Ok, well, it will technically be Autumn at the time, but hopefully still feel like summer ;)
Well,
here we go again.
Off
to the land of the stars and stripes again, but this time with a large contingent of other
hapless journeyers, some for their very first time out of the country.
Which
will be a first for me. Group travel is
not something I’ve ever aspired to do, so settling into the dynamics will be
something I will have to deal with when we all meet up in the desert of Nevada.
I’m
still in two minds whether to go a few days early to ease into the Disney
campaign and soak up the magic a few grains of pixie dust at a time or to stop
off in Oahu to get a taste of Disney Aloha style.
At
this point, the latter is going to be out of my purse size so the working model
is to hit LA a few days before the others arrive and bus it up to Vegas for the
meet up.
It
will give me a chance to do a tour of all the Disney properties for work
purposes (and for stickybeak Disney freak purposes ) and to hit Build-a-bear
for at least two hours of unhampered fluffy time.
Now
I am not a bear person by any means. I
do have a couple though… my original teddy from when I was little; a VERY
expensive one off bear that is half bear and half
mermaid( and yes, his tail is made from real tanned and dyed fish ‘hide’ which
sounds disgusting but is fascinating ), and a deliciously gorgeous panda bear
from Build-a-bear on my last trip to the US.
Now
I know they sell them here as well, but my tradition is to only buy one from
somewhere ‘away’ so that they are extra special to me. I revel in the whole deal of choosing the
body and then choosing if it has a heartbeat or a voice which a trained
‘operator’ then puts into its body. Then
having it lovingly stuffed and hand sewn together. Then taking it to the ‘fluffing station’ to
give it some TLC before the endless decisions between Y fronts, sketchers, hair
accessories or a Disney costume to clothe this new addition to my bear family.
And
I will stress here.. I AM NOT A FLUFFY TOY PERSON… but I love the personality
you can choose for the bear and it is a highlight of Downtown Disney for me.
But I digress…. for now, the main concern is which electricals
to take, how I’m going to fit back into my favourite Mickey Mouse t-shirt
before I go, to buy or not buy a new suitcase and the all important question of
when to have the discussion with an as yet total stranger that will be my roomy
for at least two weeks, re: are we ok
with the other farting in bed or not…
Ok…
everyone does it… so stop looking so shocked.
Moving
right along… the electricals are of humongous importance to me… there’s the
phone, the mini-laptop for blogging, facebooking and skyping the family back
home with ( that I still need to buy), the mini external HD (that I still need to buy), the camera ( that I still need to buy)
and the universal charger to keep all of the aforementioned essentials running
smoothly.
The
suitcase has been everywhere man, overseas multiple times, interstate many
times and really, I’m not sure its up to another long haul trip. Interstate – yes, but OS not so sure.
Scarily,
I have already made the first ‘trip’ purchase of a new leather backpack to
take. Exactly the same as the one I’ve
been carting around for at least 4 years now… and that’s why I loved it… some
girls love to switch and change their bags every single day. Not this little black duck. I am a creature of the utmost habit and the
whole switcho chango handbag thing is really a trauma I can do without.
Plus,
the less bags I take, the more shoes I can pack ;) cos leaving even one essential pair home is
unthinkable, and suitcase real estate is valuable as you know.
Chatting
to the girls on our dedicated facebook page is fun and I’m getting a feel for
the characters I will be traveling with, and they’re all so excited and
frantically preparing for their journey and in a few cases its consuming their
every thought.
In
all honesty, I don’t really get all that excited until about a month out… cos
it all seems so far off till then. And
the whole overthinking of the process really takes the buzz out of travel for
me.
I
travel to discover new stuff, soaking up the ‘new’ is the thing that stays with
me when I get home.
So
I’m just going to finish off this first entry on the blog with an invitation to
join me on this new yellow brick road if
you wish, and to comment when you feel like it.
I write this primarily as a diary of my travels and then secondly for
my family and friends to buckle up vicariously for what will likely be a
rollercoaster ride both literally and figuratively, so I will probably say
exactly what I think, when I think it, which may or may not be your spinning cup of tea,
but this is, after all, my version of the experience and I won’t censor it for the possibility of a Pulitzer.
And
you can rest assured, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless it will make
excellent blog fodder, then all bets are off…
You’ve
been warned.
Buckle up... here we go...
Lisa. xx
