SEAWORLD and "Daddy, there's a princess!!!"

In case you didn't know it, there is a princess at Sea World. 

My daughter was watching the Blue Horizons Dolphin show, and partway through this choreographed production, where a lady in a pink wetsuit was swimming with dolphins and dancing, something finally clicked with the nubbins and she screamed, "A Princess!!!"  It was great.  

Of course a picture followed.

 And the nubbins herself, looking as cute as I've ever seen her.

I admit, I was a little moved by the dolphin show.  It's a pretty inspiring little production, and the music was moving... for me anyways.  The wifey just laughed at me.  Other things were moving as well, and I soon visited another inspiring commode.  Behold:

Now, I'm just getting ready to enter the stall when I am distracted by this skylight up above me where I notice this nasty, giant spider slowly crawling down from the corner.  AAaack!

So then this kid comes and thinks I'm leaving the stall, rather than just going in.  I'm still distracted by the giant spider while this kid's waiting for me to vacate the stall, so I tell him, "There's a giant spider up there."  

The kid jumped, freaked out as he looks up, then jumps again as he sees it.  He was more scared of spiders than I am... which is saying something.  It was hilarious.  I'll leave this picture big so you can see somewhat of the nastiness that was this pretty cool spider.  It's the black blob in the middle.

Props on the rest of the bathroom though, which gets a GREAT ranking in my book for everything but the man-eater lurking overhead.  And any place that puts something like this sign in their bathroom is bound to be a little more conscientious to the sensibilities of their guests (again, minus the man-eater).

And then, just in case you had any additional doubts about this deserving a GREAT rating, they also played ambient music in the restroom, and thinking about this blog, I just couldn't help myself.  So without further ado, here's a sample to complete the full picture in your mind (I doubt you'll find this on the soundtrack... although you might):

P.S.  near the end you'll hear a little flush from my frightened friend in the nearby stall, which actually helps you get a better feel for the ambiance, I think.  Enjoy  :)

                                          

Basically, we loved Sea World (we went back two more times!!! Thanks Costco.).

"Universal Studi..." i mean "The Mormon Battalion Center"

Seriously though, this was awesome! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints took a step that I've waited a long time for... they made a tour that incorporated the awesomeness of technology and special effects and interactivity that have made places like Universal Studios and Disney Theme Parks insanely popular, and they did it on a spiritual level, so you are really and truly engaged as a family (from the bottom up (kids to adults, I mean)) before having the testimony of these missionaries driven home by the Holy Ghost.  

When they depicted the stampede at the Battalion's "Battle of the Bulls", let's just say the rocks Kim and I were sitting on were shaking while the roar of the herd was blasting in the speakers.  Okay, there's my spiel.  Here's some pics leading up to the privy.

This was totally Pirates of the Caribbean here... only it was the Mormon Battalion... not pirates.

And after going through this interactive, multi-media presentation at this Center, I was intensely satisfied that I still got to see some cool museum-quality artifacts from the Mormon Battalion and early California, including the discovery that apparently one of my ancestors was a member of the Mormon Battalion... Heber McBride:

After all this I had high hopes for the restrooms, and I wasn't disappointed.  It all started with one of the coolest doors I've ever seen, let alone on a restroom.

 Automatic fixtures, stylized to keep you in the building's aesthetic... just a Great feel.  That's what I gave it.  A GREAT RATING.  The door locks were interesting, but they worked, the second time I tried, anyways (although I could have just forgotten to lock it in the first place.  Luckily it was my dad right behind me that clued me in to the fact that it was open!!!  My bad.)  Check it out if you're ever in San Diego's Historic District.  It was awesome.

This video from YouTube shows the Church's World Report on the Mormon Battalion Center, so you can get a feel for what some of the rooms and outdoor areas look like.  Take a look.

Porcelain Base of Operations - San Diego, CA

Sooooooooo... it's been a little while since I've posted, which doesn't mean I've stopped taking pictures of restrooms.

We recently finished a family trip to San Diego, and while I still haven't hit my dream potty near the top of Angel's Landing, I've got plenty of others to show.  From one of the biggest, nastiest spiders in the world in a skylight right over the toilets in SeaWorld (I made a kid literally jump when I pointed it out to him(which was hilarious, by the way)) to the restroom with at least the coolest doors out of any I've ever come across (You're probably really excited now...  :) to a bathroom with a television in the mirror... literally in the mirror, I'll feature them here in no particular order, hopefully fairly quickly, to your entertainment or at least mild amusement.

Potty Numero Uno:  The Porcelain Base of Operations, my parent's time share condo, WorldMark, 5-10 minutes from Downtown San Diego.

Great, comfy, beautiful (did you check out that dirt hill view right off the balcony... stunning! :), but on to the real meat of the condo, the place where I will always inevitably spend a great proportion of my time, the bathroom.

Really quite nice, and while the wifey did find hair in the bed before we'd even slept in it, the bathrooms began clean (of course, the bathrooms in a condo have an advantage over public restrooms since the facilities folks are paid to clean them just for us before our stay... but still, GREAT rating.

We'll get on with the more interesting ones later...  maybe tomorrow.

And remember, I'm still interested in potty suggestions.

The Nethers of Accessibility

Sometimes for all your care, you end up still without restrooms nearby. This is one such occasion.



So you enjoy the time you have, but there's always the lingering awareness of possible need. I realize that I have only a minimally active problem with Crohn's for the most part, so I can get away with these kinds of adventures for a little longer. But for many with a form of IBD, this wouldn't be a possibility for any duration.


You won't find a bathroom here... in a conventional sense.

Climbing is great exercise however, and just in case my prowess in climbing skyrockets to amazing levels I took the opportunity to establish my brand. :)

Meet The WhiteNight



It was a fun time with my cousin and my brother, but the rating for this activity and this place was definitely a lesser Outer Darkness. There were houses down after a 5 minute brisk walk, and we were right above Ogden City, so there are plenty of facilities available nearby after driving. Trust me, it could have been much worse.

The Magic Kingdom

Can I show this one first? Usually I'd build up to this picture, because it's awesome. Our little daughter, just 2 1/2 years old, was bouncing with excitement for this moment. It was the highlight of the entire park. Mickey and Minnie were perfect for her. Whatever hype may come across about Disney, they really do have something great there.
You know those guys who follow you around and take random pictures of you to get you to buy pictures of your experience? Well, when they captured this shot above, we caved.



Okay, one more time. I couldn't help it. I mean, look at this picture. Look at the expression on her cute little face. My wife captured this shot. So good.

Then, as the nubbins was getting dressed up like a princess... I made a little side trip.
It was great. No prince's privy, but at least a potty fit for a King. Just kidding. It seemed the right way to end that sentence. It was nice. Shiny.

Thanks to all you readers out there. I appreciate you joining me... at least in part. :)

P.S. Here's a little fact for you that is reassuring to anyone tied like me to restrooms: Restrooms at Disneyworld are cleaned every 30 minutes. Pretty great, huh?

Hollywood, A Planet Unto Itself

I'm sure there must be a story behind the name, rather than them just wanting the cool spherical structure. Hollywood really is a world unto itself though, so it really is a funny name. Fitting, and funny.

It was really cool inside though. I was like a kid in a candy sto... wait, that's an overused analogy. I was like a nerd at the Star Trek exhibition (which we also did on this trip... we'll get there). Let me show you what I mean, and at the same time you'll get a glimpse into my own psyche through movie tastes.


It's a sword. I'm a guy. That still excuses me, right? I haven't even seen the movie, but it's a cool sword. I like swords. (Are your nerd meters beeping yet?)


Something from Ben Hur!!! Perhaps a frock of some kind. I don't really know.


The miniature boat from Princess Bride. Inconceivable! (It's like a can't even help but say that. I can be sick to death of saying it, but I still will.)


Babe Ruth's underwear... Kinda weird. You know, I never even wondered where Babe Ruth's underwear was. All this time they've been right there.

One more.

George of the Jungle's necklace. I hear this was the only movie where he's really good looking. That scene with the horses. Funny. I personally prefer the commentary, "Bad guy falls in poop..."

The restrooms... were interesting. I'd better just let you have a look yourselves.


Shark heads. So when you wash your hands it's like you're being eaten by sharks. Fun. And a Good rating. I honestly don't remember much else about the restrooms. I was so distracted by those mirrors.

So the locale was fun. Cool sights. I only posted a pittance of the coolness. Unfortunately, we were not impressed with the food at all. I opted for a chicken and avocado sandwich that should have been delicious, but ended up being really dry. Too bad. Funny Babe Ruth.

Seuss, God of Thunder... ?

After a day at Universal that was mostly for us adults, Seuss Landing was one of the more enjoyable parts just because our little nubbins of a daughter could go on the rides and enjoy herself. Child swap had been great for us, but that little girl was beginning to have a dejected look on her face just like that Cyclops had.

I kept hearing Seuss pronounced like Zeus while we were there.


With a little tweak they're spelled the same. Seuss and Zeus. Zeuss.
And there's some resemblance there too.

Seuss Landing was a credit to the man who inspired it. Plus, we got off the elevated train ride and walked into this shop with some of the tastiest treats. They had these smore chocolate creations that were so good, and then these gourmet cookies, and then...



Gotta love Crohn's!

This image is credited to http://www.wheresthetoilet.com/2008/08/universal-studios-islands-of-adventure_26.html
If I had taken it, you would have seen it filled with people. Had I tried I would have gotten punched out by some kid's dad, which if you have a camera in a bathroom, what do you expect? I need to print some kind of business card so if people look at me wierd I can pull out my card for the blog. But then giving business cards in a bathroom...

Anyways, despite the traffic, they earned a good rating.

With Cat in the Hat; the One Fish, Two Fish, Red Rish, Blue Fish ride; and our daughter's favorite, the little Dr. Seuss playground, Seuss Landing was right up there with Harry Potter thanks to our little nubbins.






In memory of
Theodor Seuss Geisel
(Dr. Seuss)
1904-1991