Most awesome week EVER!
Jan. 29th, 2010 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ericadawn16Monday- Magic Kingdom
Tuesday- Epcot
Wednesday- Get tickets for Obama and Biden.
Thursday- See Obama and Biden.
Seriously, how can the rest of 2010 possibly top this?
Monday- Magic Kingdom
No lines whatsoever!!!
We went on the train, the People Mover, Space Mountain, the Buzz Lightyear ride, Stitch's Great Escape, Winnie the Pooh, Philharmagic, Snow White, the carousel, Haunted Mansion, the Liberty Belle and the Country Bears in just six hours.
Okay, for those who claim Florida doesn't have seasons, I give you...
I got in trouble for this one. Right after I took it, the cast member says LOUDLY, "No flash photography!"
Well, there weren't signs.
I've never seen the term "dog it" before, lol.
Tuesday- Epcot
Lines were almost as good as Magic Kingdom. We did Test Track, Mars, Soarin', Circle of Life and Nemo.
I also finally got to do a character photo without having to wait in line!
Yes, Epcot has Manatees!
I correctly identified sea cucumber from Marine Bio over seven years ago!!
The Eels were so cool!
Wednesday- Get tickets for Obama and Biden.
Now, we assumed that we would leave home at 8ish, arrive at UT at 10ish and be in plenty of time for the tickets being distributed at Noon.
When we arrived at 9:47 AM:
So, this is the way the line looked like behind us at 11:21 AM:
It had gone around the corner of North Blvd and Cass and was working westward on Cass. A few minutes later, the decision was made to hand out tickets early.
Woohoo, so close...
Success!!!
Thursday- See Obama and Biden.
Now, since yesterday had gone so well. We should do the same timing and all should go well. The doors don't even open until 10:30 AM. It's not like the line would be that long, right? So, we went to go line up at Martinez Sports Center...
And ended up in Delo Park! Yes, that's right, the line stretched from Martinez Sports Center to Delo Park. For those unfamiliar with the University of Tampa, Delo Park is about a mile away across campus. You can see it from Falk Theatre and next to Vaughn Hall.
By 10:24 AM, the line behind us looked like this:
I saw a news picture where it was starting to stretch in front of Vaughn, but luckily, they started letting people in.
My mom was excited because this was the first event she'd been to with actual protesters!
I especially loved how one guy was complaining that Obama and Crist were molesting our kids through the child protection services and how they weren't doing their job. A few feet down from him is this anti-abortion protester with his very small daughter who's rubbing her eyes and crying while he goes on about how abortion is evil.
So, when the first guy said something about the mistreated children, I said, "like the girl over there?"
They aren't in the picture though.
Look, sniper!
Isn't he pretty? I paid for him. Well, actually, my whole graduating class did.
You can't tell, but I'm wearing my UT t-shirt. They wanted us to sit in the bleachers but by the time we were able to come in, they were full so we were allowed to sit in the chair section!
And then, we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...
When a senior was introduced who thought she was doing the graduation speech or something, but it was supposed to be a prayer.
There was also a student singing The Star Spangled Banner. She was amazing, but I'm not used to hearing it that way. I assume she will do well in operas...and it's not true, glass does not break when people sing at high decibels for a long amount of time.
EDIT I've been informed the singer is Mel Steiner who used to be a Freshman resident under![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wheelchairpower's supervision. I just want to clarify that Steiner appears to be a very good, very capable singer...I've just always preferred the National Anthem to be simple, like when the Dixie Chicks did it.
Then, we are told that Air Force One had turbulence in mid-flight. We wonder if that's code for he's not coming.
And then, we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...
Yay, it's Joe! At least Joe is here and he gets no walk-on music, is there a Vice President equivalent to Hail to the Chief or they just get bupkiss?
So, Joe talks about the economy and Florida and how he understands what it's like because his dad had to spend a whole year away from his family in order to work.
Then, it's Magic Time!
It was so insane when he came out. We were clapping and cheering and on our feet and he's grinning like the Cheshire Cat from it all. He gave a few shout-outs, including one involving "Colts" and "Super Bowl" that we couldn't hear because of all the screaming. We asked the guy next to us and he said, "There's a football player in the front row. Manning."
Mom and I: MANNING?!!!
Guy next to us: Yeah, Peyton Manning
WOW
Except that it appears that he totally couldn't hear either. That's right, upon further investigation, it looks like Peyton was NOT there.
:(
However, who Obama was really talking about was Tony Dungy! Tony's awesome as well so I'm not that disappointed with that. I couldn't see any of that though because he was over in the VIP section in the front row with Pam Iorio, Alex Sink and Kenrick Meeks. I also never found Vaughn but he got a shout-out, too. That was extremely weird...the President thanking your college president. I didn't use alma mater because he was president when I went there so it still feels like he's mine somehow...even though we have definitely had our disagreements.
Fun fact about Ronald Vaughn: He would have been at Indiana University at the same time as my mom, just in very different classes.
This is also the first time that UT has had a sitting president appear on campus. Yep, it was good enough for Queen Elizabeth, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Smits, the Punisher filming and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the current president of Liberia, but not an American president...until now...
Obama was everything I imagined him to be...the best public speaker I have ever seen; capable of making me laugh, cry and want to be a better American in the span of five minutes. Basically, he reiterated the State of the Union Address from the night before with more emphasis on the high-speed rail we're getting and the economy.
I admit, the high-speed rail is a great idea but I know it will not affect Zephyrhills in any way unless the bastards put together an actual bus system that goes somewhere like the train station that's going to be in Lakeland!
Here's the part that's really going to affect me and 80% of the crowd cheering about it: Student Loan Reform!
Yes, he wants it so that we only have to pay TEN PERCENT of our incomes to repay student loans. Can you imagine it? People might actually be able to afford to move out of their parents' house...
After saying all he needed to say, it was business time.
"Oh, yeah. It`s business time. It`s business time."
Obama goes for his jacket and undoes the buttons. The crowd goes wild. Well, at least sixty percent of them do; the females making catcalls and some of the males yelling, "That's it. Take it off!"
You'd think you were at a bachelorette party rather than watching one of the most powerful men in the world.
He takes that jacket off as Joe strolls over.
Joe and Barack have now become my new favorite bro-mantic couple, even more so than Conan and Andy.
They make a joke together as Joe takes the jacket from him and I can't help thinking:
Aww, that's so cute! He's the other wife.
During the entire time Obama's speaking, Joe is riveted and if you see the State of the Union, Joe has that look through almost the whole thing like, You see this shit? Isn't he awesome? That's my friend there, man!
Apparently, when the jacket comes off, it's time to answer questions.
This kid was so bored. He sat right in front of me and was fidgeting and trying to sleep through the whole thing. I wondered why exactly the family was there. Their mom was the loudest when the guy from Clearwater was telling about how hard it is to get a loan for a small business so I guess she owns a small business. It was her, a man that I would guess to be her husband and three kids and they took off like a rocket when the question about gay rights was asked. Yep, that's right. They walked out and were never seen again.
Obama actually tried to keep the questions fair by going Girl, Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl which I thought was very cool. One of the proudest moments was when a current UT student asked about gay rights. It makes sense if you know UT, but still, I was proud as an Alumnus.
The funny part is what happened with the photos I took. These were all taken while Obama explained how the federal government should lead by example so a person could give their death benefits to the person who loved and supported them throughout their life no matter who that may be. Thus, this year, all federal employees will get equal rights and benefits with their partners as do married spouses which is a start, plus, no more Don't Ask, Don't Tell. YAY!!! But still, I couldn't believe these pictures:
YES! It's a freaking rainbow! I'm thinking to myself, Okay, I get it. The gays definitely get to have the rainbow now. I guess it really does belong to them.
Too soon, it was over. Obama was apologizing about having to leave and the crowd was going, Don't go! But we love you!
Still, he told us to try and get along with others and he knew we could do this which led to a chorus of "Yes, we can!" With that, the crowd started dispersing and we headed outside.
I love that Tampa cares enough about its horses that they have special boots and blast shields. I wasn't able to get a good picture of the blast shield over theirs eyes though. We decided to stay for the motorcade because mom had never seen one before and it's just awesome.
Obama and Joe were sitting close to each other on the back seat and smiling...so adorable.
Tuesday- Epcot
Wednesday- Get tickets for Obama and Biden.
Thursday- See Obama and Biden.
Seriously, how can the rest of 2010 possibly top this?
Monday- Magic Kingdom
No lines whatsoever!!!
We went on the train, the People Mover, Space Mountain, the Buzz Lightyear ride, Stitch's Great Escape, Winnie the Pooh, Philharmagic, Snow White, the carousel, Haunted Mansion, the Liberty Belle and the Country Bears in just six hours.
Okay, for those who claim Florida doesn't have seasons, I give you...
I got in trouble for this one. Right after I took it, the cast member says LOUDLY, "No flash photography!"
Well, there weren't signs.
I've never seen the term "dog it" before, lol.
Tuesday- Epcot
Lines were almost as good as Magic Kingdom. We did Test Track, Mars, Soarin', Circle of Life and Nemo.
I also finally got to do a character photo without having to wait in line!
Yes, Epcot has Manatees!
I correctly identified sea cucumber from Marine Bio over seven years ago!!
The Eels were so cool!
Wednesday- Get tickets for Obama and Biden.
Now, we assumed that we would leave home at 8ish, arrive at UT at 10ish and be in plenty of time for the tickets being distributed at Noon.
When we arrived at 9:47 AM:
So, this is the way the line looked like behind us at 11:21 AM:
It had gone around the corner of North Blvd and Cass and was working westward on Cass. A few minutes later, the decision was made to hand out tickets early.
Woohoo, so close...
Success!!!
Thursday- See Obama and Biden.
Now, since yesterday had gone so well. We should do the same timing and all should go well. The doors don't even open until 10:30 AM. It's not like the line would be that long, right? So, we went to go line up at Martinez Sports Center...
And ended up in Delo Park! Yes, that's right, the line stretched from Martinez Sports Center to Delo Park. For those unfamiliar with the University of Tampa, Delo Park is about a mile away across campus. You can see it from Falk Theatre and next to Vaughn Hall.
By 10:24 AM, the line behind us looked like this:
I saw a news picture where it was starting to stretch in front of Vaughn, but luckily, they started letting people in.
My mom was excited because this was the first event she'd been to with actual protesters!
I especially loved how one guy was complaining that Obama and Crist were molesting our kids through the child protection services and how they weren't doing their job. A few feet down from him is this anti-abortion protester with his very small daughter who's rubbing her eyes and crying while he goes on about how abortion is evil.
So, when the first guy said something about the mistreated children, I said, "like the girl over there?"
They aren't in the picture though.
Look, sniper!
Isn't he pretty? I paid for him. Well, actually, my whole graduating class did.
You can't tell, but I'm wearing my UT t-shirt. They wanted us to sit in the bleachers but by the time we were able to come in, they were full so we were allowed to sit in the chair section!
And then, we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...
When a senior was introduced who thought she was doing the graduation speech or something, but it was supposed to be a prayer.
There was also a student singing The Star Spangled Banner. She was amazing, but I'm not used to hearing it that way. I assume she will do well in operas...and it's not true, glass does not break when people sing at high decibels for a long amount of time.
EDIT I've been informed the singer is Mel Steiner who used to be a Freshman resident under
wheelchairpower's supervision. I just want to clarify that Steiner appears to be a very good, very capable singer...I've just always preferred the National Anthem to be simple, like when the Dixie Chicks did it.Then, we are told that Air Force One had turbulence in mid-flight. We wonder if that's code for he's not coming.
And then, we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...
Yay, it's Joe! At least Joe is here and he gets no walk-on music, is there a Vice President equivalent to Hail to the Chief or they just get bupkiss?
So, Joe talks about the economy and Florida and how he understands what it's like because his dad had to spend a whole year away from his family in order to work.
Then, it's Magic Time!
It was so insane when he came out. We were clapping and cheering and on our feet and he's grinning like the Cheshire Cat from it all. He gave a few shout-outs, including one involving "Colts" and "Super Bowl" that we couldn't hear because of all the screaming. We asked the guy next to us and he said, "There's a football player in the front row. Manning."
Mom and I: MANNING?!!!
Guy next to us: Yeah, Peyton Manning
WOW
Except that it appears that he totally couldn't hear either. That's right, upon further investigation, it looks like Peyton was NOT there.
:(
However, who Obama was really talking about was Tony Dungy! Tony's awesome as well so I'm not that disappointed with that. I couldn't see any of that though because he was over in the VIP section in the front row with Pam Iorio, Alex Sink and Kenrick Meeks. I also never found Vaughn but he got a shout-out, too. That was extremely weird...the President thanking your college president. I didn't use alma mater because he was president when I went there so it still feels like he's mine somehow...even though we have definitely had our disagreements.
Fun fact about Ronald Vaughn: He would have been at Indiana University at the same time as my mom, just in very different classes.
This is also the first time that UT has had a sitting president appear on campus. Yep, it was good enough for Queen Elizabeth, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Smits, the Punisher filming and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the current president of Liberia, but not an American president...until now...
Obama was everything I imagined him to be...the best public speaker I have ever seen; capable of making me laugh, cry and want to be a better American in the span of five minutes. Basically, he reiterated the State of the Union Address from the night before with more emphasis on the high-speed rail we're getting and the economy.
I admit, the high-speed rail is a great idea but I know it will not affect Zephyrhills in any way unless the bastards put together an actual bus system that goes somewhere like the train station that's going to be in Lakeland!
Here's the part that's really going to affect me and 80% of the crowd cheering about it: Student Loan Reform!
Yes, he wants it so that we only have to pay TEN PERCENT of our incomes to repay student loans. Can you imagine it? People might actually be able to afford to move out of their parents' house...
After saying all he needed to say, it was business time.
"Oh, yeah. It`s business time. It`s business time."
Obama goes for his jacket and undoes the buttons. The crowd goes wild. Well, at least sixty percent of them do; the females making catcalls and some of the males yelling, "That's it. Take it off!"
You'd think you were at a bachelorette party rather than watching one of the most powerful men in the world.
He takes that jacket off as Joe strolls over.
Joe and Barack have now become my new favorite bro-mantic couple, even more so than Conan and Andy.
They make a joke together as Joe takes the jacket from him and I can't help thinking:
Aww, that's so cute! He's the other wife.
During the entire time Obama's speaking, Joe is riveted and if you see the State of the Union, Joe has that look through almost the whole thing like, You see this shit? Isn't he awesome? That's my friend there, man!
Apparently, when the jacket comes off, it's time to answer questions.
This kid was so bored. He sat right in front of me and was fidgeting and trying to sleep through the whole thing. I wondered why exactly the family was there. Their mom was the loudest when the guy from Clearwater was telling about how hard it is to get a loan for a small business so I guess she owns a small business. It was her, a man that I would guess to be her husband and three kids and they took off like a rocket when the question about gay rights was asked. Yep, that's right. They walked out and were never seen again.
Obama actually tried to keep the questions fair by going Girl, Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl which I thought was very cool. One of the proudest moments was when a current UT student asked about gay rights. It makes sense if you know UT, but still, I was proud as an Alumnus.
The funny part is what happened with the photos I took. These were all taken while Obama explained how the federal government should lead by example so a person could give their death benefits to the person who loved and supported them throughout their life no matter who that may be. Thus, this year, all federal employees will get equal rights and benefits with their partners as do married spouses which is a start, plus, no more Don't Ask, Don't Tell. YAY!!! But still, I couldn't believe these pictures:
YES! It's a freaking rainbow! I'm thinking to myself, Okay, I get it. The gays definitely get to have the rainbow now. I guess it really does belong to them.
Too soon, it was over. Obama was apologizing about having to leave and the crowd was going, Don't go! But we love you!
Still, he told us to try and get along with others and he knew we could do this which led to a chorus of "Yes, we can!" With that, the crowd started dispersing and we headed outside.
I love that Tampa cares enough about its horses that they have special boots and blast shields. I wasn't able to get a good picture of the blast shield over theirs eyes though. We decided to stay for the motorcade because mom had never seen one before and it's just awesome.
Obama and Joe were sitting close to each other on the back seat and smiling...so adorable.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-01-29 10:27 pm (UTC)I really like that Obama cares for the people that go to college and have to rely on mostly loans! My loans are like 20,000 which isn't bad for 5 years (thank goodness for my university's cheap tuition) and I like to think of it as buying a new car. It shouldn't take long to pay off, but at the same time it's thousands of dollars. I think of other people like my best friend, her dad paid for hers (he is a lawyer) so she is working now and doesn't have to worry about any loans to pay-off!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-30 04:05 am (UTC)This made an amazing commentary!
I loved the rainbow pictures, how cool was that?!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-30 04:10 am (UTC)I had someone try to explain that it could have been a flare from one of the lights and/or the angle that I was holding the camera but for those perfect conditions to happen right at that moment and only at that moment? It must be like one in a million.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-30 04:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-30 09:40 am (UTC)AWESOME. ALL OF IT.
(but where did my Obama icon go? I was gonna use it but...)
no subject
Date: 2010-01-30 04:39 pm (UTC)Having lived kind of near MacDill, I grew to loathe presidential visits. Seriously, I'm sick of every major street being closed down so the motorcade can go through.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-31 01:13 pm (UTC)