The Beginning

I never thought I would be a blogger.  What could I possibly write about?  Everything I’m interested in already has a thousand blogs, authored by far better writers than me.

And then a little idea bloomed at lunch one day.

I was at Carl’s Jr. with two of my coworkers, two-thirds of what I affectionately refer to as my “nerd herd.”  Somehow our conversation turned to the topic of churros, and a debate ensued over which were better: Disneyland or Costco churros?  Um, there is no debate here…Disneyland kicks Costco’s butt in the churro department.  Then my debate partner, “M,” asked me if I’d ever tried the corn dogs at Disneyland?  I had never had the pleasure and he assured me they were in fact, THE BEST.  I looked forward to finding out if I agreed during my next visit.

Then M asked me why I love Disneyland so much?  I’ve been asked this question before, and it’s difficult for me to put into words why I do love it so much.  I usually answer something like this: Because as soon as I walk through the gates of Disneyland, I turn into a little kid again, and it’s ok.  There is something magical that happens at The Happiest Place on Earth.  It’s a feeling that comes over me that is challenging to put into words if you don’t feel it yourself. 

At this point, the other nerd, “C,” had an idea.  I’m not sure exactly how it came about, but he told me that I should buy an annual pass, visit Disneyland every day for an entire year, and blog about it.  My immediate reaction was no way could I ever pull off going every single day for a year, so I shot the idea down.  But the seed had been planted, and other ideas started to take shape in my brain.  I wouldn’t have to go EVERY day, but what if I went as much as possible, and each visit had a “theme”…for example, one day I could see how many characters I could take my picture with in a certain amount of time.  Or take a few hours one day to just sit on a bench and observe people, and write about the interesting/unusual/crazy things I see.  The possibilities were endless.  Well, almost endless.

So that is how “Disneyland After Work” was born.  I have to give credit to C for coming up with the name of this blog, but I take full credit for my tagline :)

As I mentioned, I’ve never blogged before and I may fail at this one.  And I may end up not having any readers.  But for someone who doesn’t have much of a social life outside of work, it’s a great way to fill my time instead of parking in front of the boob tube every night when I get home.  And I don’t mind if I don’t get any readers…I’ll write it anyway, it’s just something I need and want to do for myself.

Programming note: I decided that not every day I go to the Parks is going to have a specific theme.  I will do theme days eventually, but a lot of this blog will be about observations, and new things I discover along the way about The Happiest Place on Earth.

So with that, welcome to Disneyland After Work.  Please keep arms and legs inside the car at all times, and buckle up for safety.  You’re in for a ride!