Cheese Coney Guy + Mr. Redlegs = Best Dinner EVER

Last night, my parents, the Goog and I decided to meet at the The Taylor Mill Skyline for dinner. Little did we know, we were about to have the best dinner ever.  We walk into the restaurant and see this sign:

We are about to have dinner with a CELEBRITY!

It wasn't quite 6 PM yet, so Mr. Redlegs was not there, but there WAS a guy dressed as a cheese coney taking orders.  His costume reminded me of the Justin Timberlake Omeletville sketch except he never broke into song-and-dance.

Bring it on into Coneyville

Finally, Mr. Redlegs comes out and all the little children (me included) started going wild. I get my cell phone camera out and get photo-happy. As soon as he walked out, I lost all interest in my food, because I was just too busy taking pictures of the guy!!

 ZOMG! It's MR. REDLEGS!!!!

 He walks all around the restaurant, watches some of the Reds game on TV, munches on some oyster crackers, gives kids exploding fist bumps, signs autographs, acts like he is taking orders, and sits with people while they are eating.  When he comes over to our table, he poses for me while I take his picture, then goes over to the ice cream freezer right next to our booth and practically lays down on it because he really wants a ChocoTaco. 

It was great! It was like being at a Character Breakfast at Disney World, except our whole bill for 4 people was about the price of a breakfast buffet for 1 person at Disney. 

Do you love mascots? Have you ever had dinner with a mascot? Do you like Mr. Redleg's stylish mustache?

2 Legit 2 Quit (Even After 20 Years)

For anyone who was concerned that I had fallen off the face of the planet, you'll be happy to know I'm back.  I've been working 14 hour days, with barely a lunch or bathroom break and have been just too mentally exhausted to string 2 words together once I actually get home.  So let me tell you about one of the only fun things I've done of the past 3 weeks.  There are barely any words to describe this awesomely bizarre blast from the past, but I'll try my best to give you all the details.

Several Friday nights ago, the Goog and I went to see the Cincinnati Reds versus the Colorado Rockies.  Friday nights are always a fun night to go to the ballpark because not only do you get to watch a baseball game, but you also typically get live music and fireworks.  This Fridays in particular was a very special night.  It featured the musical stylings of

...wait for it...

M. C. Hammer

Yes, as in the guy that really is too legit to quit the music industry even 20 years after his last hit song.  I'm telling you, it was Hammertime, ALL the time. 6 straight hours of Hammertime with a small amount of baseball thrown in the mix. As if people actually go to Great America Ballpark to watch baseball.

The first little taste we had of the Hammer was during the pregame show, when he and his crew of dancers came out in their finest tracksuits to sing a handful of songs that I had never heard of before, but one that the Goog was familiar with called "Have You Seen Her". The really sad part was the stage was set up way out in Right field and there were maybe 50 or few people surrounding the stage.  His dancers were really something. Some of them look like they were his originally dancers from 20 years ago, some of them look liked ex-convicts, and a few of them looked like ladies he had just picked up off the street before the game, but they all seemed to be just phoning in their performance.

LOOK how close to Hammertime!! I think the Goog is crying tears of joy.

Of course, No M.C. Hammer night would be complete without a member of the grounds crew dressed in a classic gold Hammer suit.

After his pre-game concert, Hammer changed into a Reds costume and became the game's honorary captain.

*Then some actual baseball was played. No need for a recap of the baseball...*

Seventh inning stretch and it's Hammertime again. This time, he serenading us with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame":



A couple things to note during this video:

• MC Hammer may or may not have been hammered. 
• The Lemon Chill guy yelling "LEMON CHILL" over "crackerjacks"
• The Goog yelling "REDLEGS" over the "home team" part
• Lemon Chill guy once again: "It's not Hammertime, it's Lemon Chill time, let's go!" How long do you think he's been holding onto that gem?

*Some more baseball was played. In typical Reds fashion, the pitcher loaded the bases and ALMOST gave up the tying run. The Goog got mad that the game was almost tied; I got mad that I might have to stay for extra innings.*

After the Reds managed to win, it was time for the post-game concert.  This time Hammer went for a classy look: A tuxedo with Hammer pants, a bandanna and glasses. All the dancers were wearing Cincinnati Reds hat during the pre-game concert, but switched to Oakland A's hats during the post-game concert. (For the significance of this, head over to Wikipedia to be schooled on the 1990 World Series).  Hammer first came out and did a couple songs like "Turn This Mutha Out" and "Pray" and others that I simply had never heard before. I was really mad when he finished his set and walked off the stage without singing either of his 2 "good" songs.

The lights go down and the crowd starts going wild as through the 2,000% base, we can start making out the tune to "U Can't Touch This."  I'm going to warn you that this video contains only about 5% of actual Hammer rapping and the rest is all screams and base. Plus, halfway through the video the guy in front of me decides that is the perfect time to take an iPhone video of...the people BEHIND us, which throws my camera out of focus. As you can see, though, people were actually really into the concert. People were going insane!!


The concert ended and the fireworks began. They
 were decent fireworks, but nothing really out of the ordinary. That is, until the fireworks music faded, and MC Hammer came back on stage and started singing "Too Legit to Quit" during the fireworks finale! At first I thought it was a mistake, like Hammer didn't show up to the dress rehearsal and was like "oh snap, I forgot to do Too Legit to Quit" and just started rapping even though he wasn't supposed to do so. It wasn't until the end of the song, when Hammer was doing his Hammer-dance in sync with the fireworks did I realize it was planned all along. Not even Disney World can put on a fireworks display that includes the one and only MC Hammer dancing live to a fireworks finale. It...was...AWESOME.

Ode to Sister

Today is Sister's 30th birthday. I'm really sad that I don't get to celebrate with her today, but we had a great birthday celebration for her a month ago on our Disney Cruise! Here is my ode to Sister, to thank her for 27 1/2 years of memories and

For loving me unconditionally from the very beginning...

...sometimes loving me just a little too much.

For being my lifelong playmate.

For always taking care of me.

For being a teacher.

For being SO PRETTY.

For not just being a sister, but being a friend.

For understanding me even when nobody else does.

For sharing my love of cake icing and silliness.

For being the wheat bread to my white bread, the night to my day. 

We are very different yet very much the same.

For always being a shoulder to lean on.

 

 Even though I won't be with you in person today, I'll be with you in spirit. Happy Birthday to the best sister anyone could ever ask for!

WDW Wednesday: My impression de France

Happy Bastille Day!  I’ve never been to France, but whenever I think of Bastille Day, I think of the France Pavilion at Epcot. More specifically, I always think of the movie at the France Pavilion called "Impressions de France" because there is a scene in the movie that showcases all the Bastille Day festivities. Of course, Sister, the Goog and I always, always, always make the comment that it is really nice to see France celebrating the 4th of July with all those red, white and blue balloons because we are those rude Americans that think we better than everyone else.


The France Pavilion also reminds me of the time back in 1996 when Sister, my parents and I were traveling the (EPCOT) world.  When we approached France, we saw a group of people surrounding a mime. Not just any mime though, a mime in a BUBBLE.  This mime went by the name Bubble Nicolas.  My mom was really fascinated by the mime and wanted to stay and watch him, but Sister, who has an extreme fear of all things clown-and-mime-like, was having none of it.

The red line represents Sister. As soon as she saw that mime in a bubble (represented in blue), she sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her all the way through the France pavilion. We are are talking 2 seconds flat.  As if the bubble mime was going to target her and use her as a human bowling pin. It's because mimes are pure evil and can smell fear. True story.

 Bubble Nicolas in 1996. Watch it, he's about to sneak attack Sister.

I wondered what happened to ol’ Bubble Nicolas, so I googled him last night.  To make a very long story short, this guy was born in the Republic of Georgia.  It is the classic story of his parents wanted him to be something respectable like a doctor, a diplomat, maybe a professional curler, but he wanted to be an artist.  So he went on “vacation” when he was 15 and never came back to Georgia.  Instead he auditioned and was accepted into the Marcel Marceau mime school in Paris.  Some time passed and then in 1996, Nicolas created Bubble Nicholas and, naturally, Walt Disney World bought the show and featured the show in the France Pavilion, where it brought joy to some, but terror to people with mime-phobias.

 

Rockin' a fancier outfit and top hat in 1997.

My favorite part of the whole story was the quote about for Nicolas about coming to Epcot.  I think the quote is hilarious, but I'm pretty sure the Goog will die a little inside with Nicolas' description of planet formation:  

 "I immediately loved America.  The first time I did Bubble Nicolas at the Epcot Center, I realized that American people had the dream, and that I could share that dream with them. I knew we shared the magic. That's what it takes to create a new planet - magic!"

(See, even Nicolas agrees America is better than everywhere else.)

How did you celebrating Bastille Day? Do you enjoy clowns and mimes? Do you think the only thing needed to create a new planet is magic?

Sombody's Turning 30...TODAY!

My sister-in-law, Amy, turns the big 3-0 today. I hope she isn't too stressed about the next decade of her life, because from what I hear, 30 is the new 20. It is waaay cooler than being in your 20s. In fact, I should probably cry myself to sleep every night for the next 2 1/2 years until I turn 30.

Here we are being un-planned twinsies in our matching blue shirts that went along with our matching cameras.  Amy always gives me a run for my shutterbug title at all our family functions.  I was going to post some really old, embarrassing photos of Amy, but all the old pictures I had of her were even MORE embarrassing for the Goog.

So happy, happy birthday to you, Amy. JUST for you, I made a huge sacrifice and ate this 4-layer Reese's peanut butter cup cake because I am what you would call a piggy-piggy oink-oink thoughtful!

If only I could remember who else turns 30 in 6 days...

Why you should never let boys pick up food alone

The Goog's best friend, G, came to visit us this weekend. His visits always guarantee a weekend full of food, movies, and sports. Luckily, I like 2 out of the 3 of those things.  Early Saturday afternoon, the guys decide it is time for some lunch, and since I was not completely dressed yet (Saturdays are lazy days in the Mac house), I suggested that they go to McAlister's deli to pick up some lunch so that I didn't have to go out just yet.  It was a risky move sending the guys out in search of food on their own, considering last time the Goog  (and my B-i-L) went out on their own, they came back with matching 2-in-1 shirts.

Half an hour later, I hear banging on the front door and open it to find both guys standing there with the 3 HUGE bags of food. 2 of the bags were from McAlister's, as planned, but then the other bag was from my favorite bakery of all time, Servatti's. That bag included:

Zebra striped doughnuts...

Butter cookies...

and the most delicious, chocolately, dreamy pie on the planet...

Triple Chocolate Flan.

I definitely appreciate them bringing me Servatti's, but if I let them go out to pick up food too often, I'm going to end up weighing 400 pounds.  I just can't resist sweets, especially when they are as wonderful as the triple chocolate flan!!

That wasn't all that they did while out picking up lunch.  While we were eating, they tell me they came up with this BRILLIANT plan on the way home. See, apparently, they want to start a Curling team because there are very few teams that even try out for the USA Curling team, so this would be their best shot at going to the Olympics.  But since curling is such a boring sport, they want to be the Happy Gilmore(s) of Curling.

They already have their team picked out too. The Goog will provide the physics background, G and another of their friends are very coordinated, and they also have a 6'8" basketball-player friend that is (obviously) very athletic. Plus, the Goog and G both are masters of the broom (they both had a job as a janitor). So watch for us in the 2018 Winter Olympics. I will be the one on the sideline stuffing my face with chocolate flan.

South Carolina: Made for Vacation

I had an weird conversation with one of my co-workers today. I'll just call him "WDG". He is out next week on vacation so I was just inquiring where he was going on vacation. Not something, in my opinion, that is very prying. The conversation went like this:

Me: Are you out all next week?
WDG: Yep, Yep.
Me: Where are you going?
WDG: Um....(longer than necessary pause) South Carolina. 

 First off, South Carolina has over 200 miles of beaches.  It is, after all, a coastal state. But I can't rule out a vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains or on a a lake. Naturally, coming from Huntington, WV, I would guess he was going to Myrtle Beach because that is THE hot spot beach for all Huntingtonians. Maybe I should be impressed that he is going to see and do everything possible in South Caroline in one week.  So i continue:


Me: Well...WHERE in South Carolina? That's a pretty big state.
WDG: Hilton Head (which he said very matter-of-factly, like that is the only thing to do in South Carolina)

What is even weirder is WDG has gone to other beach vacations before and he is always very clear about which beach. It isn't like when he goes to a beach in Floirda. He doesn't just say he is going to "Florida," but will say he is going to Destin or Pensacola. 

I'm a little guilty of doing this because I'll often say I'm go on vacation to "Florida," but you can bet your bottom dollar that my definition of "Florida" is a Disney World sandwich on some Gainesville bread...that is a visit in Gainesville, followed by a trip to Disney, followed by another visit in Gainesville.

I decided that whenever I go anywhere now, I'm just going to give just the state I'm going. Let people try to guess what exactly I'm doing in that state. If I decide one weekend to go to Columbus, I'm just going to say I'm going to Ohio, despite the fact that I work in Ohio. Maybe I want to take a trip to Lexington...that just a minor detail, people just need to know I'm going to Kentucky. So what if I actually live in Kentucky.

Was I wrong to think there were other things to do in South Carolina besides Hilton Head? Do you enjoy awkward small-talk conversations at work? What state are you visiting this weekend?