Disney Land and Dim Sum

Over the weekend my friend and I also went to Disney Land and Disney's California Adventure for the first time. I had been to Disney World probably four times now, but this was my first time visiting the original on the West Coast. Maybe it was because the weather was a bit chilly and it started to drizzle as we left, but I was generally disappointed. I mean I had fun, but not like I used to. I guess I'm older and used to some more impressive rides. 

The main castle was much smaller as was the park itself in comparison to the Magic Kingdom in Florida. The smallness factor made the park cute though, but not as grand or magical. Part of the castle was also under reconstruction so that took away from the overall appearance as well. Plus there weren't many characters walking around, which disappointed me. I wanted my photo with Chip and Dale or Donald Duck, instead we only spotted Woody from Toy Story and Goofy but that was it. I think for me the magic has gone from Disney, because I couldn't help but think it was like Great Adventure, Universal or any theme park in some respects. Since we couldn't pose with characters we tried on hats and turned into our own.

I did enjoy Soarin' Over California, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (I made it to Level 3) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which were all new rides for me plus the usuals like Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.  Oh and Space Mountain until April will be Rockin' Space Mountain and blasting Red Hot Chili Peppers music and light show during the ride, which was a new riding experience than the original space theme.  

Oh and this just seemed inappropriate in the land where dreams come true, lol.

 

The next morning we traveled out to Monterey Park area for some Dim Sum on Sunday at NBC Seafood. I hadn't had Dim Sum since September when I was in New York at Jing Fong and my friend had never been at all. I had written a blog post before about what the authentic experience is like here. If you haven't been, you have to go, it's a lot of fun.

The King of Queens

On Friday evening, my friend Becca--visiting from NH and I went to a taping of The King of Queens over at Sony Studios in Culver City. I had requested the free tickets via Audiences Unlimited several weeks ago and was lucky to receive two tickets. I've been a fan of the show for sometime, although I don't watch it habitually I like catching the reruns. It's also the only live taping I'd really want to see, now that most of the great sitcoms are history. (How I wish I could have seen a taping of Friends, I would have flown out here for that).

Lucky for us the taping we went to ended up being extra special since it was the show's 200th episode, it's also the show's 9th and possibly last season.

The taping lasted a little under the expected four hours and we were given cookies, candy and a copy of that evening's script. The episode is called "Home Cheapo," and will probably air in 4-6 weeks from now. The best part of the taping was seeing Kevin James and Leah Remini tease one another when they messed up their lines and seeing them interact like they were a married couple almost off camera. He even yelled at her for not crossing to her mark at one point and for running over on his lines, it was funny and she couldn't stop laughing as he pulled her over to where she was supposed to be. Leah Remini (who besides being in Saved by the Bell and Who's the Boss was also in the short lived NBC show Fired Up, which I liked with Sharon Lawrence who I also met out here a few months ago--read here.)

It was also great seeing Jerry Stiller perform as well. He was a pro with his loud comic delievry and didn't flub any of his lines. Pretty impressive. And although I had fun, I didn't enjoy it as much as the two Hope and Faith tapings that I went to in New York. They gave out pizza to the audience members and the warm-up guy was much funnier. I also got a Hope and Faith t-shirt that I wear to bed still sometimes.  Other tapings that I've gone to in the past include the failed Shelly Long show Kelly Kelly, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tony Danza Show, Caroline Rhea's talk show and Christine Baranski's Welcome to New York, which faired only slightly better than Long's.

Turtle racing

Yup, turtle racing, that's what I wrote. There is a bar out in Marina Del Rey, Brennan's Pub on Lincoln Blvd, which has been the home of turtle racing since 1972. Turtle racing takes place every Thursday night at 10 p.m. and a cover band plays inside near the bar. 

It's simple. The turtles are placed in the center of a large circle and the first turtle to make it to the outside white line is the winning turtle.

You can rent a turtle to race or bring your own, but generally they have women place the turtle into the center ring but they can't bend their knees as they do it, thus making their asses stick out rather blatantly or flattering depending on the case. If your legs bend or if you're pretty they'll drop a flag and make you do it over and over again, lol. Once and awhile a guy goes out to place a turtle too and he is booed. 

As the security guard outside will yell out to the crowd seated in a circle of bleachers, chairs and and a wall of unluckys who weren't able to snag a seat, there is only one rule in turtle racing, do not point at the turtles. He'll repeat it over and over again, yet of course someone still points and they will drop a flag on the "race course" and make the offending pointer put $5 in the pot. It's not like the pointing really bothers the turtles, it's just a rule that makes everyone laugh when someone has to shell out (no pun intended) money--as long as it's not you of course. Here's a quick video that I uploaded to YouTube.

When I got home though I accidently hit my head on this stupid bike rack thing that pertrudes from the wall in our garage. I literally saw stars and had to put a package of frozen vegetables on the already forming bump on my head. My friend visiting from New Hampshire snapped a photo of my care.

I spy question mark guy

You know that older guy from commercials where he's in front of DC monuments and he's shouting about how he can help get you free government grants, free money, free tax breaks, etc and oh yeah, he's covered in question marks? 

Well, I saw him today in Jamba Juice when I was ordering my second shot of wheat grass (still grassy). He was in a black suit with hot pink and yellow question marks all over him and multi-colored glasses. No, he wasn't filming anything, just ordering a smoothie and being his own walking billboard. I smiled at him after sneaking a shot of him on my camera phone and asked "aren't you the guy from the commercials?"  He smiled and said yes and patted me on the back as he walked up to the counter to collect his smoothie. 

I guess he lives in L.A. So random. His real name is Matthew Lesko a.k.a. the guy in the question mark suit.  His website is matthewlesko.com you can go there for FREE! FREE! FREE! ;)

Here's an interesting interview with him at The Black Table, where he talks about wearing the question mark suit as a marketing tool. 

"Do you believe you need to wear the outfit so that people will take you, well, seriously?

Oh, the outfit to take me seriously? It's the opposite. I've been kicked off of shows because of it. I've lost millions because of it. I was on the Home Shopping Network and they said I had to change my suit. I thought about it and decided, 'This is way too important to me.' Years later they had me back. It was one of those hard decisions that become great later. Your loved ones tell you that you're being silly, that you need the money. But as a result of following my heart, opportunities opened and my business tripled. So now I sell tons through the Home Shopping Network, but they still don't like the suit. We're back to them wanting me to change it again. I can imagine if Jesus Christ was here they'd say, 'You know this rope sandal stuff…we're really appealing to the wrong demographic here.'

On that note, would you say that your garb is equivalent to, say, Superman's cape? Like, when you're not wearing it, you're simply Clark Kent?

You know what, in a way, when I have it on, it does something to other people. When I first started wearing it I was so self-conscious. I was walking down the airport and every step was like lugging around 500 pounds. I felt so stupid, but I just had to do it. Now people smile when they see me. I get discounts on airplanes and hotels. Pretty girls come up and talk to me for the first time in my life. Where were they when I had more hormones?

I feel like I could walk into the toughest biker bar at 2:00 in the morning and feel comfortable. It disarms people. I mean, the buzz creates my life.

Marketing has nothing to do with it. Harvard business school wanted to know about this "branding." This is just me who happens to be writing books. Strategic branding? It was a pure accident. I'm just not that smart."

 

Hmm well his outfit did make me smile and here I am continuing the buzz for him, so just more proof that his branding is working even if by accident and to get attention from chicks. 

Seven years?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7?

No way, that’s too long. Way too long to have not seen my friend, my dad.

It feels like forever and yesterday in the same gut wrenching ache that I’ve gotten used to feeling when I think of you, which is always. Always. Sometimes I think you are haunting me. I think about you every day, several times a day. You are in my blood. And to have gone seven years of not seeing you, with no reward or time out for how well I’ve dealt with it, or tried to. Just more pain, more years of not being able to hang with my best friend. More silent jokes that don’t receive your wise ass comments back, more Mondays without you to talk to.

I hate this date. Today is when everything changed for me but stayed the same for so many others. You and my mom had warned me that was how it would feel, it’s how you felt when you two lost Serina. Serina. I hope you’ve gotten to see her again. I hope that if you can’t be with this daughter that you’re with your other, my sister. It’s only fair I guess, she only had three years with you, I had 17. Man, I was so young, so confused. I wish I could go back and hug that version of myself. Hell, if i'm wishing I wish my father was still alive and healthy.

I can still remember finding out. I was supposed to see you that day, after school. We probably would have went to Sams and the Chinese Buffet. I cried at lunch thinking about if you died, even before I knew anything. A premonition? I’ve always found that weird…and magical. How did I always know you would never live to see me graduate? How did I know I would find out almost the exact same way I had thought of? Why did I cry at lunch? Were you giving me a heads up some how?

Thankfully, in terms of grief, the last five months haven’t been as bad as the prior six years and seven months without you. Maybe I’m getting used to it? I hope not, I don’t want to forget. Well, forgetting the pain would be nice, but I’d never forget all our memories. I know that. There are too many. I am you.

I met someone. Someone special and I’ll always regret that you couldn’t have met. His humor reminds me of yours and in that sense it feels like you’ve been around somehow these last five months. I try to tell him and everyone who hasn’t met you, who you are. I tell stories of us. I even imitate your voice when I say your parts. Ha, I can almost see your head shake at the idea.

I love you dad. I love you for teaching me so much even through your mistakes. I love that you got me. I love that I could go to you about shit.

I’m sorry you had so many hard times. I’m sorry you couldn’t be here now for the good. I’m sorry.

I’ll continue to make you proud dad. You’ll always be with me, you’re apart of me. I am you.

Christina from Grey's Anatomy: "There's a club. The dead dad's club and you can't be in it until you're in it. You can try to understand, you can sympathize, but until you feel that loss. My dad died when I was nine. George, I'm really sorry you had to join the club."

George: "I don't know how to exist in a world where my dad doesn't."

Christina: "Yeah, that never really changes."

PS: The Art of Making Pizza With My Dad  Don't worry, this post is more upbeat.