First off, all the beds in California are mushy. I don’t understand why people in California can’t get into a stiff bed. I was sick almost the whole time I was there for Christmas. It was the worst flight I’ve ever had and then I had traditional Thai food in Thai Town, murderously spicy. The payaya salad had as many green chiles as papaya plus tiny crab legs my brother’s wife told me were “for flavor” after I ate one. I ordered green curry with tofu. On the East Coast, this comes with an assortment of vegetables. In Thai Town, I got cubes of tofu sitting in a green sea. So I had the runs the whole time.
Normally when I go back to my parents’ place, I am in my old sisters’ room which is very clean and has its own bathroom. This time, because of all everyone else coming back, I was given my first childhood bedroom. This room has been appropriated by my father for camera equipment, lighting equipment, slide and photo storage.
There is still a box of old marbles I used to play with here. It’s probably worth about $20 according to similar lots on eBay.
The room is very dusty and the bed smells like dust. One night I had feverish nightmares which resembled nightmares I had as a kid in the same room. People post about childhood showers but nothing really prepares you for reliving childhood nightmares except Guy Maddin films.
I was somehow healthy enough the second day to go to Disneyland with Cisco and family. The best shot I got was my niece getting on the first ride at 9 am.
Disneyland employs “imagineers.” The imagineer’s job is to manufacture the best time of your life. (According to a source, Captain Jack Sparrow was yanked from the fold because women would flash their tits at him.) They also employ China and half of Orange County. It’s like a floating mesa of ready-made culture to stick your ostrich head in. If there was a DisneyPlanet in China, the whole thing would collapse. Be careful out there.