Finally Nemo

After months of waiting, we finally got to go on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the newest ride at Disneyland. It's also one of the oldest rides too, having arisen from the ashes of the original Submarine Voyage that opened in 1959 as part of the first major expansion of Tomorrowland (it was one of the first rides requiring an E Ticket).


We rode the submarine named Mariner. (09/30/07)

The ride was in operation for nearly 40 years until Disneyland announced that it would be shut down and re-opened with a new theme in 2003. Apparently there was an attempt to resuscitate the ride in 2003 based on the 2001 Disney film Atlantis. But when that movie flopped, so did the prospects of re-opening the ride.


James and Amy can't hide their enthusiasm. (09/30/07)

And then came a little movie you might have heard of. If memory serves correct, I think it was called Finding Nemo. Maybe a couple of you have seen it. :) In 2005, it became official and Disneyland announced the ride, which was slated to open in 2007 (it seemed so far off then).


Something about the two drivers just looks wrong! (09/30/07)

The ride opened in June to great acclaim. We tried to get preview tickets, which were offered to Annual Passholders via a lottery system. Unfortunately we had no luck. We would have to wait in line with everyone else. Only problem was the wait was up to four hours long during the opening week peak.


Tim and Ashley get ready to go down under. (09/30/07)

We even got to the park at 8:45 a.m. one day (they opened at 8:00) only to find that the ride already had an hour-and-a-half wait. The only solution — other than waiting for long stretches of time — was to open the park and dash directly to Nemo. We even found two people who volunteered to come with us: Amy and her sister Ashley.


We found Darla under the water. (09/30/07)

So there we were, lined up at the front gate at 7:45 a.m., 15 minutes before opening. When they opened the gate at 8:00, we immediately dashed to the ride, which was still undergoing the morning tests. The wait turned out to be about 30 minutes, which is really short all things considered.


Tim climbs out of the hatch. (09/30/07)

The ride was great! Now, I know what most of you are thinking. Same old shit that used to be there, right? Wrong!!! This ride has been totally revamped. Sure, it starts off with the same type of stuff, only cleaner and more brightly colored. But leave it to those Disney Imagineers to come up with a cool way of making the Finding Nemo characters come to life (I won't disclose too much, since I don't want to spoil it for anyone). But let's just say it's really cool!

Breakfast at a Disneyland Original

After opening the park and then immediately riding the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, we were starving. Our usual breakfast location in Disneyland, The Riverbelle Terrace, was under renovation (it's where we ate breakfast the last time we opened Disneyland). So this time, we went to the Carnation Café, that little outdoor restaurant in the heart of Main Street.


Amy and Tim can't decide what they want. (09/30/07)

We had been there once before for dinner, but never for breakfast, so in that sense, it was a first for us. I was surprised to learn that when Disneyland opened in 1955, that the Carnation Café was actually indoors, in the building that is now the Blue Ribbon Bakery. The area where the restaurant now sits was at one time an area where they sold fresh flowers.


Oscar's Choice: The Café Scramble. (09/30/07)

Not only is the Carnation Café a 1955 original, the food is also cooked under the direction of Oscar Martinez, who has the distinction of being Disneyland's longest serving employee (50+ years). A legend among Disneyland devotees, Oscar has been around as long as the park has. He has even cooked for Mr. Walt Disney himself.


The Carnation Café menu. (09/30/07)

On the days he works, Oscar is known to come out and greet customers, making sure their meals are satisfactory. Unfortunately he wasn't working this morning. He only works weekdays, which are the typically the days we're not there. Oh well, it leaves us something to aspire to do there another time.


The Croissant Benedict. (09/30/07)

But Tim, Amy and Ashley did pay tribute to Oscar by ordering Oscar's Choice for breakfast. I was the Benedict Arnold who ordered the Croissant Benedict. I'm sure Oscar will forgive me.

Día de los Muertos at Disneyland

As part of its 2nd annual HalloweenTime promotion, Disneyland debuted a cool little section of the park devoted to Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Since the Disneyland Imagineers summarized the celebration so well on a placard describing the events, I'm simply re-posting their description along with some of the pictures we took.


Disneyland's Día de los Muertos section. (09/30/07)

"Día de los Muertos" (the Spanish phrase for "Day of the Dead") is observed each year upon All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Stemming back to the days of the Aztecs, the holiday is a festive occasion that honors those who have passed away while also celebrating the continuation of life.


A cool Day of the Dead altar. (09/30/07)

Those who celebrate this holiday embrace the belief that death is not the end of our connection with others. Love goes beyond the grave. In Latin American cultures, and among many cultures around the world, the annual celebration brings communities together to honor both the living and the dead.


Do you see Mickey in there? (09/30/07)

With an emphasis on joy rather than sadness, "Día de los Muertos" comes alive with vibrant colors that are iconic to the celebration. Traditions include displaying "calacas" (skeleton figurines) dressed in festive attire, decorating cemeteries and gravesites with orange marigolds, yellow chrysanthemums, and fuchsia cockscombs, and adorning altars with candles, flowers, fruit, bread, photographs, and treasured belongings.


A "calacas" band. (09/30/07)

Delicate "papel picado" (paper cutouts) are often draped throughout the streets, and special food is prepared to welcome back the souls of ancestors and loved ones for a day of remembrance.


Love the colors. (09/30/07)

Though this holiday comes near the traditional time of Halloween, "Día de los Muertos" is an entirely different celebration. For those who honor it, the celebration is an important social and spiritual time which recognizes the cycle of life and death that connects every human being.

Click here to see what James and Tim did for Day of the Dead last year.

Haunted Mansion Holiday

One of our favorite things about Disneyland at this time of year is the Haunted Mansion. Every year since 2001, the Haunted Mansion closes for a couple of weeks in September and re-opens as the Haunted Mansion Holiday, featuring the music, themes and characters from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Looks cool, huh?


A pumpkin rendering of Sandy Claws. (09/30/07)


"000 Days to Xmas" (09/30/07)


The Haunted Mansion Holiday placard. (09/30/07)


It's HalloweenTime! (09/30/07)

Jon Leaves the Hospital

Jon is doing great. In fact, it appears he has improved so much that he's now outgrown the treatment and rehabilitation abilities of Kindred Hospital, and beginning today, he will be moving to a skilled nursing facility in Long Beach. We even brought him lunch from Carl's Jr. to celebrate his final day.


Jon and Amy in front of the hospital. (09/29/07)

We saw him today. And apart from not being able to remember some names of people and places, he was sharp and agile. In fact had you not known he has been hospitalized, you would never notice.

We're still not sure what the next steps are. The one thing that's known for sure is that his stay at the skilled nursing facility will likely be short term. More on that later.

The Monster's Loose

Guess what we found in our yard? Just the biggest, fattest spider you could possibly imagine. It had put a web across the side pathway. The spider was even considerate enough to place the supports high enough so that Simon could pass underneath it (although if I hadn't noticed it, I could have met this guy face first).


The giant spider awaiting its next victim. (09/29/07)

Although this pales in comparison to the leaping sugar cane spider that Doris and Jen encountered one night in Hawaii, this spider is still pretty scary. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to get photographic proof. We managed to get one shot before it finally got too nervous and fled to safety.


Scary. (09/29/07)

We left the web alone for now. He'll be able to keep his home until Thursday when I have no choice to but clear it out when the gardeners come.

Tim Officially Turns 40

With so many fun events planned the week before Tim's birthday, the actual date was much more subdued. I was planning on taking Tim to a nice restaurant, but when asked where he wanted to go, he picked Claim Jumper.


Tim with a red velvet birthday cupcake. (09/25/07)

I know. Claim Jumper is not exactly a five-star place to celebrate your 40th birthday, but Tim was in the mood for their desserts. As always when we go to Claim Jumper, we were so full from dinner that we had to take our desserts home. Later that night I serenaded him with Happy Birthday as he blew out the candle on a red velvet cupcake.

Although it was a quiet night, it was a pleasant close to nearly a week of fun events. Hope it was a great birthday week, Tim!

Forty and Fabulous

My, how quickly 40 years flies by! Although Tim doesn't technically hit the big 4-O until Tuesday, we got together Saturday night to celebrate four decades of Tim.


Tim with his awesome birthday cake. (09/22/07)

The night began at Angelo's & Vinci's Ristorante, a downtown Fullerton institution since the early '70s. This cheesy-in-a-good-way restaurant was opened by the late Steven Peck, a renowned Hollywood dancer, choreographer and veteral actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and TV episodes.


Eric, with Tim and Dana, just got a bright idea. (09/22/07)

In fact, photos of Steven Peck in his movie and TV roles are all over the walls of the restaurant. Usually he played gangsters or thugs, although my favorite photo shows him playing the role of Father Martinelli opposite Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton in the 1984 "two worlds colliding" classic, "Rhinestone." If you missed the photo, it's not surprising considering the walls are covered with every imaginable Italian-themed decoration.


The SuperGroup: Shelly, Chia, Solar, Tim, Guy and Shak. (09/22/07)

We had originally rented the Terraza di Amore, a private terrace that seats up to 40. HOwever, due to the torrential rain that stormed the Southland that day, the restaurant called to tell us things were getting wet, and recommended that we move the party to an enclosed private room, the Stanza di Luna. We were just glad the enclosed room was still available, since the restaurant was hosting at least two weddings and a quinceañera that night.


It's never a party without Christine and Cassidy. (09/22/07)

We had a catered dinner where party guests munched on pizza hors d'oeuvres, antipasto salad, gorgonzola garlic bread, tortellini with basil cream and shrimp, vegetarian lasagna, chicken di giardino and steamed vegetables. Everything was fan-freaking-tastic, however it was the tortellini that knocked everyone's socks off. We washed all that down with several pitchers of red wine sangria, one of our favorites from that restaurant.


Tom and Christine always show up ... eventually. :) (09/22/07)

After dinner, we all headed to Dana and Eric's house for Phase 2 of the party. They had graciously offered to host the party at their home since every room in our house had been turned into a bedroom to host the out-of-town SuperGroup members. Dana got an awesome floral centerpiece that looked amazing (she's got an eye for these things). We can't thank them enough for opening up their home to us and our crazy friends.


Tim with Jean and her fiancee Aric. (09/22/07)

Since we had all our food at the restaurant, the only thing we had at Dana & Eric's was cake and wine (and other beverages). The cake was a white cake with buttercream filling, topped with chocolate fondant. I ordered the cake from a co-worker named Cynthia who has a side business making special-event cakes on weekends.


Tim with three hot chicks: Amy, Cindy and Ann. (09/22/07)

The cake looked so good, that simply cutting into seemed like sacrilege. But our desire to eat cake outweighed any desire to keep the cake in-tact. And I kid you not when I say that as amazing as the cake looked, it tasted even better! Just ask Tom, who at last count, had three slices.


Jason and Jared drove down all the way from Ventura. (09/22/07)

After cake, it was present time. Tim got lots of goodies. He got some clothes, some gift cards, some DVDs, some games, some spa treatments, and of course, a few funny gifts that will go nameless in this blog. He also got a new 160GB video iPod from yours truly (he had complained that his last iPod, which is more than two years old now, didn't have all the bells and whistles that the new ones have). His favorite gift, however, were the two tickets to see Annie Lennox in concert at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills in October.


Tim and "Too Bad He's Straight" Scott. (09/22/07)

Things started to wind down after presents, but as we were lounging around the patio table drinking, we did get to witness Christine F. sing a special acoustic version of her classic sing-along: Eat Me Raw (I think it's about vegetables!) :)


Props to Laura S. (center) for getting the only picture of James. (09/22/07)

Thank you everyone that helped Tim ring in a new decade. It means a lot to us that we have such great friends.

Miller Chill vs. Bud Chelada Smackdown

As a little side note to our City of Heroes LAN Party, I finally got to try that new Budweiser Chelada beverage that Anheuser-Busch introduced over the summer.


100% hoppy, tomatoey, clammy goodness.

The drink takes Budweiser or Bud Light and mixes it with lime, salt and Clamato, which in itself is a combination of clam juice and tomato juice. Before you say how wrong that sounds, keep in mind that I always enjoy trying new drinks even if they are a little scary sounding (remember Pepsi Ice Cucumber).

It all started when I headed to a nearby liquor store to pick up a new beer I had heard about, Miller Chill. It's described as a "Chelada Style" beer, meaning that it is brewed with salt and lime juice. As it later turned out, Miller Chill is kind of boring tasting (hardly worth mentioning in this blog). But while I was looking for Miller Chill in the store, I ended up finding something much more interesting: The Budweiser Chelada.


The new Miller Chill was a little tame.

Any alcoholic beverage with a shellfish warning on the label was something I had to try. So I picked up two cans (one each of the Budweiser and Bud Light varieties). I would have tried it right then and there, but the problem is that it only comes in 24-ounce cans, which is a little too much for me to drink in one sitting. I needed someone to share it with, and Tim wasn't volunteering.

Fortunately, at the LAN party, Shelley said she would try it with me. So I pulled it out of the fridge, gently tipped it over to make sure it didn't settle, and poured two tall glasses. I thought Shelley would like it since she was Canadian (most Bloody Marys in Canada are made with Clamato instead of regular tomato juice for some inexplicable reason).


Warning: Contains shellfish/clams.

As it turned out, she liked it more than me. It's hard for me to describe the taste. It was sweeter than I wanted it to be. I would have liked it if it were a little more salty and spicy. I didn't hate it. But I didn't love it either. I did end up drinking three quarters of it before I finally gave up and moved onto something else.

We still have another can in the fridge (Bud Light variety) if anyone wants to try it!

City of Heroes LAN Party

Friday night, we hosted our first ever LAN party. If you're not familiar with the term, it's when a group of gamers get together and play multi-player games by networking their computers together (Hence, the Local Area Network, or LAN). LAN parties are the predecessors of the newer variation, the Wii party.


Guy, Shelley, Shack, Solar, Tim and Chia at the LAN party. (09/21/07)

You know how some parties are BYOB? LAN parties are BYOC (bring your own computer). As hosts of a LAN party, it's up to us to provide a broadband Internet connection and a switch or hub with enough ports for the players, not to mention enough counter space for the computers themselves.


Shelley delves into the fresh guacamole. (09/21/07)

In addition to the usual bunch (Chia, Shack, Shelley, Solar and Tim), we were joined by Guy, the last of the Southern California Supergroup members. While Tim played with the gang, I acted as bartender and, at Shelley's request, guacamole preparer (Shelley had been mentioning the guacamole for weeks). We hope it lived up to her expectations! :)

Supergroup Goes to Corona Del Mar Beach

For their Friday daytime activity, Tim took them to the beach at Corona Del Mar. For a few of them, this trip marked their first time stepping foot in the Pacific Ocean. Not much detail to report, so instead we're just posting a few of our favorite pics.


The SuperGroup members stand in the Pacific Ocean. (09/21/07)


Shelley poses by the rocks. (09/21/07)


Shelley and Chia breaking the waves. (09/21/07)


Solar, Shelley and Chia. (09/21/07)


Tim climbs a rock. (09/21/07)

The Happiest Supergroup on Earth

On the second day of Supergroup Summit '07, the gang spent the day at the Happiest Place on Earth. This time, Shack, one of the other Southern California supergroup members, was able to join them. Instead of boring you with a lengthy description of the day, we just decided to post a few of our favorite pictures below:


The Supergroup poses in front of Walt and Mickey. (09/20/07)


Chia. (09/20/07)


Shack. (09/20/07)


Shelley. (09/20/07)


Solar. (9/20/07)


Tim. (09/20/07)

Supergroup Summit '07

The day has finally arrived. The day that Tim's City of Heroes friends arrive in Southern California for the first ever Supergroup Summit '07 (or "Geek Week," as I've been calling it).


Nancy, Tim and Shelley kick off Geek Week '07. (09/19/07)

We've written in this blog about Tim's City of Heroes Obsession (including the parallel City of Villains). And last year we even based Tim's 39th birthday party around the City of Heroes theme.

Well, every Thursday night, Tim meets up online with seven other City of Heroes fanatics from various locations across North America to form a Supergroup where they complete task forces. So a few months ago, they decided to meet in the real world to help Tim celebrate his 40th birthday.

First to arrive were Michael (aka "Solar"), from Long Island, New York, and Shelley (aka "Grouchy Girl") from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. After picking them up from their various airports, Tim took them up to Hollywood for a little sightseeing. He took them down to the Hollywood & Highland complex, down the Walk of Fame and then to see the celebrity hand and footprints at Mann's Chinese.


Tim feels at one with Olivia. (09/19/07)

Since it was Shelley and Michael's first time in California, Tim drove them to Santa Monica where they checked out the Pacific Ocean. As you can see by the pictures, the weather was great.


Shelley, Tim and the Santa Monica Pier. (09/19/07)

They couldn't stay long, however, since they had to meet up with Nancy (aka "Chia") who lives in a suburb just outside of Atlanta, GA. She had flown in a few days earlier to spend a few days with a friend in Big Bear, CA.


Tim and Solar in Santa Monica. (09/19/07)

They closed the day by doing — what else? — playing City of Heroes. They didn't stay up too late, however, since they had a busy schedule ahead of them. Disneyland Thursday. The Beach Friday in the daytime. A LAN party Friday night. The official birthday party Saturday, with most people heading back on Sunday.