Disney

Disneyland and Universal Studios with the kids was just as you'd expect. It was absolultely wonderful, exciting, and full of laughter. It made me think feel that I want my own kids. Almost.

Here's an image of our hotel. It was a 5-minute walk from our hotel room to the Disney turnstiles. This hotel also has a child friendly rooftop pool. It was perfect for a mid-afternoon swim break before returning to Disneyland for the night.

Being a quasi-parent for the weekend granted us exclusive yet temporary membership to a club that I didn't know existed. Or rather, one that I knew existed but one that I never wanted to join. The club I'm referring to is the society of parenthood.

As i looked around, many phrases started to make sense: "I'm going to count to 10," "Please keep your hands to yourself," and all of the strategies necessary to negotiate with young kids.

Am I ready to give up the freedom of downtime anytime and relatively clean food/toy free floors? Maybe I am creeping more towards a resounding yelp of "yes!" Rather than feeling stressed out and overly burdened, I actually liked being responsible for two young ones.

I know that one weekend is not nearly a true test of one's parental metal, but I know now that it's becoming more and more appealing. What I loved most about this weekend was listening to laughter--pure and in the moment joy.

My nephew's favorite rides: Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. He didn't like Indiana Jones at all, but loved Buzz Lightyear's Asto Blasters. My niece loved Indiana Jones and the Jungle Cruise. I know we could have shown them Disney California--but it's hard to be enthusiastic about that part of the park. It's kind of like suddenly rooting for a team like the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Carolina Panthers. Don't know them, they weren't around when I was young...

Notes on Disneyland:

-Splash Mountain re-opened after what seemed like years of refurbishment. After a grand debut, it promptly broke down again. Sad kids and an almost sadder Auntie : (

-The hairdo of teens and tween boys these days, or at least in Southern California, is a shaggy long mop. I wonder when the super coiffed Spandau Ballet hair will make its comeback? Maybe by the time my nephew is 14... I'm crossing my fingers.

-The Disneyland Railroad was out of operation. No cheesy dinosaurs between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Boo.

-The new and improved Space Mountain more than exceeded my expectations. The lights are digitally coordinated with the twists and turns. You actually feel like you're in space.

-Tomorrowland is much more alive with the opening of Space Mountain. The re-surfacing of the Finding Nemo Submarines will bring more vivacity to that area. It has been so depressing on trips past when Space Mountain was being refurbished and Nemo was in its conceptualization phase.

-Cinderella's Castle was much smaller than I remembered it. Perhaps I've seen too many images of Neuschwanstein castle...

I would love a special VIP tour of Disneyland:

-The interior of Space Mountain and Indiana Jones with the lights on.

-The basketball court inside the Matterhorn

-Walt Disney's apartment in Cinderella's Castle and Club 336 (New Orleans Square)

-Architectural tour of Pirates of the Caribbean. How many floors does it occupy? How does the water recycle within the ride? Are there any special rooms off the ride path?

I'd seriously love to quit my job and become a Disney Imagineer. I'd love to put my efforts towards something that brings joy and happiness to hundreds and thousands. If I worked at Disney, I always wanted to work the Pirates ride--for the costumes. But I also think it would be fun to operate Peter Pan.

Clearly, I'm in a post-Disney state of mind.

Update

Pennylane Productions--or the promise of it--has left the stratosphere. In comes the reign of Liliou from a land of waking sentiment, cynicism, and dreams. All PP posts remain as originally posted. And no animals were harmed in this transition--if you don't count the Tubular One's emotional neglect around people food.

Liliou is:

-unapologetic and true
-corn dogs not hot dogs
-forest moss
-Aizu and Akaka Falls
-double dipping

Why the change? All signs point to my Scorpio rising propensity for psychic regeneration. For the past 3 months, I've been re-directed, rejuvenated, and inspired by new things in my life.

In any case, we're very excited about our upcoming trip with the niece and nephew. Apparently my nephew Ryan has been waking up everyday telling my brother, "Bye Dad, I'm going to Disneyland." The concept of time is a tough concept for this little guy to grasp. He lives in the here and now. Next week, the following week, two days from now just doesn't make enough sense.

Being a huge Disneyland fan, I've had a lot of fun planning our trip. I've got our fastpass strategy down, and am thisclose to planning out an attraction schedule. I've found the perfect hotel. I've put more planning time into this trip than trips Cappy and I have taken. Rather than being spontaneous, I've had to plan out certain things. There are obvious considerations to be made when traveling with kids. However, I have stopped short at the risk of scaring not only Cappy, but also myself. There is nothing scarier and more suffocating than having a schedule that maps out each hour of the next four days.

As far as the child-friendly considerations:

All necessities (and perceived necessities) have been purchased: handiwipes, snacks, tiny ziplock baggies for the snacks, tickets, Disney scrapbook, sun lotion for kids, etc. Many questions have been asked/answered. Is it OK to bring a 7-year old into the ladies room? What do they like to eat for breakfast? What will their energy level be like at 10.30 pm? Would the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios be too scary? Which kid likes raw vegetables but not cooked vegetables? Do they like Mexican food?

Both kids have been to Tokyo Disneyland/Disney Sea a few times, but I still think Disneyland Anaheim is better. There are six rides and churros stands that don't exist at T.D. Or maybe they do have churros, but I don't remember.


In any case, the fun starts in less than 24 hours!

List

Things that I've been craving lately:

1. A corn dog
2. Higashiyama onsen
3. AC/DC
4. Strawberry milk
5. Hearing the creaking floors of the Hilo house
6. Diving into the pool in Mtn. View

Playlist:

1. Rene and Akemi Paulo's "Here is Happiness"
2. Kitaro "Island of Life"
3. Elvis "Stuck on You"
4. Nat King Cole "That Sunday, That Summer"
5. Bing Crosby "Swinging on a Star"
6. Cocteau Twins "For Phoebe Still a Baby"

New Nicknames for the Tubular One (though she's no longer tubular):

1. Mistique
2. Fat Rabbit
3. Little Marsupial

Great Films I've recently seen:

1. Little Children
2. My Architect
3. Curse of the Golden Flower
4. The Painted Veil

Cappy and I did a brisk 3.5 mile hike this last weekend--albeit sneezing all the way. I can't seem to find 2 minutes of non-sneezing between 7.30-10 on most mornings. Seriously, the Bay Area has gotten much worse for asthmatics!