Seven Years Out - and I am doing OK...

https://youtu.be/Z0GFRcFm-aY

Doctor yesterday said that I am OK... just need another bone survey to make sure that all is well.

So - what did I do today?

Guess...

Now I need a nap...

jc

Day zero + 1095

Well, three years ago I had a date with the drip line.

I survived.

I seem to be thriving after it too.

Off to celebrate - alone - at Disneyland today.  Say a little prayer for Bern, then some fun.

jc

Just realized that I missed day 1000.  That could have been a fun day!  Oh, guess what - I WAS AT DISNEYWORLD!

Now I have something to blog about...

At the end of a busy week with the girls, we used the opportunity to jet off to Disneyland for some afternoon treats.

Went over to Pirates of the Caribbean (long line) and saw the new Blackbeard effect - not bad, but he just says the same things that Davey Jones did yesterday.

Had some time to kill while waiting for our 5:15 fastpass to Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road, so we went over to Star Trader's to see if I could find a shirt I wanted (didn't get it and now it's gone).

WELL, lo and behold -- Star Tours is OPEN.  Not just "do you have a special ticket" open but "sure, soft opening -- get in line" open.

KOOL!

The line was long for what we were used to, but not bad.  They re-worked the que line room that used to have a customs room feel, and now it's just a room with pretty pictures.

The interior que was spiffied up a lot.  They have one BIG video screen (much easier to change, if need be).

They got rid of the old and busted star tours vehicle, and got them a brand spankin' new one!

Lots of neat additions to the line... like more robots and a real interesting camera display that works in the IR range.

Finally, you get to the top, and you get... 3D glasses.

>moan<

Yea, 3D is "the thing" right now, but leads to silly things just to justify the 3D-ness of it.

Story first, I say.

And did I mention the story?  Well, I will let you figure that out yourself...

jc

Pushed my luck today...

...and so far, survived to tell the tale.

Went to Disneyland with the girls. Absolute perfect day, nice crowds, and us. What else could you ask for?

When we got there, we saw this FIRE TRUCK in the parking lot:



A charity from downunder! Never got a chance to speak with the folks, they just blazed on...

I need a nap.

jc

Long day at an end

Friday night was the end to a long day.

Friday night was the end of a long week.

Friday night was the end of a long trimester at school.

Friday night was at the culmination of a lot of different threads that, hopefully, we can put behind us.

Remember I sad I was busy?

Here is the deal. Start off (every day) with getting up, taking a pill the size of grain of rice. Can't eat anything before, or after for an hour. Wrangle the girls up and get them ready for school.

JENNA NEEDS TO WEAR RED TODAY -- No red shirts fit her.

JENNA CAN'T TIE HER SHOES -- No time to make this a teachable moment.

Oh, Papa is here for the morning performance at school -- let him in (down dogs, quit jumping).

Here Jenna, put on this pull over -- it's red and it is cold outside.

LOAD UP! (down dogs -- what did you tear up?!?!)

Boy, everyone is her for the last day of school and the performance! Traffic is bad, bad, bad. Did Kristin find a parking spot? What about Mom? Good.

OK, lets go in. Great, no good seats. Here come the kids! They keep coming, I don't think they will have enough room for all the classes... oops, a few classes have to go back to their rooms and actually do something (what will the teacher do now).

SSSSHHHH! It's starting -- Jenna is front and center! Look! Damn camera, doesn't take pictures well at a thousand yards. Lets try video. Well, less worse.

(hey, I'm getting sorta hungry)

Well, performance done, lets go to breakfast at Coco's.

Back home, Mike calls. He is coming over. Great, that just killed off an hour (we love you Mike -- you know it!)

Download pics.

Enough time to go up to the accountant to have him look at the IRS notice? Eeeeh, not quite. Time to check e-mails. E-Vite for another Daisy scout party. Sorry, conflicts with two other things. (down dogs -- what the hell did you get into?!?!)

Traffic isn't as bad picking up Jenna. Hmmm, Caitlyn gets out in 40 minutes, enough time go home? Accountant! Let's go!

Teacher walks by, grinning "Sugar them up -- Send 'em home!"

Off to Brea. Good, dump the docs, he isn't here. Great Jenna hates the elevator (it is very dark), RUN DOWN THE STAIRS!

BACK to BRAIN: "Not good -- Less bounce, more glide. Want more ouch?"

Man, more traffic! Everyone gets out at 12:30 today... MOVE IT you idiot... not you baby... thankfully I find a spot to park.

LOAD UP! Dang, you got a bunch of stuff... WE ARE OFF TO DISNEYLAND! Crap, forgot the camera. STAY IN THE CAR. (down dogs -- what is that smell?!?!) We're off!

Jenna, wake up, we are here!

Crowds not too bad today... it must still be early. Dang, my feet hurt (note to self, get new shoes).

ICE CREAM! Good job girls, keep your face clean!

Matterhorn! Wheeeee!

BACK to BRAIN: "Not good -- Less jerky. Want more ouch?"

FEET to BRAIN: "MOAN -- What happened to the new shoes?"

"Hey girls, just remembered that we have to get the dogs some food... Let's go!"

Wow, Disney legend Bob Gurr is on Main Street chatting up some young folks. Hope they know who they are dealing with.

"Dad, why did we park so far away?"

BODY TO BRAIN: "Why did we park so far away?"

Wow, traffic into the park is MUCH worse. Escaped just in time.

Pet store choice: Huge bag of food or a less huge bag of food. Girls barely get it into the cart. Now the fun part: a treat for the pups.

Home! (down dogs -- what did you do, you look guilty?!?!)

Pizza order. Why do they make it so f#*@&%! tough to just order. Pop ups, small buttons, counter intuitive flow. Can't order it to be delivered in an hour, so I have to wait 20 minutes. Grrrr.

Mom's home! (down dogs -- why do you stink?!?!)

Pizza guy is here!

Harriet is here!

Where are the decorations?

Have a beer, egg nog, and a break.

Pictures!

OMG -- Girls get ready for bed, Dad take the dogs on a walk, 'bye Harriet!

Download pics.

E-mails, editing, snail mail, wow how it builds up (where is the paper?).

OMG time to go to....

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Disneyland and some thoughts...

Went to Disneyland and DCA today. Hot, somewhat crowded, but fun. Walking around, some things continued to annoy me.

• Old people, new tattoos: It has been my opinion that tattoos are for combat proven Marines and drunk sailors on leave. Pirates too. Not for 60 year old grannies who think it's cool. If you are over 25, forget it. When you turn 30, get them removed.
• Tattoos of things you have no clue about: Asian characters? No, they really mean "I have stinky bummy!". Bentley Car emblems? No, you don't even qualify to clean the upholstery in one. Sports team? Hope they don't change their mascot, logo, or location.
  
• Old guys and rat tails: Dude, you are old. Act respectable and people will respect you. Rat tails belong in the hills of West Virginia... waaaaayyyy back in a 'holler!
• College team wear: Did you go there? Being a fan is one thing, but to have your whole family with Texas Longhorn clothing, bags, and shoes is just a bit much. If you realy went there, you may not be so proud...
• Raiders fans: What can I say? Bud Lite is their koolaid, and boy, do they drink koolaid!
• Fat people on ECVs (Electric Convenience Vehicles): Get off your ass and walk. I used an ECV twice last year. Hated every second of it. Be healed! Walk your ass off! That's what Disneyland is for!
• Kids with games: If my kids bring a game to Disneyland, it would go under a train... PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU! You may learn something.
• Adults with iPhones or Crackberrys: See above.

That should keep me calm for a day or so.

Gotta go, a Woot off is going!
jc

Mostly sucsessful night at Disneyland...

Went to Disneyland with the family.

We got there at dinner time, and since nothing is easy, we went to get a box dinner for the girls at the Village Haus, and then ate at the Zocolo. Since we went there for the night shows, we tooled over to the Haunted Mansion to stake out a place for Fantasmic!, but only got a D+ spot.

After that show, the fireworks started -- then stopped. The old "winds at high altitudes" problem. So we went on the Haunted Mansion, then got a better seat for the 10:30 showing of Fantasmic!

We stopped by Pixie Hollow for some pictures. Disneyland is great at night for pictures, and I am still working on the details as to how it's done. You need a steady hand, and that is tough for me.

As we left the park, Sean Austin was also leaving. This is the second time I have seen him there. The only way I notice him is that he is with a tour guide. Only celebs use tour guides. I have seen Gary Shandling, Duane "DOG" Chapman and his short wife, and some others that I can't recall at the moment.

That's about as close to celebrity as I want to get.

'night

jc

It's 10:15 pm. It's 72 degrees out side.

Just saying to all you east coasters...

The santana winds are blowing, and it is WARM. I just went outside to check on things, and the particulate matter in the air was quite visible in the light of the Mag light. It was windy when we went to Disneyland on Friday night, too.
They call this earthquake weather...

I'll be in my bunker.
jc

Scary things at Disneyland -- Pre Halloween!

The crowds have thinned a bit at Disneyland, and I have been taking the girls there more often (while I can). While it's not Bats Day (dark, gothic idiots walking around in 90 degree heat) or Gay Day ('nuff said), you still can find freakishly dressed people around.

While I am obsessing about my hair, I saw two unfortunates that I had to take pictures of.

Purple Hair -- something to distract from the big butt, probably. Why would someone ruin perfectly good hair? Makes no sense to me.

Ultimate Mullet -- over compensating for the bald spot? Look, at some point, give up the youthful long hair. It's gray, stringy, and probably gets in your chicken noodle soup. You are not a Jedi Knight in training, either. Yes, it's impressive, probably taking the better part of 20 years of not cutting it, but it's over. It's 2008, not 1968.

The thing is, if you stare at them, they get irritated about it. Gosh, is that not what you wanted in the first place?

I have the same disdain for tattoos, and unless you are a pirate or a Marine, you are just a poser...

TIP: Click on the picture for a larger image, you will be frightened.