December was a really weird and busy month for me. I had two business trips and a personal trip, making me travel all over the country. And it was a busy month for work, which is unusual this time of year. So I didn’t get into the full Christmas spirit that I usually do. I did manage to put up and light my tree, but lost out of time and energy to decorate it besides a few ornaments I got this month during my travels.

Travel

When I first started doing these recaps I based it on the variety of bloggers that do so as well. (Famous jet-setters like Alex and Kate.) But I never thought I could do the glamorous “Here are all the destinations I went to this month” style post. But this month I can!

Where I Visited

  • Universal City, California
  • Anaheim, California
  • Irvine, California
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Santa Fe, New Mexico

This month was a whirlwind and I was all over the country! My California trip was for a quick Monday meeting, but I decided to go a few days early and visit the theme parks. Charlotte was another work trip, but didn’t have time (or money) to add in any extra days. And then I visited Santa Fe for Christmas.

Favorite Destination

It’s hard to beat Disneyland in terms of good experiences and during the holidays Disney really brings the magic. I got to go to Walt Disney World last year for Halloween (another fortuitous business trip) and both were amazing (although I do LOVE Halloween a little bit more.)

Least Favorite Destination

Downtown Charlotte didn’t have a lot going for it and so that trip was strictly business (a first for me).

Highlights

Puppies on a Plane – One of my secret Bucket List items was to fly with a puppy. I’ve flown near service dogs, but never a puppy I could pet and interact with. So I was delighted on my Southwest flight to Californa to see this cute little girl! She’s a Bernese Mountain Dog 8 week old puppy, being brought by her breeder Haystack Acers to her forever home. I sat on the aisle seat across from her and she was quiet and well behaved!

Christmas at Hogwarts – Beyond the crowds and the challenges that brings (see below), Universal did do a good job capturing the Christmas Magic at Hogwarts. The Castle Light Show was amazing, the decorations around the park festive, and the new songs the Frog Choir sings spot on. Plus I got to try out Hot Butterbeer, another item on my Bucket List. I definitely want to go back to the Orlando version in the future to get the full Hogsmeade/Diagon Alley Christmas Experience.

Disneyland MaxPass & Single Rider Lines – While I had issues with Universal Studios Hollywood (see below) Disney was the opposite. I paid $10 for the new MaxPass app and it was amazing. I think I stood in two 45 minute lines the entire day, both times for rides that are always that or more. But everything else was quick and easy. MaxPass are digital fastpasses. You can only use the app while in the park and it lets you pick a return time for popular rides to skip the lines. By utilizing this app I was able to plan things really well. Then using Single Rider lines I was able to ride popular rides with 90+ minute waits very quickly. While at Universal I bearly managed 3 rides, at Disneyland I did over 20 rides, a few shows, a parade, and some fireworks. Walt Disney World doesn’t have either system and its a shame, because it made my day at Disney amazing.

Getting Over FearsIn August, some co-workers badgered and somehow convinced me to ride my first real roller coaster. So at Disneyland I was excited to try out all the rides I either closed my eyes on or refused to go on as a kid. Using a secret test single rider line, I was able to ride Space Mountain (something I feared as a child) over and over again, while others waited in 90+ minute lines. I also did the Matterhorn a few times and Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road. Cannot wait to start doing more roller coasters in the future! I love the above photo sequence. You can see my first few rides I was still unsure, the 3rd ride I was trying to get into it, and by ride 4 I was a pro!

Disney Holiday Magic – Another bucket list item I had was seeing the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion version. This is what excited me most about this last minute business trip, that I could go to both the Hogwarts and Haunted Mansion Christmas! I rode the ride 4 times, and it was magical each time. I also enjoyed the parade and the Small World lighting ceremony. Overall Disney kills it at Christmas Magic!

Amazing Azeroth – I don’t normally talk about Clients on here but its hard to keep this client anonymous while showing off the above photos. I completely geeked out while finally visiting my client Blizzard! I had so much fun meeting my contacts there and then the private tour afterwards (of their locked down non-public campus) was wonderful.

Festive Santa Fe – I did a road trip to Santa Fe, NM for Christmas. We saw a wonderful Baroque Concert at an old Church and then on Christmas Eve we did a Farolito (Paper Lantern) walk down the arts district and saw some lovely Christmas lights.

House of the Eternal Return – If you haven’t heard of Meow Wolf you are missing out. This art experience in Santa Fe has exploded onto the art scene last year, and for good reason. You start off by entering a family home, and try to uncover the mystery of what happened there. In your search you’ll find portals to other worlds and that is where things get interesting. I spent HOURS here on Christmas Eve. There is no map. There are no directions. Hit things and see if they make music. Sit down and listen to the amazing soundscapes. Push buttons and affect things in other realms.  Many times I had to sit down as it was so overstimulating, and thought “Yeah I’ve seen everything, I can leave now” and then while trying in vain to find an exit I’d find a whole nother portal I hadn’t explored yet. I’m still having a hard time describing this and already need to make the 6+ hour drive to visit this again.

Challenges

Crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood – I only had a half day at Universal, but my only goals were to check out the new Christmas themed activities at the Harry Potter section of the park. But….everyone else had the same idea. I hadn’t eaten when I arrived around noon, so figured “Hey how about I check out the new Christmas meal at the Three Broomsticks?” It took 1.5 hours just to order. People got in line and asked “What ride is this?” That is how bad it was. The food was good (for theme park food) and I did sit a while just to enjoy sitting.

I didn’t get to ride many rides due to the amount of people. A 90+ minute Forbidden Journey line meant a lot of people attempted the Single Rider line. I waited for about 30 minutes and got on, but afterwards they weren’t letting anyone else go into the now 90+ minute single rider line. Flight of the Hippogriff easily was over an hour wait although I mostly just edited photos on my phone.

Shopping was predictably hectic in the small stores, although I did have a lovely interaction with the shopkeeper of Zonkos as he made fun of me buying TWO love potions from him and a Pygmy Puff that in the naming ceremony I choose Moon Puff as its name.

I had heard that it was stupid to go all the way to Universal Studios Hollywood and not do the Studio Tour, and figured the posted 45 minute wait wouldn’t be too bad. Well…it was a 2+ hour wait, standing, with no bathrooms. It was so painful that they brought out the Grinch to try to keep the peace and keep guests entertained. You can see him playing around in this official video:

But the worst part was after that long wait and ride, trying to get back into Hogsmeade to see the Castle Show. They had shut down the back entrance into that part of the park and put up barriers. They then were feeding at least 3 lines into one massive line. I watched people get into fist fights as the lines converged. “No we are the real official line! Get behind us!” While some people took swings I skirted around them and flowed back into the line with a bunch of foreign tourists. Surprisingly the lines didn’t take that long, and they had shows going every 10-15 minutes, so people filed in and out pretty quickly, but I did have a moment where I was like “Oh god! This is the only thing I came to do and I might miss it!”

So overall I did get to do what I wanted to, but I had to endure lots of standing in lines to do it.

Housekeeping – While on my first trip of the month I encountered something strange. Housekeeping wouldn’t leave me alone! They kept showing up and the worst times (sleeping, shower, naked after shower, etc) finally they came when I was dressed and working, but I was on a conference call. They said no problem and cleaned my room while I was in there. The did the same thing the next day. Then on my Charlotte trip, when I asked for late checkout, I could tell they still came in and poked around the room. I guessed correctly that these are new policies after the Las Vegas Shooting that Housekeeping must enter the rooms every day.

Trees and Tall People – I am sad that I didn’t get to really see Disney’s holiday Fireworks. I failed in my planning and didn’t realize the fireworks are shot off on the left side of the castle. And so I stood on the left side…right beside some big trees. That combined with a bunch of tall people with children on their shoulders meant I missed most of the show and wasted over 2 hours in the process. Now I know better for next time. I also couldn’t make it back in time for Fantasmic, so I’ll have to see that another time. The above photos are when I put my phone above my head and hoped I took a photo of something.

It’s Just Business – I’ve never had “just a business trip” before. I’ve always found something to do (like bumping into a Ghost Tour on my way home from dinner in Boston or heading to a spa for a few hours). But Charlotte…just had nothing going for it. I was staying in the heart of downtown, and didn’t have a lot of extra time anyway. I did manage to walk to the Christmas Market…but it was kind of lame. Plus the hotel was the noisiest hotel I’ve ever been in so it wasn’t a very restful trip either. On the plus side, I did see a grown man bring a Chucky Doll as his personal item onto a plane, very holiday appropriate!

Budgeting Issues – All of my business trips this month were unplanned last minute trips. That combined with two very expensive days at theme parks (and all the shopping frenzy I usually go through) meant I was very overextended this month. I’m eagerly awaiting repayment from work on the work expenses, but these extra trips mean I might not be able to do any major travel in 2018.

Christmas Eve Mass – I tried. I really did. But we were seated by a massive wall heating unit and I felt like even if I stripped down to my underware I would be too hot. I nearly vomited in church. Thankfully, my parents felt the same way, so after we sat for an hour listening to the Christmas Music, we left before mass began.

Recommended Reading

Lili on the Loose

This month I did the “7 Days of Black and White” challenge and had a lot of fun taking those photos.

I discovered a pop up human art vending machine in Denver and visited it twice.

I also traveled a lot, here are my post highlighting those trips:

Other Blogs

I’m a bit behind on my blog reading, so here are a few things that caught my eye:

And in geeky posts:

Audio Books

I started Martin Short’s I Must Say and it is amazing and heartfelt. The audiobook is a good medium since Martin does a lot of his past impressions that I don’t think would come over well in print.

Watchlist

I worked my way through tons of Hallmark Christmas Movies and my own massive personal collection of Christmas Movies.

I saw The Last Jedi in theaters (by myself, which I think is a first). I wasn’t a fan, but Porgs are awesome.

On Netflix I devoured The Crown. Enjoyed Craig Ferguson: Tickle Fight and Judd Apatow: The Return. Watched A Royal Night Out and A Christmas Prince. I liked Bright despite the critical backlash. I finally got around to watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Voyeur was weird. Netflix kept recommending The Indian Detective and watched it and it was great (love Russell Peters). And I got sucked back into the West Wing rewatching (it’s calming and helps me blog.)

Gaming

Still working my way through Assassin’s Creed Origins, it’s just such a good game!

What’s Next

Work, work, and more work. I’m going into January with a major project due so I’ll be focused on that.