Finally, an August Post!

I've been just terrible about blogging this summer.  I keep starting posts, then not finishing them.  Or finishing them, then deciding they are not worth posting.  I never blogged about my amazing trip to GeekyCon nearly four weeks ago, and my visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the Open at the Close event-- which mostly involved drinking unlimited amounts of butterbeer in Diagon Alley at 1:00 AM.  Aside from that event, the Con itself was fantastic, too!  I attended some really interesting panels, met some wildly creative people, reconnected with favorite artists, and discovered new artists to admire.  I fell in love with the artwork of Casey Robin (check out her etsy shop!), who was as nice as she is talented.  Most excitingly, I finally got to meet Mary Kate Wiles in person-- she is one of my favorite actresses (check out her YouTube channel!).  I listened to interviews with screenwriter James Moran, with the Hillywood girls, and with Anthony Rapp.  I bought a Hermoine time-turner necklace in the marketplace for only $5!  And on the last day, I went to Disney World.  Because really, how could I be so close and not visit?  A few laps around the World Showcase were just what my heart desired.  The potato-wrapped snapper at Flying Fish Cafe didn't hurt either, nor did the Polynesian Pearl cocktail at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto.

In the ensuing weeks, I've taken a short jaunt to the Outer Banks for Zan's family beach week, and this past weekend Zan and I visited Natural Bridge, VA.  For my birthday, my friend Kay gave me a night's stay at the Historic Natural Bridge Hotel.  The package came with tickets to the bridge itself, and to the caverns nearby.  Additionally, Zan and I spent an afternoon at Virginia Safari Park, feeding tons of animals and even petting a kangaroo!  It was an incredible weekend.

Most of my time, of course, I've spent processing my collection at Special Collections.  I will be wrapping up that project soon-- in fact, my last day of full-time employment is Friday.  After that, THE WORLD!  Err, no... after that, I'm a little uncertain.  Change is definitely in the air: from the cooling days and the sun setting noticeably earlier, to the sudden end of the pattern of my days.  I feel a bit like I'm on a ski jump, the kind that let off suddenly into mid-air, leaving the skier flying through the sky-- whoosh!  I'm trying to look at it as a fun adventure, to remain calm and even a little zen, but I've always been too nervous to try skiing.  I have some fun adventures lined up for the autumn (including a presentation at an academic conference in the UK), and I have some ideas for new projects that I hope take off, but I feel like I'm mostly making it up as I go along.  I suppose what I need to learn is that everyone feels like they are making it up as they go along, cobbling together days and activities and hoping for the best.

Before I go, quick book list (if I can remember them): a long while back I read Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, an old favorite from middle school.  I've read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (to prepare for GeekyCon, of course).  I read all of Jenny Trout's hilarious/troubling recaps of 50 Shades of Grey on her blog (she read that one so I didn't have to-- thank goodness), which prompted me to read Trout's novels The Boss and The Girlfriend (written under her pen name Abigail Barnette).  I also read an incredibly sweet debut novel by Natalie Lloyd called A Snicker of Magic.  It's a children's novel (think Newbery Award age) with a lot of heart.  The writing is so unique; I can't even explain it.  As for audiobooks, I finished listening to Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and then pretty much mainlined My Antonia by Willa Cather.  Currently, I'm nearing the end of Felicia Day's audiobook You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) and I'm re-reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in order to revise my conference paper.

Until next time, which hopefully won't take another month...  gonna get better at this...

Writing a Thesis in Disney World: A Haiku

Sweet Florida sunshine
A gorgeous day at Disney
Inside I'm writing.

Magical

Spring Break, besides the tooth thing (which now might only be "a very serious sinus infection"?), was really nice.  I went to Disney World!  Disney World was warm.  I could wear shorts and swimsuits.  I didn't have to put on layer after layer plus fuzzy aviator cap to go outside.  Ahhh... Did I mention that it snowed here again on Monday, and that we're supposed to get a chance of snow this coming Tuesday?  This is so unseasonably cold!  COME ON WINTER, END ALREADY!

Anyway, Disney was lovely.  We soaked in the hot tub, we lazed about the Lazy River.  We ate lots of good food from the Flower & Garden Outdoor Kitchens in Epcot, including frushi, candied strawberries, and Pineapple Dole Whips with rum.  We had lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater and enjoyed amazing spinach-artichoke dip, Orbiting Oreos milkshakes (with Godiva Chocolate liquor), and trailers for 1950/60s Sci-Fi B-movies.  We saw "Wishes" and "Illuminations" fireworks.  We rode "Soarin'", as beautiful as ever.  We rode Dinosaur.  Kay, Brian, and Kelsey were traumatized on their first time seeing "It's Tough to be a Bug:; Mike, Zan, and I were more prepared.  Kelsey, in an attempt to do one thing each day that scared her, went on "Twilight Zone Hollywood Tower of Terror,"despite her better judgment.  We rode "Peter Pan's Flight" and Zan claims it was his first time on that ride (I'm doubtful).  Kay made me tea in the mornings when I got sick.  We wore fake mustaches and played "Gloom."  We got ice cream sundaes.  We sat out on our balcony enjoying mixed drinks and the sunshine and reminiscing about old times.

 (Me: on Jewel-Bluebell, my favorite Carousel horse)

(Turkey Leg Madness!)

And now, I want to go back.  I want the warmth again.  I want the relaxation again.  I want to hang out with my friends everyday again.  I want to go and not even worry about going to the parks, but just walk around the Boardwalk, play Fantasia Gardens mini-golf, maybe hit up some new spots at Downtown Disney (Splitsville Bowling, anyone?).  Mostly I want the warmth, though. 

The 6th Annual Halloweentown Party

Once more, I held a Halloweentown party.  I spent a bit longer than intended getting ready for the party-- I had a lot of work to finish this weekend, since I'm at a conference this week-- but because this is arguably my favorite night of the year, I decided to let myself be okay with that.

First, Zan and I visited our new Pier 1 Imports and took advantage of their Halloween clearance deals (already on clearance?!) and I got a spooky "top-hat" fascinator, little witches feet to put under doors to make it look like a house landed on her (or, a door, I guess), Halloween napkins, and an owl with a top-hat and a piercing gaze.  Actually, Zan got the owl.

Then we went to the grocery store for mini-pumpkin pies, pumpkin cookies, sugar cookies with orange icing and black sprinkles, popcorn, and lots and LOTS of candy.  We also got apple cider, which we heated up at the party, and let people choose whether or not to spike theirs with rum.  This was one of our favorite autumn drinks in Seattle.  One of the girls in my cohort is British, though, and she couldn't figure out why we were adding rum to cider-- she didn't realize that apple cider is a non-alcoholic beverage in the States.  "Isn't it just apple juice, then?" she asked. 

Once home we set up the food and decorations, and I dressed for the party, and then Zan and I realized we had no idea what to eat for dinner, so we decided to order a pizza, then thought, well, hey, the pizza place is running a good deal on pizzas let's just order for everyone!  So we ended up with pizza at the party, as well.

Right on time, people began to show up.  First, my friends Kelsey and Mike came-- Kelsey is a huge Halloweentown fan, too, and this was Mike's second Halloweentown party (he attended the first many, many moons ago).  Then people from my cohort came bearing gifts of beer and wine and cookies, and we all talked and ate and drank and then the main event: the film!  It's just as wonderful as ever to introduce a new group of people to this terrible, terrible, wonderful, amazing film.  It's such a masterpiece of Disney Original Cinema.  I love it.

All too soon the party ended, and now it's one more year 'til Halloweentown!

Oppa Gangnam Woody

Merry Christmas, everyone.  As promised, Toy Story's Woody dancing at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  Taken with my iPhone, so not the best quality ever, but I hope you enjoy.

It gets really good/clear around 0:18.

New Fantasyland

For the past few years, a huge part of Fantasyland had been blocked off by walls.  These walls said things like, "Pardon our dust, preparing for New Fantasyland" or something along those lines.  There were little peep-holes in the walls so you could peek through to check on the progress of the area.  One day, Beast's Castle appeared on a mountain visible from behind the wall.  We waited with bated breath for the day when all would be revealed.

That day was December 6th, 2012.  We weren't there for that day, but we were there by December 9th, 2012.  And New Fantasyland shines!  The new area includes Belle's House, Bonjour Village, Gaston's Tavern, the Be Our Guest restaurant inside the Beast's Castle, a new Ariel's Grotto, a new The Little Mermaid ride, and Eric's Castle.  Another area also opened, and is considered a part of New Fantasyland: Storybook Circus.  It includes two new Dumbo rides, a giant splash station for kids, and character meet 'n' greet areas.  It's beautifully themed.

We began our trip to New Fantasyland by wandering over to Bonjour Village themed to look like Belle's "poor provincial town."  There's a little gift shop carrying some unique Beauty and the Beast-themed merchandise, a fountain out front with a statue of Gaston, and Gaston's Tavern.  Gaston's Tavern is most excellent: it uses antlers in all of its decorating.

 (The mantle of the "fireplace" in Gaston's Tavern)

Gaston's Tavern is also home to the new "Lefou's Brew," a frozen beverage with a foam on top.  It does look like a cup of beer-- until you taste it.  I personally really liked the drink, though online forums are divided on whether or not it's a success.  The drink is apple-flavored with hints of toasted marshmallow (the marshmallow sips were my favorite) and a passion-fruit foam top.  The drink apparently premiered as the "Red Apple Freeze" at Disneyland's Cars Land.  The drink is a hit out west, from what I read.  I think part of the reason for the mixed reviews at Disney World is the name-- "Lefou's Brew" does not lead people to expect a sweet apple flavor, but rather something more "butterbeer" like.  Incidentally, I heard that this drink is supposed to be Disney's answer to Universal's Harry Potter World butterbeer, though the two drinks have wildly different recipes.  I have not tried butterbeer personally, but I hear it's great, so maybe that also accounts for the mixed reviews on "Lefou's Brew"-- too many people at Disney World were expecting a drink that tastes like butterbeer, and were disappointed by the apple-marshmallow thing.  Anyway, if you go to Disney World, try it.  See what you think.  Maybe get it in a souvenir goblet.

After our trip to Bonjour Village, we wandered over to the Little Mermaid section.  The new ride is exactly the same as the Little Mermaid ride in California Adventure in Disneyland.  But, I love it.  Since my trip to Disneyland with Liz, I've really been noticing the theatrics of the dark rides.  The set design.  The sound design.  Most of all, the light design.  These rides amaze me.  They are three minutes of incredibly well-planned theater.  The sheer amount of time and talent that went into designing the light plots-- taking into account the constantly changing sight-lines of the audience-- amazes me to no end.  The way the sound envelopes you in your little ride car (in this case, a shell) and doesn't let you go until you're stepping off the ride-- it's incredible.  Really.  Next time you're on a dark ride, take a minute to appreciate all of the work of the set, sound, and light designers who made your three minute experience top-notch.

(From the "Under the Sea" section of the ride; photo via)

(A view of Eric's Castle from the bridge to Beast's Castle)

(Someone else's better photo of Eric's Castle; photo via)  

We saw the signs for Ariel's Grotto, but didn't go back there-- it's a meet 'n' greet area for children to meet Ariel and get her autograph.  It's a neat idea, but my mom and I are a bit past the "standing in line to meet characters" phase, unless we're on a cruise or it's Phineas and Ferb. (Don't judge until you've seen the show.  You'd stand in line, too.)

So after checking out The Little Mermaid section we wandered back through Bonjour Village, past the bridge to Beast's Castle, and over to Belle's House (note: I just realized this sounds a little like "over the river and through the woods...).  Belle's House houses the attraction "Enchanted Tales with Belle."  We didn't really know what it was, just that it was "part-show, part-walk-though, and don't miss it."  After about twenty minutes in line we found ourselves in the main room of Belle's oh-so French "Provencal" house, complete with a portrait of little Belle and her mother!!!  Then a cast member ushered us into Maurice's workshop, which featured a huge mirror.  The cast member explained that the mirror had been given to Maurice by the Beast, so that Maurice could see Belle anytime he wished.  We all then looked hard into the mirror, recited some magic words, and the mirror opened and we walked through it into the castle!!!!!  It really felt like magic.  

In Belle's room in the castle the wardrobe gave us all props/roles, then we entered the library to surprise Belle with a story.  If I were still little, I would have just been thrilled beyond belief.  Why?  Because Belle herself enters the room and we act out the story of Beauty and the Beast with her!!!  Then all of the people who played roles (like incredibly tiny toddler who played Chip) get to have their picture taken with Belle.  This was definitely an attraction geared towards families with younger children, but I still enjoyed it. 

 

(Belle's House)

After Belle's "Enchanted Tales" we left New Fantasyland-- it was time for us to begin our Mickey Party in earnest.  We headed down to Storybook Circus, which was just gorgeous at night, though I don't have any pictures, then had our hot cocoa and cookies, saw the parade, the fireworks, rode some of our other favorites like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Haunted Mansion" and had a generally wonderful time.  But our New Fantasyland experience was not quite over.

We came back two days later for lunch.  At lunchtime, the Be Our Guest Restaurant is a high-tech quick service place.  You wait in line on the bridge to Beast's Castle.  Finally, you are ushered into the main hall of the castle, complete with talking suits of armor and screens that advertise what you can order when you get to the Beast's study.  Once there, a cast member hands you a magic rose that you touch to button on your order screen.  Using the touchscreen, you order your food.  We chose a croque monsieur with frites, a kids pork/sweet potato mash/green beans meal, a French onion soup, a lemon meringue cupcake, and a strawberry cupcake.  

After ordering, you enter the Beast's ballroom.  There are two antechambers, too: the West Wing and the Rose Gallery.  We opted to sit in the ballroom.  After finding a nice table for two and setting our magic rose on it, I got drinks and my mom got silverware (real silverware-- not plastic!).  Within a few minutes, our food came out to us, wheeled on a lovely little cart by a cast member dressed in the Beast's livery.  Our hot food was under a glass and our cupcakes were down a shelf.  I have never eaten such good quick service food.  It tasted like a sit-down restaurant meal.  The cheese on my French onion soup had clearly been heated under a broiler.  Yum.  The cupcakes were absolutely to die for.  I will be dreaming of that strawberry cupcake for a good long time.  And of course, the setting of the meal could not have been more gorgeous!

(Outside the restaurant/Beast's Castle!)

(Beast's Ballroom, photo via)

(Beast's study/ordering area. Photo via)

(Belle and Beast dancing "music box" in the Rose Gallery of Be Our Guest Restaurant)

(The Enchanted Rose, in the West Wing)

(The stained glass from the final scene of the film)

You really just need to experience the magic of this restaurant for yourself.  The detail of the ballroom is stunning; the atmosphere of the West Wing cannot be described.  And if you go at dinner, you do get an actual sit-down experience.  They also serve alcoholic beverages at dinner.  Plus, you might meet Beast in his study.  

The best part?  It's not over yet.  Opening in 2014, more New Fantasyland!  Here's a photo of the wall that still stands around the area that has yet to open.

(Unless otherwise noted under the photo, all photos belong to me.  Please do not use my photos without credit)

Christmas at Disney: Joyful Photos!

As a follow up to my Disney Highlights post, I present: Photos from Disney World at Christmas.

 These were the decorations in the lobby of our hotel.  I could have sat in front of those Christmas trees all day.  Just looking at the picture makes me feel happy inside.  Plus, the fireplace scene in the second photo is actually made from gingerbread and candy!!!

 A very nice gentleman offered to take our photo in Epcot.  We are at the entrance to the World Showcase by the giant Christmas tree with ornaments depicting flags from the nations of the world and banners saying "Merry Christmas" in many languages.

 I snapped a picture of this Christmas tree at The Primetime Cafe in Hollywood Studios when my mom and I stopped in for a vanilla coke.  Doesn't it just take you back to the 1950s and 1960s?

 Here begins a series of photos from our Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

Isn't the Magic Kingdom just lovely at Christmastime?  In this photo you can even see the "snow" that falls on Main Street U.S.A. during the Christmas parties.  So much fun.

 Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid tells us the Christmas story in Epcot's iconic Candlelight Processional.  She's so beautiful.

And don't forget-- I still have to show you my video of Woody dancing to Gangnam Style!  Plus, be on the lookout for a post dedicated to New Fantasyland!

(Photos are mine; please do not use without credit)

Disney Highlights

My computer is on the verge of collapse.  A few times now it has decided just not to turn on at all.  In that case, I must take out the battery and put it in again.  The other night I shut it down properly, and then when I turned it on again I got stuck in a start-up repair loop because it claimed to have been improperly shut down.  I decided not to turn it on again until I got home and could back-up my data onto an external hardware-- lucky thing, too, as once home it took me taking out the battery two or three times before it would start.  But, all is backed up now and we're good to go... although, I should probably get a new computer soon.  Good thing Christmas is just around the corner!

What I'm trying to say is, I got behind in posting because I was too afraid to turn on my computer.  So I will simply give you a list of highlights from this Disney trip:

• Spending an evening with our family friends the Ghiglieri's.  We walked around Epcot and got chips, salsa, and tequila in La Cava de Tequila.  Then we had an amazing steak dinner with some to-die-for potatoes au gratin.  Mostly though, I just love being with people who love me as much as I love them, talking and laughing like family.   


• Watching Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye from the Toy Story films dance to Gangnam Style at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  


• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party in general.  It "snows" on Main Street U.S.A, there are special Holiday Wishes fireworks, and a Disney Christmas Parade.  I just love the decorations in the Magic Kingdom at this time of year.


• New Fantasyland!  Loved "Enchanted Storytime with Belle" (though it was geared towards younger visitors), the Be Our Guest restaurant had amazing food and great ambiance, the Little Mermaid ride is gorgeous, and Lefou's Brew was quite tasty. (I should probably write more about New Fantasyland in a separate post...)


• Lunch at the restaurant in the Moroccan Pavilion.  Those beef rolls with cinnamon and powdered sugar are delicious.  Plus, the service and hospitality is incomparable. 


• FaceTiming with Zan as we played the Agent P World Showcase Adventure.  It was so fun having Zan "there" as we solved a Phineas and Ferb mystery in Epcot's Norway.  We truly live in the future, when from nearly 800 miles away we can see each other and interact in real time.  How incredibly cool. 


• Listening to Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, narrate the Christmas story at the Candlelight Processional.

In sum, we had a very fun time, I do have pictures-- and even a video of Woody doing the Oppa Gangnam Style dance-- that I will post soon (I hope).  From vanilla cokes at Primetime Cafe, to walking onto Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain early Tuesday morning, to lounging at The Flying Fish with a good glass of wine, Disney always feels like home.

For We Need a Little...

Mickey Mouse. Come on, people, you're reading my blog.  Of course the answer was Mickey Mouse.



'Tis the Christmas Season, and that means it's time for our near-annual Christmas trip to Disney World.  Unfortunately due to work, my dad couldn't make it this year, but my mom and I are still doing our best to enjoy our Disney Christmas holiday!  We arrived yesterday and promptly made our way to Epcot for fish 'n chips in the "UK", pineapple margaritas and sangria with tequila in La Cava de Tequila, a hang-gliding trip over California on Soarin', and a look 'round at the Christmas traditions and decorations from across the globe.

For those of you who know me, you may be surprised to hear this is my first trip to Disney World this calendar year, and it sure feels nice to be back home. 

(Picture taken by me; from last year's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade.  Please do not use without credit back to this blog.  Expect more pictures soon, as tonight is our 2012 Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!)

Cruising in the Caribbean

Saturday afternoon I returned to Williamsburg after a lovely seven-day Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy with my parents and Zan.  We had such a great time-- we celebrated two birthdays (my mom's and Zan's), we ate glorious food, we played trivia games in the pub, we met some of our favorite Disney characters, we watched two Muppet movies, and we soaked up the sunshine on the boat and in the ports.  My favorite port was St. Thomas-- I would love to return there for a week or so to actually explore the island and to get away from the incredibly touristy bit right off of the dock.  We had a fruit and rum smoothie with chips and mango salsa at a tiny cafe in an alley, and I think that's when I totally fell in love with the place.

Best bits?  Meeting Phineas and Ferb was definitely a highlight.  I also loved watching Muppet Treasure Island on the big screen on the top deck with the stars shining down on us.  It happened to be pirate night, so Zan and I were dressed as pirates.  I managed to reread I Capture the Castle, mostly sitting with my feet in the pool while a cool breeze played over my arms and face.  If you've never read that book, I highly recommend it.  Zan and I partook of almost every pub trivia, and though we never won, we always came close.  The trivia-mistress seemed to really like us.  We also took a pretty sweet mixology course and made some amazing mixed drinks.

 In sum, cruises are pretty fun.  :)

(All photos mine; please do not reproduce without credit)

New York City, Center of the Universe

In the continuing whirlwind of my journey back east, I ventured up to New York City for the weekend to celebrate my birthday with Broadway-- and my mom and Kay.  Seeing Kay again was soooo wonderful!  It had been way, way too long.  We took a morning train up on Friday, Kay got on the train in Philly, and into the city we went!  After checking into the hotel we lunched at John's Pizza (No Slices!) and then decided just to go see about tickets to Book of Mormon.  Of course, those are impossible tickets to get, but why not?

We got tickets.  For that night's performance.  Three seats together in a box.  What a way to kick off the birthday weekend!!!  Then Kay and I hit up American Girl Place (to revisit our lost youth) while my mom headed over to the Brooks Atkinson theater to see about tickets to the Saturday matinee of Peter and the Starcatcher.  She managed to get three tickets, fourth row orchestra, center, at a 30% discount.  Holy crap.  Thrilled, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and the musical.

We had a great dinner at Del Frisco's with a very funny waiter (or two) who gave us a free slice of lemon cake with buttercream icing since it was (almost) my birthday, then walked down two blocks to Book of Mormon.  It was, indeed, great, though not as great as the shows on Saturday would be (though we did not know that yet).  The musical was hilarious, as anyone who has heard the soundtrack must know, but it had so much more heart than I had anticipated.  It dealt with tough subjects-- the AIDS epidemic in Africa, female circumcision-- in a very thoughtful way.  I really did not expect that.  And while yes, it made fun of Mormonism a bit, it didn't go for too many cheap shots :).  Overall, I was impressed and I can see why it won the 2011 Tony for Best Musical.

But the next day!  Saturday was magical. Magical.  Upon waking, Kay and I went to Starbucks for breakfast (she prudently got yogurt, I got a rice krispie treat), then went to the Disney Store (sensing a pattern in our interests?).  Then we went next door to Forever 21.  Kay got some belts, I got a shirt and a clutch, and we headed over to Carmine's for lunch.  But after lunch the magic really began.

Before I get to the shows, I should tell you that between our matinee and evening show Kay and I ran into our friend Andrew in Times Square!  Such a small world!  We spent an hour or so catching up with him and it was wonderful.  We got gelato at a coffee shop in Times Square and tried to get him a ticket to Book of Mormon (but failed).  We bid him a fond farewell as he headed off to meet a friend and to see Warhorse.  But to turn to the magical theater we saw...

Peter and the Starcatcher was the best thing I've seen in a long time, possibly ever.  It's not a musical-- it's a play "with music."  That is, they sing a little bit, but mostly it's a play.  A bit like Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (or really, Shakespeare's anything).  It tells the story of how Peter Pan came to Neverland and became Peter Pan.  It's a show that children might enjoy, but it's not a children's show.  It was an amazing ensemble piece-- I really don't even know how to describe it.  All of the actors were phenomenal.  It won Tony awards for lighting, sound, costume, and set.  Each was deserved a million times over.  I laughed uproariously through most of it, and at the end it brought tears to my eyes.  It was so good I was almost sad we had tickets to Once that night, because I wanted to see Peter and the Starcatcher again immediately.  Can you tell I was blown away? 

But when we got to the theater to see Once, I could tell it was going to be magical, too.  And it was-- it won the Tony for 2012 Best Musical.  It, too, felt totally different.  We walked into the theater and the ensemble was onstage in a set that looked like an Irish pub playing pub songs.  Audience members (real ones!) were on the stage buying drinks (real ones!).  And then the musical itself-- each actor played an instrument or four, and they danced with them.  They were the orchestra, the dancers, the actors, all in one.  More beautiful than anything.  And also very bittersweet-- anyone who has seen the movie could guess that.  I loved it.  Loved, loved, loved it. 

After the show, Kay, my mom and I went to the hotel bar for a drink and snack.  We talked all the way until it was my birthday.  Then we went back to the room and I opened the present Kay had brought me: The Paris Wife and Paris stationary.  She knows me too well :).  We rediscovered this weekend that we really are the same person.  The last morning in New York we met my friend Kiki for coffee and she had a beautiful journal for me for my birthday.  Such a surprise!  We had a great time catching up, then Kay, my mom, and I had a train to catch... back home we went, after an amazing birthday weekend!

All Who Come to this Happy Place, Welcome

For those of you who know me, or who have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I visit Disney World quite a lot.  But, until this past week, I had only been to Disneyland once, when I was four or five.  To celebrate completing my first year of my PhD, my friend Liz and I spent three lovely days hitting up the parks, the pool, and enjoying the feel of warm sunshine!

The scariest ride was that pictured above: Mickey's Fun Wheel.  Yes, it looks like a simple Ferris wheel, but it has swinging gondolas and steady ones-- we rode in the swinging.  Liz doesn't do well with the motion and I didn't do well with the heights (I'm usually ok, but then I realized we were really high up with nothing protecting us but a little metal basket and freaked).  The blood drained from both of our faces at the same moment.  For the rest of the trip, no matter what we rode, we said to each other, "It can't be as bad as Mickey's Fun Wheel."

And we rode tons of rides! Ariel, Monsters Inc., Alice in Wonderland, Storybook Canal, "It's Tough to be a Bug," Mr. Toad (twice), Pirates of the Caribbean (three times), Matterhorn, Soarin', Nemo Submarines, Grizzly River Rapids, everything!  We saw Fantasmic (amazing!) and World of Color (meh), and we ate so much good food-- and managed to stay healthy and in our budget!  Plus, on our last evening, we got the last Dole Whips of the night (pictured above)!!! Best of all, though, was sitting by the pool in the sunshine, reading for fun.  Ahhh that's what summer should feel like! 

Overall, successful trip to Disneyland.  I still have a special place in my heart for Disney World, and always will, but I would go back to Disneyland in an instant!

(All photos mine, please do not use without credit to this blog)

A Very Merry Picture Post!

Happy Boxing Day everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas! I had a pretty great time-- went to a Celtic Christmas Eucharist at St. Martin's Episcopal Church on Christmas Eve, watched Muppet Christmas Carol (as per tradition), and of course, on Christmas Day we couldn't miss the Doctor Who Christmas Special!!! But this post is for pictures! As promised, pictures from Mickey's Christmas party, plus a few extras!

The beautiful Cinderella Castle!

The beginning of the parade!

Above: Mickey and Minnie, Chip n' Dale in the parade

Blurry, but me and Zan at the Christmas party.

Getting ready to Conga with Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye!

Also, I have a picture to share from Williamsburg-- when Megan, Mike and I went on our walk the other day, we all took pictures in front of a random polar bear statue in a shop on DoG Street. In the one I'm in with Megan I look kind of terrible, but here's me and Mike!

(Look closely at the polar bear in the picture, and it WILL make you laugh.)

Merry Christmas, everyone!