Reby's Weight Loss and Breast Cancer Journey: The Quest is Complete!

Yesterday, on the last day of September, we completed our quest to do nine major theme parks in Central Florida in the ninth month. We went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, numbers 8 and 9, in the same day. Granted, we didn't spend much time in Islands of Adventure, but we never said we had to spend much time. We only said we had to visit it. LOL!

We got to Universal at about 9:30 and went straight to the new Diagon Alley. Our intent was to look around, eat lunch at the new restaurant (Leaky Cauldron), and ride the two new rides (Gringott's Bank and Hogwarts Express.) Mission accomplished, and it was so much easier than we thought. There was only a 10 minute wait for Gringott's. We had been hoping for an hour or less, so we were pleasantly surprised. There was never a wait for the Hogwarts Express train. The new train requires a park hopper ticket because it takes you to the other park and lets you out just outside the Harry Potter land. That's a great service because both Diagon Alley and the Harry Potter land are sort of way at the back of the two parks. To walk from one to the other is really, really far. Now you can hop a train and be there in no time. We rode it in both directions because the scenes you pass are different. It's a great special effect and the train is a real, full-size train, going on a real track. I'm sure it's not going very far, but it is actually going!

When we got to Islands of Adventure, Mark went off to ride the Harry Potter ride. I rode it once a few years ago, but it makes me very sick. I was happy to sit it out. We had planned to ride a few other things in that park like Spiderman, Jurassic Park, and the log flume, but our timing was off. It was just about time for lunch, so we took the train back to the other park to eat at the Leaky Cauldron. We did plan to go back to I of A later for those other rides, but it started to rain cats and dogs in the afternoon. We lost interest and just went home. Mark got to ride Men in Black and Transformers after lunch. We also went to the Beetlejuice show. We thought it had been changed, but it was mostly the same, same characters and sets but new songs. We only saw half because when the big storm hit, they shut it down. At least we were sitting in a nice dry area until the rain tapered off a bit. We went to the Horror Make-up Show, my personal favorite, and then headed home.

The only wrinkle to the whole day was very embarrassing. I did not fit into the Gringott's ride vehicle. I couldn't close the bar far enough down on my stomach, so they made me get out and walk back out. I didn't expect that because I have had no trouble fitting into any other ride lately, including essentially kiddie rides yesterday at Legoland. The difference was that most modern rides have a lap bar that goes down to your body and locks into place, no matter where your body might be. This one had a certain place it had to get to in order to lock, and my belly didn't allow it to go down that far. Since it was an individual bar, I had not anticipated this. I was sitting in the car trying desperately to pull it down and make it lock. The attendant came and tried to get me to adjust how I was sitting, but it was no use. So I held up the ride (fortunately the lines weren't long) and had to get out, walk past the people waiting to ride next, and find my way out an alternate exit. I got lost twice. An attendant came and pulled me out of an employee only area at one point. Crazy. I thought I'd never get out of there. So, yeah, that was not only surprising but also very embarrassing.

Mark said the ride was very good. It is similar technology to Spiderman and Transformers, but they enhanced it by adding a roller coaster section. On the other hand, he said it wasn't as good as it could be because there were scenes that were blurry (this is a 3-D with glasses ride) and the audio track was sometimes unintelligible. He did like the story line and thought it was better than the Transformers one. The walk through area leading up to the ride vehicle is excellent, beautifully done with great special effects. If the line is long and you choose the single rider option, you miss all of that fun.

They also have an area where they force you to get your picture taken. I ended up buying it as a souvenir even though I didn't ride it. I'm going to put it into my new giant photo album of cruise and tour pictures that I created last week.

So, I guess that embarrassment should be enough to put me back on a diet. Mark and I both had our blood drawn this morning for our six-month check ups with our primary care doctor next week. She is going to yell at me A LOT because I will show a 25 pound gain in the last six months. She will NOT like that. I'm sure that is partly why the ride didn't fit. If I was in the 240s instead of the 260s, I'm sure I would have fit. I have had no trouble riding anything in the 240s. Still, it's hard to tell because that lap bar was just a totally new configuration. I gave up riding old-style rides where the lap bar descends to its own, pre-set location years ago. Those bars were very tight on me even in the 240s. Actually, it's been so long since I did one that I barely remember. All the newer rides have had individual, pull down bars that go where your body stops it comfortably. Sigh....maybe next time I will fit.

In other news, I quit Guys and Dolls last night. We didn't make it home until after 7 p.m. The huge storm and rush hour traffic made the drive home take 90 minutes. Of course, we could have left the parks sooner, but I realized that I just didn't care that much. I have only attended one out of six rehearsals this whole season. I missed the others due to travel and the surgery on the cyst on my back. I looked at the calendar and realized that I could only attend five more rehearsals before the concert, and that would include missing all of the last two weeks because we'll be gone to Seattle for Thanksgiving. It no longer made sense for me to continue.

I sent an email last night to the director, and she agreed with my decision. It's not that I couldn't learn the music and sing with them. Of course, I could do that on my own. Musically, I don't need to attend any rehearsals. I could just show up and sing. The songs aren't that hard. I could show up and sing probably without even looking at the music in advance, but that is NOT the point of being in a choral group. I need to be there as much as any other singer, to support and help the less capable singers and to be part of the group. There is a spirit of camaraderie and friendship that develops in performing groups that has nothing to do with how well you do or do not perform or how often you personally need to rehearse. By only popping in and out for six total rehearsals in the season when every one else is attending 20 rehearsals makes me look like I don't care about them, like I think I'm better than them and that I don't need to be part of them. NONE of that is true. I think dropping out sends a better message than showing up on the rare occasions when it's convenient for me.

That is why I had already told Ellen I would not be in Starliters this year. We will be gone six weeks for cruising and Passover this season, so it did not make sense to even start up with them.

I will miss them this year, but Mark and I will be in the audience for their shows and support them that way. I hope that next year works out better for me. I do like to sing, but this season there are just too many other things going on.