Happy Halloween '07

Halloween 2007 started like any other day. I woke up, jumped in the shower, got dressed, put on a fake beard, grabbed my cigar, etc. You know typical stuff! :)


Feliz Halloween! (10/31/07)

As you can see by the pics, I went to work as Fidel Castro that day. I wasn't the only one in costume, of course. About a dozen others wore costumes too.

Interestingly enough, last year I was only one of two men at the office who wore a costume (most of the costume wearers were women). So this year, I worked very hard to lobby all the guys to dress up. And guess what happened! We actually ended up with more men in costume than women!


Fidel among the other co-workers who dressed up. (10/31/07)

We also had a fantastic pot luck lunch at the office. Everything was really good, including the meat lasagna I brought. My co-worker Cynthia, who made that spider cake last year, outdid herself this year with the graveyard cake. (Incidentally, she's also the one who I hired to make the cake for Tim's 40th birthday party).


Cynthia's graveyard cake. (10/31/07)

In the evening we were invited to another party, but by the time we got home, we were so exhausted that we ended up staying home and handing out candy to the kids. This year we gave away sour lollipops with skeleton limb handles that we found at Costco. We intentionally picked a candy we didn't like, since, unlike chocolate candy bars, Tim or I couldn't remember the last time were were Jonesing for a sour lollipop!


James and his buddy Walter, who was an old-time cop. (10/31/07)

This year had a lower turnout than the 64 kids that came last year, or the approximately 50 that came the year before that. I'd say we had 40, maybe 45 kids max (our record was 80+ a few years ago). I don't know why it was so low. Maybe it was those dumb skeleton lollipops.

Muckenthaler Moonlight Masquerade

Tonight we kicked off our first Halloween party of the season. We were invited by our friends Dana and Eric to the Muckenthaler Moonlight Masquerade, which was a really fun Halloween-themed party and fundraiser held at Fullerton's historic Muckenthaler Cultural Center.


Fidel and Coffee Matey at the Muckenthaler Moonlight Masquerade. (10/28/07)

Normally, this event costs $60 a person. Because Dana's company was a sponsor, however, she had an entire table to fill. Since Dana was the only one from work going, she decided to fill the table with people that she likes. And inexplicably, we somehow made the cut! :)


Some of our table mates and their friends. (10/28/07)

And far be it for us to turn down a party invitation. Especially when it's held at a historic place, like the Muckenthaler Mansion, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places.


Party guests inspired by Blades of Glory. (10/28/07)

The 18-room mansion was built by Walter and Adella Muckenthaler in 1924 for the then-outrageous sum of $35,000. Designed by architect Frank Benchley, the Italian Renaissance-style structure is reminiscent of buildings constructed for San Diego’s 1915 Exposition in Balboa Park.


Dana the sexy nurse with Coffee Matey. (10/28/07)

Unfortunately, the party was mostly held outside, and since it was at night, we didn't get to see as much of the mansion as I would have liked. Oh well, it gives us an excuse to go back sometime in the daylight when they offer art classes and the like.


"Oscar de la Hoya" was at the party too. (10/28/07)

The party was so much fun. We dined on an array of fall-themed appetizers, and enjoyed some of the wine selections. They also had a no-host Martini bar, a local DJ, a tarot card reader, a palm reader and a fortune teller (although we didn't get the chance to visit any of them). Plus, as you would expect with any fundraiser, there was a live auctions, as well as a silent auction.


Even without a costume, Debbie and Todd looked great. (10/28/07)

For our costumes, I went as Fidel Castro. Why, you ask? I actually wanted to dress as him for years, but now, due to his failing health, this may be the last time I can do it while he's still around. Tim resurrected his Coffee Matey costume from his 2006 birthday party. He spent so much cheddar on it then that we needed to amortize the cost of it by wearing it for another year! :)


Two iconic heads of state. (10/28/07)

We even entered the costume competition. (I knew I didn't have a chance, but I thought Tim did). In retrospect, we realize the contest was rigged. Although the first place winner, Queen Elizabeth I, was certainly deserving, the second and third place winners were totally cheesy. Must have been big donors.

Despite the loss, we had a great time, as we always do with Dana and Eric. Thanks for inviting us guys!

Susan Egan: The Belle of Broadway

As many of you know, two of the things I love the most are musical theatre and anything Disney. And no one person embodies those two distinct worlds better than Susan Egan, a Broadway actress whom I had the plasure of seeing in concert at Long Beach's Carpenter Performing Arts Center at the California State University of Long Beach.


Susan Egan and James. (10/25/07)

In 1994 Susan Egan originated the stage role of Belle when Disney transformed its animated film classic, Beauty and the Beast, into a full-scale Broadway musical. She further cemented her role in Disney history by lending her voice to such Disney animated films as Hercules (as the female lead character Megara) and Lady and the Tramp II (as the singing voice of Angel).


A recent publicity photo of Susan Egan.
Photo: Robert Milazzo

Although Susan Egan isn't the only one who successfully crossed musical theatre with Disney, she is certainly my favorite. I really like Jodi Benson (Ariel from The Little Mermaid), Judy Kuhn (singing voice of Pocahontas), Lea Salonga (singing voice of Jasmine from Aladdin and the title role in Mulan) and Paige O'Hara (Belle in the animated film Beauty and the Beast). But there's something about Susan Egan that just makes her stand above the rest.


As Belle in Beauty and the Beast. (c.1994)
Photo: Joan Marcus

Furthermore, as a Southern California native, Susan Egan is also much more accessible than some of these these other stars. I saw and met Jodi Benson at the Hollywood Bowl in 1996, but as far as I know, she hasn't been back. And I don't even know the last time Judy Kuhn, Lea Salonga or Paige O'Hara have performed in Southern California (and believe me, I'm on every event mailing list there is).


As Sally Bowles in Cabaret. (c.1999)
Photo: Joan Marcus

As if Susan Egan's Disney credentials aren't already enough to make me an obsessed fan, she has also dazzled Broadway audiences with her performance of Sally in Cabaret, which is one of my favorite musicals ever (she was the longest-running Sally Bowles on Broadway). Then in 2004, she took on the starring role in Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie, which is one of my favorite musicals of the last five or six years.


In Thoroughly Modern Millie. (2004)
Photo: Carol Rosegg

This wasn't my first time seeing Susan Egan. The last time was in my pre-blog days of 2004, when she had a CD-release concert at the Orange County Performing Arts Center's intimate Founder's Hall. She sang a lot of stuff from her CD Coffee House, which I enjoyed very much, although personally it was her musical theater songs that really struck a chord with me.

For tonight's show, I was even more excited than last time, since her show was called Susan Egan: The Belle of Broadway. You can't get more Broadway than that. And she did not disappoint.


My autographed CD. (10/2007)

Her set list included such musical theatre classics as "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from Gypsy, "How Lovely to Be a Woman" from Bye Bye Birdie, "My Funny Valentine" from Babes in Arms, the title song from Cabaret, "Heaven Help My Heart" from Chess, "Gimme Gimme" from Thoroughly Modern Millie, a Rogers & Hammerstein medley, a Disney Heroine Medley, a Beauty and the Beast Medley, and a score of lesser-known musical theater songs from newer songwriters.


James with up-and-comer Jamie Hartmann. (10/25/07)

One interesting part came when she brought her neice, Jamie Hartmann, on stage to perform the duet "In His Eyes" from Jekyll and Hyde. It was, in a word, fantastic. At only 19 years old, Jamie Hartmann has a fantastic voice and definitely has a bright future ahead of her. FYI, you can see them performing that duet in this YouTube clip.


Susan Egan also signed this photo for me. (10/2007)

Altogether it was a fabulous show. Susan Egan is just one of those rare people who seamlessly blends a bubbly personality, funny-as-heck storytelling and a delightful musical theatre voice. Making the night even better was the fact that she stuck around afterward to sign CDs and take photos. Meeting her in person was an absolute pleasure. Thanks for an awesome night Susan! :)

Click here to read my concert review of another Broadway/Disney star, Lea Salonga.

Southern California Winds & Fires

In case anyone's wondering how we're affected by the fires that are plaguing the Southland, our home is not really anywhere near the fires. The closest one to us is the Santiago fire, which is perhaps 25 miles away from us, mostly in the undeveloped areas, although it has gotten close to some developments adjacent to it.


The winds snapped a large branch off our tree. (10/22/07)

Our house is not anywhere near hills or brush. We're basically surrounded by thousands of other homes that are also not near any hills or brush. But that's not to say that we haven't been affected by the winds or fires.

For example, we woke up Monday morning to find that the winds snapped a huge branch from our ash tree in the backyard. So there we were at 7:00 a.m. trying to cut the branch down to prevent any further damage (FYI, we don't normally dress in our pajamas when doing yard work).



James assesses the damage. (10/22/07)

Because half of the branch extended into the yard of our next door neighbors, it turned out we couldn't do much without enlisting their help later.

The other big thing we're dealing with is smoke. Lots of it. The whole sky is filled with smoke, as you can see from the picture I snapped during my morning commute to work. The smoke didn't let up the entire day, nor will it for several days to come.


The sun barely visible through the smoke. (10/22/07)

On top of all that, our swimming pool is absolutely filthy from all the leaves and dirt in the air. And the backyard is a total mess. Of course our problems are infinitesimal compared to the people who have been evacuated from their homes, or worse, lost their homes altogether.


Smoke billows about a mile from where I work. (10/22/07)

One last thing. I do want to give a shout-out to all the hardworking firefighters who have put themselves on the front lines in battling these intense fires. These guys rock, and we certainly appreciate their hard work.

Feliz Cumpleaños Amita!

October around here is known for two things: harsh winds and Amy's birthday. And today we got a healthy dose of both. (More on the winds later...)


Jon and Tim help Amy celebrate her big day. (10/21/07)

With Jon's recent hospitalization and all the stress Amy has been through these past 10 weeks because of it, we wanted to do something special for her birthday. So we got ten or so friends and family members together for Sunday brunch at Cafe Sevilla, a Spanish restaurant in the heart of downtown Long Beach.


Cafe Sevilla in downtown Long Beach. (10/21/07)

The buffet-style brunch there costs $19.95 per person, and that includes one glass of sangría or champagne. But for $24.95, you can get all-you-can-drink sangría and/or champagne. My favorite response came from DD and her boyfriend Steve, who wrote in their RSVP, "Just put us down for $24.95 because we're getting torqued!" Naturally, Tim and I planned to do the same.

We met at Amy and Jon's house. Jon is still not driving yet, so our designated driver was Amy's sister Ashley, who fortunately for us, is under 21 and had no choice but being designated driver. Thank God for the underaged! :)


James and Ashley enjoy Amy's birthday shindig. (10/21/07)

The restaurant was nice, but the only downside was that they gave us a booth (all the other big tables were taken with large groups). It was a big booth, but who puts a group of nine in a booth at a buffet? So we had to time our trips to the buffet very carefully. It was a challenge, but we somehow made it work.


Christy and her Mom smile it up for Amy's birthday. (10/21/07)

The food at Cafe Sevilla was good, although I have to admit that we're a little spoiled by brunch at Orange Hill Restaurant, which we feel is a far superior Sunday brunch. I was also a little surprised that the paella wasn't better than it was, since that's one of the dishes the restaurant is known for. But the sangría was off the hook.


Amy, Steve and DD at Cafe Sevilla. (10/21/07)

After presents, we had the cake, which DD told me she was taking care of. Knowing DD, I was expecting to see some wild and crazy cake molded into the shape of a body part of some sort. Who would expect that she would bring one of the most amazingly-decorated cakes I've ever seen, which was frosted with a gorgeous sunflower design.


The gorgeous sunflower-themed cake. (10/21/07)

Of course the cake was big enough to feed like 50 people. So after everybody at our table had a piece, DD went around the restaurant finding people to take additional slices (including nearly all the restaurant staff). It was a classic DD moment, and it was fun to watch her in action.

Afterwards we headed back to Amy and Jon's house to help with a few things. Tim had to do some tech support for them. Meanwhile I ended up completely passing out on their oversized chair, only to find out later that Tim took pictures of me while I slept (could have been worse — my mouth could have been open).


James passed out after too much sangría. (10/21/07)

It was a fun day overall, but we couldn't help being concerned for the severe winds that were plaguing Southern California, including the big fire in Malibu we had heard about all day.

Unfortunately things took a turn for the worse when, on our drive home, we noticed an eerie orange glow in the nighttime sky, just above the Orange hills. It was another fire. It wasn't close enough to to endanger us or our home, but it was still too close for comfort. We knew then that the Southland was in the midst of another dangerous fire storm.

In Memoriam – “The Best Dog in the World”

Today I lost one of my best friends. Simon was put to rest this evening, peacefully, here at home. His spirit was willing, but his body could no longer keep up. This is the most painful decision I’ve ever had to make in my life. It was the right decision, just a cruelly hard one.


April 6, 2003

Simon was purchased from the Orange County Humane Society here in the city of Orange. This was back in 1992 when I was still married and living in Chino Hills, CA. We went to buy a dog because my wife really wanted one. I was ambivalent.

When you enter the dog shelter, there are rows of kennels, each housing a single dog. Most of the dogs there were fully grown. Some were very ill behaved and would be troublesome to adopt. While walking down the rows, viewing dog after dog, I saw Simon.


Phone cam pic from 2004.

He was young, estimated to be about a year old. He was sitting against the front gate of his kennel, looking up with his ears tucked back. He had a green collar on. None of the other dogs had collars. Ever since then, Simon has always owned a green collar.

His given name was “Yeller,” which I didn’t’ know until later. But he would always be Simon to me.

I had one of the attendants place Simon into the open dog run area so I could learn more about him. In what I would later learn was typical fashion, Simon ran about and sniffed everything. But he was also interactive with me. He was happy to see me, and glad I was there. I was sold. He was on death row. This was his last day to live.


May 12, 2006

On the way home, Simon sat in the passenger seat. He laid down and put his head on my lap and fell asleep. When we got home, I laid a towel out on the floor for him. He immediately knew it was for him, and he spread out on the towel. He was house broken already too.

He wasn’t broken of all his bad habits. I can’t count how many sprinkler heads he chewed up in the back yard. He also scratched and chewed through the side garage door. He had a hard time adjusting to being free outside and alone during the day.

He saved my life when I was going through my divorce. His happiness and excitement to see me each time I returned home made me feel loved still. He slept on the bed at night with me so I wouldn’t feel alone. He was a comfort to me. I made it clear that Simon was coming with me after the divorce. He gave me the strength to say “You will NOT get Simon in this divorce. I will fight you on every step if you try it.”


April 6, 2003

After leaving Chino Hills and moving to Orange, he adapted very well to his new surroundings. He had to live with a nightmare of a back yard (I was a terrible gardener). I called him “Simon of the Jungle.” He hated to feel the tall grass touching his belly when he tried to pee. It was quite funny to watch.

When I started to date again, one of the main criteria was that he needed to like Simon, and Simon needed to like him. I was thrilled when the feelings were mutual between Simon and James. They loved playing tug-of-war with Simon’s toys.


Phone cam pic from 2004.

In 1997, I needed to attend a work training class in Issaquah, Washington, just outside of Seattle. It was a three week class so I had friends and family “Simon-sit.” Some people would go over in the morning and let him outside and play with him. Then, someone else would go over in the evenings for the same. James would come over on Wednesday and the weekends and take care of him while I was away.

Simon handled the situation beautifully … until the last day of the trip that is. My friend Judy was there that morning checking up on Simon. Apparently that morning he got fed up with my absence and started scratching the front door and carpeting at the door. He basically stripped all the threads from the carpeting in a long narrow strip. I didn’t blame him. I was surprised he didn’t cause more damage. I just thought it was telling that he did that on the day I was returning. He knew I was coming.


September 2, 2001

We purchased our house in Orange in 2001. The day we got the keys, we grabbed two sleeping bags, a lamp, a clock and camped out on the living room floor. Simon was right next to us. He loved the new house, but especially loved his new back yard.

Around that time, Simon started having issues with his joints and hips. The vet took x-rays and we were surprised to hear that Simon had broken a leg sometime before I adopted him (the vet surmised that Simon had been hit by a car as a puppy). The fracture healed incorrectly, with some overlap, instead of end-to-end like they should. This caused one of his legs to be shorter than the other. That led to Simon blowing out the ligament in his knee, which had to replaced surgically.

Later, his hearing started to fade. We started to have to use hand gestures or loud claps to get his attention. In fact, for the past two or three years, he’s had virtually 90% hearing loss.


April 3, 2006

Over time, his whole hind quarters got weak and he started to rely on his front legs. When he would lay down on his bed, he would sit his butt down first, then use his front legs to climb down into a laying position.

When he would get back up, he would sit up, then use his front legs to lift up his hind quarters. Basically the two front legs were doing all the work. I knew this wasn’t good, since his front legs can’t take all the weight.

These last few months were the hardest on him. He became more and more unstable on his legs. Yesterday morning he fell several times and couldn’t get up. He even fell into the pool, which sent me running to get him out.


Phone cam pic from 2004.

In the past couple of months, his appetite diminished. The vet said he had lost 11 pounds – one fifth of his body weight – since a year earlier. He became lethargic. His breathing became labored and he panted all the time. His back and hips became arthritic. We got him steroids to help with his weakness, and pain pills to relieve his pain. They extended his stay with us and we’re glad we did it. But they are no longer helping him, and we could no longer avoid the inevitable.

We couldn’t bear the idea of taking Simon to be put to sleep at the vet’s office. Simon hated it there, and we didn’t want his last minutes of life to be spent there. Nor could we imagine driving Simon there and driving home without him. We did some research and found a mobile veterinary service that offers home euthanasia. They put pets to sleep at home and then take them to be cremated. It costs more to do it that way, but to us it was well worth it for Simon to be at home.


May 12, 2006

So today was the day I put one of my best friends to sleep. It was graceful. It was peaceful. It was humane. And he was at home with us where he belonged.

Merhegan: Persian Festival of Autumn

Every autumn, some of the people I work with volunteer their time for Merhegan, an annual two-day festival for the Persian community celebrating the autumn harvest. I went last year with my boss Dori. So we decided to make it a tradition and go again. (And like last year, it helped that our connections got us some comp tickets — normally $23 in advance, and $28 the day of.)


I work with this guy, who painted the art behind him. (10/14/07)

Held at the Orange County Fairgrounds, the Merhegan festival is what you would expect at most cultural festivals. Lots of food vendors. A products and services area where businesses extend their outreach programs. And of course entertainment. All were in abundance.


Dori and her thing for men in uniform. (10/14/07)

Last year we went when the festival first opened (to avoid big crowds). This year, at the request of some of our co-workers, we went later in the day, so that we could see it when it was full. Indeed, it was much more crowded this year than last.


I work with two of the people here. (10/14/07)

We had some great food from Bahar restaurant. We both ordered the boneless chicken kabob, served with Persian-style rice and a roasted tomato. It was great (as Persian food most always is).


James is about to sink his teech into his strawberry dulce de leche crepe. (10/14/07)

Afterward we stopped at the crepe booth where Dori and I each got a desert (I got strawberries with dulce de leche). I know, not exactly a Persian dessert, but still good! It was a nice way to cap off the day.

Annie Lennox at the Wilshire Theatre

One of the presents I gave Tim for his birthday were tickets to see his favorite singer of all time, Annie Lennox. She performed at the Wilshire Theatre (same venue where we saw Linda Eder two years ago). After a marathon session of blogging, I just don't have the energy to write up my own review. So with apologies to Ann Powers at the Los Angeles Times, I'm simply re-posting her review along with some of the pics we took.


It was a rare treat to see Annie in concert. (10/11/07)

During Annie Lennox's performance Thursday at the Wilshire Theatre, at least three songs did not receive standing ovations. That may have been because the crowd was already on its feet. The ardor with which the powerhouse singer's fans greeted this rare tour stop was just what a legendary leading lady would expect, even if there were still a few kinks in her routine.

Lennox is one of pop's most venerated singers, envied by aspiring prima donnas and zealously supported by her cult. She's released only four solo CDs since Eurythmics, her band with Dave Stewart, dissolved long ago, and her musical style hasn't evolved much since. Her new album, "Songs of Mass Destruction," explores her usual extremes of grief, despair, moral righteousness and perseverance in settings that mix power balladry with a club sound still evocative of the 1980s. But to criticize Lennox for repeating herself would be to misunderstand her mission.


She sang a mix of Eurythmics hits along with her solo work. (10/11/07)

At the Wilshire, it was crystal clear: Lennox lifted her fans up into a drama that recast ordinary pain as a heroic struggle. She was their stand-in and their champion. Her florid body language reminded everyone that this was a ritual providing transcendence. Her extraordinary alto somehow matched timelessness with urgency. Committing to every note, Lennox made each song a sacrifice, and each climax a cry of survival.

Images of a younger Lennox, taken from promotional videos, flashed behind the 52-year-old singer and her band as they barreled through a career-spanning set. Some new songs stood out, especially the colossal "Smithereens," with its solemn pronouncement of "everybody is an island to themselves" (a diva line if there ever was one!) and "Ghosts in My Machine," which put Lennox in full soul-sister mode. But Lennox's greatest hits are hard to beat, and the night's crowning moments were a disco-fabulous version of the Eurythmics classic "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and a subdued, tender reading of "Why," her biggest solo hit.


We had 2nd row seats in the balcony. (10/11/07)

A less self-assured artist would have structured the night around those favorites. Not Lennox. Though she's duetted with Aretha Franklin, onstage she's more like Nina Simone was: imperious, absorbed, doing what she damn well pleases. She barely spoke between songs, though at one point she greeted a fan holding a flower boa with a grin and a little dance. She didn't bother with major costume changes either, switching only from a black sequined top to a brown satin one.

Lennox did take time to show a video promoting her new charity single, "Sing," which unites the voices of 23 female pop stars (including Madonna, KT Tunstall, Joss Stone and Faith Hill) to raise awareness about the plight of African women with AIDS. At the Wilshire, Lennox had only her backup singers to raise the anthem, but she did her best after giving a preacherly little speech about her commitment to the cause.


She addresses African women with AIDS during "Sing." (10/11/07)

Her voice rang out loud and clear during "Sing," but at other points she was somewhat buried by her band. It may have been the sound at the cavernous old Wilshire, but the mix didn't serve Lennox that well; the synthesizers were too bright and the guitars generic, and her backup singers sometimes overpowered her. It's not easy to veil Lennox's vocals, but if she meant for the band to do so, she should reconsider. More moments like the few she spent alone at a baby grand piano would add warmth to her performance.

When the modern-rock din died down, a rougher edge in Lennox's voice became evident. She sounded weary and raw on the barren ballad "Pavement Cracks," but the gravel in her throat only added to her charisma. Lennox shouldn't be afraid of letting her vocal weaknesses show; she's skilled enough to use those quirks to her advantage. Instead, she's hiding them behind a wall of synths.


Annie closes the show with "Why." (10/11/07)

Lennox has no need to hide. She can grow older any way she likes; her devotees will only love her more. They don't even mind when she treats them mean. After her moving rendition of "Why," she flashed a quick grin and said, "That's it folks -- go home!" She followed that with a quick chuckle and an expletive. Her believers, ever guided by her voice, turned around and left.

10th Annual Gay Days Anaheim - Day 2

After our fun-but-exhausting Saturday at Disneyland, we did manage to make it back the next day for the second part of the 10th Annual Gay Days Anaheim celebration. This time the red shirt brigade decided to take on Disney's California Adventure (although not all of us wore red shirts day two).


Our Tower of Terror pic; we're in the top row. (10/07/07)

We started the day by riding Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, followed by our favorite, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Later, we rode the California Screamin' roller coaster (except for Tim, who was feeling a little queasy).


Tim won a dolphin at the Dolphin Derby. (10/07/07)

We had a fun experience while riding the tamer Mulholland Madness roller coaster. During the ride, it broke! We were stuck on the roller coaster for about 15 minutes. We were joking amongst ourselves that we were probably the ones that broke it, what with us four big guys crammed into a little tiny roller coaster car.


Yo, wut up, G? (10/07/07)

Finally a castmember let us out of the car, where we had to walk back to the front of the ride via a series of behind-the-scenes platforms. To make up for the inconvenience, they gave us a "no-line" pass to any ride on the Disneyland Resort (with the only exception being the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage due to the incredibly long lines there).


Golden Screams: Waste of time. (10/07/07)

My other big priority that day was to see the High School Musical 2: School's Out! show, which did not disappoint. Although the next show we saw did. It was some lame show at the Golden Dreams Theater (renamed "Golden Screams Theater" for Halloween season). The premise was that the audience helps choose a winning scream from a scary movie scene. It was lame, lame, lame.


Jason & Jarrod prepare to go Soarin' Over California. (10/07/07)

After having ridden all the major rides at that park (aside from the Grizzly River Run, which didn't sound fun since we were not in the mood to get wet), we decided to go back to Disneyland Park and use our no-line pass on Peter Pan's Flight. Believe it or not, that's Jason's favorite ride on the entire property. Because it always has a line, it was a good choice.


Check out this pic of me. Dynamite, isn't it? :) (10/07/07)

After Peter Pan, we made one last attempt to get on Indiana Jones, but alas, it was still broken. I'm glad we went though because we had a celebrity sighting on our way there. We saw the aptly-named Dick, the adult twelve-year-old who won Big Brother 8. Although I wasn't a fan, I did say, "Way to go, Dick!" He responded with, "I'm good, thanks." I guess he's just as bright in person as he was on TV. (Then again, he won half-a-million bucks, and I haven't, so what does that say?)


Our celebrity sighting of the day: Dick, winner of Big Brother 8.

It was a fun culmination of a great weekend, but we were wiped by the time we got home that afternoon.