100 Days of Wonder – #42
So, Disney Dining Reservation Day. Dining reservations can be made 60 days out from the start of your trip for the duration of the trip (up to 10 days). The last few times we have had the Deluxe Dining Plan which has meant we have been able to try some of the best and most expensive (not always the same thing) restaurants on Disney property. Making reservations can be stressful if you are dead set on particular restaurants but I actually quite enjoy it. And yes, obviously I have a spreadsheet. The planning is part of the magic for me. This time it was actually fairly easy. The Deluxe Dining Plan which included 3 Table Service Meals (or buffets including character dining) doesn’t exist anymore so we didn’t have to plan the entire trip around where we want to eat when. Instead we really just had to choose a few key ones. I might post some more about the restaurants etc but for now let’s focus on the California Grill. It’s located at the top of the Contemporary Resort and the first time we went it felt really quite posh. I think I have probably got more used to going to high end restaurants now but I didn’t quite know what to do with myself the first time. The food is amazing, the setting lovely and watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the balcony is special. The staff are also really nice and helpful – as exemplified by today’s photo. When we went In January 2013, I got food poisoning at Universal Studios and spent a few days in bed really poorly. In fact it was so bad it put me off cheesecake for the best part of 18 months afterwards. On our last day at Disney, which was the first day I was really up and about again, we had booked at the California Grill. I wanted to go but I didn’t want anything much to eat. So I asked whether I could just have some mashed potatoes. So they made me a big bowl of purple mash. Best mash ever! They were so lovely about it all – just typical Disney really and now purple mash has a special place in my heart – as does the California Grill.
100 Days of Wonder – #41
Well today is Disney Dining Reservation Day – and for those who don’t understand why that might be important, I shall explain when I get to posting about it. I was going to that today but I want to post about running and also I am still not quite ready to give you more pictures from the US. So here I am being slobbered on by a French police horse at Disneyland Paris after completing their half marathon in September 2016. That half marathon was awful. I had horrible tummy troubles, the route wasn’t exciting, I may have had several minor tantrums along the way and when I was done I wasn’t even really glad I did it or proud or anything. I was just grumpy with a poorly tummy. I blogged about it at the time. Well, I was thinking about that half marathon and a few disastrous training runs and horrible races on my run this morning. It was also awful (see here) but now I have so much in the memory bank that awful can quickly turn to comical. I reminded myself that I have had awful runs before, they end. In some awful runs you learn to do something differently next time (who knew those knickers wouldn’t work with those pants or maybe start fuelling before you get to 11 miles…) but in others the only thing you learn is that they end. And actually that’s maybe even more important. Whether in running or using running as a metaphor for life stuff, the bad ones and the good ones end. Nothing is really permanent and all we can do is roll with it and try and run (and live) by our values. I think when I was younger I was really good at that, now I overthink. Running, but actually in particular Disney running, has taught me that a bad run (keep using it as a metaphor if it helps) ends and then that’s it. It doesn’t define the rest of the day or week, or the next run, or the next race or anything. At Disney it is easy to move on because everything around you is designed to make you feel good and have fun. I try and carry that with me. A bad run, a bad meeting, bad news, awful election results, crappy day… whatever. It doesn’t have to define what comes next. You can always go get slobbered on by a police horse and then go shoot evil aliens in the park – and I’ll leave you to construct your own metaphor from that!
100 Days of Wonder – #40
What do you do to re-set? I am joining Piglet and the gang in the 100 Acre Wood. I know I should not be writing the story before all the characters are known or while we don’t know which of the unknowable number of worlds in the multiverse we will find ourselves in as things play out. But, as is perhaps normal for so many of us, I want to think through the infinite possibilities of everything that is going on so that I can be prepared. I was listening to the radio on my way back from campus today and there was a lot of speculation about the impact of the US election and I found myself wondering why that particular narrative and not a different one, why that ‘what if’ and not others. The same ‘what if’ narratives are playing out more locally in my world too and the different stories people tell themselves about what is happening can act as comfort blankets or as triggers for anxiety and stress. Over the last few days I have seen kindness and support where it really matters, I have seen bravery and people standing up for what’s right and I have seen many of us have each other’s back. I have seen other things too but I don’t want to engage with them right now. I want to believe in the good and I want to head off to the river where the gang was playing Poohsticks. I want to (if you’ll forgive the excursion to the more modern stories) play cricket with Eeyore. I want to be lectured by Owl, bounced by Tigger and I want to walk in the woods humming a silly tune with Piglet as we go check and see if Pooh has got thin enough to get unstuck from Rabbit’s house yet. This picture makes me believe I can do all that and as I have another random day off tomorrow, who is to say I can’t do exactly that. So if anyone is looking for me, I’m off to have tea with Kanga and Roo. The reality of our world will just have to wait a bit.
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