’s Sci-Fi Take on Pocahontas”. The settings were downright gorgeous for this storyteller.
Not my best photography, but man did it look good.
Sarah’s planning for visits paid off in one of the best ways I could’ve ever hoped for: the kids met Mickey Mouse.
I don’t care what anyone says. That’s Mickey Mouse.
Seeing the kids be starstruck and in such awe. I’m both happy for them and proud of Sarah’s meticulous scheduling. I wouldn’t have thought of this.
Now that everyone is asleep, I’m doing my late-night wanderings and trying to catch up on my writing. I’m exhausted, so I don’t expect much before it’s time for bed again. Tomorrow, we go to the Magic Kingdom, and we meet Princesses.
Han’s said she wants to ask Mulan if she could spar with me, the Kung Fu Dad. I’m slightly terrified, as Mulan would most likely kick my ass. But hey, you do what you need to for the happiness of your children.
It’s late in the evening, and everyone is asleep. I’ve gone out walking in the wee hours, thanks to my biphasic sleep pattern, and found a little corner of our resort that is set aside for smokers.
I actually found this spot earlier, and I have to admit that it’s a creepy little corner behind the laundromat but next to the pools. I was actually chastised by a mother with her kids while I stood there, smoking my pipe. She said her kids shouldn’t have to deal with my smoke. I responded with a question as to why she’s allowing her children to wander into a set-aside corner of the resort that, even for this little weirdo, is uncomfortable and horror-movie-set-feeling.
She didn’t have an answer to the question, so I claim my petty victory.
But man, did our kids have fun.
I’m adhering to the rule of Disney Magic: to the kids, this is real. From building a lightsaber to flying a ship to meeting Chewbacca, I did my best to treat it as if we were in that universe.
Han helped build my new lightsaber, so it has an amethyst crystal. She needs her own, so I’m getting her a shoto for her next birthday.
My loyalty to the Expanded Universe (called Legends, now) left me with a bittersweet expression, but it was good to see that universe put into a setting that the kids could interact with. They don’t have the books, yet, so this is their medium to learn about Star Wars.
What made it seem real for them was Chewbacca walking nearby and trying to talk to them. I grew up with the Wookiee, so when he came up, I said in a very nonchalant manner, “Hey Chewie, how’s Lumpawaroo doing?”
So help me, that Wookiee responded in Shryiiwook. I had a small conversation with Chewie, and after the kids hid behind us as he tried talking to them, he gripped my shoulder like an old acquaintance and grunted at me. I just said “Thanks, Chewie,” and he left. Now the kids think I’ve talked to the Wookiee before and I can understand him. That’s a cool moment, let me tell you.
“Hey, Chewie.”
Beyond that, I got one of the best burns from the kids. They asked, as we were making ready for the Smuggler’s Run ride, if I could be the pilot. I answered that I could fly any starship. So of course, one of my turns collided with a transport that put us on the ground. My daughter said, matter of factly, “Dad, you might can fly, but you sure can’t land.”
Nice, kid. Very nice.
So now, I’m sitting outside and waiting for this damn eardrum to finally pop. It’s a slow pain that’ll probably stay until we finally board the plane home, thus resetting the thing.
But hey, today was a lot of fun. Maybe I can write some.
We’ve begun the first leg of our journey to Disney!
This means we’re in the car, heading for New Orleans, as it’s stupidly expensive to use our towns’ airport as the jumping-off point. There’s a hotel waiting for us down there and we fly in the morning.
This morning, however, was an adventure of getting my cats, who are adorable but very dumb, into their travel cases to go to the boarder. Penelope, the smallest and dumbest, went outside instead of her case. This resulted in four hours of trying to trap a cat who really shouldn’t be outside, eventually getting frustrated and going onto the back porch as she tries to leap off my outdoor work table, catching her in mid-flight, and fighting her all the way to her travel case.
I have a couple new scars but she’s now safe and being pampered by the boarders, along with the other animals.
Now that we’re on the way, I’m also taking the opportunity to go back to my old stomping ground of reading!
Haven’t read this one in decades, and I’m enjoying it way too much. I’m going to incorporate a few things from it into my campaign, I promise.
What, precisely, I won’t say, as the players also read these. Trust me, y’all will enjoy it!
Stay safe out there, readers! I’ll write again before we board the plane!
My children have discovered Sherlock Holmes and are keen for stories based in Victorian London. They saw “Enola Holmes” in the queue and just had to see both movies. I approve.
I have to admit that I am immensely pleased by this. As a story setting, that time is very interesting and almost alien to this upcoming generation. There’s a mystique to the setting for them, as we talk about horse-drawn carriages and the yellow fog of the Industrial Revolution.
Also, as a Union member and former steward, any moment I can show these kids what it means to fight for your rights as a workforce is one I cherish. The late 1800’s were a time of social upheavals and the precursor to even more, and greater, moments of the same.
Study your histories, readers. Great things were done for us to think of commonplace concepts like equality in the modern era, voting rights, safe working environments, and the right to a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work, which did not exist all that long ago, in the grand scheme of things.
Of course, once they go to bed, I’m left with wanting to enjoy more of that setting on my own. While I could rewatch the films or take down one of my books set in that time period, I thought I should indulge myself and play a video game.
I know, shocking. I actually let myself be entertained by a game for once.
I’m going to stay up for a while and wander around “Syndicate”. The designers are masters of crafting the scenery, and there’ll be moments I’ll just sit on a bench somewhere in London and watch the crowds.
That may sound boring, and for some it is, but trust me, it’s interesting!
Welp, with the last letter delivered and the paperwork finalized, I’ve clocked out and officially begun my Thanksgiving vacation.
It almost hit a rough snag, as my supervisor called me to say I didn’t have enough leave saved up for the vacation. She tried to say I wasn’t going to be able to take the time off.
“Well, boss, that’s a problem,” I said, way more calmly than you’d expect. “You see, the family is going to Disney for the week, and we’ve already invested several thousand dollars into the trip. I need you to look through the used leave logs and find out how my saved leave was used, because I had not authorized it. This can be resolved one of two ways: either we find out where the leave was used and correct it, or someone in management gives my family $8,000 before I clock out today.”
There was a long pause after that remark before the supervisor responded.
“Swift, I’ll just talk to the other supervisors and Postmaster. We’ll figure out what happened and you and your family can have a great time in Florida. We’ll see you Wednesday next.”
Paraphrased slightly, as I like presenting my managers with manners.
So now, I’m home and going through the last stages of preparing for the trip. Before we leave, however, it’s gotten down to the upper 20’s tonight, so I’ve cleaned out the fireplace, gathered the first supply, and lit the first fire of the season.
It will turn out I did this too well, but man the house was warm.
Also was the first time I’ve used pinecones as my primary kindling. My father-in-law kept swearing by it, so I gathered a few bundles and dried them out before the cold set in. They do the job, almost too well. This fire won’t die down until the early morning.
With that, it’s time to sleep and make ready for the morning.
It was another grueling day, another 12.5 hour shift and 16-mile walk. The supervisors haven’t been listening to my recommendations for the past few days, so instead of being assigned any assistance, I’ve worked nearly 60 hours so far.
I did warn them about this 60-hour mark, and that I was going to have overtime on my own route if I wasn’t given assistance. Alas, management doesn’t like listening to my opinions, so I’ll be clocking in tomorrow with 54-55 hours on my time card, and I can’t be worked over 60 in a week or they get all kinds of hell, so it looks like tomorrow will be an early day!
In the meantime, Han asked if I could post her pick of the weather photos from today.
Not my best one, I’ll admit.
It looks like time I should be heading to sleep. Good night, readers, and stay safe out there.
I was driving the kids to school this morning when Han spoke up from her car seat, “Dad, you should do pigtails today!”
She saw the look I was giving through the rear view mirror and corrected herself. “Dad, would you put your hair in pigtails today, please?”
I’m actually impressed with myself, having done this without a mirror.
If they use their manners, I’m obliging. I got a few stares from the older coworkers, but I get odd looks at work already. It comes with the territory of being a weirdo.
Oddly enough, this was a favorite photo among the family, and one of my followers on Instagram called it “Nordic”.
Just wait until I start braiding it. It’s just about long enough.
Today was my regular non-scheduled day, but as I had a doctor’s appointment for my son around noon, management could only work me for a half-day.
Cue the childish behavior of pulling a face and saying neener-neener at the adults.
I managed to get some time set aside to work on the plot for the upcoming session, but I’ll have to take my tablet and notebook with me to work tomorrow and get to work on the list I’ve jotted down. I’m hoping to get a Side-Arc session (I’d really prefer two but I keep having to be responsible and go to work) set up, as well as finalizing a new Archetype for the newest player. Those are fairly simple to write up, but they can be tedious.
Han went in for her Kung Fu test today and passed! Her ability to kick my ass continues to develop and I couldn’t be prouder. Ben went to the test and has determined that he wants to study Kung Fu next year, but for now he’s going to copy my training in the carport.
No pictures of Han’s test for the site, as she said she didn’t want them posted because she didn’t like her hair today. I can respect that.
But that didn’t stop the two from brushing out their old man’s hair into a cloud of poof.
fwoomp
Han did go over my options for the weather photo today, though, so here’s the one she liked the most.
All things considered; I was ready to be waterlogged.
All in all, it’s been a full day, and it’s not over until I prep my meals for tomorrow. Time to wreak havoc upon the kitchen!
Swift's Corner 