Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Of Pedicures and Polar Bears

This past weekend there wasn't enough time for me to play WoW. I'm sorry, I went out and had some real life. I would have invited you along, but most of you don't live anywhere near me, so I'll just tell you what fun I had!

It all started last Monday, when my father in law asked me to check on union prices for Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios. He wanted to take all the family out for a little fun before he set off on his real life gold farming expedition. So, I found a great deal on Knott's tickets and had them sent UPS to our doorstep. Ordered on Wednesday, they arrived on Friday, and we were on the road at 8 am Saturday. An hour and a half after piling all 7 kids and 3 adults into vehicles, we parked and walked past all the tourist trap shops and Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant (I always though it was funny that you had to line up for the restuarant like you have to line up for a roller coaster)to the entrance.

The entrance was sparsely occupied, deceivingly so. When we got in, the place was mobbed with high school and middle school kids, girl scouts, and big brothers and sisters escorting their little brothers and sisters. The lines were still mostly short though, and we got to go on such great rides as the Pony Express (you sit on what looks like a playground horse, and the ride clamps you in by the back and the legs), the Calico Mine Ride, Boomerang, the Log Ride, and some new ride that looked like a less scenic version of the log ride on steroids. The kids went on several more rides than that, all the kind that turn your legs into rubber and make you wish you hadn't eaten so much cotton candy.

We ended our day pitching mini whiffle balls into glasses in the midway. We walked out of there with at least 2 small stuffed animals per person, and a huge polar bear. Yup, me who never wins anything pitched a winner. Not sure where I'm going to put the thing. But I won!

During our all day trip to Knott's, we also managed to look at all the old gold town sets (the assaying office, the jail, the schoolhouse, and the graveyard). We visited the blacksmith shop and some of us walked away with prairie diamonds after we chatted up the blacksmith. I looked longingly at the Birdcage Theatre, but no showtimes were listed. If you ever go to Knott's, try and find a day where there are shows scheduled there. It is the best thing in the park, in my opinion. Nothing like an old town show, complete with cheers for the hero and boos and hisses for the villain from the audience.

Well, the day before our trip, a gal from my guild who we recently met in real life suggested we go out for pedicures. I had never had one before, not being very girly. To explain what girly means to me, I'l tell you what I am, and girly is everything opposite. I don't fix my hair. It either goes in a pony tail or bun or hangs straight. I wear jeans and teeshirts, no makeup, and rarely remember to put on my earrings. Fingernail polish is a no no in my field. The last manicure I had was before my junior prom. So all this pedicure stuff is foreign to me. "Sure, sounds like fun!" I typed in Facebook chat. Sunday afternoon, we met at Olive Garden, a little late due to horrible traffic on her end. We chatted over lunch about everything but WoW, then headed over to the salon. I had no expectations, and I was floored. This place had these neat chairs with massage controls, and a "foot jacuzzi" at the foot. We sat down, watched some CNN, chatted some more with a tiny bit of WoW sprinkled in, and enjoyed our pedicures. I could probably go in for another one in a couple of months or so. Would that make me girly? I hope it doesn't become a turn off to the husband. He married me, after all, because I was so low maintenance, and for my bomb shelter, but that is a story for another post(he is cleaning it out, sprucing it up and adding the creature comforts for an office/get away room for my birthday!).

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