Tuesday, March 19, 2024 07:53

?>

Archive for the ‘travel’ Category

all the small things

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

That Blink 182 title pretty much sums it up. We headed out to Anaheim, CA over the last week to attend BlizzCon. Since we already made the trek out there, we figured we would take advantage of being in the area to see some sights. We were going to be across the street from Disneyland, so that was a no-brainer. We’ve been there before so, while we could spend two days there, we looked into new places for our other free day in town. Lego Land, Universal Studios, and Magic Mountain were among the contenders.

So, I commenced research. I thought maybe Lego Land, like Disneyland, was geared toward the young and the young-at-heart. Unfortunately, a quick perusal of their website showed that the park is really geared toward kids. Not kids, like when I refer to college age kids, or kids like high school kids, but children. While we are pretty youthful, we don’t have children and prefer our entertainment to at least be adult friendly. So, Lego Land was crossed off the list.

We’ve been to Universal Studios in Florida a couple of times, and outside of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it was a pretty disappointing experience. However, we were open to going to Universal Studios in California. I asked around to see if any friends could offer a comparison to tell us if the California park was a better experience. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have any info. Plus, when I looked at the location via Google maps, it was enough of a drive to be somewhat inconvenient. So, Universal Studios was crossed off the list.

Then there was Magic Mountain. It would be a bit of a drive, but G and I love amusement parks. Especially roller coasters. Give us some interesting coaster action and we are happy campers. It was a contender. Until I noticed that Knott’s Berry Farm was much closer. Plus, Knott’s was part of CedarFair. I have always been a huge fan of their park, Cedar Point. Once I was able to introduce G to it, he was also a huge fan. They regularly build rides, especially roller coasters, that break records. Height, speed, descent, drops, you name it, they come up with it. It’s epic. They also own ValleyFair, which is local to us. ValleyFair doesn’t have quite the same level of thrills as it’s sister park, but it is a fun time. So, we figured that Knott’s would provide us at least a similar experience with a variety of rides, and an efficiently run park. We procured tickets in advance as well as a parking voucher, looked at park schedules to plot out maximum amusement, and scheduled our day.

Now, I know that not everything is going to be a Disney experience. Disney is a well-oiled machine like no other. They have the money to spend, and want to insure that the money will keep rolling in. While every ride might not be a thrill-a-minute, the wait is interesting and thematic, the exit through the gift shop makes you want to buy things you never knew you needed, and all the cast members are trained to keep things moving at optimal efficiency. There might be a queue, it might be long, but they will make sure that it is not a longer wait than it absolutely has to be and that you will enjoy your wait.

Now, much like I said a bit ago on a Fabulous Friday post, “Fuck Hemingway.” Or, in this case, Disney. No one else can out-Disney Disneyland. Or World. So, instead of trying to do so, just do what you do and do it better than anyone else can do. Both Cedar Point and ValleyFair do just that. You know that you are going to ride some rides, and both parks make them interesting. They offer professional quality shows to watch during your down time, and food that takes a minimal amount of time to eat so you can get on more rides. The parks are clean and tidy, the staff is competent, and when you leave at the end of the day you know that you got in all the fun you possibly could into one day.

So, when we made our Knott’s Berry Farm plans, we knew that we were not getting a Disney experience. We were fine with that. However, we at least thought we were going to get the same quality of experience that we would get at any other CedarFair park. Sunday, our last day in Anaheim, we drove to Knott’s. We parked, and headed into the park. As you make your way to the park, you walk through a weird collection of gift shops that are sort of half-haphazardly made to look like they are old-timey. I assumed this was a nod to the days when the area was a ghost town, and pretty much ignored it. We entered the park, and I thought it seemed charming. One thing I will give California is that they hang on to the bits of their past. I enjoy seeing hotels and shops and restaurants that maintain their mid-century appearance. In fact, that’s part of what I love about Disneyland. It has much of the park’s original mid-century charm. So, when we walked in, I figured that was a bonus that Knott’s had to offer over their other parks. Some of that cute midcentury nostalgia. I was excited for a new experience.

That excitement quickly faded as we got in line for our first ride, the Sierra Sidewinder. It took us a bit to figure out it was the line, since that part of the line was just a group of people along a fence. Fine, whatever. Maybe it was just an especially crazy line. We get in line, and the line does not move. We are standing in exactly the same spot for several minutes, despite seeing the coaster run a few times. Finally, we see some people get out of line, which allows the line to move forward a bit. This doesn’t seem like a good omen. We get to the entrance of the line, the sort of gate with the big sign, and the height requirements, and see that there is no wait estimate.

Now, Disney has the extreme version of the wait estimate. They have everything computerized, and can update the wait estimate in real time. They have receivers, which they will periodically give to a guest entering the line, often a child since kids get all excited to be “helping” someone at the park. The guest is instructed to give the receiver to the cast member letting them on the ride, and BAM, wait estimate update. To the minute. Which they add five minutes to for cushion. Cedar Point and ValleyFair have slightly less sophisticated systems, relying on a painted wooden sign (which may have vinyl graphics these days), with an opening where they place a placard with the current wait estimate. I don’t know exactly how they arrive at their estimates, probably by how much of the serpentine guiding the line is full, but they are always pretty accurate. Also, at Cedar Point and Valley Fair, there is almost always an employee at the entrance to answer questions, double check height/size requirements so you don’t waste a wait if you can’t ride, what have you. There was definitely no employee at the gate here. We had no way of knowing how long we would be waiting, or if we should try to ride other things and come back. We were at their mercy.

So far, this was not boding well for our day at Knott’s. As the line very slowly moved forward, people would periodically push their way through the line. I was guessing that they knew someone in line and went to the restroom or something, but as we waiting long enough, if these people were in line at all they were gone a lot longer than a pee or soda break. Regardless, they were line-jumping. At the other CedarFair parks, I have seen security haul people out for it. However at Knott’s, despite what their printed policies said, they didn’t seem to care. The other people in line didn’t seem to care either. In our wait, at least 10, maybe 15, people jumped the line. Um, not cool. We also noticed that the coaster was only running one train. Super inefficient. Most parks have at least two trains on the tracks, one loading/unloading while the other is running. We figured maybe it was due to the age of the ride or something, but it turned out that was how they operated most of their coasters. We finally got up to the platform, and realized that the line was not so long. It was a really short serpentine, one that at any other park would have meant a 15-20 minute wait. However, we waited for an hour. Once we did get to the platform, there was no one directing people to get them into lanes to board. Thus, people just sort of stopped once they got through the turnstyle and created a cluster-you-know-what. You might think that they were short staffed or something, but we could see three employees hanging out by the operator booth, chatting and drinking soda. Not doing so much with the working or crowd control, though. Really??? Plus, the trains would regularly go out with empty seats. Not just one, but several. Apparently, it was too much for the person operating the ride/checking seat belts to call out for people to take the empty seats, and we sure couldn’t count on the three on the side to queue people up. With one train running, it seems like the *least* they could do was run a full train. The best part was their Fast Lane system. Instead of a Fast Pass, like Disney offers, where you can get a voucher to come back to a ride without a wait, you buy a wristband at an exorbitant rate on top of your ticket that guarantees you step on to a ride without the regular line. At both Cedar Point and ValleyFair, the applicable rides have a lane adjacent to the regular line so that the Fast Lane holders can be worked in to the line. At Knott’s, those folks come in through the exit. So, you get to the front of the line, think you are going to step on, and instead a family of four snipes you. This is especially nice when they have the whole train to choose from and they plop down in your car. Everyone else gets on, but you get to wait. Sometimes there is a staff member that will at least tell you that’s happening, but usually someone just sits down and you realize that you both can’t occupy the same space.

The rest of our day went on like this. A couple of favorite moments of complete incompetence were when we were going to get on one ride, and the whole time the people in front of us were trying to make sure that they would all wind up in cars on the same train. It seemed like they figured it out. They go to load and the gates close. Except that not all of them were riding. Apparently, one was just collecting all of their loose articles and heading out the exit. This left two seats open in the car we were waiting for. The operator just locked the seat belts, and they sent the train on its way. At another point, three siblings were trying to make sure they were in the same car. Two were in front of us, the other was in the next lane. There was one guy in front of the two. Instead of the single getting in the seat next to him, and the two going behind, they didn’t get on. The operator didn’t attempt to fill the car. One guy went in a car for four. Now, this might seem small, but when the shortest waits are over an hour, and if every train is going out with at least two seats open, that adds up.

Also, remember how I mentioned that the park seemed “charming.” My opinion quickly changed. I realized that it wasn’t so much “charming” as it was “filthy” and “poorly maintained.” I didn’t want to touch anything while waiting in line because of how visibly gross everything was. One ride, that I think was supposed to make you feel like you were in some sort of Mayan or Incan temple, was claustrophobic. There was no air flow, and the walls were gross. Not pleasant to be packed in with a bunch of people on a warm day in a space that not only has no air flow, but is actually dirty. The rides were all dirty. I’m not expecting that things are going to be spic-n-span. People are dirty and gross. I would at least expect that things get wiped down periodically so that I’m not looking at dirt that has clearly been building up for years. The rides were dirty. Now, I’ve seen the rides at Cedar Point and ValleyFair, and they look like they must be sterilized compared to the rides at Knott’s. I wanted to take some Clorox wipes to the visible surfaces. Heaven forbid anyone get near that place with a black light. Gross, gross, gross.

The thing is, the actual rides were fine. They have some fun roller coasters. Unfortunately, it’s all the details they are forgetting about. The coaster lasts only a few moments. The waits for everything are so long. So many small details that would change a miserable day into a delightful one are missed. They manage to do it at their other parks, yet drop the ball at Knott’s. In the grand scheme of things, it would not cost them any extra to properly train their employees to run the rides and actually throw out line jumpers. Placing signs and making one of the lanes (basically changing one of the serpentines into a lane) for the Fast Lane would be a minimal cost (I actually do know how much graphics run, and how the lanes would be adjusted, so I’m not talking out my ass). Hosing down the equipment at night might be the most complicated thing, but it would be worth it to not feel like one should decontaminate after leaving the park.

However, all the small things instead added up to a really disappointing day. At least we know for next time to do something else. Anything else. Just NOT Knott’s Berry Farm.

i did it!

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

I completed my first half marathon!!!!
I think a little recap is in order.
We planned our trip such that all the Disney fun would be before the race, so that I wouldn’t have to hobble around Disney after completing the race. We managed to pack a lot in, though it seems like no matter how much time one has at Disney it just isn’t enough! I set aside time on Friday to get my race packet, as I wanted to get that out of the way. If I didn’t have the packet, I couldn’t run, and I didn’t want to have to stress about it at all. So, at noon on Friday, G and I set off to Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the Half Marathon Expo. We got there, and with the help of some cast members, we found the Expo, and the place to pick up my packet. First, we waited in a line to get my bib, chip, and pin. The lines were broken down by bib numbers, so the line was pretty manageable. I wasn’t sure which princess I picked as my favorite, since I tend to prefer the villians. When the gentleman handed me my bib, I found I’d chosen Sleeping Beauty. So, my bib had the Half Marathon logo at the top, then it read “Princess Amanda,” then my bib number, then Sleeping Beauty at the bottom. The bib was pink, which worked out nicely with what I planned to wear on race day. I signed off on receiving everything, and headed over to verify my chip. One quick scan, my name popped up, easy peasy. From there, we headed to the opposite end of the building to get my goodie bag that accompanied my packet. There wasn’t a line at all for that, pretty sweet! The bag was a drawstring knapsack with the HM logo on it. Inside was a plethora of treats! A pink tech shirt with the logo and sponsors on it, a pair of LifeFitness shoe inserts, some energy chews, a stick of deodorant (secret!), a Sharpie Marker, flyers on all sorts of races across the country, all the rules and info about the race, coupons, and safety pins for my bib. I think that’s everything. The lady that gave me my bag then told me where I could look at the medal. We looked…it was big and heavy! A real medal!! I was picturing it around my neck. We then had to head to yet another line to pick up our tickets for the post race party. This one was a real line. It took about half-an-hour or so to pick up the tickets. We got those, and I wanted to check out some of the vendors. There were lots of people there also checking out vendors, so our perusal was pretty quick. We did check out a booth that had some funny shirts, one of which said, “will run for wine.” We decided that G’s mom needed one. She’s been talking about running, so we thought this would be a bonus incentive. They also had a shirt that read, “this seemed like a good idea three months ago.” Had I not already had a shirt for the race, I would have picked that one up!! On our way out we checked out the official merchandise booth. There were some cute things, but the lines were huge, so I decided I didn’t need anything. We finally were able to make our way to Epcot to enjoy the rest of our day.
Saturday, we had decided to divide our day between Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. I had a meet-up scheduled with the SparkPeople group that got me through the training, which was to be the divider of the day for G and I. Between our Friday night excursion to see The Watchmen, and this trip to meet up at Downtown Disney, we learned that Disney transit is tough when you are trying to be somewhere at a specific time. Anyhow, we made it, and I finally was able to put faces to all the ladies I’d been chatting with online for so long! I felt a little bad, as I tend to be shy in situations like that. However, I did have some good chats with some of the team. They are all pretty cool, and they are all very supportive. Some are old pros when it comes to running, some are first timers like me. It was a nice time. We grabbed some delicious food before making our way to the Magic Kingdom for some last fun before my big race. We did pretty much all the things we wanted to do at MK. The park closed at 10, and silly me thought that would allow me plenty of sleep before the big race. I forgot to factor in several things. The lag time of getting out of the park, waiting for the shuttle back to the resort, and the biggie—Springing Ahead! After I got everything prepped for the morning, I got a whopping three hours of sleep. Oops!
Now, what you have all been waiting for–The Big Day!! The alarm went off at four, and was a little painful. After a round with the snooze button, I got up. I got in a shower, and put on my racing clothes (a pair of black running capris with fucshia trim, a black running bra, a black tank with a sparkley silver and pink tiara on it, running socks, and my running shoes). I made sure everything I needed was in my bag, things like ID, cell phone, room key, snacks…I threw on my Tink hoodie to keep warm until I checked my bag, put some jam on a croissant, whispered some good-byes, and was off for the bus. We were instructed to be on the bus by five am, to get to the start on time. When I got to the pick-up area, I was greeted by a HUGE line of runners waiting for the next available bus. Hmmm…I did get there before five….I hoped that those instructions allowed a little lee-way!! I found the end of the line, and tried to be patient. Every minute was putting me closer to the race!! There were runners of all types waiting in line. There were even some men! There were lots of costumes, some of which I truly wondered how the person would be able to run in! I love wearing a full length gown, don’t get me wrong. However, I don’t love them for running! Eventually, I was on a motorcoach and on my way. I drank one last bottle of water on the way, and tried to be calm. Though it would have been nice to have some company, I think maybe it was better I didn’t. I probably would have been chattering a mile a minute!
We arrived at the start area, and got off the bus. I could hear the DJ stand playing some dance music to get everyone pumped up. There were lots of tents set up, and people everywhere. It was still dark, so there were lots of large floodlights set up to make it a little easier to navigate. I decided to check my bag right away, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it, should race time arrive. They had the check broken down alphabetically by last name, and then by bib number within that. Pretty cool, I had wondered how they were going to manage up to 8,000 bags. After checking my bag, I just needed to find something to do with myself until the race. I found a patch of pavement, and again tried to be somewhat calm. I made sure my intervals were programmed into my Garmin, I did some stretches for my hip flexors and calves. I hopped up and down to put my nervous energy somewhere. Finally, we were instructed to head for the corrals. I followed the mass of people to the start. It turned out that the mass of people did not know where they were going, and we all turned around and headed for the real start. We were told that the port-a-potties were the last ones until after the start, so if we had to go, to do it now. I declined and headed for my corral. I felt a little sad that I wasn’t in a corral further ahead, but this was my first time, and I could always work up to that. I watched the crowds make their way to the correct corrals, and kept looking behind me to see how mine was filling up. Wow, there were a LOT of people! I stretched some more, and tried to keep warm. Despite all the people around me, it somehow felt cooler here. I had no idea what time it was, and tried to be patient for the start of the race. Suddenly, there was movement. Our corral walked ahead, through the next corral, picking up speed. Eventually, we were jogging. Then, we were across the start line! I started up my Garmin, and decided to run my first two intervals, skipping that first walk break to give myself a buffer between the sweepers. Right away, there were folks cheering us on. There was music. Before I knew it, I was passing the first mile marker! Each mile marker depicted a different princess, with the appropriate theme music playing. We were told there were hidden Mickeys in the mile markers, but I honestly didn’t want to waste time stopping to try and find them. I journeyed on. People were running off to the bushes, I think some to pee, some to puke, ick. Soon there was a water station, but I didn’t need that yet. Onward! We looped around an on ramp, which was a little tough to run on. The right to left slope made it hard to maintain form. Oh well. Onward! Soon there was trivia along the roadsides. Questions about the various princesses. I read them when I was able. Soon enough we were met by more water, powerade, and a medical tent. Lots of runners started getting Biofreeze. I kept going. Soon, there were characters to greet us, and many runners got in line for photo ops. I remained focused, and kept going. The mile markers kept coming. On our way to the Magic Kingdom, there was a drum line (at least I think that’s what the kids are calling them these days). The runners cheered for the drummers, and the drummers cheered back. A wheelchair racer passed in the opposite direction, and we cheered for her, and kept going. I finally grabbed a water to tame the tickle that threatened my throat. Just before the Magic Kingdom there was a group of Chinese-style drummers. They were in traditional dress, it was beautiful…just like the Olympics!! There were also spectators. I kept my eyes open for G and his parents, as I wasn’t one hundred percent certain which spectator option they chose. They weren’t in this batch, but that was okay. We continued in to the Magic Kingdom. Through Tomorrowland, through Fantastyland (hi spinning teacups!!), and to Cinderella’s Castle! There were constant cast members cheering us on, which was cool. Then, through the castle! We continued through Frontierland, and backstage. More characters awaited. It was kind of cool to be in the cast members only area. Like we got to be in on a secret. We continued running. Then, I saw Maleficent. For a split second, I wished I had my camera. Oh well, more running!!! Around mile eight, I saw the fam. I waved, and worked my way over. Quick hugs, I apologized for being gross and sweaty, and some pictures, and I promised to see them at the finish line. Off for more running!! I was beyond the halfway point and into the home stretch. I was doing this thing! As the sun got higher in the sky, I tried to maintain cool thoughts. Before I knew it, we were passing the drum line again. I overheard someone point out that we were going to have to run up the hills we came down on the way out. I was glad I trained in a hilly neighborhood! Up one hill, up the on ramp (stupid slope!), and we were headed to the big hill up to Epcot. I pushed up them all, and headed for the park, past the mile 12 marker. By this time, the park was open. It was funny to be running in the park, with all these guests! I kept going, and thought maybe some of us would inspire more runners. I smiled at as many people as I could, as guest, cast members, and spectators cheered us on. We were getting so close!!! We looped through the park, and I kept reminding myself the finish line was getting closer. I could hear the crowds as I came up on mile 13. As the finish line came into sight, I started tearing up. I was almost there….I was really going to finish this thing!!! I smiled at Mickey and Minnie, and bam, I was across the line. I maneuvered over to have my chip cut off, then the big moment I was waiting for, I got my medal! The fairy godmother sprinkled my with fairy dust, and there it was. I decided to grab a Powerade off the table, and started drinking…gross. Luckily, there was the fam waiting for me on the other side of the fence. Hugs and pictures ensued. I begged off for a moment to claim my bag, and met back up. We got in line to see about having my medal engraved. The combination of the $20 cost and having to give up my medal for the process turned me off, so we decided to head back to the hotel. G got the alert to his phone with my chip time. 2:37:30, 12 minute miles. I didn’t quite make my goal of sub 2:30, but it was darn close. He showed me my chip times during the race, and I sped up as it went on. Part of the problem was starting in the last corral. It took me a while to get into the right pace group. I think that would have easily put me under 2:30. Oh well, next time!
My MIL has promised she is going to run it next year. I sort of committed my husband into doing it, as well. I guess this means I have to keep running!!

i’m going to disneyworld!

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

In just a few minutes, actually. I started down this long winding path early last fall, and what seemed so far off in the distance is now here. In less than a week, I will reap the benefits of months of training. When I started, I could just eke out thirty seconds to one minute of running. Now, I can run for several miles straight, as many as fourteen with using Jeff Galloway’s walk/run intervals. I’ve run in rain, snow, heat, below zero temps, on ice, in water up to my ankles. I’m still surprised at how impressed people are when they find out I’m doing a half marathon. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a lot of work. However, it is totally attainable. I mean, I’m just shooting for a finish, and getting my medal. No record breaking or anything. Mostly just proving that my lazy butt can do it. If my lazy butt can get off the sofa and do this, I am pretty confident that anyone can.
I just want to give a thank-you to everyone around me who has offered support, listened to my incessant running chatter, and put up with my lack of free time. It has been truly incredible to me how supportive everyone has been, be it family, friends, co-workers or internet acquaintances. I have met some incredible and inspiring people who have kept me going on those days when I just wanted to give up. All the support has been so crucial during my training…I don’t want to let any of you down!!!
I finally got my last long run in yesterday (the last couple of weeks have been off kilter with my bad back flaring up and getting some sort of sinus infection) of 14.3 miles. I had to take a couple of unplanned walk breaks as my knee was grouchy in the middle, but I finished in three hours. Slow, yes. However the max time for me to finish the 13.1 is 3.5 hours, so I should be good for getting my medal, even if I have to slow down a bit for heat or the like. I have two short training runs left, then BAM! The half is here. I don’t know if I will be around the internets too much this week, but my goal is to keep my Flickr page updated with pictures, and to get a post-race recap in ASAP.
Thanks again!!!!!

We survived the Blizzard!

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

So, we made it home after venturing into the world of geekery known as BlizzCon 2008. It was sort of a perfect storm that brewed, with them scheduling the event on the weekend of our wedding anniversary. Despite the major FAIL on Blizz’s part with the ticket onsale, we were still able to go, albeit without the coveted goodie bags that are such a big part of the event.
So, after finding our way to the convention center, and getting our bearings, we had to say hello to our buddy Illidan:
101_0034.JPG
Then we ran into a Night Elf Mohawk:
101_0038.JPG
Then I was transformed into a crazy Orc!
101_0041.JPG
Then G was kickin’ back:
101_0045.JPG
Then I had to represent for hot geek chicks everywhere (of which there aren’t many!)–please pay special attention to the sweet Horde bag I received from the hubs as an early anniversary pressie:
101_0048.JPG
Then Illidan somehow took over:
101_0049.JPG
He prevented us from getting pictures of the amazing contest winners. Okay, he didn’t, the large venue did. However, it turns out if you’re willing and able to build a working mechanical turtle mount, you will probably win your very own Frostmourne.
The next day, we learned that Blizz has a rather attractive team (note the hot Frenchman second from right, the hot Brazilian second from left, and the lovely American director at left):
101_0074.JPG
We also found out that Arthas is actually a chick:
101_0075.JPG
Or a hardcore gamer:
101_0079.JPG
And the redhead from The Guild and Dr. Horrible is really THAT adorable:
101_0082.JPG
And one last shot of the female human before departing:
101_0101.JPG
BTW, if you see us on the street, I’m Lily, he’s Snugglecakes:
101_0105.JPG
Now, I must come up with an appropriate name for my death knight, and figure out what skills I have that will get me hired at Blizzard.

i’ve got a hunger only tacos can stop.

Sunday, March 18th, 2007

Eek!! That pretty much sums it up right now. So much on my mind, so much to do. I’ve been on a manic swing which I wish made me more productive, however, instead it is making my mind jump all over the place. I have two weeks to get a whole lot accomplished, so I really need to focus!
Yesterday was mostly a goof off day. It was good old Saint Patrick’s day, which I ordinarily don’t celebrate outside some wearing of the green. However, my dear friend Toni talked me into going out bright and early. We met up with her at McGovern’s at 11 o’clock. It’s frightening how many people were out and bright eyed and bushy tailed and drunk at that hour. I was pretty decked out. I had picked up some little hot shorts that were black with green ribbons laced up on either side. I know I’m chunky, but I still went for it. I wore my green Robin tights with black fishnets over them, my black super tall boots, a black tee with a rhinestone shamrock on it and two shades of green eye makeup. It was pretty cute. G wore my Guinness tee-shirt. We hung around for a bit, then I went off to rehearsal.
Rehearsal was interesting. I’m happy with where I’m at for the second half of the play. Feeling it and what not. However, the first half I am totally struggling. This character is toying with me!! She’s a strange woman. I know I will find what I need within me, but I hate going through this awkwardness. It’s feeling really false right now, so I need to work extra hard to get past it. We also had a production meeting after, so there was a table full of the the theater company’s board members/crew. It was good to get an audience, and I tried to think about how my blocking was reading. I may have overcompensated, but it’s what rehearsal is for! The production meeting was good. It was fun to be a part of it, and see what was going on. After rehearsal, I had G take me to Penney’s to see if I could find costume stuff. After much wandering around and measuring, I walked out with a bunch of good potential pieces. I felt some serious relief, since it seems like there is not much out there that goes with the picture I have in my head. Tomorrow I will have the ladies try on their things, and we shall see where we are at. Cross your fingers with me that these things work! Then I just need to accessorize them. I’m having them bring a few things to see if they will work. I’m thinking I may make the jewelry pieces I need, unless something awesome and inexpensive pops up. Oh, and I did get a sweater for my character on e-bay that is pretty cool. Well, cool for the character, I don’t know if it’s so much me. I need to find an appropriate skirt to go with it still, but I am confident something exists out there.
After my exciting shopping trip, we chatted with our lovely friend, the man of many names, and met up with him at the Chatterbox for some drinks and lunch…er…dinner. It was fun. I have to say, I’m glad we’ve become friends. He’s a pretty cool guy. Who knew I would make a good friend from going dancing nearly every Saturday night? We hung out for a good while, and parted ways for a bit so he could get amped for the rest of the evening, and we could meet up with friends in Minneapolis. There were more drinks, a bar change, and some interesting peeps. We eventually made our way to our final destination, Ground Zero. I had a pretty fun time, drinking and chatting and meeting new people. We met up with our lovely friend again, along with a friend who we hadn’t seen for some time, at least until he accompanied us to 300 the other night. We stayed until we were booted out at the end of the night, and made our way to the Uptown Diner, where I drank some hot water, ate a bit of a caramel roll and fell asleep on my friend’s shoulder (sorry man, hope I didn’t drool on you). When we arrived home, I crawled right into bed, fully clothed outside of my shoes.
Today I felt like poo, but not in a hangover way. My throat is sore, and I kept going back and forth with freezing and burning up all day. That was not fun.
Oh, and I found out this week that the bestest band evar is headlining the Virgin Festival in Toronto. Can we say ROAD TRIP!!!! The tickets presale Tuesday, and I must get some! I think I will request this to be my 25th birthday present this year! The concert will be before the big birthday, but it would certainly be an amazing present. *sigh* Billy Corgan. I have not seen him live in years. Too many years. I also cannot for the rest of the NA tour to be announced…I would like to see a few shows. In my youth I wanted to be a Pumpkinhead and follow them for a tour and see all the shows. I am seriously considering such an endeavor, though it hardly seems practical now. Especially since there are two other tours coming that I also would like to see: NIN and Tori Amos. I don’t know that I would follow them around, but that is still at least two more shows to add to the list and the budget.
Oh Billy.

i need ooh la la la la

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

First off, thanks Benq. I was stranded, and Benq saved the day. I will bring you extra wine, or something for your efforts. There is plenty of good karma headed your way, my friend.
Okay, back to the trip. We could not have gotten better weather. It was gorgeous. During the day we were good in our t-shirts, at night our lightweight jackets were plenty. Sunday, I woke up in the morning. Apparently the french cold drugs were safe after all. G picked us up a couple of croissants (which, in their native land, have none of the fat or calories that American ones do. For reals.) We got ready and decide to head for our favorite attraction in any city…
…the cemetary. In this case, not just any cemetary, but the cemetary. Pere laChaise. We’d been before, but this thing is yuge. Charles de Galle yuge. Last time, we didn’t have a map, and by pure dumb luck, stumbled upon all the cool graves. This time, we entered the same way (it’s the entrance by the metro stop), saw the graves we started with before, and decided to head in a different direction, map in hand. We did most of the outer loop, including a peek in the crematorium. Also yuge. The place was as breathtaking as we’d remembered. Some of the graves are just amazing. I kept giving G insttructions for what kind of marker I wanted. I want one of the little house/chapel-y things. With a stained glass window. And a bust of me. With two cat sculptures guarding the door. And a surrogate mourner looking over the whole thing.
You know, something tasteful. Like me.
We spent a couple of hours there, managing to head for our entrance before closing. The last time we were there, we were totally lost, and it was getting dark, and we started to worry we would be locked there overnight. We ran into someone who started to ask us something in French, and we told him we didn’t speak much French. He then was very relieved that we spoke English, and the three of us finally found an exit, manned by police about to close the gate. We missed Oscar Wilde, but that just means we have to go back, right?
That night found us on our ritualistic trip to the Hard Rock Cafe. We are fully aware that it is Cheesy. Fully. But it’s fun. Also, we like the organic beginnings of it. (hey, I’m a regular, hang my guitar on the wall. Okay. Hey, what about mine…and mine…and there you go). We ate some nummy food, listened to the variety of dialects going on, took some pictures, and checked out the souveniers. There was an adorable HRC teddy bear in a stripey shirt and beret. I was totally set to get it pour ma mere, until I saw the price. Twenty five Euros. That’s over $35. I love my mother, but it seemed ridiculous to spend that much on an 8″ bear. Instead we got our glass for our collection, and a guitar pin for our other collection. Then we were off to le Champs d’Elysee. On the way, we happened upon the opera house. Now, you can click the link and look at the pictures, but they just cannot do it justice. The thing is amazing. It is so incredibly opulent. You can hear the silk taffeta rustling to an opera, as the horses clip-clop along the cobblestones. It literally sparkles in the night. Buildings like this fascinate me. There is just nothing built like this anymore. This is fine, however, it is fascinating to ponder the mindset of the architects and builders of this type of place. Mind boggling. We continued on our way. I stopped roughly every thirty seconds to drool over some couture creation peering out from a window. It is only appropriate to do so in the home of haute couture (rant for another day: my disdain for any company that randomly attaches “couture” to their name as though that makes it true. Tomoorow I shall add “queen” to my name, and see if any Brits bow to me. I think not). What I love about Europe: they put the prices right there in the window. You look at the ensemble, and there in the window is a neatly written or typed listing of each thing and how much it will set you back. Now, I already know damn well when I look in the window at Dior, that there is no way that anything can come home with me. I am not deluded. However, it is nice to know by how much I can’t afford it. It is also amazing to stand in the presence of such underrated works of art. I mean the skill and craftsmanship that goes into some of these pieces is amazing. The fabrics, the draping, the way the texture or pattern is used as an organic part of the design rather than a coincidence. It makes me wish I had the time to perfect my skills and be able to create, from start to finish, something on that level.
With Geoff periodically prodding me along, oh, did I meantion there were sparkles, too? Some of the most incredible jewelry I’ve ever seen in my life! It wasn’t just the materials, but the way they were put together. Such creative and innovative pieces. Oh yeah, prodding. We made it to the famed Parisian street. We took in the le tour d’Eiffel from the street. They’ve added some crazy lighting since we were last in town. G used the video feature on our camera to capture it, as stills don’t do much for crazy twinkling lights. We continued down the street. Oh, how I wish we had something like it here. We peered in the shops, and took in all the bustling people. We gawked, not just at the incredible architecture, but the use of light, and the placement of buildings and objects. There was innovation and inundation. It was grand. We made our way down to the end. I mean the end. L’arc de Triomphe. For those of you who aren’t in the know, we were engaged there. Right on top, almost exactly seven years ago to the day (today, I mean…not that day, I should do an anniversary telling of the event…it’s pretty fecking cool). We didn’t think it was open, so we settled for looking at it, and at each other, and taking lots of pictures. It was at that point that we decided perhaps to head back to the hotel. We snuggled in, read a bit to unwind, and let the sounds of the city through our open window lull us off to sleep….

a day late

Friday, November 17th, 2006

So, the Gilmore Girls episode this week found Chris and Lorelai in Paris. Outside of their annoying habit of not speaking French, and complaining about how rude French people are (general aside…when in a foreign land, if you make no attempt to learn the language, you absolutely deserve any rudeness you get), it made me long for Europe. The crazy lights on Tour Eiffel, L’arc de triomphe, the ready availability of bread and wine…*le sigh*
Our first day in Paris was a bust, as I so very briefly mentioned earlier. First of all, Charles de Galles is HUGE. So very, very HUGE. Pack some snacks for the trek it takes to get to your luggage. Pack additional snacks to get out of the airport. It felt like we were walking for at least a decade before we got to the RER. It may have been longer, I lost track with the sherpas and all. We made it to the RER, got our tickets, and plopped down on a train. There was a group of mildly amusing teens at one end of our car. The obligatory deaf man with trinkets made his way through. (If you make it through a trip to Paris, using the metro/RER system, without encountering one of these it is not a real trip to Paris.) We wound our way to transfer to the Metro. We found ourselves in what appeared to be an underground mega-mall. We needed tickets, and silly us thought this would be an easy affair. As if. Dragging our heavier-by-the-minute luggage, we eventually found the entrance to the metro itself. Just inside were ticket machines–hurrah! Except that it appeared only one of them worked and had a line. Bleck. So I sat with the luggage while G attempted to find a counter staffed by a human. i sat long enough for everything I’d packed to go out of style, come back in style, and then go out again. Just as I wondered if I needed to send a Saint Bernard out for him, he returned. Sans tickets. Apparently after finding the counter, there was a five year wait to get to the window, so he decided to try his luck with the machine. He waited. He arrived in front of the machine. He inserted a credit card. The machine wouldn’t recognize it. The machine didn’t take cash. It was back to the five-year-line. I decided to go along htis time, as I didn’t want to grow old without my sweetie. G leading the way, we headed to the world’s tiniest elevator. We managed to cram in with our luggage and got to the right floor. We got in line. We were two people behind a woman who I am hoping, for the sake of the Franch people, was not French. She was obliviously gnawing on what appeared to be Maize on a stick. (Wonder if that will be at the MN state fair next year?) Chewing with her mouth open, and making a godawful smacking noise as she went. My sking is crawling just thinking about it. We inch forward. We get to the window and procure metro passes. Hurrah! Woever, we still need to get to the train itself. We drag our luggage back to the miniscule elevator, a few more miles and we are finally on a train to our hotel. A very crowded train. We make it to our stop, ease our way off, up too many stairs and eventually encounter daylight. According to our map, we aren’t far from our hotel. So, we begin walking. And walking. We get stuck when a mass of people are blocking the road. We aren’t sure what is going on. There is food, music, and people in what appear to be large vats of grapes, stomping away. We consider our options.
a) Push through the dense crowd of people, towing cinder block-laden luggage behind, keeping our eyes on the hotel looming on the other side.
b) Follow the alley to the left, dodging puddles and a small white dog, all the while hoping that subsequent streets will take us to the hotel.
c) follow the street to our right, dodging cars and scooters, all the while hoping the subsequent streets lead us to our hotel.
We chose option A, flipped to page 54, and mentally crossed our fingers. We made it to our hotel. After turning down the 10 Euros/person charge for breakfast, I crammed into the world’s smalles elevator (for real this time) with my suitcase. The elevator claimed a 4 person capacity, but I couldn’t figure out how that was possible. I got off into the world’s narrowest hallway (single file only) and wedged myself near the door to awai G and the room key.
Success! We were in our room! We still had our luggage and carried only the slightest odor of locker room. My head was killing me, and I was all congested. I needed to lie down. The rest was a blur, but G managed to get me some French cold medicine and cough syrup, which I took despite not being to figure out what was in it. The next thing I knew it was the middle of the night. The streets were mostly quiet. We didn’t get to go clubbing. We didn’t do any exploring. We just slept. We figured this would mean we would be totally refreshed on Sunday for lots of fun Paris action.
I promise to write more soon. I just dropped G off at the airport for a short trip to Florida, and I am a free woman this weekend…so, in between learning lines, I shall get to more details of the trip, all of which promise to be far more interesting than our first day!

to quote Four Weddings and a Funeral

Wednesday, October 4th, 2006

Fuck, Fuck, Fuckitty-fuck….
I think you get the picture. If I would have had more time in the messed-uppedness that was the week before our trip, I would have posted something a lot like that. However, I am just now getting around to it, so that you, my cherished reader can fully appreciate what I enjoyed the week before the trip.
At work, I was told that I would have to switch departments, and would get to head up that department’s remodel…even though I would be out-of-town for the bulk of it. This meant coming in at 8 on Sunday, and 6 Monday and Tuesday. That’s am, kids. As in I’m usually not out of the coffin yet for fear I will burst into flames. However, I made it in at 8 on Sunday, and tried to take advantage of getting off early, and getting to cross some things off the old to-do list. It turned out to not be a lot off the to-do list, but we got a couple fo things done, including dinner at Chevy’s with a cantaloupe margarita (sooo delicious). Then Monday rolls around. I am ready and leaving for work…on time, mind you, just not early. I stumble out to my car, in the still-dark morning, and unlock the door. I open the driver’s side door, and am about to toss my purse on the passenger seat, as is my usual routine. Until I realize that the passenger seat is full of broken glass. And my radio is gone. Fuck. I turn around, grumbling (at least this time they actually took the radio, instead of making my car miserable to drive during a snowstorm), and stumble back into the house, where I wake up G (who still has another hour to sleep) to ask him if we can trade cars so I can not be too late for work, and he can do the police crap and maybe have someone come out and fix the window.
Tuesday, I have roughly a billionty things to do. Another ass-crack of dawn morning, followed by getting my hair done (which if my manager could have gotten the scheules out on time, I could have done a week or two earlier, at least), and an audition. I got to my hair appointment a few minutes early, find a prime parking spot, only to find the meter doesn’t want to register time for one’s quarters. I decide to screw it, and leave my car there, and hope for the best. I get my hair done, hop in the car, and realize I will be cutting it close, but should be okay (and thank the gods for no parking ticket). Except that I get behind two consectutive people who neitherr know where they are going, nor how to drive. Combine that with a shit-ton of road construction, and I quickly realize I am fucked. I call G, since that is the only number I’ve got, and see if he can find numbers for anyone related to the theater to call and tell them what’s going on. Of course there is no number for a human being available, so I figure at least I should show up, even if it is late. I get home a few minutes after I am supposed to be at the theater, and do the world’s fastest clothes change and resume grab in the history of the world. I squeal into the theatre at the exact time my audition is supposed to start, just narrowly keeping my anxiety from creeping into hyperventilation. Fortunately, all I missed was the director’s intro. I wasn’t expecting to get cast, and basically was doing the audition as practice, and to be seen. Being late clinched the not getting cast, I’m sure, but fuck-it. I’d busted my ass to get there, I may as well give it my all. Which, I think I had a pretty decent reading, especially considering the other people in my group. So, I left, pausing to chat, and in the car on the way home, I was able to finally get enough air into my lungs.
Wednesday was just a usual day of double heading one job into the other…the only real clincher was that I discovered the shoes I bought mainly for the trip killed my feet. I mean, they hurt worse than any of the spike heels I own. So, throw another item on the to-do list, return shoes from hell, and get slightly less stylish but infinitely more comfortable second-choice shoes. The kicker came when I woke up with G on Thursday…earlier than I needed to be up for work. However, it was lucky I woke up when I did, because my throat hurt like a mutha. I could barely squeak out talking, and it hurt to swallow. My ears hurt and were crackling every time I moved my jaw. There was no way I could work, and since I got up extra early, I was up in enough time to call in. Fuck, because I didn’t think I had any sick time to use right then, and I was pushing the envelope on my vacay….not to mention that I’m sure they thought I was lying so I could have an extra day to get ready. But, there it was, not much I could do about it. So, I popped a bunch of Ibuprofen to try and dull the pain, and spent nearly the whole day in bed. So much for going to work, and getting my errands done after. I did get the devil shoes exchanged, though, thanks to G driving me. And I had a yummy slightly late dinner with G, Toni and her guy, so we could get the carger cord for the Game Boy they were loaning us. It hurt to talk, but it was nice to see them before we left.
Friday was pretty mundane…but I will tell you that flying with any sort of ENT thing SUCKS. I never have ear trouble when flying, and my right ear, especially was seriously painful, not to mention that I was having a hard time popping my ears because I couldn’t really swallow or blow very well. That came out all wrong, but there it is. Anyhow, G did get non-gelcap Ibuprofen to make the flight at least tolerable, and I did manage to sleep…but it still sucked. By the time we got to the hotel on Saturday, I just wanted to lay down. G went to the pharmacie and got me some French drugs. i’m not entirely sure what was in them, but I chugged the cough syrup, choked down the pills, took some more ibuprofen, and told Geoff to call an ambulance if it seemed like I was ODing. I made it through the night, only moderately dissappointed with myself for wasting a perfectly good day in Europe.
So there it is, my post-trip recap of my pre-trip countdown.

because i don’t wanna do laundry….

Monday, October 2nd, 2006

Well kids, I’m back on the mainland. I intended to blog while I was away, but my internet time was a bit more limited than I intended. That, and half of it was on a French keyboard. Not condusive to blogging.
Anyway….here are some highlights, before I get down to the details over the next week or so. If I weren’t so darn lazy, I would bullet this…but you shall have to settle for bolding.
Best bang for our buck (something we had to pay to see) The Louvre. Eight Euros a person, to see some serious art. I did see the Mona Lisa, since I was there and all. Just as unimpressive as I expected. My favorite was teh French sculpture…some really amazing stuff. I am sad that I could not find the French impressionists. I really, really wanted to see them. But, search as we may, we could not seem to find them. The place is isanely huge.
Favorite place in Rome The Cat Sanctuary. It was free. It is a site of ancient ruins, that were excavated early in the last century. They date to a couple of centuries BC. The animal shelter spays/neuters them, vaccinates them, and lets them live in the ruins. They have adoption hours each day, when you can go down into the ruins and selct a kitty to bring home. Seriously freaking cool. We visited it twice.
Weirdest Tourist Attraction The Crypts of the Capuchin Monks in Rome. There is nothing I could say that would properly prepare you for what you would see. Remember gluing various pasta onto cigar boxes or tissue boxes to make a lovely gift for Mother’s day? Now imagine that you were doing that in a room, with bones. Human bones. There were even light fixtures made out of bones. Throw in a few mummified monks, and a painting of Jesus, and there you go. I am still trying to wrap my head around it. They were real human bones. Real ones. Everywhere. Really.
Cutest non-feline thing I saw (and favorite thing I saw on the French metro) On our way back to our hotel to get a taxi to the airport, a girl gets on the metro. She has a Beige and white rat sitting on her shoulder, which she is nuzzling with her nose and whispering in its ear. As the metro starts up, he crawls down her arm, and mestles himself in where her arms are folded. When she got off, he nestled himself at the back of her neck in her scarf. Seriously sweet, and cute. I sort of wanted my own rat to ride the metro with.
Cutest Feline thing Flat-faced orange and whtie kitty in Bram. Seriously, it hurt a little. That’s how cute the kitty was. It was a little ridiculous. I could barely form words. If he wouldn’t have been with his four brothers/sisters on a roof top terrace, I would have catnapped him and brought him home.
Best travel guides in a foreign land Click and NNS. They showed us things we would not have tracked down otherwise. They gave us tips for getting around and buying/ordering things in Rome, intoduced us to Gelato (which I am seriously craving some Limoncello gelato right now). They gave us a place to crash and made us feel right at home. Seroiusly, we owe them. Not to mention they are just a blast to hang out with. Forgive me for being cheesy for a moment, but we are blessed to have such amazing people as friends.
Travel tip of the day We learn the hard way so you don’t have to. If you are traveling by train, and are in a car other than your own when the train stops, get back to your own car as quickly as possible. Make sure you are sitting in your own seat with your travel companions before the train starts moving. Otherwise you may find that the train runs out of cars before you get to yours, and you are on your way to an entirely different city than your traveling companion, and the car you were in. Your traveling companion won’t know where you could have gone because while you were stopped, they hooked your car up to a new train. You may be set back in your travel by a day. Seriously.
Lackluster airline of the year Northwest Airlines. I realize that part of this is my fault for traveling via an airline that has two unions striking, and Karma was reminding me of this. But, seriously. I am grateful that I made it over the ocean and back relatively unscathed.
Most daring travel feat for a pasty white girl Topless sunbathing on the Mediterranean. Yup. I did it. I can say I was subathing topless on the French Riviera. Two coats of SPF 55 Sunblock, and I survived it. I even got ogled by at least one old man. I also swam in the mediterranean. It was very salty. I did wear my top for that, because the water was chill and I wanted an extra layer on my girl parts.
Well, I am running out of steam at the moment, so I will have to return with more later. We will also get our pictures uploaded for viewing.