No Walking - No Fun

Well it's Day 13 since I had my "minor" surgery near my right ankle.  According to my plastic surgeon, it will take 3 weeks to recover.  So that should leave 8 more days of no walking - no fun.  I guess I knew what I was getting into.  About 6 years ago, I tore ligaments in my left foot and had to wear a cast that extended from my knee to my foot for a month.  That was dreadful.  Really cut into my life.  Had to hobble around on crutches and wrap a plastic bag on my leg everytime I took a shower.

This time aside from the pain and swelling, I probably have it easy.  But this sort of thing really makes you appreciate your body and how reliant you are on every part to be working properly.  I just want to walk fast, bend my leg, drive my car again.  The last 2 weeks has been nothing but lying down, staying home and doing nothing I want to do.  It's so frustrating when you see something that is physically so close but the act of getting to it is not possible.  When you have to prop up your leg in just the right position or it hurts or gets swollen.  Or when you try to walk and there is a shooting pain every step of the way.

When I reach Day 21, I plan to: run around the house, wear shoes, drive my car, go shopping, play tennis, play golf, kick a ball, jump rope, exercise, go hiking, take a walk, climb some stairs and go wherever I want... just because I can.  And I've just realized... life was and will be fun again.

Disneyland Pin Collecting - I'm Hooked

I recently returned from our annual trip to Disneyland. I should now admit that I am hooked on Disneyland Pin Collecting.  This I can blame on my good friend Lisa.  I remember it was about 2 years ago that she showed me her extensive collection and explained the concept of Disneyland Pin Trading/Collecting to me over an afternoon at her house.  I recall thinking this was a ridiculous hobby and I honestly saw no risk of myself slipping into this world.

The concept is pretty simple.  You collect pins of your favorite characters, attractions and events.  You can buy new pins or trade pins with castmembers and other pin pals everytime you visit the parks.  Of course brand new pins come out all the time.  There are all kinds of themes and special pins (for annual pass holders only, exclusive pins, limited edition pins, special sets, you name it they have it).  By now tens of thousands of pins have been created over the years.  The idea is you collect what is special to you.  I probably will stick to purchasing new pins as trading involves exchanging my well kept pins with pins that have been circulated around under unknown conditions.

My very next trip, I suddenly began to see the armies of Disney visitors who wore their lanyards filled with pins.  Everywhere I turned I saw lanyards filled with different unique assortment of pins.  And they were not just kids, there were men and women of all ages.  I remember the tough guy who boarded a shuttle with his lanyard clanking with Pirates of the Caribbean themed pins and another guy who was all decked out with his Nightmare before Christmas pins.  And you start to appreciate how versatile and truly ageless Mickey and the gang are; they are just as cute for kids as they are cool for adults to wear either on a tshirt, hat or pin on a lanyard.  The selection of pins that each individuals has or buys is very special to them and you really start to see their personalities emerge.  I find myself taking an extra look at anybody who is wearing these pins as it is an avenue of expression that tells me something about them that I otherwise wouldn't get to see.

Well the first time I stepped into one of the pin stores, I was drawn to all the wall to wall cute pins.  I quickly decided on trying to collect attractions pins.  As anyone who has started any collection knows, to get a collection off the ground you have to initially inject it with some quantity.  So the first trip I must have come home with at least 10 pins.  Pins can go for anywhere from $9 to $150 for some framed pins (just depends what features the pin has, moving pieces, hanging ornamentation, etc - all add to the price).

Since that time, I have been back twice and each trip have found more pins to buy.  The picture I have posted is of my Pirates of the Caribbean page.  In the sea of lanyards at the park, you also notice the travel agency names emblazoned on many of them.  As we learned from our latest trip, travel agencies give out a free starter pin to their guests.  You soon learn what a great idea this is.  For you never see a lanyard with just one sole pin on it.  On the contrary, most of these get filled quite quickly as visitors want to add companions to their cute starter pin.  We received 3 pins this way.  2 were of Chip and Dale.  We soon realized just how much our son loves these 2 chipmunks.  This certainly made it fun to try to collect more pins to add to this new theme that has now become special to us.

My trips to Disneyland have certainly become a little more expensive.  But the added fun of this new hobby outweighs the added costs.  The fact that we have found another way to express ourselves and immerse ourselves in the Disney experience when we are there and take our own piece of the magic home is priceless.

SpongeBob Monopoly a Hit

I can't quite remember when I started collecting Monopoly games.  It has to be at least over 15 years ago by now.  At last count, I have over 2 dozen boxes of these colorful board games.  It's probaby not the first thing most people would think of collecting.  They are large and bulky which make them hard to store.  In the past years, there have been an explosion of new versions.  A while back, I decided there was no way to keep buying without running out of room and spending excessive money on these games that I will probably never play more than a couple times in my lifetime.  Most of mine have never been opened.  So now, only on occasion do I add a new one here and there.  Usually because something I like is on sale or a version comes out that I must have.  Plus, I have a need to only buy the most perfect boxes which means that after I get them home I still want to keep them in mint condition.  I usually purchase from stores so I can handle the boxes and select only boxes that are in pristine condition.  Surprisingly, I have seen many people with much larger collections on the internet but I do wonder if they are also a little crazy for collecting these.

The latest game that I purchased is the SpongeBob version.  It's not a new version, but it was on sale and we like that little feisty sponge and his show.  So we opened it up to try it out tonight.  It turned out to be a lot of fun.  The SpongeBob community works very well with the Monopoly board.  From the pineapple houses to the Krusty Krab as the most expensive property, the theme was weaved in well.  Maybe it was extra fun because I haven't played Monopoly in years.  No one wants to play, so my collection is mainly something that sits in the cabinets.  But more likely it was the warm feeling I got seeing the thrill in our 5 year old's eyes.  I'm not sure which he loves more ... games or SpongeBob.  So, now I have a renewed desire to keep adding to my collection and have taught someone the game who will want to play with me for years to come.