Letters from NYC

Funny Memorable Moments During My Vacation:

On the plane ride out my son became friendly with the young girl sitting behind him on the plane. I didn’t care for her as she was mouthing off to her parents whenever they corrected her behavior. When we got to the baggage claim area my son saw she had her cell phone in hand and immediately said to her: “I should get your number so we can maybe get together for lunch or dinner while we’re here.” The little girl eagerly began to rattle off her cell phone number which he promptly wrote down on the back of his coloring book with a crayon. All the parents stared at each other silently and in utter disbelief at what they’ve just witnessed. He’s 6 and making dates with a 10 year old, what am I to expect when he's 14. GASP!

Disney has an incredible interactive exhibit called Turtle Talk with Crush (the surfer’ turtle dude character in the movie Nemo) where children can learn more about turtles. During the exhibit a staffer (hidden from view) assumes the voice of Crush while a computerized moving image interacts with the audience. During our session, Crush showed the kids something he had found at the bottom of the ocean and asked the children in the audience what it was. After about 5 seconds of silence my son, who was sitting in front of the aquarium glass surrounded by other kids, stood up and said: “Crush, I can’t believe that a turtle like you, that’s 111 years old doesn’t know you’re holding a bra. I’m 6 and I know that.” At which point the audience broke into loud laughter while I , red-faced looked down at the floor, while Crush just swam with his turtle mouth wide open with a shocked expression on his face. Crush eventually said, after the laughter died down: “Dude, I’ve got nothing in response… I’m just speechless.” It truly was a funny priceless moment. The good thing was that my son was far enough from me that I didn’t have to claim him as my spawn. Sigh!

On my son’s birthday we had dinner reservations at one of Disney’s theme restaurants where we were to do a brief meet & greet with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore & Piglet. I told my son in advance that they would not be able to sit and eat dinner with us because they had to be good hosts and welcome all their guests.

“Surely they can at least have dessert with us,” my son said to me. I could already see his little mind working at concocting a plan to entice one of the characters to sit for dinner with us. The character handlers were very good at keeping them moving and guiding the characters around the restaurant to each table. When Tigger came to our table for the third time my son lost no time in giving up his seat and asking Tigger politely if he would sit with us for a minute because he had something to tell him. Tigger quickly obliged him and sat down as my son said to him: “Tigger, I just wanted you to be able to sit down for a few minutes and rest, and if you don’t mind I’d like to ask you some questions.” He quickly began chatting away telling Tigger it was his birthday and how glad he was able to meet him and have cake with him, but wanted to know how he too could learn how to bounce as high as Tigger. He proceeded to show Tigger his jumping height/moves and before I knew it Tigger and he began bouncing around to the music being played over the loudspeakers. Suddenly a conga bouncing line was formed by kids of all ages that weaved in and out between tables and all through the restaurant. Tigger and my son had taken over the restaurant and there was little any of us could do but laugh and watch the ever-growing kid’s conga line as it snaked away.

Here’s a funny t-shirt MAC slogan I saw at Magic Kingdom on Saturday:
Never underestimate the power of a stupid person ability to lead a large group into total chaos.

When I lived in Asia I learned to develop patience which still serves me well to this day. While on vacation, we ended each day by watching my brother in law trying to remember where he had parked the car. It didn’t matter that I had written it down in my PDA. Nope, I was a non-driving girl so he never listened to me. After the 3rd time of his not remembering where he parked and not listening to the women folk, his sister and I would sit on the curb and watch a sort of blind man’s bluff as he went around the parking lot pointing his key fob at every maroon car in sight, whether it was our make and model or not, hoping to hear the alarm for his car being disabled and the lights momentarily flashing.

What he managed to do instead was set off several car alarms, which caused the Disney police to show up. I swear they looked a bit like Keystone Kops they did! And as we sat there in the distance she and I would make up dialogue for the men that would make all of us crack up as we watched the directionally challenged and blind lead the funny Kops around the parking lot. Every night there was a bet as to how long it would take him to find the car and whether or not the Kops would show up. By the last night my sister in law and I were so tired and punchy we couldn’t stop laughing all the way back to our hotel as we continued to make up dialogue for a scene that was now only taking place in our heads. Hmmm, I wonder what really was in those soda fountain drinks.

There’s more funny anecdotes, but that’s all I have the energy for at this late hour. Today will be another long day of lots to do, deadlines and a few meetings I could easily do without. But I have vowed that nothing will change my cheery disposition now that I finally reclaimed it after many delays and problems at the airport.

More fun tales tomorrow!

Posted by Michele at August 16, 2006 12:52 AM | TrackBack