Disneyland in the middle of a summer heat wave is not always the happiest place on Earth.  We went over the Labor Day weekend this year during the hottest days of the summer so far in So Cal. 

First of all, I must admit, when it comes to Disneyland, my taste for rides and attractions is like a senior citizen’s.  I do love roller coasters and thrill rides, but I have yet to experience a truly decent one from a Disney theme park, so I like to stick to the slow rides with lots of theme.   My husband and I are probably the only people under the age of 65 who look forward to seeing “Great Moments with Mr Lincoln” (no, I’m not kidding!  I get all teary and patriotic everytime I see it — especially as the sky fades into a sunset that looks like the American flag.  No!  I’m not kidding!  I’m completely serious here!  Mr. Lincoln Rocks!  That audio animatronic wonder is a big part of why I became interested in engineering.) and this visit he was gone.  We were crushed and angered by having to sit through 15 minutes of some inane film starring Steve Martin and Donald Duck with no Mr. Lincoln payoff.  Apparently, the future of Mr. Lincoln is unknown.  (Walt must be spinning around in his grave).  If he’s not there there during the next visit, I don’t know if Steve and I will ever willingly return to do Disneyland.  If the Tiki disappears or is changed to be like the abomination at Disneyworld, I will definitely not return (I left that Tiki Room in tears and wrote a very emotional letter to Disney about how deeply they disappointed me.  What on Earth does the Lion King have to do with Tikis and Hawaii?!!!  They basically replied that the modern audiences are stupid and didn’t understand the Tiki Room so they updated it to the Lion King because of the movie’s popularity.  Personally, I thought the Lion King sucked.  I have seen the movie three times in an attempt to stay awake through the whole thing because friends and family kept telling me how good the movie was.  Each time I fell asleep during Hakuna Matata and woke up when the two big lions were fighting.  I have no idea what happens in between, but I digress …).

The newest ride at Disneyland is a remake of the old submarine ride.  The only thing good about the re-vamped Submarine ride is that most of the park’s visitors were in the 3-hour line for that ride such that the lines for the other rides were all under 15-mins — SWEET!!!.  We arrived at Disneyland a little bit after opening around 8:15AM and finished the park by noon, with the exception of the Fantasyland rides which failed in a cascade (I imagine they all overheated one-by-one).  Supposedly Splash Mountain was updated.  The only thing I noticed is that the logs were new such that everyone had a separate seat (Maybe they upgraded to Vista too.  The last time Steve and I were they there they experienced the Windows blue-screen-of-death.  Over the PA the operator kept saying, “Windows reboot!  Clear!”  about every 5-mins.  Too funny!)  The Haunted Mansion was changed a little.   The jilted bride section was changed into a little vinette about a black widow — very creepy (the little girl that was in the “Doom Buggy” ahead of us had a complete melt-down from fright).  Of course, they updated the Pirates of the Caribbean to include Jack Sparrow.   And onto the Submarines … we braved this line at night after the flaming orb in the sky had gone down for the day.  We waiting in line for 2 hours for what began as a ride very similar to the old Submarine ride (“Dive! Dive! Dive!”) and then awkwardly became a narrative about finding Nemo.  Umm, okay.  I really didn’t get it.  Whatever … to my disappointment, there was no giant squid.  Nevermind about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Capt. Nemo, my inner senior citizen weeps.  But, then again, “Finding Nemo” didn’t hold my attention either.  I got tired of Albert Brook’s “Helicopter Parent” role in the movie.  How whiney and dependent can you be?!!!  I did like the seagulls, though. 

The California Adventure Park is pointless.  It should be integrated into Disneyland.  Soaring over California was great as usual.  It still reminds me of the end of “Logan’s Run” though. 

As for the heat — it made every parent and child cranky.  I felt like telling some of them to go home since they were having such a miserable time.

Ah, and lastly, the shock of every visit — the admission price.  This year the one-day park hopper cost $83 and a one day, one park pass is $68.  OUCH!!!  And so not worth it!!!  Here’s a bit of advice if you are planning a trip to Disney.  Buy a vacation package that includes the hotel and park tickets to save some money.

After three weeks of being out of the office, I’m back!  Unfortunately, I’m not feeling so good this morning and I’m wondering whether I will make it through the day (tummy trouble and I seem to be doing my best to try to pass-out).  I’m hoping it’s just a case of “workitus” that will improve as I get back into the swing of things.  Anyhow, I remember writing a list of things I wanted to do during my break.  Here’s what I wanted to do:

• Plan next year’s spring/summer vacation — Nope
• Defeat the 7-headed junk mail beast that now occupies my office and kitchen table — DONE
• Take the piles of clothes that don’t fit me or my husband to Goodwill — DONE
• Read manga and watch anime until the wee hours of the morning — DONE
• Finish “Mass Effect” — Nope
• Finally get rid of this nagging cold! — I’m still sniffling

Junk Mail Beast Before:

After 2 Days of battle (4 Hefty bags of paper removed, the death of my shredder, and the purchase of a new one):

OMG!!!  We have a wood floor!  I still have a couple of cord fairies to exterminate and a lot more desktop mess to deal with, but overall, I’m pleased with the result.  And, yes that’s a Halloween table cloth hanging over the window … sigh … I swear I’ll get around to ordering blinds one day.

I didn’t make it to Goodwill before the turn of the year, however, I did manage to unload 3 Hefty bags full of clothes that no longer fit me or my husband.  It always feels good to give our sweaters and some of my “work” clothes a second life.  Most of the clothes were worn only once or twice before they no longer fit — I lost weight and my husband gained.  I also found out, after buying many sweaters, that my husband doesn’t wear sweaters because he always runs hot.  Doh!

On the anime and manga front, I watched all 78 episodes of “Kyou Kara Maou”, an excellent anime series that is available on Netflix — check it out!  I also translated the second volume of Arakure (“Wild Ones” in the US).

As for summer vacation — well the Blackbird 002 was on special … 🙂  So I guess we’ll be vacationing at home this summer.  I got bored with “Mass Effect” (my husband finished it, though), and my cold is probably allergies.  Sigh …

Ahh CES2008 … well, I didn’t feel that blogging while there did justice to my experience.  Much to my husband’s dismay, I talked to quite a few people for some time (I find that engineers from Japanese companies are very proud of their products and will spend lots of geeky quality time with you if start asking questions and talking) and I took over 200 pictures.  There are some specific products and trends that I would like to highlight and as always, in a couple of weeks I will put out a formal report.  I will put the entries in this blog. 

As for the bar bet … sigh … I ended up cancelling most of our dinner reservations in Las Vegas because I couldn’t enjoy eating dishes and desserts my husband couldn’t even taste.  So we played it my ear and ate mostly in restaurants within the Summerlin area.  Needless to say, we will be splurging at PMA starting Feb 1st.  My husband’s co-workers will be having “fun” come February :).  I’m quite proud of his effort 🙂