Tomorrow is IHOP’s National Pancake Day!!  That means from 7am-10pm, go to participating IHOP restaurants and you can receive a FREE short stack of pancakes!!!

Being that tomorrow is also the opening of Captain EO, you can go get your FREE pancakes across the street from the Disneyland Main Entrance at the IHOP on Harbor, then head straight into the park to see Captain EO!  (And yes I called to check, though usually that IHOP does not honor promos usually, they WILL be honoring that promo.)

*Also a little tip: If you park at that IHOP, you can run into the park for a bit and save yourself the Disney parking fees. :-)

That’s right kids.  The rumors were all true.  While it was originally thought that Captain EO would return for the special Halloween celebration Disneyland had in 2009, there simply wasn’t enough time to do it up right.  According to the Disney Parks Blog the official date for it’s return is this Tuesday February 23!!!  Also, according to the blog site, there will be a special Captain EO announcement on the Disneyland Twitter account next week.  So if you have Twitter, follow them to see what it is!

I was lucky enough to be in the first audience to see the movie since 1997 last week when they were doing some special cast member testing.  It sounds great and was so fun to watch in 3D again.  I think this will be a huge success due to fans who remember it from their younger days and also for the new generation who have never seen it before.  Also, be ready for a few new surprises that didn’t exist in the original run. :-)

Anyone going opening day??  Maybe we can have a good old fashion IRL (In Real Life) meetup!

A few weekends ago we visited Tanaka Farms in Irvine. We’ve been trying to support our local business with the added bonus of actually knowing where our food is coming from.

On one side you will see a produce “stand” stocked with fresh produce as well as honey, baked goods and jarred deliciousness.

On the otherside are the wagon rides thru the farm with family friendly information on how the fruits and vegetables grow.  You’ll get to pick your own and eat there.

See what else Tanaka farms has to offer after the break…

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click to embiggen

This weekend I’m pretty much residing at the Anaheim Sport Center with my youngest who is in a basketball tournament.  The sport center is in one of the grittier sections of Anaheim (Anaheim Blvd and Cerritos).  What lightens up the trip is getting to have lunch and dinner over at George’s Best Burger’s.

George’s Best Burgers is a classic burger drive-in dive.  Its age is uncertain, but it is old, appears to date to at least the early 60’s.  It is in need of a new coat of paint but it is clean.  I firmly believe that the age of that well seasoned griddle and grill is why the burgers come out so frakkin’ tasty.  It is worlds away from the sterile main street of  “Downtown Disney” only a few blocks away and I like it that way.

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While my poor infant daughter who has a cold attempts to nap despite having a stuffed-up nose, I came across this article in the LA Times.

And this perplexing letter:

What I expected: Magic.

What I found: It is a run-down amusement park. It feels nothing like the Disney resort in Orlando, Fla. I realize this park is older, but it is carny-like, even the newish California Adventure. I was looking forward to visiting Disneyland because of my affinity for Disney World and was sadly disappointed. There wasn’t any magic.

Tanya King, Los Angeles

Tanya! I am confuzled!

If you are from Los Angeles, how is it that you have visited Disney World before Disneyland? Are you a recent transplant?

And “carny-like?” As in old, dirty rides being manned by questionable men with even more questionable dental and/or bodily hygiene?

I wonder if she would think the Parthenon is unkempt and in need of some paint.

Listen, I am a pro-union person.  I believe that working people usually benefit from having a collective bargaining unit that pits them against management.  Because if anyone thinks that management is keeping the best interests of workers in mind, they are absolutely delusional.

But.

I think that Disney hotel workers and their Unite Here Local 11 are asking for an awful lot in some pretty lean times.  Very few people in this country are getting free healthcare, and I’m not understanding why they think they should, too. 

 My husband is being “asked” to take furlough days, and our healthcare costs (such as co-pays and prescription benefits) have recently risen.  However, we’re thankful that he even has a job, and excellent healthcare benefits to go with it.

I think a hunger strike is a bit drastic, and it hurts me to say it, but Local 11 needs to stop having their members working without a contract and sign up for the same benefits that all other Disney employees have.

Are you on Twitter yet??  If not, now might be a good time to make an account, and if you are, you need to follow @Disneyland.  Not only do they let you know about deals around the resort and provide fun facts now and again, but at 12pm today they will be having their “first ticket giveaway” on Twitter!  I take “first ticket giveaway” to mean there will be others too.  So hurry up and add them and check in around noon for your chance to win.  I know I will cause my Annual Pass expires this month!

So hurry, cause it’s FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

It seems that Orange County beaches are being overrun by giant squid.

Chthulu would be proud?

Ok, maybe I just wrote this post because I couldn’t resist the title.