OKAY OKAY, GEEZ

Enough people decided to make me feel special babbling over IM about how I hadn't told my new years story yet that I'm finally sitting down to do it. Beware, you know how wordy I get, especially when talking about myself!

So, New Years Eve, I wake up at 4:56am, amazingly just before my alarm was set to go off at 5. As always when its a big day I bounce out of bed and into the shower in a single hop, and am good to go about 5:20. Equipment check (keys/wallet/sunglasses/pager/cellphone/camera/ticket) and voom, out the door I go. The father was kind enough to loan his 96 Mustang, so I rode in style. A quick stop at McD's for the usual eat-while-driving #3, and blam, onto the 405 I went. Ended up getting there about 6:15, surprised to see the gates to the lot were open, but there wasn't a line of cars yet... Something about driving down Harbor Boulevard just makes my skin tingle... I see the Hyatt Regency where I planned for like a year 7 or 8 years ago to have this big two day two night adventure package deal wonderful thingy... I used to be obsessed, typing out 10 or 20 page "touring plans" which would detail everything about how the day would go, factoring in the length of rides, distance between them, speed of the lines per 100 people waiting, etc etc... It ended up getting me to an obscene amount of rides in a single day, but it wasn't exactly for the "relaxed" visitor. About five years later I finally abandoned the idea, given I'd done everything there anyway, might as well do what I'm in the mood for, when I'm in the mood for it. They finally got rid of the old Welcome to Disneyland that used to sit out front on the west side of the boulevard as you turned into the lot, I can remember many a family cheer as the ol minivan made its way in.

Exchanged pleasantries with the attendant, followed the cones, and amazingly enough discovered that not only was it deserted out front, but I was actually the very first car in the entire parking lot... Turned out I parked in the first spot on the first aisle, as close as possible to the entrance itself (something only someone who is obsessed would brag about). This of course ended up placing me at the very front of one of the gate lines, and I ended up being the very first person to walk into Disneyland that day (ignoring all those lame early admission hotel guests ;) ) Walking down Main Street USA is literally the happiest time in the world for me, knowing how much fun lies ahead.

By now you're probably thinking you're going to get a whole day long description, but I'll spare you most of the gory details. Strangest moment occurred when I got something stuck in my shoe for the 3rd time in an hour and found it to be suprisingly, a penny, again. I eventually figured out after a nickel appeared in my shoe a few minutes later that I had a hole in my jeans pocket, and that was allowing change to slide down my pant leg and end up in my shoe, confusing many a passers-by when I pulled it out... Yeah, I really am that retarded...

Spent a good hour playing Disney flavored DDR in the new Innoventions attraction, until one too many little kids came up and beat the pants off me at it... Also found it interesting my character was still saved in the Gauntlet Legends arcade game at the huge Starcade they have there, which I had played the previous two years as well (geeks will be impressed). Was depressed to see the Animazement show wasn't running anymore as well as the Hunchback show, both of those had amazingly talented vocalists that were quite enjoyable. Ah, forgot to mention the most depressing thing from the day, Fantasmic the show I rank just about highest all time in terms of greatness for its time, was closed until summer. :( That shot to hell my strategy of sneaking into "perfect viewing point" (tm) just after the second to last show, and getting to stay for the last showing immediately after the new year... Everything turned out okay though, I'm glad to say.

Played cell phone tag with one of my friends who was there as well with her girlfriend and her family, eventually met up with them later in the day and hung out for a while, spent the usual too much on food, but geez some of the restaurants there are gooooooood if you know where to go... (yeah, its nice to hang out with an aficianado (spelling shot in the dark (just wanted to have a third parentheses))) I wonder whether Disneyland will end up being a locale of employment after college, obviously not as your typical minimum wage worker, but geez out of that whole place there must be something I'm capable of that pays. :) Just watching a small child's face light up when they see Mickey Mouse, is enough to bring a smile to my face for hours at a time. Oh, and I DID go back to the Candy Palace to look for that girl from last year, the last girl I gave my number to whom I'd never met before in a random place... No dice there. Oh, and no, she didn't call. :/

So eventually I commandeered my spot at the top of the bridge in New Orlean's Square, next to the lightpost I'd been standing near as the clock struck 2000, and 2001. Of course it was still part of the excess line for Pirates of the Caribbean around 10pm when I got there, but I found sitting in a lump and pretending to be asleep kept most people moving along past without saying anything, other than the few who would feel the need to tap me, or talk trash about how retarded I was for sleeping through new years, thinking I was sound asleep...

Anyway, New Years at Disneyland. Personally, its indescribable. Picture 100,000 people (or more) all in the same area. Picture most of them with those glow in the dark necklaces, or glowticks they're waving, or light wands, or something. Do your best to figure out what thousands of kazoos sounds like, most of which are right in your general vicinity. Imagine the voices of countless people, united as one counting numerically backwards. Look up, and see amazing explosions and lights as the last thirty seconds of a year tick by. Listen to the screams and cries of a million HAPPY NEW YEARs from all around you. Enjoy one of the most amazing fireworks displays ever, and glance around as couples embrace, children laugh and cheer, and grandparents share yet another moment together. Close your eyes, and realize this won't be the last time you'll be in this exact spot, the Happiest Place on Earth, for this special time. I know I'll be back again and again. Want to come along next year? 361 days and counting, give or take.