EPCOT Pictorial

Two days prior we were experiencing another reduction in force nationwide. I started to feel peculiar because my emotions were not tied to the people getting laid off, even the ones I knew. Some sadness was there, but mostly I felt numb. We've let go of hundreds of people nationwide in the last year and a half. What was another few hundred? I was thankful I could escape today to help celebrate my friend Myrna's 47th birthday at a Disney park: EPCOT.

Months ago we decided we would attend the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT. We would go on her birthday so she could get in free with advance registration. This has got to be one of the best thing's Disney has implemented. The celebrant also receives a giant pin with Happy Birthday and their name written on the pin. I would say that about 90% of the employees we encountered wished Myrna a happy birthday during our trek around the park.

Myrna was greeted at my the door with brownie cake I made sporting several lit candles. The running joke is that there were several years I was not advancing Myrna's age when her birthday came around. She was turning 42 when we met. Something like, "You're turning 42, right?" would escape me every year. This is the first year I am acknowledging that she is 47.



We had breakfast on the way to Orlando and after the 45-minute drive, we were soon ogling all the topiaries and bright colors offered for the festival.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs


The icon of EPCOT: Spaceship Earth which contains a ride that take you from the dinosaur age to computers, showing how technology has evolved in the world. I could've sworn it was Dame Judy Dench narrating the exhibit.


I love this pattern. Hmm..How many sides are there?


Three ostrich looking mighty fine.


Lady and the Tramp! So cute.


Bromeliad Dragon: This was in front of the China exhibit. The colors are stunning.


Just a view of the dozens of gardens showcased in the event.


Fleur-de-lys in the France exhibit.


Bulletins pasted on a column -- also in the France exhibit.


Sleeping Beauty (aka Princess Aurora) was one of the many characters walking around greeting guests and available for photo opportunities like this with a young visitor.


A scary troll topiary in front of the Norway exhibit.


If you've seen the movie Finding Nemo then you'll recognize these characters.


Beauty and the Beast


This is a great pic of Cinderella in front of Spaceship Earth.


I was teasing Myrna that Cinderella had been waiting for her prince so long that she grew moss.


We arrived at my apartment safe and sound not to mention tired! I had to work the next day and Myrna had to hurry home to her husband and celebrate what was left of her day. I went to bed dreaming of gardens and mossy princes. Ha.

EPCOT Pictorial

Reunion at Disney

Why did I ever agree to get my hair done at 9am? The salon was on the other side of town about 25 miles. I was miraculously 10 minutes early for Tania (tah-neeyah) who was surprised to see me. I have a lot of hair to darken which takes time. The warm red I have enjoyed was starting to annoy me and the cover-up of the old blonde hair at the bottom third was looking tired. It was time for a change to darken my tresses. I also felt that I needed to be taken more seriously. There is something about darker hair that exudes a perception of a higher IQ. (Don't argue with me - you know your AGOL is correct.)

My new hair color looks like a dark wine (almost black) indoors, but when the sun hits it I feel like a Japanese anime character. The sun illuminates the color into a brilliant wine. Dig it! It is a perfect foil for my geisha white skin - not to mention to goes well with my new wine lipgloss. Helloooooooooooooooooo Shallowville! After the hair came the trip to the nail salon. More Shallowville.

Truth be told, I could have waited for both appointments but I was meeting my old friend Trish from San Francisco in Orlando where she and her boyfriend were staying at a Disney resort to spend time with his family for a few days. It has been about 12 years since I have seen Trish in person and I wanted to put my best foot forward. She did the same thing the past few days, too.

The bad part was that their flight came in at 7:35pm at Orlando International. By the time they settle in it would be about 9pm. She made dinner reservations at 9:30pm. I tried to prepare for the lateness in things by taking an hour nap in the afternoon to make my drive easier. You may recall I suffer from night blindness which increases when I am tired.

Did I tell you I also had to drive to the other side of Tampa for a Korean dinner at Kim's for 5:30pm? I made it on time and ate some homemade delicacies including seasoned sesame leaves which was a pleasant surprise. My excuses were made to the dinner party a little after 7pm. I still had to stop at the store to get Trisha some much needed underwear her boyfriend forgot to pack. She called me while I was at the salon earlier in the day for the favor. I also bought a 4-pack of Starbuck's doubleshot espresso and drank one on the way to Orlando. Damn my car really zooms at 80mph or was that the caffeine?

Trish's boyfriend met me in the lobby and led us back to their room where a teary-eyed Trish greeted me. It would seem that time stopped on our faces since the last time we saw each other. Funny how our faces haven't really aged. The moment was surreal.

We honored our dinner reservations with a decadent meal. My Korean feast was still settling in my stomach so I had a small appetizer to go with the extra large margarita I was drinking. We had planned on me staying over, but it didn't work out. Several texts to Tawny back and forth had her worried about my late drive home. I was thankful she took my doggie out twice and asked her to leave my key under the mat. My drive home began after midnight and got home safely thanks to a long conversation on the way home with Angie in LA and another can of doubleshot espresso.

I have mixed feelings about my reunion with Trish. While our faces have not aged, our personalities have and trying to reconnect in a matter of a few hours was not enough to re-establish things. Still we made do and she very much wants me to visit her in San Francisco. We'll see. I was safely home at 2am.

Coffee injections should be invented, legalized and sold commercially. Just saying.
.

Reunion at Disney