Disney days and London landing

Ah time to worship the mouse at the happiest place on earth™. I was going to spend 4 days at Disney, 2 days at each park (Disneyland and California Adventure) but then I arrived and realised that if I got a 5 day pass (which didn’t cost much more) I could see the fireworks. They were amazingly cool and totally worth it.

I picked a really good time to do Disney as the weather was nice and the parks weren’t crowded.

I was hoping that I could get a list from city hall that would tell me what meals were vegan, they had celiac and kosher lists but no vegan. So I decided to just take my own food.

I trekked to a supermarket that didn’t have a very good selection of vegan stuff (I was so spoilt at whole foods) but I got some Luna bars and fruit to take during the days and had Boca burgers with salad and bread (plus some ketchup and mustard I’d swipe in the park) for dinner when I got back to the motel.

Oh how I loved the motel, two double beds, my own bathroom, TV and wireless internet that worked. Luxury! Plus it was pretty cheap and only a couple of blocks from Disney too.

I had a great time at the parks and saw every attraction I wanted to at least once.

One day I even made friends with a guy I met at the monorail station and we did some rides together. It was nice not to be a party of one for awhile and he was a local with a yearly pass so told me about the history and changes the park has had. When we were in Inoventions (fave thing the tabletop touch controlled map) he pointed out a guy he said was Ron Jeremy. I of course innocently claimed I don’t know who that is. So my celeb spotting count is a porn star and a guy from queer eye, pretty lame. Oh yeah and The Mouse, I of course got the mandatory mouse photo. It’s with Minnie not Mickey but hey any character is good. Yay for animated rodents.

I didn’t buy any tacky souvenirs. But I must admit I was tempted by a toy story alien doll I saw. I actually wanted to get it just to show people because I could hardly believe it. The doll vibrated and said something like oooh ahhh the coming of the great one! Seriously I am not making this up! Actually I might have to add it to my Christmas wish list…

So anyway after 5 days I was disneyed out and ready for the next challenge, LAX.

Ok it actually wasn’t too awful, pretty boring and weird how there wasn’t any kind of immigration/customs to stamp your passport when you leave. I had heard that the security would be slow but it wasn’t that bad, Just a pain that you have to take your shoes off.

The flight was good. I liked looking at

America

as we flew over it. I do want to go and see it one day (see the real

America

as I don’t think that LA really counts).Then when it got dark I watched movies and tried to sleep.

Sadly Air NZ doesn’t quite understand veganism as my meal came with an Oats ‘N HONEY. I should send them an email to point out the error of their ways…

The flight arrived early but then we ended up circling until we landed right on time. I did see a stadium (no idea which one) and what was quite possibly the Millennium Dome so it was like a free sightseeing excursion around the hold pattern.

Giselle met me at Heathrow and even gave me an Oyster card to use on public transport here.

We caught the tube, and then walked to her flat, where I pretty much holed myself up for the first week.

Yes I found myself in big exciting

London

and instead of enjoying it I was just stressing out.

I look at Giselle and she just seems to have it so much easier. She arrived with her boyfriend while I am doing this alone. She stayed with Ayla and then a relative of her boyfriend before she found a flat (Giselle gave me a 1 week limit on her couch). The flat she found is very nice and her room is a nice double attic room with ensuite that she of course shares (and thus splits the costs with) her boyfriend.

They were looking for a new flatmate when I was there and I heard them bitching about the candidates after they left. They rejected one guy because he didn’t have any friends and all I could think was that I don’t know anyone here, and this is so gonna be me soon. Ugh! Stress stress!

Giselle seems to have walked right into a good job while I worry about even getting one. Then of course if I do manage to get one it probably won’t pay well, it doesn’t help that Giselle has been telling me how I won’t be able to live on minimum wage…

So yep I have been like a limp soggy disheartened dishtowel.  I know I should be out going wow its

London

instead of inside moping but I have just been in such a mood. Maybe it’s the weather. I could have SAD as its pretty grey and it gets dark so early here!

Although I do have to admit that so far it’s not as cold as I feared it would be. I actually find myself getting rather hot. In

Australia

you go outside and get hot and then go inside and there is air conditioning to help cool you down, here you go outside and walk around and get hot and then when you go inside there is central heating. Thus I just end up an even hotter sweaty mess.

I shall leave you now with that glorious image.