SoCal Day 4

Writing two posts in a day feels like doing work you don't really have to do, but not in a "I'm going the extra mile" type way. It's in the "this is completely worthless" way. Like writing a ten page paper when a five pager is due. It just doesn't make much sense! However I guess I'd better be diligent in my writings. I am quite afraid of hitting a huge writer's block when I get home. What am I supposed to write about? I already wrote about work, and that's pretty much all I do. Oh well. I'll figure it out later. No use worrying about it now!

So this morning started really slow. I delayed getting out of bed, as should happen on all vacations, and woke up really gradually. I enjoyed it. The family then decided we needed to get Steven a pair of shoes and my mom some fingernail clippers. I took the opportunity to find myself some new shoes, and came away with a pretty good pair. Although I noticed Ben smirking in the background as we checked out with our shoes, his hands empty. I think he had two words on his mind: "save up". Good thing I really liked my shoes. 

Afterward, we took our second jaunt to In-N-Out. It was delicious even the second time. Again my family seemed quite astonished about how quickly I wolfed down my double-double animal style. I attribute it to always eating in a hurry at work. I usually get a very brief break in which I can eat while on duty. I do realize the long list of health benefits to eating slowly, but I have a hard time doing it. However, I don't plan on competing in any eating contests...

We then set our coordinates for Disneyland a second time. Here we have a very, very interesting story to tell. Everyone knows about the felt Mickey Mouse hats, right?

 Well, Ben decided that he would like one, and would like if we put his nickname, Beans, on it. He tried yesterday, and a grumpy old seamstress quickly shot down his request. 

Evidently nicknames are banned from gracing the felt fuzziness of Mickey's dome. Ben was pretty crestfallen. We then quickly began devising a plan to get "Beans" on the back of a hat for him. We began doing this mostly in jest, just thinking if we could make a believable and workable plan. As the plans progressed, we resolved more and more to executing the plan. Benjamin Nelson quickly became Beanschløgen Nelson. Ben crafted his story, that his parents were a "bit strange" or even "tipsy" when they named him. He wove the tale that he went by a shortened version, Beans, pronounced bainsh, nothing like the legume. The name was an old Norse family name, and he didn't want to use it on his hat. He even had me as backup to come in and call him by his name if needed. I even recalled Nathan's Norwegian lesson, when he taught us how to say "Wishing a quick release without pain." We prayed the sewing attendant wasn't from anywhere near Norway. As we entered the park, we set the wheels in motion. Ben wheeled. Ben dealed.

 And Ben was ultimately shut down. Despite a near perfect delivery, the seamstress was too suspicious and called her manager for approval, who then pulled the plug. They required ID for such a strange name, and Beans had none. Even more crestfallen, Ben returned the hat and gave up. The funny part about returning it though is that Ben had to sign his name. He wouldn't go down as a liar, so he signed the receipt "Beanschløgen". What a man. The photo with Ben and the two women show Ben trying his best to get the hat of his dreams.

My dad, the tender-hearted man that he was, would not give up quite so easily. Not being asked to do so, my dad came up with his own plan. The following is the actual dialogue (or close to it) that took place with an attendant (at a different store, mind you). The scene is set, my dad with two pairs of Mickey Mouse ears in his hand.

"Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?"

"Well, I have kind of a funny favor to ask of you. My wife is a bit eccentric. This Christmas for our Christmas cards, she has requested that we all wear matching Mickey Mouse ears, and she wants our names embroidered on the back."

"Oh well that's not a problem at all."

"Well, she wants a set for the family dog too."

"Oh..."

"You know how this goes, your wife sending you to do things you don't really think is necessary, something you don't really want to do." (The attendant nodded understandingly.) 

"So what is the dog's name?"

"Well, you see, the dog's name is Beans."

"Oh... (at this point, this guy is very, very sold) What kind of dog is it?"

"It's a Saint Bernard." (My dad's wisdom shows through tons in this. Had he chosen a smaller breed, the attendant may have forced a smaller set of ears on him. Good job Dad, kudos to you.)

"Oh well sir, that really shouldn't be a problem. I think we can do this for you. It shouldn't be an issue." (Another attendant came over, and my dad replayed the story for her. She was less sold.)

"Sir, I really don't think we can do this for you. I just don't feel comfortable doing it. I'll have to call my manager and ask him if we can do it."

"Well then, m'am, forget about it. We won't do either pair, and I will just have to tell my wife you couldn't do it." (The male attendant jumped in.)

"Oh sir you don't need to do that. We can do this just fine. (He waves off the second attendant and she leaves.) I totally understand how wives just ask for crazy things. We here at the Disneyland resort feel we should treat every customer special. We can do this for you without a problem. You'll just have to promise me the ears with 'Beans' on them won't leave the bag until you're out of the park." 

My dad grinned ear to ear as he agreed to the deal. His smile didn't wear off until he had returned and recounted the story to the rest of us. Ben was as overjoyed as he was surprised. We all shared in a good belly full of laughter at the thought of "our Saint Bernard, Beans" wearing his Mickey hat.

That occurrence was one of the highlights of my day. Another was being able to ride a Segway. A five minute excursion on a Segway was one of the highlighting attractions at Innoventions, a huge rotating building dedicated to the "house of tomorrow". It was filled with a bunch of Microsoft junk. It seemed like a bunch of product placement, without much substance. After waiting in line for half an hour or so, Steven and I had the opportunity to ride one of those mind-boggling suckers. Since I saw their debut on the Today show a few years back, I've aspired to riding one. Today my dream was fulfilled.

This is an incredibly intense video filled with thrills, spills, and five-mile-per-hour fun! Actually, it's probably deathly boring. I don't blame you if you stop watching after a few seconds. And sorry about it being sideways and all. I'm sure as I gain more Blogger experience points I'll be able to flip it over if I so please. But there you have it! My voyage on a Segway. Quite exciting. Especially considering the flaming attendant guy was always like two feet away.

Afterward, we headed over to ride California Screamin', Disneyland's most intense roller coaster (if you don't count "It's a Small World After All"). However, Ben, Steven, and I have all ridden it before, so the intensity level was kicked down several notches. Which explains why we

had the mental fortitude to pull faces like the ones in the picture instead of being photographed either looking stupid or scared out of our wits. I prefer being more aware of the photo as we were. Either way, we had a bunch of fun on the ride. However, Ben looks like he's crying and I look as if I am trying to lick my nose. Steven looks like he's younger than Ben. We finished off the day with a tour of one of Steven's areas, complete with a tour of a neighborhood he tracted. It was pretty stinking interesting thinking he had knocked on the doors of those complete strangers to share something so personal and sacred as the Gospel message. I'm proud of him. The family followed that up with a trip to a local eatery where we were also able to take in the "breathtaking drama" that is always saved for baseball's meaningless All-Star Game. Luckily for the employees of the restaurant, we jetted when the score was tied after the ninth. We made it home in plenty of time to catch the very end of the game. Since the AL won again, the game has a bit more meaning. Had the NL won, I would staunchly denounce it as completely meaningless. J.D. Drew's MVP award helped boost it into being only sort of meaningless. Go Boston! It made me pretty excited to see the Sox play the Angels here in Anaheim (or L.A., no one in the world seems too sure which city they're from) on Friday. I made sure to pack my BoSox cap. I'm just hoping there aren't any diehard gang-banging Angels fans sitting too near us. I love the Red Sox, but I just don't know if I'm willing to give my life for them at this point. Do I need to try harder in my love for them? Who knows. All I know is it's bedtime for me.