Not a cheap vacation, but one of the best times I have had, if only just to watch Katie go nuts at the place. Four and a half days at the Happiest Place on Earth, and really I have to admit that I enjoy myself every time I walk in there. I tend to be a little nostalgic about things that were created personally by Walt Disney, and so attractions like the Enchanted Tiki Room (opened in 1963), Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion always hold a special spot in my heart. And best of all, those are Katie's favorites, too, with Pirates holding the top spot. An exciting thing (for me, anyway) is hearing that they are planning to bring back Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, Disney's audioanimatronic presentation of Abraham Lincoln talking, standing, gesturing -- when I took my mom in there years ago (she's a sucker for American history like I am) the tears started flowing down her face when Lincoln stood up and began to speak. I did write to Disney personnel after I went to Disneyland last October, pointing out that taking the Lincoln exhibit out of operation just as his 200th birthday was being celebrated probably wasn't the best move, so I am glad that he'll be back. This does mean, however, that I will probably have to go back there this year to see President Lincoln all over again, if my wallet holds out.
Several notes for Disneyland vacationers: if you're planning to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, once the premier hotel for Disneyland enthusiasts, you might want to rethink that option. The Best Westerns across the street give you breakfasts. The Disneyland Hotel gives you coffee at 6:30, at which time I have normally been awake for about two hours. The big selling point for me was the idea of taking the monorail to the park and avoiding the huge lines outside the front gates, but the blasted monorail was either late or out of service more times than not. They really need to work on that thing. In any case, when I go back, I'll save a few bucks by staying at a Best Western motel where they will actually feed me in the morning, and I'll just count on waiting at the front gates.
Upon coming back, I had to take an Arizona state test on World History for my teaching work. We'll see how I did in about a month. Once that was over with, I got to pick up my new truck. Yep, a new one. Still hooked on Toyota Tundras, so I decided to get a new truck once my 2006 turned 30000 miles. I could have kept the old one, but the new ones have a lot of things my old truck didn't have, not to mention it was new, lol.
Now I was expecting Katie to be thrilled at a new vehicle, but she yelled at me for getting rid of her old friend Bob the Truck, and it took a while for her to get over it. However, I just had sidesteps put on, and finished it off by having a bedliner sprayed in, and she's warmed up to the new one now. She decided to name this one Indy, which I think isn't a bad name at all.
So, since I always like to take a few photos of new vehicles before they get rock and door dings, here's Indy:
I'm going to try to keep this guy for about five years this time, instead of three. Unless I get rich, which is doubtful. He'll get his trial run on our vacation with our British friends to Roswell and Carlsbad Caverns. I think he should do nicely.
So, anyhow, the first vacation installment is done, I got new toys, and life's good. Despite Obama, who I try not to think about. At least when I go back to Springfield, Illinois in July to visit Lincoln sites I can be comforted by the fact that he's not in town anymore, even when he's having a $40000 date with his wife at the taxpayers' expense. I can't believe guys like that telling US to economize, and he blows THOUSANDS to take his wife to a show with full Secret Service protection, and...
Aw, hell, there I go thinking about the guy again.
Nuts on that stuff. Disneyland was fun, and so's my new truck. I'm going to be out making a really big carbon footprint with Indy in preparation for getting taxed to death for doing it. Burn that gas! Be greater than God and destroy the planet (yeah, right)!
Have a nice day, folks...
Herp
