On Saturday we all went as a family and saw Avatar... a really impressive movie. The plot was pretty traditional...sorta an amalgamation of probably about 10 different other sci-fi films, but it was amazing to watch. The CGI was amazing, the interaction of the CGI with the live action characters was amazing, and the use of 3D was very amazing (imagine how empty this paragraph would be without the word amazing). This is a movie that you should probably see in theaters because it just won't be as amazing at home.
Today we went to Disneyland. It was pretty fun. Disneyland at Christmastime is just beautiful. They have fake snow at 10, fireworks at 9....decorations everywhere. The castle was covered in brilliant lights that somehow managed to look like real icicles. Really, Disneyland is the sweetest and most genuine experience money can buy.
Oh, and I almost forgot, the best part of Disneyland during Christmas is the haunted mansion. They do an amazing job there. They redo the entire ride so it looks like The Nightmare Before Christmas movie.
I'll post a few pictures from the Disneyland trip once I get them off my sister's camera.
And that brings me to now....so, here I am blogging about all the fun stuff from today and it made me realize that, although I love Disneyland, I'm sorta between phases in life now so I don't really get all I should out of the place....I guess I should probably explain that.
Disneyland really is the magic kingdom for kids, and it's vicariously the magic kingdom for adults (specifically parents). As you walk around the park you see little kids in awe reaching out to touch cartoon characters brought to life. You see little girls from every nationality you can imagine dressed up as little princesses...and you see little boys sporting their overalls as they swing lighsabers at their sisters (aka the princesses) (only 26 bucks for a glow in the dark stick...get on it)...but best of all is when you see kids, all tuckered out, just collapsed in their strollers enjoying a deep and contented nap (the best naps around too...brought on by the fatigue of too much excitement...too much fun for a day-- so much fun you gotta sleep to recover from it).
Anyway, as I go to Disneyland now, that's what I see. When I was younger I'd go to Disneyland to go on rides, to eat cherry sours... to explore as much of the place as I could. Now I just go to observe. It really is sweet to watch kids having fun, and parents having fun watching their kids have fun...the kids just buzz with excitement, and the parents glow with the love they have for them (and as they pick up on some of the excitement themselves as they see things the way their kids do).
So, really, Disneyland (even though it annoys me with its blatant commercialism) offers a much needed experience: it allows kids to be kids and it helps adults (as they see Disneyland again from the perspective of their kids) remember what it's like to be a kid...to remember what life was like before cynicism and a few hard knocks took the wind from their sails.
The sad thing (of which I'm becoming increasingly aware) is that I really don't fit into either of these two groups (I'm not a kid anymore and I'm certainly not a parent). So, although I have a blast at Disneyland, I'm not really in a stage of life where I maximize the fun I have there.
When I go to Disneyland now I just get all nostalgic and remember the past. The place is more of a hall of memories than an amusement park. I can associate a memory with nearly everything there. It's actually really enjoyable to do this (although contemplation is a bad fit at an amusement park). As I walk around Disneyland I remember being a kid and chasing Mickey cause I wanted to see how big his feet were. I remember dragging my feet with exhaustion as we're walking out of the park (and then feeling weightless as my dad (noticing my lollygagging) lifted me off the ground and put me on his shoulders), I remember saving up my allowance so I could buy the Star Wars models they sold in the Tomorrowland gift shop (never was able to save up the 21 dollars necessary for the Millennium Falcon)...I just remember great times as a kid.
And then I have memories from my teenage/young adult years. I remember going there for a cheap date (when you have friends that work there it's really easy to get in) and just running around the park (really, Disneyland would still be a great place to take a date, although, since I don't live here it's not a cheap date anymore).... I remember going there with my baseball team and running through the crowds as fast as we could to make sure we got on more rides than anyone else at the park that day.... I remember when it rained and the park would empty and and a few friends and I had the entire park to ourselves (we went on Space Mountain again and again (at least 4 times) while everyone else waited for the rain to clear).
Anyway, all I'm really saying is that, as you age, how you experience Disneyland changes. Originally Disneyland is about you, it's about having fun, seeing the sights and attractions...but as you age your perspective shifts and the fun of Disneyland comes from whom you're with....and I guess I'm in some weird middle area of this shift.
Oh well, it's still a fun place, and I'm I'll eventually I'll make the transition full swing and I'll be the guy with the kid on my shoulders telling his other son to stop hitting his sister with the claw from the toy shop...and that will be good times--Disneyland will be new again.
Well, better go. Hope you all have a great day.
Oh, and here are some pictures from the trip.
In front of It's a Small World
Sleeping Beauty's castle with Christmas bling
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