Sniffles

Another holiday season, another cold. Alas, toward the end of my visit with Sis, I caught a cold (probably from my dad). Now I am blowing my nose every few minutes and plying myself with hot water and throat lozenges. (No, I will not be venturing out for matzo ball soup.) Thank goodness I get to work from home this week. Though there are deadlines to meet, at least I get to stay in my pajamas and work in the relative comfort of my home. Telecommuting is a wonderful invention.

2008 probably wasn't a great year for most people, but I really can't complain. After all, I finally escaped Ye Olde Textbooke Factorie, and though the road has been a bit on the bumpy side, I truly enjoy my new job. My team is awesome, and the work is engaging and creative. Here's hoping everyone's 2009 is filled with health, happiness, and fulfillment. Happy New Year!

Holiday Travels

I spent most of Christmas day in a car, going from LA to the Bay Area. The varied weather conditions that met us on this trip made it a somewhat surreal experience. The beginning of the drive was marked by heavy rain that significantly reduced visibility. It was a bit like driving through white mist, except the pelting rain persistently reminded you of its physicality. Then we hit the higher elevations, where patches of snow decorated the mountain peaks and valleys. After we got through the Tejon Pass, the weather cleared up, and blue skies greeted us. High winds, however, made this stretch of the drive challenging in more ways than one. Not only did the wind affect steering, but it hurtled tumbleweeds across our path! I'm not exaggerating when I say that some of these tumbleweeds were as big as hay bales. And they were often not easy to dodge. I saw a car going in the opposite direction whose entire front bumper was obscured behind a fat, thorny tumbleweed. We emerged from the bombarding tumbleweed episode relatively unscathed, having only been hit by a few smaller and mid-sized ones.

As we entered another gray sky area, we saw a very pretty rainbow brightening the clouds. Unfortunately, I did not get my camera out quickly enough to take a picture. A little past the halfway point, we stopped for lunch at a Carl's Jr. I don't think I've ever seen a fast-food restaurant so crowded and chaotic before! Who knew so many people would be traveling along the I-5 on Christmas day. The rest of the road trip was relatively uneventful. It was lovely to finally arrive at our destination (my sister's new home), and enjoy the rest of the day with conversation, food, presents, TV, video games, and general merriment. Happy holidays, everyone! :)

Immersion

After nearly 10 months of freelancing for the Mouse, I was finally brought on as permanent staff last week. Becoming "official" meant I had to participate in a day and a half of orientation (or, as some have dubbed it, "indoctrination"). I actually found the experience very interesting, and it was quite a nice morale booster. The highlight of the orientation was a tour of the studio lot, during which we got to walk into the sound stage for Eli Stone. Though I don't follow the show (and it is yet another ABC show slated for cancellation), it was still pretty cool. And I loved that the statue of Dopey (part of the facade of the executives' building) was adorned with a large Santa's hat in celebration of the holiday season.

We also visited the Archive Library, where we marveled over historical Disney artifacts. Did you know that decades ago, Donald Duck lime cola and Donald Duck frozen flounder fillets could be found in stores? Of course, the Archive Library also displayed props from recent films; these included Prince Edward's sword from Enchanted, the cursed medallion from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Julie Andrews' Genovian driver's license from The Princess Diaries. The best part was when the librarian brought out an Academy Award, and we actually got to hold it. The Oscar felt very heavy and substantial. No wonder so many winners remark on its heftiness!

To cap off the day of immersion, we were given tickets to attend the company holiday party at Disneyland that night. (We were brought on just in time for it!) The park was open only to employees and family members from 8 to midnight. It's been years since I've been to Disneyland, so I had a blast (despite the long day). We hit the Indiana Jones ride, Pirates of the Caribbean (the repeated references to the film trilogy felt a bit forced), the Haunted Mansion (brilliantly redone in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme, just for the holidays), Star Tours (probably my favorite ride), Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (no line, but I apparently suck at it!), and Space Mountain. It felt very much like grad night. ;) Even though I didn't get home till around 2 AM (and I still had another half day of orientation the next morning), I am so glad I went. To top it off, the holiday decorations were absolutely beautiful.
It certainly puts one in a festive mood. Only 9 more days till Christmas! Yay!

Sniff, Sniff

It figures that a few days after my last entry, the announcement came that ABC is canceling Pushing Daisies. The show will air through episode 13; that means there are only 4 episodes left! Of course, episode 13 will be a cliffhanger, so there will be no closure. I hate unresolved, or at least unintended, cliffhangers! The only glimmer of hope is that Executive Producer Brian Fuller is exploring avenues for bringing some kind of conclusion to PD fans: "We are talking to DC Comics about doing comic books that will wrap up our story lines, and I already have a pitch for a [big-screen] movie ready to go." I guess all we can do is keep our fingers crossed that Fuller's efforts come to fruition. That, and savor the few remaining episodes. How sad that such an imaginative and visually stunning show is getting the ax. Granted, this season hasn't quite captured my attention in the same way the premier season did, but Pushing Daisies is still the most refreshing show on television. The fantasy it wraps us in is such a lovely antidote to the slew of self-multiplying reality shows dominating the airwaves. Sigh.