Monday, June 21, 2010:

Woke up this morning coughing, but in a good way. The stuff in my lungs had been breaking up in my sleep, and into the morning. I could breathe easier. I also woke up hungry, so I ate a sandwich I never got around to yesterday.

When we got to Disneyland, I told the group to go ahead without me. My wife stayed with me in the parking lot while I took an opportunity to medicate. This was the first time I tried that since yesterday’s cough-fest. Afterward, I put my shades on, got on the chair and entered the Park (actually, we spent the day at California Adventure – Disney’s sister park) with my wife. Within 10 minutes, I began feeling much better.

Yes. Today will be a better day. Let’s get this shit started!

First up was the Aladdin theatre show. I guess they will be removing this show pretty soon, so this was our last chance to see it. I don’t know why management would end the show. It’s really well done, especially considering it’s just one of many other attractions there. Thumbs up.

Next was my choice: Grizzly River Run (the whitewater tube rafting ride). I got drenched! I must have weighed 10 pounds more after the ride. This was especially fun because all six of us could see each others reactions. Good times.

After that was the Maliboomer. This shoots you straight up, then straight down (and up and down a few more times). I went on with my daughter. This was her first time on this “adult” ride (she was too short – and scared – last time we visited). When our seats shot upward, she screamed and never stopped. When we landed back down, she had a giant smile on her face and said she loved it. Seeing your kid giddy with happiness: priceless.

Speaking of rides that shoot you straight up and down, I absolutely LOVE them. The shooting up part isn’t great (makes me feel heavy and compressed) but the falling sensation is abso-friggin-lutely sublime. For those few 1-3 seconds, I feel ZERO back pain. Everything relaxes. It’s like God grabbing my spine and quickly but gently pulling it straight. To not feel gravity’s pull is absolutely freeing.

Then I took my nephew on the Silly Symphony Swings. We both really liked it. Everyone else was like, “Swings? Um..no thanks.” How can you not like swings? Oh well.

Next, my kiddo was dying to go on California Screamin’ – a full-on, roaster coaster complete with an upside-down loop and a shooting start. Too many G’s for me on a coaster like that, so I stayed out with my nephew. We waited by the pier to get a good look at our family before the roller coaster cart shot off into the distance.

My wife told me after that our kiddo kept screaming, “What a thrill! What a thrill!” during almost the whole ride. And when they came off the ride and back around to meet us, she said it was the best ride she ever went on. Good for her!

We also went on the Toy Story ride. You sit in a cart, with a gun in front of you and 3D glasses on. Then you move around in the cart, blasting away. Think Duck Hunt in 3D. I liked it. It tapped into my video game geekiness. Also, the 3D effect was really well done, so bonus points for no double vision.

I forget the exact order of the rides we tried but we also went on Tower of Terror. It’s like the Maliboomer (straight up and down) but with a Twilight Zone theme. Another free-falling ride = wondrous.

Oh, something pretty interesting happened when we all went on the Monsters Inc. ride. We were about halfway through the ride, when all of a sudden, the car stopped. Seconds later, the theme music stopped playing. Then came a voice over a PA system saying “Oops, ride’s busted, gotta walk out of here now.” Except in a nice Disney way. We were led out of the ride cars and got a chance to get an up close look at the props and creatures on the ride. We even got to touch one of the monsters fur as we walked past the display. The malfunction was totally worth it to see more of the behind-the-scenes stuff.

To end the night, we went to see the new World Of Color show. And thanks to my ol’ wheelchair, we got a dead-center, almost front-row seat. The show, as you can imagine, is colorful. It’s like the Bellagio fountains, plus lasers, plus constantly color-changing water, plus video projection.

So tonight, I am thankful for the fun day. And for feeling ABLE to have fun. What a cool day/night…