Interview with a Mouse

This afternoon, a very angry Rodent visited my house. He demanded answers. He asked the tough questions, and my son and I answered.

Mickey Mouse: So. I understand you visited Orlando, Florida but DID NOT visit my kingdom. What.The.Hell??

PractiGal: It's true.You know, there's more to Florida than you, Mr. Mouse.

MM: Such as?

PG: Well, we tagged along on my husband's business trip. He went to a conference at a fancy-pants resort hotel, so we lavished in luxury while he worked. There were four pools! And a golf course, which we could see from our room. We didn't golf, but did I mention the pools? Yes. We frolicked in the water and swam every day.

MM: You can take only so much of that. What 4-year-old can resist my lure?

PG: The kind that doesn't even know of such a thing as Disney World.

MM: How did he slip through the cracks? He should have been implanted with a Mickey chip in-utero!

PG: Ha. We don't get your TV channel. Yeah, he knows who you are, but he doesn't know about your empire. We'll be back when he's a little older. Don't worry, you'll have your hands in our wallets soon enough.

MM: Did you ever leave the resort? Ferpetesakes!

PG: Sure. We ate out. We went to Publix. We even went to SeaWorld.

MM: AHA! So the lure of the giant killer whales was greater than that of my Mousetrap?

PG: It was so close to the hotel. And I thought it would be more manageable for a 4-year-old. Man, it's not the SeaWorld I visited in the 70s! And by the way, what's with the heat and humidity! OY! In June!!??

MM: What? Didn't they have water back in the 70s?
Little boy, did you like SeaWorld? Wouldn't you have much rather visited Disney?

PractiGal's Son: I liked the ecsalator at the penguin exhibit. It was so much fun! I made my parents go around and around and around so we could ride it again. My parents called it a people-mover, but I call it an ecsalator. I did NOT like the killer dolphin show. It was too loud. I liked the quiet parts though. What's Disney?

MM: Killer dolphins?

PG: He means whales. 

MM: Hmm. Well, I bet you didn't have any grand entertainment at your geeky conference. Certainly nothing of the caliber show I'D put on for you.

PG: Au contraire, Large Rat. One night there was an amazing dinner in a massive ballroom for the 1600 conference attendees and guests. There were acrobats hanging from the ceiling throughout the cocktail hour, and then they came out again during dinner, while we ate our prime rib! There was even a stage with balancing acts too -- really amazing stuff! And the key lime pie was delicious.

MM: Well, isn't that special. Little boy: what did you like about your trip?

PGSon: The plane! The rental car! The shuttle bus! The elevators and ecsalators.

MM: I see. So it was your first time in an airplane, and you liked it?

PGSon: Oh yes. On the way down, we sat in the back by the engines, so we didn't get to see anything out the window. But I got to eat pretzels. And gummy bears. And use the airplane's tiny toilet! For the flight home, my Mom bought me a toy airplane. I played with it for 8 hours straight. My Mom says it's the best overpriced toy she ever bought me! And I got to see out the window on the way home! I asked a million questions. It was so cool!! I could even see the plane's wing tipping! My Mom said I was a great traveler. A "trooper." Whatever, Mom.

MM: So next time, you'll visit ME, right?

PG: Yes. When the little guy's a bit older. We'll visit the Kennedy Space Center then too. Maybe we'll go some February, when we need an escape from the snow.

MM: Start saving now!

PG: You're not kidding! Maybe you could cut us a deal?

MM: Have your people call my rodents...

Comments

[Sarcasmom]

When we went to the Baltimore Aquarium the CP loved the escalators . I said it was his favorite exhibit.

[Melody]

*heehee* Great post Marie - made me giggle.

In Europe we travelled on so many 'travelators' - the kind of elevators that just travel horizontally, not vertically. Monet *loved* them. (The ones in Hong Kong Airport went for like kilometres! Lol!!)

Guess you're feeling a little guilty about not taking Son to Disney? Well, don't worry, Lyndon and I feel guilty about not buying Monet a bloody Minnie Mouse dress at Euro Disneyland - they were really expensive but we should have bought one. We regret not buying one. Next time... *wink wink*

Florida sounds amazing. Seaworld sounds terrific - probably better than DisneyWorld. And the Kennedy Space Centre - I would love to go there. Meet you there in Feb prehaps?? Lol!!

[nat]

LOL, that was great. And you went to Publix! *Sigh* I miss shopping there.

[BarbaraBarbara]

My son was never well-acquainter with Disney characters. The violence in the Disney movies scared him when he was younger, and now that he's older he isn't interested.

It's a big fallacy that Disney is for little kids. We just went this past February and my 12-y-o seemed the perfect age. All the best rides have height restrictions. The price of the resort goes way up if you need to figure in naps for the wee ones, plus they don't have the stamina for all day long waiting.

Wait on that mouse trip til he's older, then it will be less of just a photo opportunity and more of an adventure.

[Marie]

Yes, Melody! Let's meet there someday!! It's a little odd when everyone (cab drivers, fellow travelers, waiters...) assumes you're in Orlando to see the Mouse.

& my thoughts exactly, Barbara!!! I was 11 or 12 when I went...