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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Dorito Wars



Lo, when I was young, there was ONE kind of Dorito chip; the bland, boring, flavorless tortilla chip, no flavoring.




THEN, manna descended in the form of Taco Flavor Doritos (not the pail imitation Taco BELL flavor Dorito that came later). TACO Flavor was pure heaven. No chip to this day has matched it. Then the over-flavored Nacho Cheese came on the scene and consumers of no taste switched over enmass, dooming Taco to the oblivion of once-was.




There have been dozens of flavors since then, none matching the vibrant power of Taco... even those that contained the Taco label, but they were pretenders.




UNTIL, the black-bag, limited edition, Late-Night promotion that returned Taco to it's long ago splendor... or was it? It might be. It very well could be. But my taste-buds are 30 years older and *gasp* jaded!




A web search uncovered the fact that I was not the only one who was unsure. Debates rage over the new chip's authenticity. Curses are hurled. Passions run high.




For me? I believe it is the fabled chip. Alas, it gives me the same gas as the former Dorito manna. That's good enough for me.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Cruisin' in the Rain, Just Cruisin' in the Rain

Okay, yes, it rained a lot on our 7-day Disney cruise but it was still great and probably evoked stronger memories which was the point of the vacation.

Disney has this business down pat. We've all had vacations where the weather ruined things, but short of sinking, I don't think it's possible for a Disney cruise to be anything less the wonderful. We'd done a couple 4-day cruises which were over too fast. While I didn't see many smiles on departing passengers, a week is a long time. I figured I'd be ready to go home, but I wasn't. Way too much fun.

There is something to be said for enforced inactivity. I think it's hard for adults to relax unless they HAVE to. At-sea days were great. Hanging out in a deck chair or attending an event (we learned to cook a great Phylo Salmon and how to fold napkins :)) was heaven. Our Key West shore leave was mellow. The Grand Cayman adventure to swim with stingrays was wonderful once we got out there but pretty miserable on the back and forth trips (I kept imagining laying on the catamaran's deck in the sun instead of huddling in the aft seats trying to stay warm). Still, the water was warmish and the stingrays friendly. :)

The Cozumel excursion to Xcreta was what I most looked forward to. The underground river was a blast even if the water was cold. Otherwise, it was like trying to do all four Disney parks in three hours. Beautiful but frustrating because of the lack of time.

Disney's Castaway Cay was, IMO, the least of the shore leaves, but it ended up being the absolute best. M&M brought snorkeling equipment and for the first time I really, really enjoyed it. We were out for hours. Ben is a natural in the water. I think that was my favorite day. :)

Of course the food is amazing, topped only by the servers. They went out of their way to get Charli lactose-free meals and desserts. To see her smile with delight was worth the price tag alone. They say you gain a pound a day and I proved them right. For the first three days I had great self-control. I didn't eat way too much and enjoyed everything. After that, my inner pig ran free and if it was in biting distance, I bit.

The kids stayed in a cabin on the other side of the ship (short walk but still distant). They were great and had a wonderful time. Ben tended to wander around the top deck and listen to his MP3. The girls did this and that. Disney's only real weakness is not a whole lot for kids to do outside the group programs. They didn't care though.

Going with the Youngs is the only way to travel. They make sure you get the most out of any trip. They live in a fun world and we're privileged to get to visit every now and then.

Guess we'll have to do another cruise to catch the sun. :)

Friday, October 09, 2009

Utterly Amazing -- Or -- Nobel's Credibility Flushes Down the Toilet... Again

Several years ago, Al Gore won a Nobel Prize for a trumped up enviro-farce, beating out a Holocaust survivor who saved innocent men, women, and children at the cost of torture that robbed her of the ability to walk. The Nobel Committee's judgment plunged to a new low.

They've plunged further than ever by awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. Unbelievable. The Kool-aide mustaches sported by the committee are topped with brown noses. If duping Americans is what it takes to win the prize, the guy who convinced overweight people to buy Spandex should have one on his mantle. What has Pres-O done? If being the first black president is the sole reason, the prize should be divide among those foolish enough to vote for him, not the man himself.

Perhaps they've been sniffing the dynamite the original Nobel made.

Just once I'd like to see a winner look at the field of nominations and say, "you know what? The committee messed up. This really belongs to..." Now THAT would be a PR stunt better than the award.