As always love the latest installment and the background. Ever since I met you a few years back I have always been fascinated/interested in your background and I was impressed with all your friends and the fact that it seems that at least some of them have been there for a LONG time and seemed like you were still close. I am sorry to hear that that is not the case with "M" but I SO feel your pain. I was one of those that didn't have a ton of friends either. My parents had a business that made it so I had to go to school where they worked rather than by where I lived and so it meant that in 7th grade (the WORST time of school in my opinion) I had to go to a new school and be that "new" kid and it was really tough for me. I did make a few really great friends but then my sophomore year of high school they closed my school and once again I had to change schools and left all my friends behind. We kept in touch but it wasn't the same.
I have made a few friends back then and over the years but as time seems to do most of them have gotten married and moved on with their lives and I have found that MOST people just seem to fade away. It is truly sad and now I find myself at almost 45 with no real what I call close or good friends. I have a few friends I keep in touch with on FB but honestly and saddly to say I don't feel like I have ONE friend that would actually BE there if I really needed them. So that is why I was so impressed with your stories because it seemed like you had what I had always longed for which was some friends that would be there to the end no matter what. It makes me sad to hear that the long time friend was a dissapointment to you and I hope that at least SOME of your old friends you are still close with.
I am anxious as always to read your next installment and fyi mom and I had SO much fun on our trip that we are considering something for this summer. We had REALLY hoped to do something different and maybe do Hawaii or Mexico but with the cost of airfare I don't know if that is even a possibility so right now I am working on a trip driving down and going to the Beach, Hollywood again to do some things we missed, and DL for a couple days. But the point I was making is we are hoping (if we do this trip) to do the Grove and Olvera Street like I had planned this last trip. So IF that comes to fruition I will DEF let you know and perhaps we can meet!! Course our day at the Grove will prob be a weekday so not sure if that will be a problem with your job or whatever but I will let you know once we decide. I would LOVE to finally meet you!!
Hi, Kelly!
Thank you!
It was a miracle that I managed to make any friends during my elementary school years and early junior high school years, because so many of the kids were really mean and awful - and often times you never find out why they are awful to you. They just are. I skipped and ditched school all the time because I didn't want to deal with these kids, and the teachers seemed ill-equipped to handle it, or they just didn't really care that much.
I recall that one time in elementary school, I was standing in line for the water fountain or something, and some horrible girl just walked up to me out of the blue and punched me hard in the stomach, leaving me hunched over in pain and tears. I had no clue why she hit me - I didn't really know her. I had never had a conversation with her. A teacher saw her hit me, and the girl should have been suspended, but she was basically just given a slap on the wrist and sent on her way.
Yes, I have hung on to a few friends from school days, and other friends from maybe 25+ years ago. The problem is geography - everyone has either moved out of California or moved far enough away from me to where it makes it difficult to get together. In the case of "M," that had been a rather questionable friendship in the past but I really thought that things had evolved and matured in 2011 and I came to find out that in some ways things had changed, and in some ways things stayed the same.
Yep - 7th grade was not fun at all. I agree with that!
Right now I am not working outside of the house so if you do make it to The Grove/Farmers Market during Summer I can most likely meet you unless something changes between now and then!
I was laid off from a 14-year job a few years ago, and then went into another position at a place that didn't really need an extra person (I think they were just trying to help me out), which they decided 6 months in. The economy got really bad and places around here stopped hiring, or getting even pickier about who they hired and for how much money. I could not find a new job! Since then I have been working at home for a revolving list of clients, and struggling a lot, but my PC suffered a major crash last year - the same PC I am using now - and it left me with a bad hard drive and a constant onslaught of problems with the programs I use as well as the Internet. It has mini-crashes all the time and is very unstable, so I really need to get a whole new system because it has impacted my work (and income!) a great deal. I am also continuing the search for an office job too.
So, barring any unexpected developments I would probably be free on a weekday to meet you! Don't rule out a Catalina visit/day trip during your SoCal time either! I just ordered my 2012 Visitors Guide a few weeks ago!
For corn's sake! It's getting more difficult to keep up! (I happened to watch "I Love Lucy" right around the time you said 'for corn's sake' -- so that gave me a good chuckle. I hope you pulled your pants up as high as they could go while you were saying it, just to be as much like Fred Mertz as possible.
)
OK. I see you posted again but I haven't read it yet. I need to get my comments up for the previous post before moving on. This will be kind of random, so here we go...
Let's see...The Captain Hook light fixture. No, I've never seen that before! And quite frankly that surprises me since I like to notice those things.
So Pluto was making actual audible growling noises? It makes me wonder if the person inside was trying to stifle a giggle while they were growling, or if they were just serious as could be. Just funny to think about. A couple of years ago my son's teacher's daughter was hired to be Aurora (I think?) at WDW. Before taking on Aurora, she spent some time as Pluto. One time she had a guest shove a camera "down her throat" -- makes me wonder if she was growling at them and they wanted a closer look at what was going on in there!
Very interesting about seeing the same lady twice! In 2 different years! That is just crazy! What are the chances?? And how did you even recognize her again? I would recognize Halloween Lady ONLY if she was dressed in her jaunty Halloween attire, walking along with a distinctive spring in her step. Like TK, I also thought of Roma Downey!
(Was her name Monica?) Is this what an Aunt Betty is? If you see someone multiple times...you are pulling an Aunt Betty?
You know, I was in high school when I realized that
Disneyland had a deeper "beyond the rides" meaning to me. I remember one of my good friends was going to Disneyland for the first time and I was SO excited for her. I couldn't wait to hear what she thought about it when she returned. Her response? "It was OK." And then she went on and on about how much she loved Universal Studios.
I was stunned. I wondered how it was possible that she didn't love it like I did. I tried to put myself in her shoes...going for the first time as a teenager. And I got it. She didn't have a history there. (Not to say that someone going for the first time as a teenager/adult can't absolutely love it...) I am a nostalgia-loving-let's-talk-about-old-memeories person by nature. Disneyland was full of fond memories for me. And I love adding to my bank of Disneyland Memories! So this realization about Disneyland being more than a place to ride the rides came years ago. It has indeed been a "source of joy" just as Walt hoped.
This reply really is all over the place, huh?
I read that both Indy and BTMR would be down for "months" this fall. Time will tell, I suppose.
That's so funny that we got nearly the same Gingerbread picture!
During the talk of Paradise Pier/Pan Pacific, I was wondering to myself, "I wonder if that is the old Emerald Hotel? I will google it after I finish reading this post." Then lo and behold...you beat me to it!
We used to stay at Eden Roc
scared1
and walk to Disneyland. Actually, back then Eden Roc seemed just fine to us. It was all we knew. I guess not "all we knew" -- sometimes we stayed at the Inn of Tomorrow (today's Best Western Stovall's). I know we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel once. I don't remember it at all, but I have a picture of me sitting in the hallway outside our hotel room door, holding one of those pink or blue classic old-style Mickey Balloons. Before they were inside of another balloon. Back to the Emerald. We used to walk by that hotel and wish we were staying there. So big and pretty and out of our league!
It's fun to have that mystery solved.
Oh...and I remember Sambos. I remember the pictures that went along the wall up by the ceiling, telling Sambo's story.
Lastly...
Marie...thank you for your comments on my Dad. He is doing well at the moment. Last week he had a procedure in which a needle was inserted into his lung. The intent was to give the blood clot in his lung an electric shock, and break up the clot. It is expected for the lung to collapse during this particular procedure, but it didn't in his case. We'll know in a month or so if the procedure did what it was meant to do.
OK...on to the next installment!
Deej -
Fred Mertz sure had some high-rising pants, didn't he?
Thank you so much for the reply! I love reading comments, questions, etc! Sometimes the best thing to do is just reply randomly, as the points pop into mind. I've done that - I just have to type out the comments as I can think of them, in no specific order! It's a mixed bag o' fun!
I was very surprised to see that Hook light fixture in Marie's TR because I didn't
think I had seen it in your TR's in the past, or in any other TR's by people who enjoy light fixtures (and there are a few of them!). How many more themed light fixtures are lurking around that we don't know about or have not seen yet?
I knew there were quite a few I had not seen yet, but that Hook one seems like a good one that would have been spotted by someone before now!
Gotta hand it to Disney - they have created a place where there are just thousands upon thousands of little details and hidden gems that all of us notice and discover each time we go to their parks. And what's fun is that we all spot different things on our trips - there will always be something that you see that I haven't noticed before, or something that I find on my trips that others have not seen yet. There will be things that other people capture during their DLR trips that we don't see. It seems to be never-ending! Just when you think you have noticed every detail there is to notice, someone pops up with something else!
Yes, from what I can recall, there was a little bit of playful growling by the over-zealous Pluto at Goofy's Kitchen, as he came at me. Sometimes Chip & Dale will make little giggling chipmunk noises, too. I don't know about that Pluto - he was definitely in my personal space. I've been eating at Goofy's since 1992 and have never encountered a character that was quite so in-your-face and aggressive as that Pluto. I am a fairly good sport and can play along with Aggressive Pluto as long as he doesn't injure me, but I can see how that kind of 'play' on his part could upset some hyper-sensitive parents, who will complain that he frightened their child or whatever.
I can imagine that the people who play the characters at the Disney parks - whether they are face characters or hiding in costumes - encounter all kinds of obnoxious guests who shove the cameras in their faces and down their throats, like your son's teacher's daughter experienced. They have to have tremendous patience for that!
As for the lady I saw in DCA (after seeing her in DL in 2010)... When I get to the point in the actual TR story where she pops up, I will explain what she said and how it caught my attention to notice her in the first place.
But, as for how I recognized the lady...there was about a minute of that "Where have I seen this person before" feeling before it hit me. It's not like as soon as she spoke I said, "Hey! I saw you last year too!" I had to kind of scan my brain for where I would have seen her in the past, because I knew her face was familiar. I have a pretty good memory - and a pretty decent memory for faces - so that helped a lot. I also noticed her hair color, which was a particular shade of red that stood out. Finally it clicked when I thought about my December 2010 trip - it was suddenly that "Aha! That's it!" feeling. I remembered being on Main Street right at dusk in 2010, and she had commented on my t-shirt.
But the only common thread between seeing the lady in 2010 and in 2011 is that both sightings were on a Monday, and both were in in December. Otherwise...different year, different park, different time of day, different week in December, etc. It's very possible she could be a local who happens to go to DLR on Mondays, or she could be someone who makes a holiday trip to DLR like I do every year, and her trip just happened to fall when mine fell.
"Aunt Betty" is not a reference for seeing the same person over and over again.
You mentioned your friend liking Universal Studios better than Disneyland, way back when. Well, I think there were/are a lot of people who felt/feel that way because they think of Disney and they think of "rides for kids." They think of Mr. Toad, Peter Pan, Alice, Pinocchio, Snow White, Dumbo, etc. - and that instantly equals "place for kids" in their minds. What they want is like Six Flags' rides inside of Disneyland. So they either limit their rides to just the ones that can be adult-friendly too, like all the Mountain rides, etc., and then complain about how there are not enough rides to go on, or they force themselves on the "kid rides" and come away thinking that it's only a place for kids. Mickey Mouse is only for kids. Posing with characters is only for little kids.
In reality, as we all know on this board, you can be adults and fully enjoy the Disney parks. As much as I loved Disneyland as a kid and as much as it was sort of my 'light at the end of the tunnel' every year, I think I enjoy and appreciate it soooo much more today than I did back then. Sure, my priorities have shifted a bit - I don't go racing to get on Dumbo as soon as I walk through the tunnel these days. But I
can still enjoy a ride on Dumbo or a ride on Pinocchio from time to time, and then also enjoy POTC or TSMM in DCA or whatever - or I can spend days on end doing nothing but taking photos and never getting on any rides (which is what I wish I'd had time to do on this last 2011 trip). I can find so many different types of things to do at DLR (to amuse myself) that I never get bored - my mind is open. I think that so many people visit DLR with a closed mind - they want to put it into one category, one box - that they can't see beyond those limits to enjoy it to its fullest.
And yes, I definitely think that having some sort of childhood memories at DL (as opposed to
not having those memories) has a big impact on how or IF people enjoy DLR when they get to be teenagers or adults.
I remember the Inn of Tomorrow! Yes, as a kid the Disneyland Hotel seemed like a far-off place that would be impossible to stay in, didn't it? It was nice to finally cross those barriers and actually stay there, and realize it was not such a big mystery!
I actually think that now, more than ever, a resurrection of the old Monorail Cafe would fit perfectly at the Disneyland Hotel (theme-wise) because they are really emphasizing the whole retro thing. The Monorail Cafe would work in that retro theme. Even if DLR just brought back that
kind of restaurant to DLR - a sit-down, table service place with a real coffee shop/pie shop/diner feel and the food that you expect to find at those places - and then called it something different, it would be great. It wouldn't even have to go in the DLH. They could stick it anywhere at DLR. But I think that a table service restaurant of that type is needed at the Resort.
I chuckled when I saw your gingerbread display picture. I think I had already posted mine in my TR as a Christmas countdown photo before you got around to posting yours in your TR, and I had no clue what you took photos of before I left for the trip! So we just honed in on the same window display highlight and got it at almost the same angle, and from the same distance!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers Sambo's! It seems like, in the old, old days of Disneyland (when we would all look for the telltale Matterhorn peak from the freeway), we would pass a lot of Denny's and a couple of Sambo's along the way. That's what stuck out in my mind.
OK...all caught up once again.
LOVED the 80s pictures! Did you wear blue shadow as eyeliner like I did? I had a pair of eyeglasses very similar to M's at one point. (In the Michael Damian shirt pics) I can't believe Michael Damian said goodbye like that! Kissing you both on the lips! So was he a "rock star" in the early 80s? I remember he had a hit song in 1988 or sometime around there. "Rock On" Do you remember that one? Ah, now I need to go listen to it.
Is M wearing Lee Press On Nails?
I find it odd that M would want to bring a new friend into YOUR hotel room. Who does that? When you haven't seen someone in 10 years, and you are finally reuniting in your old stomping grounds, why would you bring along a stranger? I don't get it.
I've really enjoyed reading the background and introduction to your story-driven TR. More, more, more!!!
Deej -
I'm so glad you enjoyed the pictures!
I had blue eyeliner and shadow, but I don't think I wore those often - just for "special occasions"!
Yes, it was very shocking at the time that Michael Damian kissed us both on the lips before hopping into his Porsche! We were certainly stunned! I can't recall what happened in which order, but he was on "Young & the Restless" when we met him, playing "Danny," who was a singer on the show. I think he may have been a singing actor who got a job on "Y&R," then he got to sing on the show, which then created a bigger fan base. Then he became one of those 'Soap Opera Rock Stars,' (like Jack Wagner, Rick Springfield and others) who was mainly known for being on a soap, but who released a hit single and then became a singing sensation. I remember that "Rock On" song or whatever it was called - it is a remake of a song by someone else.
I would not be shocked if M was wearing Lee Press-On Nails at that time. I thought she got actual manicures, but who knows? I had some Press-On Nails that I wore a couple of times back then, but they drove me crazy so I stopped - actually having nails drives me nuts anyway so I keep them short.
I am glad that someone caught on to the fact that it was odd (and a bit nervy) that a friend I had not seen in 10 years was asking me if she could bring her new friend to stay in my PPH room (and then only wanted to pay me 1/2 of the bill, instead of each girl paying me 1/3 of the bill, or M paying me 2/3 to cover both of them)!! She told me that "WE" (meaning she and I) could "spend more time together" that way, when in reality, it was really that she wanted to hang out with her new friend away from her own crowded hotel room (where her husband, son and dad were). It had nothing to do with wanting to spend more time with ME (as you will find out in this TR).
I was hoping someone would pick up on that being an odd request from M, because it kind of gives you an idea of the level of 'consideration' I was dealing with -- and what kinds of things are to come in my Trip Report!! I tend to wonder how the course of events would have been different and how the 'end' of my trip might have been different if I had been able to let them stay in my hotel room. But, honestly,
if I had been able to stay an extra night at PPH after Laurie and Molly went home, I would have wanted to be there all by myself to get a good night's rest. I wouldn't have wanted another person or two people there with me. I had 3 nights of people in my room and I sleep much better when I am totally alone in the room!
Okay, I must go work on the next installment!
I love your pictures and especially like the GCH tree and the stunning close-up of the tree. 
They make me want it to be Christmas time right now. 
Booooo! Even though I don't know if I will be called to the Courthouse, and if I am called I don't know if I will have to sit on a jury, I dread having to be available for the whole week. Blech!
