A few weeks ago, I invited a friend to join me at Disneyland for my 27th birthday. Well, it was more than an invitation, really. I needed a ride, and he had a car. As not to give off the impression of being a cheapskate, I agreed to pay for the gas and parking. What I neglected to realize (or simply misunderstood) was that he was strapped for cash. On my birthday (September 8th), my friend picked me up, and we drove two blocks before he said, "So, how did you get these tickets, anyway?" I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The Disneyland birthday deal is only good for one person. Somehow, I never made that clear. The day almost ended before it even began, but thankfully, a quick run to the bank averted catastrophe. I gave my friend $80 to cover his Disneyland ticket, and since I agreed to pay for the gas and parking from the get-go, that $80 is all that he owes me. We managed to get back on the road around 11:30 AM, and were inside the park a little after noon.
What did we ride first, you ask? Why, Monke...Pirates of the Caribbean, of course. It was the shortest line of the day, in fact. Following that, we rode Matterhorn Bobsleds, and then stopped for lunch at Village Haus in Fantasyland. We both had Pepperoni Pizza. My friend covered his in Ranch Dressing. Almost immediately after our meal, we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and then stood in line for over an hour to ride Splash Mountain. I do not know why, but the wait seemed shorter than it did when I went with Allen. It may have been because we were playing Catch Phrase with the group in front of us. Everyone was blurting out random answers. Fucktard!
I wanted to have a photo on Splash Mountain in which I did not look like Paul Hogan, so I graciously opted to sit in the front of the log. Oh, boy, was that a mistake. I was soaked from head to toe even before the final drop. You can imagine my dread as we climbed the final lift hill. In the end, the photo turned out worse than the one Allen bought a few months ago, so I chose not to purchase it. Besides, my friend was almost completely obscured by my tallness. After Splash Mountain, we rode Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (as seen at the top of this post). I scored more than twice the number of hits, and after we exited the ride, found a terminal where you can e-mail photos to yourself (for free, no less).
Next, we rode Star Tours, followed by The Haunted Mansion, and then Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. That ride gave me a terrible foot cramp, which caused me to walk like a pegleg pirate for a short while afterward. In hindsight, it would have been funnier on Pirates of the Caribbean. We rounded out the day with Mad Tea Party and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. With some time to spare before the park closed, we walked around a bit, and then made our way to the exit, but before we headed to the car, we walked through Downtown Disney. There are quite a few interesting shops there, including a store dedicated exclusively to Lego. Have you ever seen the toy store scene in Big? It was sort of like that.
All in all, it was an exciting day, even if it did start out a bit rough. I held onto the button that I was given in the morning (as seen below).
PS. If you are wondering why we did not ride Space Mountain, it is because it was closed. They are installing the Ghost Galaxy overlay.
Disneyland 2009 - The Sequel Photo Set:
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Note: The matter of the $80 was never settled. I lost my father to Pancreatic Cancer the following month, and for quite some time afterward, became distanced from friends. Time, it seems, has a way of escaping us. Perhaps better communication before the Disneyland trip would have prevented the misunderstanding, but fearing the same could happen with other friends, I made it a rule to loan only manageable sums.
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