Today I am grumpy. I have no idea why. I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed or something. My co-worker told me to go and get some lunch and coffee for us. It helped to be out in the fresh air. Also... the sandwiches we got were delicious!
I wanted to say a special thanks to a particularly nerdy individual who shall remain anonymous in this blog. Let's call him Peter Parker. You've cheered me up greatly with all things nerdy and musical. So, thanks Peter. You're aces in my book. Also, I insist that you don't cheat on me with other women who share your same interests in television shows. I should be you only theor-ess. As you are my only theorer. ;)
You know you love me!
xoxo
Emma
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Disneyland in the rain is the loveliest
"Biggest storm to hit Southern California in a long time. "
"This will end the drought. "
These were the things I heard on the news the morning of the 16th. To a layman... these words meant a horrible trip to Disneyland. For me, this meant the best trip ever. I know, that the rain will scare away locals from the park. The only people that would stay were people who had vested money into a vacation.
My parents and brother hadn't been to Disneyland in over 7 years. They last went with me, my ex (i'll call him Gayken) and Scout... who was 2 1/2 at the time. Needless to say, there were a lot of changes that happened since they had visited. Scout and I had a lot of land to cover in less than 10 hours. A lot of the wait times for rides were 10 minutes or less. The coveted rides, Indiana Jones, Toy Story Mania and Peter Pan's Flight creeped up to the 20 minute mark. All in all... this was an ideal situation.
Torrential downpours drowned the park at about 2:00PM. People took shelter in stores and covered queues and restaurants. I, on the other hand, strolled around as if it were a bright sunny day. I love the rain. I love the rain at Disneyland even more. The one thing about me.. is that I'm not delicate. I don't run from raindrops, cry if I step in a puddle or if my hair gets wet. I just enjoy it for what it is. That is, until my father decided to throw a hissy fit on the way to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in California Adventure. I had to go in to Sarge mode.
My background with Scout is this: I've trained her to know every inch of the Disneyland resort. At least, both parks. She can run off for Fastpasses while I go in the other direction and wait in line for an attraction or a meal for the both of us. She knows where most of the bathrooms are and knows where to go and whom to talk to if she gets lost or hurt. She is my little Disney soldier.
My dad's hissy fit consisted of him complaining about the rain, not wanting to walk anymore and pouting. It was horrible. I told Scout to take him into the Off the Page store as a quick shelter and a swift backdoor entrance to the Animation Station. I figured the combination of seats, large screens and passive Cast Members would help my dad to calm down a little. If anything, the carpeted floor would give my dad the opportunity to throw a fit in a dry place.
I was going to visit a friend, Eric, who worked at the Emporium (for about an hour) to catch a break from being around the parents. Scout was ready to take over with a last minute itinerary that would keep them out of the rain for as long as possible and in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot until I got back in about an hour. My parents were confused to why Scout was left in charge. *sigh* It's not as if my parents and brother knew where to go anyway!
Eric was slated to finish his shift around 2:00 PM. I was able to hang out with him for a bit before he left to hang out with his other. It's a shame he had to leave. I heart Eric. He's dapper, funny and adorable. It would have been great to have a friend to share the park with for just a little bit. He wrote a new birthday button for my dad (which was absolutely darling) and we just chatted. Eric was mortified that I had wet shoes/socks and pant bottoms. He insisted that I take some extra absorbent towels to dry my lower limbs.
I had to make my way back to California Adventure when Eric went away. It sucked. It did, though, stop raining and my family was hanging out at the Tower of Terror. I was able to ride with my brother and Scout. We did the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkey thing for the picture and some bitch threw her hands up in front of me. My brother and Scout were in the picture. I was blocked by referee touchdown hands. *sigh*
A couple of great things though:
We rode Toy Story Mania and I rocked it. Once wtih my mom (because she hasn't ridden it before) and with some random stranger fella.
Push talked to me! The garbage can talked to me! :D Scout and I were happy campers.
My family left the park at 7:00 PM and drove straight to this place. It was delicious. It's the best Indonesian food I've had outside of Indonesia. Everything they put in front of us, our family devoured. Even Scout was wolfing things down. One of the best things: the Sate Ayam. Plainly speaking... Chicken Skewers. They were so authentic, that I wanted to peek in the back and see if there was a little man who was fanning the flames with a bamboo fan. It's the way I remember it being made when I was visiting relatives. It was lovely. We went back to the hotel full and happy.
I'd rather not write about the day we left (Feb 17th). I'm a little bitter about having the be the Human GPS and drive everyone around Los Angeles to show them the sights. My crowning site was supposed to be a stop at the Grove. I love walking around there. Scout wanted to show my parents the American Girl store and I wanted to make my stop at the Barnes and Noble. I knew my parents would really like the fountain area. Alas... my brother was an asshole and we ended up just passing by. This, from a person who has never been there. Has no idea what IS there and passed judgement of how swanky it looked. My parents passed the same judgement on me. They figured since I go there, I must spend money I don't have to impress people that I don't know. They really don't know me at all. I go there to read and spend time with the kid in the bookstore.
*shrug*
There was snow in the Grapevine when we drove through. It was like a winter wonderland, but a little scary at the same time. Pictures will be posted soon!
I look forward to taking Lizzie, Nick and Taylor to Los Angeles for the places that are fun. I know, at the minimum, that they would appreciate the effort I've put forth in making a fun trip. My parents only appreciated my human map skills and not having to drive.
More happy news soon!
You know you love me,
xoxo
Emma
"This will end the drought. "
These were the things I heard on the news the morning of the 16th. To a layman... these words meant a horrible trip to Disneyland. For me, this meant the best trip ever. I know, that the rain will scare away locals from the park. The only people that would stay were people who had vested money into a vacation.
My parents and brother hadn't been to Disneyland in over 7 years. They last went with me, my ex (i'll call him Gayken) and Scout... who was 2 1/2 at the time. Needless to say, there were a lot of changes that happened since they had visited. Scout and I had a lot of land to cover in less than 10 hours. A lot of the wait times for rides were 10 minutes or less. The coveted rides, Indiana Jones, Toy Story Mania and Peter Pan's Flight creeped up to the 20 minute mark. All in all... this was an ideal situation.
Torrential downpours drowned the park at about 2:00PM. People took shelter in stores and covered queues and restaurants. I, on the other hand, strolled around as if it were a bright sunny day. I love the rain. I love the rain at Disneyland even more. The one thing about me.. is that I'm not delicate. I don't run from raindrops, cry if I step in a puddle or if my hair gets wet. I just enjoy it for what it is. That is, until my father decided to throw a hissy fit on the way to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in California Adventure. I had to go in to Sarge mode.
My background with Scout is this: I've trained her to know every inch of the Disneyland resort. At least, both parks. She can run off for Fastpasses while I go in the other direction and wait in line for an attraction or a meal for the both of us. She knows where most of the bathrooms are and knows where to go and whom to talk to if she gets lost or hurt. She is my little Disney soldier.
My dad's hissy fit consisted of him complaining about the rain, not wanting to walk anymore and pouting. It was horrible. I told Scout to take him into the Off the Page store as a quick shelter and a swift backdoor entrance to the Animation Station. I figured the combination of seats, large screens and passive Cast Members would help my dad to calm down a little. If anything, the carpeted floor would give my dad the opportunity to throw a fit in a dry place.
I was going to visit a friend, Eric, who worked at the Emporium (for about an hour) to catch a break from being around the parents. Scout was ready to take over with a last minute itinerary that would keep them out of the rain for as long as possible and in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot until I got back in about an hour. My parents were confused to why Scout was left in charge. *sigh* It's not as if my parents and brother knew where to go anyway!
Eric was slated to finish his shift around 2:00 PM. I was able to hang out with him for a bit before he left to hang out with his other. It's a shame he had to leave. I heart Eric. He's dapper, funny and adorable. It would have been great to have a friend to share the park with for just a little bit. He wrote a new birthday button for my dad (which was absolutely darling) and we just chatted. Eric was mortified that I had wet shoes/socks and pant bottoms. He insisted that I take some extra absorbent towels to dry my lower limbs.
I had to make my way back to California Adventure when Eric went away. It sucked. It did, though, stop raining and my family was hanging out at the Tower of Terror. I was able to ride with my brother and Scout. We did the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkey thing for the picture and some bitch threw her hands up in front of me. My brother and Scout were in the picture. I was blocked by referee touchdown hands. *sigh*
A couple of great things though:
We rode Toy Story Mania and I rocked it. Once wtih my mom (because she hasn't ridden it before) and with some random stranger fella.
Push talked to me! The garbage can talked to me! :D Scout and I were happy campers.
My family left the park at 7:00 PM and drove straight to this place. It was delicious. It's the best Indonesian food I've had outside of Indonesia. Everything they put in front of us, our family devoured. Even Scout was wolfing things down. One of the best things: the Sate Ayam. Plainly speaking... Chicken Skewers. They were so authentic, that I wanted to peek in the back and see if there was a little man who was fanning the flames with a bamboo fan. It's the way I remember it being made when I was visiting relatives. It was lovely. We went back to the hotel full and happy.
I'd rather not write about the day we left (Feb 17th). I'm a little bitter about having the be the Human GPS and drive everyone around Los Angeles to show them the sights. My crowning site was supposed to be a stop at the Grove. I love walking around there. Scout wanted to show my parents the American Girl store and I wanted to make my stop at the Barnes and Noble. I knew my parents would really like the fountain area. Alas... my brother was an asshole and we ended up just passing by. This, from a person who has never been there. Has no idea what IS there and passed judgement of how swanky it looked. My parents passed the same judgement on me. They figured since I go there, I must spend money I don't have to impress people that I don't know. They really don't know me at all. I go there to read and spend time with the kid in the bookstore.
*shrug*
There was snow in the Grapevine when we drove through. It was like a winter wonderland, but a little scary at the same time. Pictures will be posted soon!
I look forward to taking Lizzie, Nick and Taylor to Los Angeles for the places that are fun. I know, at the minimum, that they would appreciate the effort I've put forth in making a fun trip. My parents only appreciated my human map skills and not having to drive.
More happy news soon!
You know you love me,
xoxo
Emma
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Travel woe
So explain.... How we can leave our town at 7am and FINALLY check in to our hotel at 6:30pm. Ugh. We are over 3 hours late to do anything. The Grove closes at 8pm. It's 6:45 now and it takes 30 minutes to get there. Bleg
Update: we didn't do anything. We ate some kick ass Indonesian food in West Covina and then checked into our hotel near LAX. Truth be told, it's a gorgeous hotel... But they are charging $11 per day for Internet!! Thanks but no thanks! I am posting this from a Starbucks, thank you chain O' coffee for your wi-fi service that I can access through my normal service provider!
Tomorrow I am taking the fam to Disneyland. My mothership. Yes... I was there not more than a week ago and I am going again! This time Scout gets to go with me. My parents and brother haven't been in over 5 years. They have a lot of new stuff to see. Scout and I have a lot to cover in a short time!
xoxo
Emma
Update: we didn't do anything. We ate some kick ass Indonesian food in West Covina and then checked into our hotel near LAX. Truth be told, it's a gorgeous hotel... But they are charging $11 per day for Internet!! Thanks but no thanks! I am posting this from a Starbucks, thank you chain O' coffee for your wi-fi service that I can access through my normal service provider!
Tomorrow I am taking the fam to Disneyland. My mothership. Yes... I was there not more than a week ago and I am going again! This time Scout gets to go with me. My parents and brother haven't been in over 5 years. They have a lot of new stuff to see. Scout and I have a lot to cover in a short time!
xoxo
Emma
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Single Awareness Day? I spit on you!
Having a gay man as your valentine is the best thing ever!!!! He was extremely thoughtful and attentive! I got a teddy bear, chocolates, a handmade card AND homemade cupcakes decorated perfectly. This was an awful lot more than the valentines I got when I was married. I love you Nick. :).
Nick's bestie, Taylor made cute cards for me and Scout. Spending the day with them was better than any Valentines Day I've had in quite a long time. Today has made me extremely happy!
xoxo
Emma
Nick's bestie, Taylor made cute cards for me and Scout. Spending the day with them was better than any Valentines Day I've had in quite a long time. Today has made me extremely happy!
xoxo
Emma
Monday, February 9, 2009
Singles awareness day
I have a valentine. His name is Nick *not his real name* and he's gay. :D
Though, please don't read into it more than you need to. It's not a romantic valentine... but more of an understanding of 2 single people who hope for an "other" for a Valentines day in the future. There are no candies, candles or romantic gestures. Frankly, that's totally okay. Scout is also my valentine, but that's because she's my kid. *shrug*
As a special treat for my Valentines, we're going to see High School Musical on Ice on Saturday. Lizzie has not yet seen the movies, so I know her enthusiasm for Teen Disney music is on the low side. I'm excited because I've seen the other 2 ice shows and this one will include High School Musical 3!! Nick and Scout have a shared adoration for HSM, so I know they will be totally excited. Nick's best gal pal, Taylor, is coming with us for her shared passion for all things HSM.
I'm just excited to get out of the house. I love roadtrips! :D
xoxo
Emma
Though, please don't read into it more than you need to. It's not a romantic valentine... but more of an understanding of 2 single people who hope for an "other" for a Valentines day in the future. There are no candies, candles or romantic gestures. Frankly, that's totally okay. Scout is also my valentine, but that's because she's my kid. *shrug*
As a special treat for my Valentines, we're going to see High School Musical on Ice on Saturday. Lizzie has not yet seen the movies, so I know her enthusiasm for Teen Disney music is on the low side. I'm excited because I've seen the other 2 ice shows and this one will include High School Musical 3!! Nick and Scout have a shared adoration for HSM, so I know they will be totally excited. Nick's best gal pal, Taylor, is coming with us for her shared passion for all things HSM.
I'm just excited to get out of the house. I love roadtrips! :D
xoxo
Emma
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
37.... in a row?
I'm not referring to the "Dicks in Row" comment from Clerks... but the mass of people that I went to Disneyland with this past weekend. Yes, we had 35 and not 37 people, but the quote still sounds good...right? I was able to procure 35 "I'm Celebrating" buttons for the entire group. We looked unified. We also moved as a big mass all over the park. I was able to charm the pants off many a cast member with the opening phrase "Pardon me..." that wasn't proceeded by "do you have any Grey Poupon"
The one thing about me that only exists in Disneyland is the fact that I wish people Happy Birthday. I'll walk, see a button, say "Happy Birthday!!!" then continue on my way. It interrupts my conversations with people sometimes, but also breaks the monotony of an otherwise normal Disneyland operating day. The group totally got into it and wished people a happy birthday with some clapping motions and a group shout / point of "YOU ROCK" towards the birthday person. No age was discriminated against. It would start with a person in our group shouting "Hey, (insert name on Birthday Button here), HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" Then the clapping and chanting. It was sweet and (personally) cool to have so many people acknowledge you on your birthday. Okay... to be fair... I love when people wish me a happy birthday. I don't care advertising my age either. Also... I don't really LOOK my age... so it works in my favor. ;)
This trip was truly, one of the best times I've ever had. I've had many trips to the park with many people. but never in a group this big. It was a bittersweet undertaking, but fulfilling all the while. I did learn a few things on this trip.
1) Tired and driving = spilling of secrets
I think I told all I had in me to the 2 people that stayed up to hear them. I can't tell you if they remember anything I said, but I think I remember what I said and it was pretty juicy information. (Please... like i'd blog my secrets here... lol)
2) Gay men smell good. Really? Need I say more?
3) I'm not as young as I used to be, but that's totally okay. I think it's bunking with people who are a decade younger than I am that made me the "old lady" in the room. I'm sure that the roommates didn't think that, but it was one of the first times I thought that.
4) My cursing while driving is amazing. I put words together that really don't belong, but in the context of my anger... makes absolute sense. It scares people
5) I got extra emo during the fireworks. Kudos to Lizzie for being sweet and comforting. I don't know what came over me. It was more emotion than I was used to during the pretty lights in the sky. Also, see #2.
6) I need to work out my right arm more if I'm going to dust Lizzie in Toy Story Mania ;) Screaming like I was birthing a child while yanking a rope over and over to shoot virtual balls is not okay! lol
7) I've never been more appreciative of everything I had in my life until I did all of these things this last weekend.
It's been a long road, but I think things are going to be more than okay. A lot of my dreams have come true and I still have a long way to go in my life to make more of these wonderful daydreams tactile.
Thank you 827. Our store may be gone, but we went out in a fantastic and glorious way! :D
You know you love me
xoxo
Emma
The one thing about me that only exists in Disneyland is the fact that I wish people Happy Birthday. I'll walk, see a button, say "Happy Birthday!!!" then continue on my way. It interrupts my conversations with people sometimes, but also breaks the monotony of an otherwise normal Disneyland operating day. The group totally got into it and wished people a happy birthday with some clapping motions and a group shout / point of "YOU ROCK" towards the birthday person. No age was discriminated against. It would start with a person in our group shouting "Hey, (insert name on Birthday Button here), HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" Then the clapping and chanting. It was sweet and (personally) cool to have so many people acknowledge you on your birthday. Okay... to be fair... I love when people wish me a happy birthday. I don't care advertising my age either. Also... I don't really LOOK my age... so it works in my favor. ;)
This trip was truly, one of the best times I've ever had. I've had many trips to the park with many people. but never in a group this big. It was a bittersweet undertaking, but fulfilling all the while. I did learn a few things on this trip.
1) Tired and driving = spilling of secrets
I think I told all I had in me to the 2 people that stayed up to hear them. I can't tell you if they remember anything I said, but I think I remember what I said and it was pretty juicy information. (Please... like i'd blog my secrets here... lol)
2) Gay men smell good. Really? Need I say more?
3) I'm not as young as I used to be, but that's totally okay. I think it's bunking with people who are a decade younger than I am that made me the "old lady" in the room. I'm sure that the roommates didn't think that, but it was one of the first times I thought that.
4) My cursing while driving is amazing. I put words together that really don't belong, but in the context of my anger... makes absolute sense. It scares people
5) I got extra emo during the fireworks. Kudos to Lizzie for being sweet and comforting. I don't know what came over me. It was more emotion than I was used to during the pretty lights in the sky. Also, see #2.
6) I need to work out my right arm more if I'm going to dust Lizzie in Toy Story Mania ;) Screaming like I was birthing a child while yanking a rope over and over to shoot virtual balls is not okay! lol
7) I've never been more appreciative of everything I had in my life until I did all of these things this last weekend.
It's been a long road, but I think things are going to be more than okay. A lot of my dreams have come true and I still have a long way to go in my life to make more of these wonderful daydreams tactile.
Thank you 827. Our store may be gone, but we went out in a fantastic and glorious way! :D
You know you love me
xoxo
Emma
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