Blake and Marla take Golden Princess to Hawaii 2012 Day 1

Blake and Marla Cruise to Hawaii

February 15, 2012

Wednesday

Well I was up bright and early again for a walk about Downtown Disney. This time I walked all around California Adventure by going down to Katella and then around to the Disney front gates on Harbor Boulevard. It was time to check out a few of the neighbour hotels and pick some places to stay on our return. Actually Marla and I discussed that our best choice would be to stay in a Disney Resort if at all possible and the Paradise Pier seemed to suit our needs foremost.

Soon it was 10:30am and we were all packed, checked out and ready to go. Our sweaters from yesterday's shopping in Adventureland showed up and we double checked the room to make sure we didn't lose or leave anything. I looked out and there was a SuperShuttle just waiting so I checked it and it was for us. He wasn't supposed to be there until 11am but going now seemed like a good thing. We only had one other pickup over at the Ramada Maingate and we were off to San Pedro. It is a long drive from Disneyland to San Pedro Harbor. But after about an hour on the freeways we saw our ship sitting at the pier. Just as we got out of the shuttle it began to rain, then it began to pour, soon it was torrential. But by then the people with the wheelchairs were out to give Marla a hand and we began the boarding process.

Two things I really don't like about cruising is the boarding and disembarkation process to and from the ship. Boarding is a long drawn out matter of waiting. We were marshaled into a large hall where our tickets were processed, then through security, and finally to a staging area where all the wheelchairs pushers would take their people onto the ship. The guy who was helping Marla through the process was a really nice retired fellow. He had lived in San Pedro all his life and was very helpful. The waiting room reminded me of a biblical scene of people heading to purgatory. Most of the people were older; many in wheelchairs or with walkers. It was like heaven's waiting room. True this is a longer than usual trip and many people cannot take this much time off unless they are retired. But this is another one of those cases of Marla and I with our 35 years of marriage will be considered newlyweds.

Finally we were moving onto the ship. It had only taken just over an hour so it wasn't as bad as I was making it sound. We immediately went to our room Lido 218 and got settled. It would be a while for our bags to show up so we went to the Horizon Buffet and picked out some lunch or in this case breakfast for Marla. The steward didn't set up our room for a double bed but he had it done before we got back from the Lido. Who says it doesn't rain in Southern California? It poured buckets. We went upstairs to check out the Sanctuary but it was just way too wet. So we went back to our room to hang out for a while until our bags arrived.

The bags showed up and I unpacked everything. Marla got about seven of the eight available drawers and gave me the last little draw. In the meantime I took over a cabinet in the closet. By the time all the unpacking was done we had met our cabin steward Cosme. We were ready for some supper. But first the ship had to leave the port.

As the ship made way out of port the rain stopped leaving us with just cloudy skies. Hopefully this will be an omen of no rain this voyage.

We were on the same Port side of the ship as we were a few years ago when we were on the NCL Star sailing to Mexico. It is interesting looking at all the containers being loaded and unloaded on the docks and wondering “how do they keep track of them all.” It was also interesting to check out the sites as we moved along the waterway leading to the sea. At one of the docks we heard this incredibly loud honking or barking only to realize it was the call of a sea lion expressing an opinion as it echoed underneath the piers. Then when we passed the final trucks waiting for containers to be loaded we received a salute of horn honking from the truckers. A fitting send off as we were to travel away from San Pedro and Los Angeles.

When three o'clock came around all the sirens and bells went off. Seven short blasts and one long horn sounded that it was time to gather our life jackets and head downstairs to the seventh floor and the Casino which would serve to be our muster station in case of emergency. After a few jokes from other passengers about Italian Captains and Costa ships we settled in for our lesson on how to put on the life jacket, step off the boat and otherwise listen to the crew. This drill is one of those things which we shall not really ever have to do – I hope.

Soon we were out in open water and sailing into the sunset. As we approached the island of Catalina we could see a pod of whales outside of our balcony. They were not very close but near enough for us to see the occasional spray of air as they breathed.

It was a good day and I was happy to be underway.

To see more of our cruise pictures go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/56705607@N00/sets/72157629549289969/

Blake and Marla in Disneyland 2012 pt 3

Monday, February 13

Disneyland

I got up early and did my walk again. This time I chose to walk through Downtown Disney. I checked yesterday on my pedometer and I did nearly 18kms of walking through the day. It was a little chilly of a day – lots of clouds and a slight breeze. I walked back to the hotel but made a quick stop at Jack Banyon's New Orleans style restaurant. It was a chance to get beignets. I was looking forward to seeing if my new tummy could handle then. As usual I bought too many – six. Four would have done us nicely. I could only eat one.

So Marla and I once again returned to California Adventure through the Grand Californian hotel. I really like the Arts and Crafts style of the hotel; it is very much like the great hotels of the national parks. But passing through it is getting rather old. The nice thing about passing through the hotel is that is serves as a shortcut for Disneyland Resort guests to California Adventure. It puts you in through the entrance of Grizzly Rapids River Ride on one side and Soarin' on the other. This time we went to Soarin' which was a bit of another mistake because I forgot to pick up our fast passes for world of color. But Soarin' was a hoot. It is another one of our favourite rides.

We continued through the park which was mostly under construction as the main entrance and Cars Land is being finished up before they open this summer. We were kind of hungry so we stopped for Chinese Food at the Cannery Row section. We ordered the children's portion of Chicken and Rice. I had to assure the clerk that was really what we wanted and it was pretty good. We went all the way across to the end of the park to old Hollywood and a trip up the Tower Of Terror. This time there wasn't much of a wait which was kind of nice. Tower Of Terror is a huge fun ride. We had a great time – Marla screamed through most of it which was fun. We then continued through Disney's Hollywood of old to the Monster's Inc ride. It is a better version of the movie than the Little Mermaid is. It looks a lot less vinyl and plastic and there is more of the story. I like the part where you are in the door sorting area.

From Monster's Inc we moved over to the Muppets in 3D. The rain has kept everyone away so there was no waiting and all was good. The Muppet show hasn't changed in years but why mess with it. It is still fun and effective. Once it was over we were getting hungry so time to try another kid's meal. This time we were at the Award Wieners restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard. Where else is there to get a good old fashioned American Hot Dog. We long awaited this because we couldn't get on at the Carefree Corner in Disneyland. Our favourite Coca-Cola Corner spot there was closed for renovations. But this one was very good. Marla had about three-quarters of it with the bun and I had my quarter dog with just Mustard, Relish and Ketchup and no bun. It was filling enough for me and served me no ill effects. So I was feeling great and we were off again. This time we did a little shopping. There really wasn't anything we needed which was just fine with me. We are trying to keep the costs down and our little frugality is working.

Another Merry-Go-Round, this time it was King Trident's ride. I am so lucky to be married to Marla because she really likes Merry-Go-Rounds and deep in my heart I do to. So we can indulge our inner child and jump on. Our inner child is apparently really close to the surface. Adventure called and we moved over to the California Screamer roller coaster. Wow, what a great ride. It has its ups and downs and it even has a loop de loop. I thought it would be a challenge for Marla but she did great on it.

We decided to take another shot at Toy Story Midway Madness. It is a ride through 3D shooting game and it is like being inside a kids video game featuring an old time carnival section. It was lots of fun but I think the luster is off it a bit for Marla and me. It is not as fun as it was the first times we experienced it.

Our last ride for now was Mickey's Wonder Wheel. We were paired with a couple of little Japanese Girls and apart from the occasional shriek and lots of giggles everything went fine. There were wonderful amazing views from the ride and a little bit of a physics lessons for me. If you want to go to the top of the wheel you must ride on stationary outside cars and not the moving inner cars.

It may sound like we were always eating but there were long breaks of riding rides and standing in lines between our meals. But here we were hungry again so we decided to head back to the hotel and along the way we would grab something to eat. We found a place between Paradise Pier and the Redwood Trail that served Italian and Mediterranean food. We had a meat ball thing which was really good for me and by accompaniment it had the best rice I have had in ages with it. I am not really supposed to eat rice but I couldn't resist a couple of spoonfuls. Again this is one of those children size portions so I protected myself from eating too much. However after a good feeding and listening to a dandy group of Peruvian jazz singers, and getting really cold in the shade, we headed back to the hotel for a nap. I like this nap part.

We then walked back to the bridge and settled in to watch World Of Color. We found a cement bench to sit on but had to get up and move to the rope line before the show started. We became pretty good about holding our own spaces. We saw mostly the top half of the show but it was really good. But when it was over we were cold from walking around and standing for a couple of hours. Still I was hungry so we stopped at the ESPN Sports Zone. We had a plate of chicken wings and they were delightful and we got the bonus of watching Vancouver Canucks beat Phoenix in an OT shootout. All in all a pretty good night.

To see more pictures of our day in Disneyland go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/56705607@N00/sets/72157629549253465/

Blake and Marla in Disneyland 2012 pt 2

Sunday February 12, 2012

I started my day by getting up early and going for a walk. It was daylight and I had a better idea of where I was going. We needed a few of life's necessities so it was off to find a grocery story. About a mile away I found one so it was a nice distance for a walk. After getting some milk, yogurt and other supplies I headed back to the Paradise Pier and got Marla up for a walk about the park.

It didn't seem right to make our first stop returning to Disneyland by going through the back of California Adventure. Instead we walked through the Californian to Downtown Disney and shortly we were at the front gates to the Happiest Place On Earth. There is something magical about crossing under the berm which supports the Disneyland Railroad. Main Street square was alive with colour, children and characters. We saw Geppetto, Pinocchio, Minnie and a few others being mobbed by children. A quick stop into the City Hall to get a Guest Assistance Pass and we met the second dumbest Disney employee. It took her forever to figure out what we needed despite us giving her a letter from our physician asking for a Guest Assistance Pass and then she told us it wouldn't be any good anyways. So we took it and said “what the hell? We have a good time wherever we are.”

We then strolled down main street and stopped at the Jolly Holiday Bakery. It is a Mary Poppin's Themed Bakery/Restaurant. We share a little baking – Marla has a Chocolate Croissant and I had a fruit cup. It was good for a little breakfast. Then we went through Adventureland and picked up FastPasses for Indiana Jones Adventure. Finally we made it to our first mandatory stop – the Pirates of The Caribbean. I love that ride. It is one of those rides that I can do over and over again. The other ride like that was our next ride the Haunted Mansion. They are like old friends. Little changes happen like the inclusion of the bride's story in the Haunted Mansion. But really it is still the same.

We went back to ride Indy but the ride broke down so we changed our plan and headed for Big Thunder Mountain. Along the way we saw the Sheriff attempt to apprehend two clueless bad guys on the balcony of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. It was a pretty long wait but that didn't really matter too much. 45 minutes later we were rollicking around the mountain on a runaway train. We went around Frontierland heading to Fantasyland when we came across some cutsie farm animals and the country's luckiest Turkey. He was given a pardon at Thanksgiving by President Obama.

We crossed into Fantasyland and found ourselves hungry so we stopped to eat at a little Bavarian place called the Village Haus. We shared a hamburger which was really good. I even snuck some of Marla's coke just because it felt so right. Marla's favourite ride in Fantasyland is King Arthur's Carousel. A parade of white horses. Her favourite horse is one of the ones on the outside. So we mounted up and rode with the kids. It was a hoot.

We did a little hat shopping at the Mad Hatter store – people don't wear hats enough any more. Not counting baseball caps. Then we walked towards Tomorrowland. There was a brief stop to check out the seagulls from Finding Nemo sitting on a beacon buoy all shouting “Mine, Mine, Mine.” We then realized we were quite tuckered out so we jumped onto the Monorail and headed back to Downtown Disney. Then we found a much better sidewalk path back to the Paradise Pier hotel and a much needed nap.

After a short nap we returned to the park. We picked up a Fast Pass to World of Color and then took a voyage with Ariel The Little Mermaid. It was a pretty “Disney Dark Ride” featuring the characters of the movie but they all looked very rubbery and balloon like. So it had a feeling of being like many of the 2D rides of Fantasyland updated using plastic characters. We then continued into the Paradise Pier area and take a shot a Midway Mania – it was an hour line up. Finally we twigged into the notion that despite this was a sunday in February; the park is really full. But waiting in line is no big deal so we hung in there. After an hour, this really rude guy storms out of the line up; unlinking each of the chains as he goes out. Sure enough the ride had broken down and nobody knows when it will be fixed. So there was 45 minutes we won't get back. We were getting tired and wanted to get over to Disneyland to see the evening's fireworks show.

We got into the Magic Kingdom just in time to see the last half of the Disney Parade. It was filled with characters and was pretty to watch. We strolled down main street and back into adventureland to use our Indiana Jones fastpass. What a fun ride! Marla did very well at getting bounced around on the jeep and it was like passing a physical test that she is okay to do rides again in Disneyland. That made me feel really good too. We watched the evening fireworks from under a tree near the Mickey and Walt statue. Next time we will move a little further away from the trees and closer to the centerline of mainstreet.

We went over into tomorrowland and got in line for Star Tours. This was my biggest mistake of the trip so far. We have a super fast pass in our pockets to get us to the front of the line and I forgot to use them. I blame the front desk girl and avoid my own sillyness. So we waited about an hour to get through the line up but had a great ride on Star Tours. It was a hoot.

We were tuckered out by 10pm even though the park was open until midnight and so decided to go back to the Paradise Pier through Downtown Disney. We once again went through the Grand Californian and nearly immediately fell asleep as our heads hit the pillows.

To see more pictures from our day at Disneyland go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/56705607@N00/sets/72157629184615890/

Blake and Marla travel to Disneyland 2012 pt 1

Saturday Feb 11

Marla and I had an early afternoon flight to Los Angeles. It was a nice flight at 1pm but we still had to be at the airport at 11am which meant we would take a 10:30am taxi from home out to the airport. It cost us $51.20 to catch the cab from home to the airport which makes it much cheaper than parking out at the airport. The flight to LA was fairly uneventful. We landed at SFO where we were whisked with the help of the airport assistance from the international gate to a regional gate on the other side of the airport. There was a very interesting display of television history in one of the hallways but we really didn't have time to see it. The flight between SFO and LAX also was unremarkable. The only thing I was upset about was having to pay an extra $25 for each piece of luggage. On the other hand, it was nice to put out the extra $20 for better seats on the plane.

We arrived in Los Angeles at Terminal 7 at about 7pm. We got our stuff and headed out to the shuttle bus drop off area. We found the SuperShuttle stop and they had our reservations. It was about another half hour until we got our Shuttle van to pick us up and then much to Marla's chagrin we had to do a lap of the LAX terminals which took about another half hour. Finally we were off to Anaheim. We did one stop at Knott's Berry Farm and another at a private residence in Anaheim. Along the way we saw some of the fireworks from Disneyland which was kind of cool.

Soon we got to the Paradise Pier hotel in Disneyland.

We had made reservations early in January but I still thought it was best to pick up everything when we checked in. We had a delightfully nice but thoroughly inept front desk person to check us in. She was very nice but missed out of some important details. Starting with the nice part was that she upgraded our room from a poolside view to a parkside view. It was a good thing too because the pool was being renovated and rather unimpressive. The parkside view does have its drawbacks. It is noisier because it is on Disney Drive and all the traffic whizzes by. We were there in time to hear this noisy bad neighbour style of music – when we looked out the window we saw the water show for World Of Color was on. It was beautiful to see the coloured sprays of water. As for the rest of our check in process we were shown our tickets; two 3-day park hopper passes (I liked that mine had Mater on it from Cars), a coupon book, two fast pass super tickets. When it came to the superfast pass tickets the girl totally missed up explaining what they are good for. Stuff I wish we knew when we were in the park. Then to conclude the process she forgot to give me back my driver's license – that could be awkward. We got it all straightened out and I discovered when we checked out that she spelled my name wrong. Still I must emphasize – she was a really nice person.

We took the elevator up to our room. In the reviews of Paradise Pier I have read how people spend so much time for the elevator. Didn't happen to me at all unless you had this urge to do the windowed elevator that has a view of the park. That one does take forever, but the other three regular elevators show up just fine and dandy.

The rooms are decorated in a beach boy motif. From lamps that conceal secret Mickeys to rustic sailing knots for handles on the dresser drawers. But the highlight was the beachball pillows on the beds. The rooms were clean and well maintained with the usual assortment of creams, shampoos and soaps. Throughout our stay the room was also very well maintained.

Our room was also really nice. It was on the eighth floor and had a great view of California Adventure. Mostly we could see the Wonder Wheel and California Screamer. The mountain ridges that make up Radiator Ridge in Cars was really clear then off to the sides there was a cool view of Grizzly Mountain and way in the back was the Tower Of Terror. So here we were settled after a 1500km flight, 10 hours of travel, a long shuttle ride, and settling in we realized – we are really hungry.

So we walked through the Downtown Disney parking lot, the long way, in the dark. But we found ourselves around the other side of the AMC theaters and walking into the Rainforest Cafe. Marla and I have long had a soft spot for the Rainforest Cafe chain. This was our second time at the restaurant and really enjoyed it. Then it saved our bacon at the Paris Disneyland. So here we were back again and we wanted meat. So we had a combo plate that had St. Louis Ribs, Wonderful steak, coconut shrimp. It was wonderful. So thoroughly stuffed, but not overeaten, we bumbled back through Downtown Disney and crossed over to our hotel through the Grand Californian.

To see more pictures from this day go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/56705607@N00/sets/72157629153655060/

catching up

The thing with blogs, diaries, notebooks is that you have to use them. If you put them to the side and forget about them for a while you end up in the situation like I am today. I had a bunch of stuff to write and a bunch of stuff that I should have written. So this little blog is going backwards starting with the most recent and working towards the stuff that I should have filled in.

What's on my mind most lately is a discussion I have been having with some people about eating styles. As a bariatric patient I must be careful about my carb intake but that also gets in conflict with my spirit of rebellion. I have long time been a rebel without a clue. Why else would I do some of the amazingly dumb things that I have done in my past. But each time was a learning experience and I am a better person for it.

One of the comments the person made to me was no longer should I have implicit trust in the professionals (physicians, surgeons, nutritionists, and trainers) because they haven't gone through the full bariatric experience. In a way they are right. Sometimes talking to skinny Dr. Amson about weight loss challenges is the same as going to a priest for sexual relationship advice. They have the knowledge but not the experience. On the otherhand they also have the training and experience with a wider subject group to know what they are talking about.

My part of the deal is to treat my body as it should be treated after surgery and following the advice and guidance of those who have been there before.

There is a bit of a challenge here because as I was discussing with another friend it is clear that there are two kinds of surgeries happening - a new school and old school. I have come to the belief that five years ago surgery and the way people reacted to their operation is very different that the recent batch of patients who have gone through the process. We are pretty much all done laparoscopic and did not have to face the major skin and muscle healing that open patients did. Combined with that was the improvements in techniques that the surgeons have done over the years made our healing and coping time better and faster than before.

As a result the new school of patients heal faster and adjust better than their counterparts did. I think the changes in surgery and healing times add to some differing opinions within our community. This would also explain the great difference of opinions that people have about the treatment of our new pouch. My surgeon told me to 'test out the pouch' very early in my recovery and other experienced patients could not belief this advice.

It is very confusing when the experts say one thing and the experienced say another. I think like with everything both are right in their own way. Now it is simply a matter of choosing what is right for me.

My last free day

Well it has finally come. After 87 days of being away from the office I am returning to work tomorrow morning. So to celebrate my last free day Precious and I went for a walk, cleaned up all the balls in the backyard (Precious is good at chasing balls and not so got at bringing them back) and then Marla and I went out for lunch. So there I was looking at the menu at John's Place. Marla likes it because they have these awesomely decedent Belgian waffles with a great cream cheese sauce stuff. I tried it a long time ago and went into immediate diabetic shock. But she likes it and it doesn't hurt her.

So there I was looking over the menu for John's Place special breakfasts. http://www.johnsplace.ca/breakfast/ There really is nothing there for me to eat. Lots of sweet stuff, lots of food that normal people who like eating enough for three other people would really enjoy. My favourite John's Place meal was Huevos Rancheros but I couldn't finish eating it when I was big. Their meatloaf is great. But I scroll down to the bottom and find this cheap little omlette "The Good, The Bad and Simple Western." Only $5.95 and it is down to a choice between that and one lonely egg. This was my first shot at trying an omlette since the surgery. So here I gave it a go and it was fine. I couldn't eat much of it but for that little price I didn't mind.

I no longer get the value of meals out anymore. For the most part I only have a few spoons and am full, so that $15 entree is kind of a waste. We share meals out when we eat out but we have done that for ages. Although the tables have been turned and Marla gets the largest portion of the meal. Good thing we like the same stuff most of the time.

So tomorrow I go back to my office work. I am looking forward to it but I really did enjoy my time off. So back I go and hopefully get back into the swing of things quickly. My first big test will come on Wednesday when I return to the Interurban Cafeteria. That is one of my favourite food places. Really the goal is skip the food places and go to exercise.

I think I have to retrain my head to say "Go Exercise" when it is saying "Go Eat."

Happy New Year 2012

Okay so 2011 is over and now we ready to face 2012. The Mayan calendar ends this year but I don't think it is the end of the world. My feeling is that when the calendar ends we simply start over. That is what 2012 means to me. It is a time to start over.

My RNY surgery was October 19, 2011. It changed my life and after 55 years I find myself starting over. The nice thing about starting over is that you have all this experience from what you did in the past that didn't work. My past has taught me that the easy way is not always the best way. To achieve I need to focus. Finally I need to learn from my past and not repeat it.

So I was happy to finish my year by working. We did the set up for the Victoria Symphony down at the Royal Theater. This was the first time I got back to work in the theater since the surgery. I had a great time. I am 30 pounds lighter and it is so much easier to move about. I is nice to work in the beautiful old theater.

Marla and I brought in the new years with barbeque ribs and a lovely quiet evening. It was just an excellent night. We watched old tv shows and relaxed the night away. We really didn't make any new year's resolutions but I think my new year's resolution is really what I wish for everyone as well as myself throughout the year - heath and happiness.