USRoadTripper

^^ The one I did with Captain Kirk sitting in the middle of all the Yeti Balls is the "Trouble with Yeti Balls" one. It's from the "Trouble with Tribbles" Star Trek episode. I updated the caption to include that name also. Oh, and Barry...that's the only Star Trek episode I've ever seen!!! So there are still no sexy Trekkies! hahaha -Julie

^ Bwahahahaha!!! -Julie

Kevin and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express right off that SFMM exit last September, and it was very nice! It looked fairly new, and we had no issues at all with our stay. At that time, it was around $100 or so. Definitely worth checking on to see if it fits into your budget. -Julie

I rode that exact ride with a friend who is 6'4" and nothing was said to him since he was able to get his restraint closed. Maybe that ride op was just in a bad mood for singling you out before you even got to try out the restraint. I also didn't realize that there was a height restriction on it...I thought that so long as you fit into the restraint you were ok. (My friend fit, by the way, but just barely, and not comfortably at all!) -Julie

My third entry

Another one from your truly...

Here's mine

Eh, I'm calling BS on this one. You'd never be able to spot something only 50 feet tall from an airplane. Plus...it's just walking around the desert? Disney has just barely pioneered the free-roaming AA technology...I seriously doubt they can make a 50 foot tall free-roaming Jacko who walks around in the sand and shoots laser beams! hahaha It's certainly a great April Fools joke though! -Julie

Y'know, I go to Mousefest every year at WDW, and it has always seemed like the Podcasters are way too into what they do. Like, they take it *very* seriously. When they have meets, it's just large groups of people sitting around silently listening to a couple of guys talk into microphones, and everyone treats them like they are celebrities. It's a very strange dynamic...one that I don't care for at all. And while I don't personally listen to it, I do think that Inside the Magic is one of, if not *the* most popular Disney podcast out there right now. As for Disney watching what people say online, not only do I believe it, but I think it's much more common than just while they're bored at home. I have a friend who runs a "tell it like it is" blog about WDW, and he can tell that computers with Disney IP addresses watch his site multiple times a day. He hasn't been able to pinpoint it to who is watching, but someone is. So it's not a stretch at all for me to think that they read online message boards for feedback. -Julie

People in the US can get married as young as 13 with parental consent (or younger if it's approved by a judge!). Each state has it's own rules about what ages require what permissions. usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/legal_age_of_consent/index.shtml -Julie

I've been using Vista for over a month now, and quite honestly, I love it. After a month of using XP, I hated it to the core! But I've had no real issues with Vista once I got everything set up the first time. I'm not the most knowledgeable about the technical stuff, but for what I use and how I use it, I think it's great. It's very pretty, and does some pretty cool stuff when you have a powerful graphics card. My favorite feature is the "picture in picture" windows when you mouse-over the task bar. Funny that so many people in this thread are so adamant about not wanting to use Vista, when it seems like those of us who *have* used it really enjoy it! -Julie

I like Where in the World is Yeti Ball. Maybe Where in the World is Psyclone? haha -Julie

I've heard that Finnish was the hardest language to learn if you weren't a native speaker because there are no "regular" verbs. *shrug* -Julie

I definitely like the two column look to the page. But I'm still having the problem of the text looking huge I'm using Firefox in Vista at 1028 X 768 so it shouldn't look strange, so I'm not sure what my issue is. If I change the font size on the main page, it makes the text in the forum absolutely microscopic! I seem to be the only one having that issue though. Might be a Vista/Firefox issue. -Julie

haha I know Robb, I agree, but that was the advice that I got when I had my Disney interview and I got the job! Then on the second go around, I made mention that I think I work equally well in a group or by myself (which is still a lie...I highly prefer working solo) and I didn't get the job. Coincidence? haha Ok, yeah, probably, but Disney really digs people who poop pixie dust. Couldn't hurt to be a little more positive with them than with some other employers. -Julie (who *must* remember the drugs a whores line for her next interview)

Don't say ANYTHING negative about any job you've had. They've all been great learning experiences that you've valued greatly, and it will be tough to say goodbye, but you are looking forward to bigger and better things with Disney in the future! And like someone else said...you prefer to work in a team! You value the input of others in your own decision making, and really feel that the more points of view that are brought to the table, the better the final product! Even if both of those statements aren't true, act like they are and you will be a step ahead of everyone else. -Julie

Maybe it's just my browser settings, but the words seem very large...larger than they used to be. This makes the photos beside them look small in comparison to the table cell they are in (like, there is lots of room above and below each photo, between the faint gray lines). Again, it very well may be a setting in my browser, but smaller text would look better considering the size of the photos IMO. As for the way it's laid out, I think it looks fine. -Julie EDIT: Maybe changing the background of the column with the photos to black would help with that? Would sort of make a top and bottom "frame" for each photo, and clearly set that column off from the rest of the page. Just a thought. SECOND EDIT: Cool...I didn't know you could change the font size like that! haha I probably won't change it since it really looks fine larger. But y'know...since you were asking for input...

HOORAY YETI POPCORN TURNER!!! It's adorable...I can see why they are being swiped! Great TR, as always, Can't wait for my trip next month to get here already!! -Julie

Wonderful trip report Derek!! Makes me really miss WDW But really, the way that you guys toured really goes to show that you can still have a good time even when it's crowded. You just have to do a little homework, know what you want to see and what you can skip, and use Fastpass. People on my Disney board make it out like you will just surely die if you have to wait 10 minutes in line for anything! It really seems like you guys did 95% of the most important stuff, and still had time for nice meals (Boma...*drool*) Anyways..again, great TR! -Julie

Sounds great...very glad that they went with Randy Newman for the music. I think the music really makes the other movies he's scored. But Maddy? Ugh...doesn't reek of "princess" to me. -Julie

No, you do NOT get free hotel stays. You have to have an initial buy in of X number of points at however much money per point...there is a minimum, but you buy however many you will need to give you however many days of vacation you will want every year. Keep in mind that the number of points you need for a specific hotel on a specific night varies greatly from one day to the next, and from season to season. On top of your initial buy-in (which is always multiple thousands of dollars) you pay a monthly maintenance fee per point. One person I know pays about $200 PER MONTH just for the maintenance fees on their points. If "free" to you equals not having to shell out one lump sum at check in to pay for your hotel stay, then I guess you can consider it free. But in reality, you are shelling out hundreds of dollars a year for those "free" stays. I'm by no means an expert, but from talking with people I know who own DVC memberships, it would seem that the only time you come out ahead with it is if you always stay at the high end hotels anyway. If you consistently pay over $200 per night for your hotel rooms, you break even much, much faster than if you stay in the value resorts. We did the math a few years ago for my family, and based on how much we normally spend on our hotel rooms (considering that we only stay when we get AP discounts) we determined that we would never break even on it. They also have rules about banking points for use in future years, and borrowing against future years points for use in the current year...it's really complicated, and requires serious number crunching before deciding to join or not. I for one don't think it's worth it, but I know tons of people who say they love it and are very glad they made the investment. -Julie

OMG!! hahahahaha That photo is hilarious! I can't stop laughing!!! hahahaha One of these days I will make it to a TPR party. In the meantime, I'll just have to live vicariously :-/ Glad to see that everyone had a great time! -Julie

I give it a season and a half if this is true. One season for it to rip itself to shreds, one off season for Cedar Fair to haphazardly retrack the completely obliterated bits, then a small chunk of the next season before they realize it is too far gone and say screw it. -Julie

To me, it would depend on where the pool is. If it's in a gym that you pay for, and those women-only policies were in place when you decided to join, I see no issue with it. You chose to be a part of a gym that has it. If you're talking about a public access tax payer funded pool in a city park, I think it's wrong to deny anyone access to it whenever they want. Your tax dollars are paying for it, and if you want to swim on Wednesdays, you should be able to swim on Wednesdays. And if mixed sex swimming bothers women that badly, they need to join a women-only health club. -Julie

No, he announced it last year, but isn't done filming until May or June I think. -Julie