The Happiest Place on Earth.

Ok, kids, I'm back! I had a great time with Abu Skekha et al on the west coast but am glad to be back...well, not really. Work sucks.

We did have a great time, despite the Arctic freeze that took over the land of fruits and nuts. A lot of food was eaten, a lot of shops were visited, a lot of excitement was experienced. However, much to my dismay (but not for lack of trying) no celebrities were spotted...unless you count Goofy and Sleeping Beauty as famous folk. Yes, my friends, Abu Shekha and I went to Disneyland.

Now, before you can wonder how we, as almost 30 year old women, could spend $80 to simply set foot into the gates of the Happiest Place on Earth, let me assuage your apprehension: because of her important job at her big international corporation, we got in for free. Which was good, because we could hardly handle being there for five hours, which definitely wouldn't have been worth our while.

But what we observed, as the worldly, mature individuals we are, made it all worth it. Among our observations:

1. A very overweight young mother riding around Main Street, USA on a motorized vehicle with a similarly overweight child riding along with her. Nothing against those who have a few extra pounds on them, but, as Abu said, "Dude, this is effing Disneyland. Your kid should be running around and enjoying herself, not gorging on cotton candy while she rides a Rascal down the street."
2. In line at the La Brea Bakery getting our afternoon snack, we overheard the following conversation:
   Dad to cashier: I'd like a large Sprite, no ice.
   6 year old daughter (as she chomps on one of those big, spiral-y lollipops): AND A BROWNIE.
   Dad to daughter: You don't need a brownie.
   Daughter: YES I DO.
   Dad: No.
   Daughter: Okay, then fruit.
   Dad: We have fruit at home.
   Daughter: We do not. It's all gone and it's not the same.
   Dad: I said no. Just the Sprite, please.
   Daughter: You are the worst dad ever. You are a mean father. I don't want you to be my dad a-ny-MORE!
3. A family, consisting of a mother, father, and young daughter standing in line for the [um, awesome] Monsters, Inc. ride. The mother is listening to her iPod and ignoring any attempt by the young daughter to talk to her.
4. A 20 something year old man, with a large group of friends, standing in line for a ride watching a portable DVD player. Points for being imaginative about finding ways to spend time. But the wait wasn't long and he was with his friends. Anti-social much?
5. Lots of old people. Lots.
6. People getting overly excited about the Mickey and Minnie wedding cake toppers in the gift shop. As Abu said, any adult who is fascinated/obsessed with cartoon characters of any kind (but especially Pooh) is just weird.
7. It's a Small World, while still amazingly entertaining, is a bit outdated. And a lot politically incorrect.

So that was Disneyland in a nutshell. The rest of the trip was equally fun and equally un-celebrity filled. A bummer on that front, but we tried really hard. We went shopping at The Grove all day Monday, walked down Robertson, drove through West Hollywood, got delish cupcakes at the hip new bakery, Sprinkles, in Beverly Hills (the best cupcake (who am I kidding--cupcakeS) I have ever tasted), and even ate dinner at the favorite restaurant of the Friends crew, Il Sole (which was amazing (and mentioned three times in last week's issue of the Bible)). I'm sorry I can't give you anything more. But, I can say that Goofy is bigger in real life than he appears on screen.