Lego Store

If you had a childhood, you have a fondness for Legos. Downtown Disney recently re-imagineered their Lego Store.

It used to be pretty average - nothing worth visiting unless you needed to buy legos. Now it's more of an experience.

See the 'children' building Lego cars

Fist of all, their are giant Disney figures made completely from Legos all over the place. There's even a dragon battling a knight on the roof. WHOA!

Out front your kids (or grown-ass friends) can build cars to race down a tiny incline (be warned that said friends will spend a very long time discussing wind resistance and weight capacity while trying to kick each others' butts at tiny-Lego-car racing).

This nerd expects you to be fooled

Against the back wall is a thousand pods full of the colorful plastic bricks. One can choose between two sizes (both very expensive) of plastic cups and then fill them to the brim with Legos out of the pods on the wall. I was disappointed to discover, however, that the pods are not full of different Legos all the way to the ceiling, but most have a picture that looks like a bunch of Legos in them! LIARS!

All around the shop are different stations for one to play with and build things. Hurray! Germs! 

Guys, there are way too many themed Lego sets. Every fantasy movie ever has thirty different collections. Was I tempted by the Harry Potter sets... yes (I'm not ashamed). I just wanted to play make-believe with the kids from Hogwarts! But, alas, I know that the child inside me dies more and more every day (I stopped feeding him) and so $50 on a Harry Potter toy would be a complete waste.

She's into it

Holograms! Some of the boxes are rigged to interact with a camera and screen in the store. You hold the box in front of the camera and the set appears above the box on the screen. Then you can rotate the box to get different angles of the completed toy inside. Pretty nifty.

I've decided that when I have a child, I will be able to buy a Harry Potter set for "him/her." I just have to be patient (and maybe be a little 'absent minded' for few days).

Comic Con

Yes, I know that San Diego is not in Orange County, okay? But the event is so big, it might as well be (you didn't think I would be able to justify it, did you?).

I heard that a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Comic Con was an underground thing (not literally). I mean, we can all assume that the convention didn't just break out into existence as the multi billion dollar event it has become (duh). It started in the 70s as just a few nerdy guys exchanging/searching for/interested in comic books. But now it is the place to be if you are involved in or in love with either movies, comics, television, or video games. However, the event generally focuses on the sci fi and fantasy (the nerdiest) genres of all medias listed. 

A fraction of a gazillion people

Do you know how many people are involved in or in love with movies, comics, television, and/or video games in the sci fi or fantasy genre? A gazillion. What started as a few geeks and their superhero make-em-up-books has evolved into something that attracts a gazillion human beings to San Diego every July.

Rumors suggest that in the late 90s/early 2000s Comic Con was not as mainstream as it is now but also not as boring as it was when it began. To have been one of the geeks attending during that sweet spot: heaven.

The elusive Hall H

Moving on: Comic Con 2012 was my first (what? OMG!) Con. Boy, was I naive to the amount of nerds on the planet. Before we left I was looking at the panel schedule and casually selecting which ones I'd like to attend. WAS I CRAZY? At Comic Con, one does not choose which panels they'd like to see - the panels choose you (at least the first several thousand of you that will fit into the room). "Honey, we may have to get into line early to see the Big Bang panel at noon. I'm thinking 9am." Nope, try 4am. The lines for panels were MILES long. There were 10s of thousands of people that tried to get into the Firefly panel that didn't (I heard Nathan Fillion say 200,000 people. That's wrong because there are less than 200,000 attendees. But it was definitely a lot of people).

What's the point? I wanted to see all my fellow nerds dressed up in costume and I was hoping to find some cool Harry Potter or Hunger Games stuff (which there was none of. Surprising, right?). You know what I realized? I didn't need a ticket into the con. There is nothing in the convention center that I can't find online. Even the panels are filmed and posted on YouTube. So, what's the best part of the con? The nerds. You know what nerds are surprisingly good at? Partying.

We're Alive meet and greet

Everyday of the con is followed by hundreds of parties. Every company with a booth throws a party. So here's what you do: make friends with some businesses on twitter and get invited to their party. Don't go into the con, just go to parties. Done.

If you are going to get a four day pass and do the whole Comic Con thing - get a room in the hotel right next door. We stayed with family nearby and took the trolley into to town everyday (which was awesome for money saving). But, when we were walking around and we were hot and we were tired nothing looked better than the Marriott's pool. If you have the money - do that.

Dino letting us cut

Interested in Panels? Bring a friend. The only reason we got to see some panels on the first day was because fans of We're Alive were in line, spotted us, and let us get in line with them. If we had just gotten in line at the end - we wouldn't have gotten in. So I say - coordinate with your friends and make deals. You can get in line for something at 4am on Friday and they can do the same for you on Saturday. But plan to stay in the same ballroom/hall ALL DAY. If you leave, you're not coming back.

"Mufasa," really?

You have to dress up one of the days you go. But, be prepared for no one to recognize what you are (like I said, this event is no longer for a specific type of nerd. The movie nerds are not going to understand your video game character costume and vice versa). I was dressed as Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter and got a ton of "Mufasa!" There are also a ton of posers. My fiance was dressed (very authentically) as a character from the Hunger Games. We found a line of people waiting for actors from the HUNGER GAMES to sign some stuff (also, the signing lines are a waste of time and money) and no one recognized his costume. ARE YOU FOR REAL?

In Conclusion:

• Comic Con is no longer an event for the nerdiest among us
• Do not plan on going if you fear crowds
• Option 1: don't buy a pass and just attend parties
• Option 2: buy a pass, but stay in a hotel nearby
• If you wear a costume, bring a change of clothes for the evening
• Get in line for panels the night before
• Bring a back pack filled with water and food (the convention food is gross)
• Don't expect to see anything you can't see on the internet

Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki bar

In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki bar

Where the drinks are as sweet as the drunks are

In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki bar

I used to go on vacation to Hawaii a lot with my family. Lately I've been having some major flashbacks to those happy times (right after the divorce) in the sun. Anything that reminds me of Hawaii puts me in a nostalgic trance.

Though I wasn't old enough to drink the last time I was in the Aloha State, sweet drinks with umbrellas make me squee (who started putting umbrellas ellas elllas eh eh eh in drinks? Was that in an effort to keep out the rain? Whatever, it's adorable).

Enchanted is right.

The interior of Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel is a small space covered in tiki masks and bamboo and stuff, but kinda smells like stale beer. The outside, however, overlooks the hotel's pool, has tiki torches all around, and (I can't find a schedule of it) live Hawaiian music (at least it did when I was there (maybe he didn't work for Disney and just shows up?)).

Look at the cool glasses! LOOT AT THEM.

The cocktail menu is full of neat rum drinks. I got something called the shrunken head or the zombie or something and it had cinnamon in it. Kc (my fiance) got the Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum and was disappointed with the drink to ice ratio.

There's food too, but who's really coming to the Enchanted Tiki Bar to eat?

The drinks are pricy because it's a theme bar in Disneyland (I mean, come on) but to enjoy the atmosphere is worth the mark up to me. Just ask for easy ice.

Buena Vista Street/Carthay Circle Restaurant

Cramped - too close to other humans

Buena Vista Street is complete!

For what feels like years, Disney's California Adventure's entrance has been under construction. It's been super frustrating to make your way through the sectioned off pathways to get into the park.

Finally, the payoff.

Old: Tacky

I don't know if you remember the original "Main Street" in DCA (Disney's California Adventure), but it was dull and ugly. The concept for the park was lame and some of the ideas were just dumb. It used to be a mini golden gate bridge to walk under and then a big golden sun waterfall thingy. The kids loved it (sarcasm).

New: Elegant

Now the entrance is BEAUTIFUL. The street is so bright and cheery, but at the same time magical. It's perfectly Disney. The concept was to bring old-time (30s) LA to life. Success. Unfortunately within most of these brand new beautiful buildings are shops and restaurants. SPEND YER MONEY!

Amongst these typical shops and restaurants, however, hides a gem: The Carthay Circle Restaurant's lounge.

The theater w/ an identity crises

At the very end of the street is what looks like and old theater - but don't be fooled - it's a restaurant (I was actually disappointed to discover this at first because I had heard that this would be a theater playing Snow White on loop). The Carthay Circle is a shmancy restaurant that requires reservations (ooh la la). Upstairs is the dining, but downstairs is a lounge.

The lounge is decorated like a high-end 1930s bar. There are bar tables and comfy lounge-style tables scattered around. There's a really well-designed cocktail menu (yes, I liked the design of the menu) and a large selection of wines by the bottle and glass.

In the 30s, every table had bongos

The best part about this place is what Kc (my fiance) described as a trash filter at the door. The people in here are calm, quiet, and seem sophisticated (maybe it's the ambiance). It's like a little escape from Disneyland in the middle of Disneyland: GENIUS.

I had a Tequila Daisy, I think? It was a frothy pink cocktail with a sugared flower garnish. Kc ordered a bottle of wine to split with a friend (hi Carman). 

The sevice was excellent and the drinks were great. We had a hard time leaving.

You. Make me uncomfortable

P.S. We went to the new ice cream place on Buena Vista Street and there was a weird new face character in there. I think she is a telegram - something. She's dressed like a 30s messenger boy and walks around talking to (annoying) guests. I don't get it. 

Bettie Page Clothing

Do you love the fashions of Mad Men (when it was set in the 50s, not now that it’s in the 60s, yuck (used car salesman, anyone? (no offence to used car salespeople, of course. I’m sure it’s a lucrative and satisfying career)))? I certainly do. I find it inspiring.

It was A LOT of hard work, but I bagged a (human) man. We’re getting married in September 2013. Oh, stop it, with all the “congratulations” already! Really. I mean after you a hear a word 4 or 5 times it’s like, “Ahhh! Stop. I forget what that word means.” Yeah, people love me.

Anyway, I’ll be wearing my grandmother’s wedding dress, circa 1953. This has inspired a 1950s engagement shoot that my Maid of Honor/super talented photographer will be doing.

I'll be taking your husband now, thnx

When I was getting hammered and making bad decisions (how I met my fiancé (that’s a lie)) in Vegas a few months ago I discovered the “Bettie Page Clothing” store and loved the way the slim cut dresses flattered my sexy sexy body. I bought a black one and wore it that night. It’s a new favorite.

Famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos, the iconic “Queen of Pinups” — one of Playboy Magazine’s first “Playmates of the Month” — Bettie Page continues to captivate millions of men and women around the world with her youthful sexy image, voluptuous figure, and signature jet black hair with short-cut bangs and blue eyes.

The store offers a variety of hot dresses (mostly), outfits, swimwear, and accessories inspired by the style of the late Bettie Page.

The fiance section

I went to the Hollywood location to find some dresses for my upcoming engagement shoot. It’s a lot bigger than the Vegas location. Unfortunately they didn’t have my size in either of the two dresses that I fell in love with. But I ended up getting a bathing suit and crinoline (the thing that poofs out full skirts). The staff is super friendly and helpful. They took my number to help my track down one of the dresses that isn’t available on the website anymore. That’s another thing, the website has practically everything the store does, but I’ve found it’s really important to try the dresses on. BUT one can buy online and exchange to the store – so there’s that.

I'm from Mad Men now 

Laser Quest

Pew! Pew! Pew (That’s the sound of a laser gun, not the sound someone makes when it smells bad in here)!

My adult friend, Lars!

Because I’m an adult with adult friends I went to play laser tag at Laser Quest in Fullerton for my friend, Alex Herrera's birthday. AND IT WAS AWESOME.

We didn’t do the birthday package, we didn’t even make a reservation – and there were a lot of us AND it was a Saturday night. We just walked in and signed up. One pays $9 per person, per game (that might be a group rate, I’d call for more details). Each game is 20 minutes long. We waited only about 25 minutes before we got to go suit up (put on a vest with blinking lights). Oh, and you get to make a code name with a print out at the end of the game saying how many times you hit “ManBoy12” and how many times “TinkerTart33” hit you at the end.

“You guys wanna hear some uh, some techno when you’re in there or um… some Star War-“

“STAR WARS!!! OMG!!! WE’RE NERDS. GIVE US JOHN WILLIAMS OR WE WILL TAKE YOU HOME TO OUR MOMS’ BASEMENTS AND MAKE YOU WATCH US REENACT THE MOVIES FOR YOU!”

So, we won and got to listen to the Star Wars score while we were in there (my favorite part).

Room full of boys name choice fail

There were maybe twenty in our party which means that there were a few straggling children (easy targets) in our midst and one freaky dude who I’m pretty sure lives there and might be 108 years old but perfectly preserved at around 40 because of all (I’m assuming) the black light exposure.

Then, one gets into the dark warehouse-sized room and romps through the terrifying black plywood maze shooting one's friends. There’s an upstairs that got overrun by children during our first game. That move made us nerds so angry that we complained to each other about it later. That’ll teach those stupid children. Ruining our adult fun.

Because I’m a coward, my strategy is to find a nice, dark corner to nestle into, then defend, defend, cry a little, and defend! One time I got tricked out of my safe little corner by the creepy old laser dude (who promptly disappeared (maybe he’s a ghost?)) to find it had been swiftly reoccupied and I was a wreck! But, aha, I formed an alliance and we were victorious (that’s a lie, we were destroyed)! But I learned how not to be afraid and just have FUN! PEW! PEW! PEW! Something smells in here…

Star Wars Improv

I know what you want. You're a geek... Ergo Star Wars. F-ing Star Wars EVERYWHERE. All the GD time. Am I right? I'm right.

I can help a little. Tomorrow night (May 4th, 2012) at STAGES in Fullerton is a Star Wars Improv Show:

THE SPECTACLES IMPROV ENGINE PROUDLY PRESENTS...

STAR WARS: EPISODE IV - RE-REVISED!

George Lucas is at it again! The Star Wars saga still isn't perfect enough and he needs to make it even better! Starting with the original - A New Hope.

This time, he wants the fans' input!

Luke! Leia! Han! Chewi! Obi-Wan! Vader! The rebels! The Empire! EVERBODY is back and they're all getting enhanced whether they want to or not!

New lines! New special effects! New sub-plots! All as suggested by fans in the audience!

Be there to shape the latest incarnation of the most epic space-opera ever to feature a Wookie!

Feel free to dress up, bring lightsabers and get into it! Photos with cast after show are totally encouraged.

Show is $10 and starts promptly at 10:30pm.

All the usual STAGEStheater perks apply! Show up early to ensure seating!

MAY THE 4th BE WITH YOU!

When I played Chewy in 2006

Yours Truly is playing Chewbacca. I made my costume from a thousand a hundred twenty 2 pelts of the most ferocious (synthetic) grizzlies Yosemite had to offer (they're endangered - turns out - also, side note, completely unrelated, Yosemite has the nicest holding cell I've ever seen. Really, do yourself a favor and stop by for an afternoon).

My friend and fellow Cherry Spitz member, Erik Wargo, is spearheading this event. Last year he did the Marvel vs. DC improv show. Remember that one? Yeah. Okay, then. This will be better.