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!