4 posts tagged “anaheim”
First off - GO TO A GEORGE MICHAEL CONCERT!! Even if you don't really care for him... GO!! That was seriously one of the best shows I've ever seen. And knowing I paid $25 for seats, when a woman next to me paid $250, was wonderful. (from what I've seen, the "$25 for 25 hrs" sales are happening the last Fri before the performance)
The sole negative was that the stage was a little low for the amount of floor seating they have. I was probably 30-40 rows away from the stage and spent most of the concert craning my neck in order to see between other people. I just need to make sure to buy different seats for any future shows at Honda Center (section 210 & equiv - first level, directly to the side of the stage, appear to be best).
And I need to dance less - I felt the shooting pain of my knee popping in/out of joint at least 20 times. But I still kept dancing - it was that good!
There was no opening act. George Micheal went on a 8:45 and ended at 11:30p - with only a 20 min intermission. The sound was incredible. The lighting and videos (on the giant monitors) were great. And nearly tripping over Dita Von Teese (and several of her burlesque friends) while walking in didn't hurt matters either - especially when she was featured in the video that accompanied GM's rendition of "Feelin' Good" and I could tell the people near me, "THAT'S who I was telling you is here!" I wanted to take a pic with her but thought it might be tacky to ask - especially cause she was with friends.
I knew very little of George Michael's music but still had a fantastic time. So much so that I'll be buying most of his music this week.
I got home around 12:30am and immediately repacked for SF. I reset the alarm clock for 8am and went to bed around 2am. An airplane woke me up in the morn and I figured it was about 7:55. I decided to roll over and check. Nope... 8:15. Alarm didn't go off because I forgot to turn off the "weekend" option. It's pure luck that I actually woke up then, rather than 11:30. To my complete surprise, I left my house and headed to LB airport on time. I had a hard time finding parking but finally stalked someone and got their space. Then I freaked out because I lost my parking ticket and didn't want to end up charged for a week when I'd only be there for 30 hrs. 10 min of searching later, I decided I had wasted too much time and had to go catch my flight. Which turned out to be 30 min late. (I found the parking ticket when I got back from SF.)
I got to Oakland/SF without event and met up with Secret Agent Scotch. in the Mission district, around 1:30p. For a variety of reasons (including the fact that my knee REALLY did not like walking in SF), we had a relatively mellow weekend. We went to the apt (just as great as she has described it!), had lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall burmese place (kinda scary to look at but really good food), saw Sex & The City (she liked it; I picked it apart), had breakfast-for-dinner at Mel's, then went back to the house for talking and "partying". I got to see the wedding outfit and had a moment where it sort of took my breath away (Steve, you are a lucky lucky man!). I had a great time with the infamous Rudy - he's incredibly cute and fun (and got bonus points for snuggling in bed with me in the morning). We slept in on Sun and got up shortly before PapiChulo and friends came home from their "bachelor camp out". Papi seemed disappointed when he learned that we hadn't done something adventurous the night before and I was left wondering if I should have forced us to go out. I dunno... tough call. In the theme of "bachelorette", we later went to Good Vibrations and left with... books. (I found some flavored lube that I wanted but it was in 4oz bottles and the limit for carry on luggage is 3oz.)
Despite tons of planning, we lost track of time and the BART was behind schedule and I, once again, was running for a plane - the last of the day - that I expected to miss. And, once again, JetBlue WAITED FOR ME. Literally. The gate was empty except for 2 flight attendants who immediately asked, "are you Leenda? We've been holding the plane for you!" Ditto when I got on board. As soon as I was seated, the doors were closed and the plane departed. I was highly embarrassed and originally feeling "WHY do I keep doing this?" But I later realized it's because leaving SF at 4 in the afternoon does not feel right. But 6p is the last flight of the day so, unless I change airlines & airports, I can expect this trend to continue.
By the time my flight landed, my knee was fully pissed off (it does not like being bent/sitting; nor the 2 flights of stairs in Scotch's home) and I had to hobble to my car - eventually using my crutches to get around inside the house.Dear JetBlue, you rock!! Thanks for continuing to accommodate my buttlagging! And please bring back terra blue chips as the inflight snack on your planes. kthxbai.
I was EXHAUSTED by 8p and got to bed a little bit "early" (11-ish), slept well, and headed to the chiro before work today. He adjusted my knee but it still feels awful - can't support my weight and is clearly swollen. Since Scotch and I really didn't do much walking, I'm extremely disappointed that it affected me so severely (now my L foot is also screwed up from trying to compensate when the R one couldn't hold me). I think it's finally time to schedule an orthopedic referral.
And that was my weekend. A bit of an expensive version of "just hanging out" with a cool friend - but I really did enjoy myself.
Now I am hours behind at work but not stressed about it. I could really use a nap but it looks like I'll be at work till around 10p. So I guess I should go start doing something in the hope of getting caught up. Ugh. Paychecks are nice but working sure harshes my buzz.
Happy end to the first 1/2 of 2008!!
I missed "The Start". Saw "Kenna" - who I found confusing. He was all hip-hop look/attitude but singing music similar to She Wants Revenge (SWR). The sound system was totally f-ed up (even during SWR) so all of Kenna's songs sounded like "mmmggbbbbmmm.... ooooohhhh". I thought his band was good but that he wasn't.
At the break, I moved from the 2nd level - right side of stage - to 1st level, directly in front of Adam's keyboards (about 3 people between him and me). Turned out to be a great spot - good people and awesome view. I didn't bring in my cellphone so that, for a change, I'd WATCH the show, instead of taping it.
SWR went on at 11pm. It was a good show - though, after seeing them so many times it's kinda hard for me to be an impartial judge. The music sounded great. But, again, the lead vocals mic was f-ed up so if you didn't already know lyrics to a song, you probably weren't going to be able to make them out. Justin (lead vocals) and Adam (keyboard & vocals) were clearly VERY happy to be back in SoCal and interacted with the audience a lot. We learned that Justin has a baby who, due to touring, he saw for the first time in a month today (must have been hard to leave to put on a show!). And Adam is the baby's godfather... new info to me.
The show ended around 12:30am. There was an announcement for an "after party in the lobby" which was a "hella lame" idea on a work night. As expected, no one stuck around. The DJ guy looked a little sad/lost/pathetic.
I made it out of the concert for just the $8 parking fee. $27 still in my pocket...woohoo!
Then I saw the Tshirts. Only $20, so I bought this one:
All good. Still made it out with $7 left. But something kept drawing me back to the shirts. Then I finally saw it:
Still a very reasonable night out... $75.50 = concert ticket ($25), parking, 2 shirts (both of which I'll wear), and a signed ticket. Still less than I would have dropped on booze alone in the past.
Annnddd... I got to my car around 12:45am and had a txt from C. But he had sent it 2 hrs earlier and didn't return my response. I suppose all bad little boys had already found comfy beds for the night.
Going to the She Wants Revenge concert at The Grove of Anaheim tonight (and Henry Fonda theater, in LA, on Sat) - but it doesn't start till 9pm, and they have 2 opening bands. WTF?? Most venues have an 11p weekday closing time so that's, what, 3 songs each? I'm not, at all, in the mood for the show right now but I'm sure that will change when I get to the venue (provided I avoid the bitchy OC "we're so rich and we're so cool and you wish you were us" kids. My buzzed tolerance for them is zero; my non-buzzed tolerance will be scary). (Where did I put those anti-anxiety meds??) I don't feel like standing through 2 opening bands (there's no seating), especially with my cricked up neck (will she, unlike today, actually wake up and see her chiropractor tomorrow?!?) so I'm killing time (aka: "secret" track 66 on their first CD. See how I tied that in to the post title? See how clever I am?!?).
There are no opening bands listed for Sat but I'm sure someone is performing... especially given the 8pm show time and Hollywood venue.
Semi-related:
I'm jazzed to realize that, because I'm still not drinking booze, the $35 I have on me will suffice for the night (parking & waters... and maybe even some food before I go). In the past, it would be a trip to the ATM for $100 - which, along with the $35, would be gone before the show was over. I won't be able to get a tshirt but, if they have a new design and I like it, I can snag one on Sat.
Related to the no booze "diet": I've lost 2 more pounds (for a total of 15 in 39 days). My ultra-skinny jeans are now my comfy jeans. And my fav work pants now need suspenders (I have some and really am going to adapt the pants for them). WooHoo!!
I'm still surprised to see a big fat woman looking back at me in the mirror and photos - but I need to just ignore her and hope those images catch up with the skinny one inside my head sooner rather than later. If I ever develop some freakin ab strength, things should progress rapidly.
Speaking of which: Last night I was obsessing on the fact that no matter what, my left leg absolutely will not move when I try to climb the pole. Not if I switch the order of which leg is on the pole first; not if I scream at or will it to move; not if people try to push it to move; probably not even if it was hanging from a pulley system and an elephant were pulling the rigging. So I, temporarily, had myself completely convinced that something (other than a lot of fat & a lack of muscle strength) is wrong with it. Perfectly logical at 4:30 in the morning!! (I love temporary hypochondrias!!)
Gawd, I'm bored-boring-bored.
Thanks to Firefox/Vox formatting issues, I've managed to kill 45 min. Guess I'll head toward the show. g'night peeps.
Los Angeles / Hollywood Zombie Walk 2006
I admit it; I am disturbed by how easily I transformed into a Zombie! Why didn't anyone tell me this is just about the easiest Halloween costume ever? Looking good = effort. Looking bad = eeeaaaaasy!!
I tried to post my photos to flickr but, realizing the photos could be compressed by re-saving, I took them back down. But good ol flickr, it read the 2-way traffic and, despite having posted NO photos, now says that I'm at my limit for the month. I hate retard software. I get get paid to hate retard software and I'm good at it.
That said: My (very crappy) photos of the LA Zombie Walk can be viewed at my Yahoo!Photos location.
The walk was a semi-surreal experience. When I arrived at the parking lot closest to the meet location (Hollywood & Vine), it turned out the "Scream Awards" were going on across the street... a source of confusion for many. I was the 6th person to arrive. Not knowing what to expect, I was simply happy there were other people there (not that I would have really cared had I been the only freak on the corner - as I knew not many people would take notice).
By the time we started our westbound journey, our group was probably up to about 50 people - some fresh from movie shoots. By the time we headed south, and rounded Hollywood High School, we were roughly 150 to 200 zombies strong. The sun had set by then and it was LOTS of fun to randomly terrorize businesses and bystanders. Traffic was now stopping to stare and trying to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately, the majority of the group seem to be fitness-freak Zombies... more about the dress up than the whole effect... and power-walked the entire path, quickly leaving about 30 of us more "dedicated" zombies who were dragging our feet, literally, behind. No matter, we had a great time - swarming cars, performing "interpretive" zombie dances to the musicians in front of the Hollywood/Highland (Kodak Theater) complex, and freaking out tourists (Q: Why are latinas so much more inclined to act terrified?!? I'm not knocking it - it made things fun for us - I'm just wondering).
I'm already looking forward to next year's walk!
Kingdom Party (Gay Days at Disneyland)
While getting my zombie photo taken by the FGN (Fabulous Gay Neighbors), I learned that it was also the Official-Unofficial Gay Days at Disneyland and the main afterparty, Kingdom, was scheduled at the Anaheim House of Blues for that night.
When I used to go to Disneyland Gay Days, it was an organized, private party thing - we paid an inflated admission (part of it going to charity) for private afterhours admission to the park (something like 8pm to 1am) during the holidays. It was freakin' cold but Disneyland is beeeeauuuuteeeful at the holidays!! There's no better way to attend Disneyland than a private afterhours party - with gay men!! Roughly 20,000 people instead of the usual 60k to 120k, so you can easily get on as many rides in those 5 hours as in an average 15-hr day in summer. Plus everyone was in a GREAT mood. One of my fav memories is of standing in line for Bear Mountain and hearing members of the gay men's chorus, far enough ahead to be unseen, singing Disney tunes. And men trying on princess hats and all the various evil-witch head-dresses... hysterical! And watching Main Street turn into one giant cruise-a-thon, as the party closed, was priceless!
But that was the good ol' days. Now, people go on their own, during the day & with the general public - but wear red shirts to ID that they're part of the unofficial event. I missed the event at the park but zoomed home from the Zombie Walk, taking off as much makeup as I could while I drove (sometimes traffic jams have benefits), and playing phone tag with the FGNs in an effort to get a ticket to the party.
I showered, shampooed, false eyelashed, and finally got to Downtown Disney (the food/bar "mall" between Disneyland and California Adventures [fyi, CA Adv. SUCKS. Save your money!]) around 11:15, totally annoyed that valet parking had already been closed. But I found a great parking space, had no prob getting a ticket to the party (except the cover had risen from $30 to $40) and got in while Jennifer Hudson (?? from American Idol; about to appear in Dreamgirls) was performing her set. I hung out on the upper patio, enjoying the drag-queen versions of Cruela Deville, the Queen of Hearts, Ursula, and the Evil Queen from Snow White.
I chatted up anyone who passed and once Jennifer's singing ended, quickly found my FGNs - happy to start my first night out with them at a real club event. We had a couple drinks, I played dollar-in-the-bra-backbend-with-the-gogo-boy again, I met - and totally loved - the FGN's friend (Scott), and then we all danced for the rest of the night - with me working us to "prime" spot in the center/front area of the dance floor - where I was surprised/amused to run into one of the straight female regulars from Miss Kitty's Parlour in LA. I don't think she's a faghag so it was kind of odd to cross paths at such diverse locations (I believe she said she knew the party's coordinator).
The temperature in the club quickly turned to roasting (HOB Anaheim is roughly 2' x 2') and men began to peel of their shirts. Yummy for me!! I snapped a quick cell-pic as two very hot men next to me started making out. In fact, I think nearly every man near me was making out with someone. Since I was in the center of it all, and pretty much the only person not kissing & groping a hot guy (I hate when that happens!!), I choose to believe I was the grand impetus for it all, fulfilling my destiny as the Goddess of Hedonism and Desire!
As I took a break at the bar, a total stranger insisted on buying my drinks for me - never introduced himself or anything... just insisted that I let him pay and then walked away (I LOVE gay men!!). And another, oddly placed, concert performance began. In the middle of the DJ's great mixing, two guys came out and started singing. It took awhile to realize they were live, not lip syncing (I'm still not 100% on that) and it was funny to be in a slightly elevated position and able to watch pretty much the entire dance floor stop, stare, and visually express, "Who in the hell is that??" After their last song, I heard the singers call themselves "Jason & DiMarco". I know I've heard the names before but have no idea why... and they weren't good enough to bother to look up.
The party closed down around 1:30, much to the relief of my very sore feet (xx miles walking like a zombie followed by 2+ hrs dancing in 5" stilettos = OUCH!!). I hauled myself outside to sit down & peel off my shoes while the "sidewalk sale" (gay cruising at closing) wound down. I got a laugh out of catching the Disney Police (who are so NOT the friendliest people on earth) tailing us for awhile - apparently thinking we were drunk... no doubt because we were covered with sweat, I had kicked off my shoes, and I was still hobbling awkwardly as my toes re-learned how to bend. As we waited for one of the FGNs to figure out how to get his car keys from the long-closed valet (note to self: Knock on the closed windows - there are still people inside), a guy I had seen inside the club - James (per his "It's my Birthday" Disneyland badge) - stopped to tell me he thought I was a totally hot dancer and had been disappointed after working his way thru the dance floor to dance with me - only to find that I had moved away. Again, I LOVE gay men! A staight man never would have bought my drinks, nor given me such a nice compliment, without expecting it to lead to something... or at least expecting me to expect it. It's wonderful to be able to know a compliment is compliment, and a nice gesture is a nice gesture, and neither has any "hidden meaning" beyond friendliness and good manners.
Home at 3am, I crashed & burned and spent the rest of the weekend... literally ALL of Sunday... in bed. Not the most productive use of time but it sure felt good. I wasn't (and still am not) in the mood for interacting with people and it was nice to be able to avoid the outside world, and my responsibilities, for 24 hrs.
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