Philip Nolen
@philipnolen
Idler. Sometimes, an actor.
I’ve always been ambivalent about the criticism of people who use social media to post pictures of their meals. What’s more beautiful than a plate of food you love? I think this practice is totally legit. Look at this breakfast. LOOK AT IT!
Contract meetings today. Let’s see if Mickey pulls another year of employment out of the hat.
This amused me. After finishing my meal, my server handed me a card, which, as whimsically as only Disney can, tells me to fuck off so they can turn the table.
First course: cranberry and orange scone with butter, marmalade and cream. 
Picked a perfect day to do this. The steady rain outside just makes it all the more cozy.
Though I am well-dressed for tea, my choice of reading material reveals me to be a gutter plebeian.
As with Gideon’s, Six Ravens is good enough to endure a long wait once without regret, and the context of the sale is fun and suggests a deeper narrative. However, it will be unlikely that I will stop by for a casual taste of anything else on the menu; the long waits make regular visits impractical.
The entrepreneur behind Gideon’s Bakehouse and Six Ravens has discovered that packaging/context is as valuable as the product: the former sells cookies and cakes, the latter, high-end HotPockets. It’s the moody atmosphere that creates long lines.
I was hoping the rain would reduce lines for the soft opening today. No such luck. There’s a virtual queue with a wait time of multiple hours.
The power of relentless guest complaints: Beak & Barrel has installed wooden stools where patrons were formerly required to stand, at the bar, and wall counters. The hard, bare wood is uncomfortable enough to make one miss the old standing-room system.
Skipper Canteen is a perfect restaurant - hoi polloi avoid it, so I can always get a table.
I have to laugh, seeing construction of a new audience shelter for this outdoor stage at Disney Springs. When will the Imagineers ever learn, that no one, ever, wants to sit or stand in direct Florida sunlight, and watch any performance of any length? This error has killed many theme park shows.
Captain Cacao chocolate shake! Unfortunately, the tiny outside window through which this is served is so obscurely located, no one will ever find it. In theory, this window is called “Satellite Shakes,“ but there is no sign, anywhere!
Well, I tried it. Briny as the sea, sticky as glue. Not bad on toast with breakfast, but I wager this will be the only jar I ever buy.
My friend in Salt Lake City just sent me a lovely letter, and we’ve been in a bit of an arms race for super cool postage stamps; this Star Trek Forever is really fun. I am so glad the USPS issues such quirky stuff, in spite of the awful Trump cronies running it over the last ten years.
My pal Matt, performing his wildly popular Bubble Show during the opening day of a newly improved and expanded public park. (The children sought to destroy the bubbles instantly, but some got away.)