2/12/13  FINALLY A NEW BLOG

So I know it's been months...I've been busy so I'm just gonna update a bit on what's been going on since November.  Well, the holidays happened.  I worked on Days of Our Lives for a couple of episodes.  Two of those episodes already airred.  I auditioned in January and became a member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle.  I performed there few weeks later as an impromptu show in the museum and ended up in the yelp reviews (in a good way).  I attended a couple of awesome "Magician only" events there, too.  I finally waited in line at The Disney Soda Fountain for the first time at a pin release...not over night or anything crazy...but over an hour which seems like a lot to me.  I attended an Elders meeting which is a group of mentalists that get together...which was amazing.  I've pin traded at DCA & Disneyland almost every weekend.  Had lots of cool auditions (including voice over auditions lately).  And have a bunch of live comedic ventriloquist gigs coming up.  (I added a "Schedule" section to my site today, but I'll probably be about as good at updating it as I am about keeping up with my blog.) 

11/15/12  MAGIC CASTLE 

Say the "magic words" or you'll never even get in.

That's The Magic Castle for you, filled with unique and magical things throughout.  I have been there a few times, but each time I think to myself, "I need to become a member!"  This time was no different.  

A friend of mine invited a few folks to enjoy the Saturday evening, which happened to be VERY crowded.  We watched the main room show as well as a few smaller shows in the Parlour and at the bar.  I didn't get to spend any time with Irma, the ghost that plays piano.  She's my favorite part of the Castle...well also the Dummies that line the walls downstairs.

If you haven't been to The Magic Castle, it's a one of a kind experience that everyone should try to do at some point in their lives.  I really do want to audition in January.  I just think I'd have a blast with the folks in the magical community.

Check it out...

10/15/12  Halloween Fun in Los Angeles    (Updated 11/1/12)

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I love going to haunted houses, even though I rarely get scared.  I always have a blast!  

Here are some of my favorite Halloween attractions this year:

SINISTER POINTE

SINISTER POINTE - (5 out of 5 stars)  This choose your own adventure haunted attraction is one of the most creative and unique houses I've ever been too.  Downfall...it's only one house that's all the way in Brea, but it's different depending on the choices you make.  We went through it 4 times and had a blast each time!  The performers are also great and the staff friendly.  I got "boo scared" a couple of times & I got truly scared at one point in the maze, not "boo scared" but actually terrified by my slight case of claustraphobia...but came out smiling that I overcame the small space.  A definate must on your list of attractions!

HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD SPORTS

HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD SPORTS - (5 out of 5 stars)  This paintball course gone haunted attraction is unique and fun.  The sets are awesome and the performers are probably the hardest working out of all of the attractions I've visited.  I saw some of the same monsters multiple times throughout the night in different locations as the run around from place to place scaring victim after victim.  I actually got "boo scared" twice really good throughout the night.  Once by a very patient ghoul that waited until the perfect moment and made me jump about 2 feet in the air.  The second in a tunnel...the ghoul caught me offguard so much that I ran the opposite direction.  They also had a freak show with glass walkers and such.  There are a handful of mazes that all end up in the same exit.  There are also 2 mazes that for an extra charge you can shoot zombie with airguns!!!!  (I didn't try it, but sounds like serious fun!!!)

REIGN OF TERROR 

WEBSITE  (5 out of 5 stars) This haunted house in Thousand Oaks is well worth the drive.  It is the most detailed and elaborate seasonal single house in a strip mall that I've ever seen.  It is a volunteer run house for charity.  The ghouls are good, the price is fair and the set/lights/sounds are elaborate and detailed.  I had a lot of fun and even got scared a couple of times.

RAISIN HELL RANCH

WEBSITE-  (5 out of 5 stars)  This "ranch" includes 2 incredible corn mazes with scares and one corn maze that is 2 miles of getting lost in the corn.  I loved the 2 scary mazes.  I bought the fast pass and since I was alone I asked to go through by myself.  Luckily the folks working the mazes said yes, so I had an even scarier time since I wasn't in a group!!!  The monsters were hard working and fun.  The actually designs and layouts of the mazes were great!  Walking through corn and then onto a bus and then through corn and into a blackout maze made of plywood in the middle of corn, etc.  It was AWESOME!!!!  I especially loved the use of airbags at this venue...much more creative than I had seen elsewhere.  The 3 maze of corn was fine if you like getting lost in corn, but was less than fun for me by myself since I had just done one the weekend before.  They also had a pumpkin patch.  It is really far from Los Angeles (4 hours or more)...but I was glad I went.  Super fun!  I even got boo scared by a Chupacabra at one point and by a guy shooting at me, both almost made me fall down...lol.

FRIGHT FEST

FRIGHT FEST - (4 out of 5 stars) Six Flags Magic Mountain really did an amazing job on their mazes this year.  They were more fun than many of Universal Halloween Horror mazes as far as creativity and scares.  Two of their mazes even out-did Universal in set dressing in my opinion.   Also their 3D maze & blackout maze blew my mind.  They were both mazes that require a small number to go through in groups, so the lines could get quite long, but totally worth the wait.  The only maze I wasn't really impressed with was the black widow maze.  If there is no line then go for it, but don't waste your time waiting for it.  Also the rides stay open, which is cool.  On the downside...their shows this year were a bit lame.  They also didn't have an opening ceremony of any kind, which I feel like they used to have a moment at 7pm where the clowns or demons would announce that they were charging the park and then run out into the crowd...maybe I am remembering wrong.  The staff was not friendly or helpful, the guy that sold us our front of the line passes didn't even know how they worked.  

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS - (4 out of 5 stars) Universal always does an amazing job with make-up, sets, costumes, and staffing.  They have some of the strongest "scare-actors" hired at any event every year...and they even go through training.  (I know because I've worked there.)  I say Universal is a DO NOT MISS event every Halloween.  I hold them to a higher expectation than most, so I would say most people would give them 5 stars...however, this year wasn't as strong as the past few years in my opinion.  The La Llorona is a great maze and was a bit different, but I think better last year.  The 3D maze is always awesome and it really made me laugh a lot this year because of creativity.  I thought one of the best mazes this year was Monster Remix which is the regular haunted house done over for the event.  Both the Walking Dead maze and the Walking Dead tram tour maze were ok.  They felt a bit more like an advertisement than a truly scary maze.  Chainsaw was awesome.  The scarezone were really good this year.  I didn't think the Silent Hill maze was anything to write home about.  However, Bill & Ted show really made me laugh out loud A LOT this year (I am usually not a fan of the show to be honest).  Transformers Ride is open through the night too, so be sure to check it out....it's amazing!

LOS ANGELES HAUNTED HAYRIDE

WEBSITE (4 out of 5 stars)  I just got home from this event (10/24/12) and boy was it cold out tonight.  Now that it's getting chilly be sure to wear layers and a hat...and the poncho they give you.  You WILL get wet.  Depending on where you sit and your luck, you could get very wet.  That was the only downfall of the Hayride.  Overall it was pretty AMAZING!!!!  Love the effects, actors, adventure and uniqueness of this haunted hayride.  It was really awesome!  My favorite part was right after the grave yard, but my favorite performers were from the 80's!!!  Really really really fun!!!

It's not just a hayride, there is also a maze and some fun stuff to do in the exit area from the ride.

I really liked the house of mirrors, even if it was a bit crowded and kind of small.  I'd never been in one before.  I also thought the face cut-out picture ops were fun.  The backward dead horse carousel was really fun and kinda scary since it is portable, so not the sturdiest thing I have ever sat on....but that did add to the fun.  The freak show was great!  (I also saw them at Haunted Hollywood Sports this year.)  The idea of psychics and tarot card readers was awesome too.  And that was all included.

The finger/hand making tent was neat...$25 for full hand $6 for a finger...but I wasn't really interested in making one.  There is a tent selling t-shirts and a food truck as well.  I really liked the ghouls in that area like the guy with carmel apples.  They boo scared me when I was asking for bathroom directions...good job!!!!

(Now to the reason I gave LA Haunted Hayride 4 instead of 5 stars.)

The maze.  It's dark, which can be fun...but it's not particularly disorienting or scary.  I got squirted bad in the face by an actor with a water prop, which wasn't fun or scary...just cold.  It felt a little like something highschoolers might throw together for a Halloween fundraiser.  It was not even close to the same quality as the hayride.

The only other thing I was bummed about...the psychic.  We waited for over 30 minutes for a reading and she just asked questions and gave "advice".  She didn't really do a reading.  It was very dissappointing.

If you want a 5 out of 5 star experience, I say pay for the Hayride and skip the maze.  It is a bit on the expensive side, but you won't be dissappointed.

FEARSGATE 

WEBSITE  (3 out of 5 stars) These 2 mazes and a coffin ride in Oxnard are a really fun time.  Unique to this haunted location: children actors.  It always enjoy volunteers that really wanna scare you and this staff did...especially the kids.  It is a homegrown, family run haunted house in a strip mall.  The people are really nice and it's super fun.  The only reason I gave it 3 stars is that the sets are not nearly as elaborate or detailed as some of the other houses I've listed.  It looks and feels much more like a small town haunted house than some of the crazy sets you walk into in the haunted houses in Los Angeles.  But overall I had a blast!!!!  I got totally lost in The Abyss.  I laughed and jumped and enjoyed myself.

KNOTT'S SCARY FARM

KNOTT'S SCARY FARM - (3 out of 5 stars) Knott's celebrates 40 years of scares!  It's worth checking out.  The mazes are ok.  The new witch maze was really great!  But overall the performers in most locations don't act like they want to be there.  That ruins the fun.  The shows are ok.  The midnight witch show has really cool moments, but super short and leaves you wondering, "was that it?", so I say skip it.   It was much busier than last year, so harder to see everything.  We skipped the 3D maze since it was the same as last year and you have to buy 3D glasses.  The log-ride/Evil Dead maze was pretty neat, but you get really wet (which sucks!!!!).  They have a new maze that has an additional price where you have to figure out puzzles to move through the maze...we didn't do it, but heard from everyone it was the best!

COFFIN CREEK

WEBSITE- (3 out of 5 stars)  First let me mention the drive here was scarier than any house I went to all season.  We stopped at a random corner store that felt straight out of a horror film.  Then long winding roads with no one on them and no cell phone reception.  And it smelled like a farm...everywhere.  SCARY!!!

I feel like I should rate these individually since each maze is sponsored and run by different folks.  I really enjoyed Scarecrow Trail, the first maze in the field...it was a lot of open space but still super creepy.  The scares are set up perfectly...almost every one got me.  You also have a bit of a choice in which direction to go, but ultimately not really changing your course much.  Lone Hill Manor was creepy and eerie in a sort of...do these have health/safety inspections sort of way.  Not enough monsters in it either.

The other 2 houses (Chambers & Labyrinth) were creative and fun, but not particularly scary.  I also don't like going through in groups with a guide, although I understand the necessity for it in one of them.  There were really cool props and effects in the houses, but not all were working.  The little demon in the chapel was my favorite anamatronic of the entire season, though.  

The hayride was cheesy and really made my allergies go nuts.  The monsters worked REALLY hard, but overall not scary...except the kid.  Kids always scare me.  Oh and the wagons would sometimes break down on the hayride making it take a long time to get through it.  

It was overall a fun time, with potential to be much more than it was this year.  I look forward to seeing what they do next year.

EMPTY GRAVE

EMPTY GRAVE - (3 out of 5 stars) It's one haunted house in the middle of a shopping complex near Disneyland.  I thought it might be lame, but I was wrong.  It was actually quite fun.  You are walking through a graveyard.  The performers are VERY dedicated to their jobs.  My favorite costume reminded me of the wheelers from Return to Oz.  It has ghouls from all directions, which is cool.  I also liked the dead end a lot!!!  If you are in the area check it out!!!  

PASADENA OLD TOWN HAUNT 

WEBSITE (3 out of 5 stars) This maze is cool.  They have neat effects and really fun boo-scares.  There was a dinosaur that freaked me out.  The crawling was a neat idea, but not really fun.  Overall a good maze.  My personal experience with it however...you only go through once so if you have a crappy group with you then it can ruin the experience...that's what happened to me.  The rude teenage girls screaming, "you're so sexy" at the monsters and singing Justin Bieber songs RUINED the maze for me.  The monsters seemed to work hard and were good, but the staff outside the maze was rude.

BLUMHOUSE

BLUMHOUSE - (2 out of 5 stars) I expected more from this attraction.  The story didn't really make sense.  The end was odd.  I felt unfulfilled when we left, like maybe I missed something.  The actor playing Victor was annoying.  The other actors were all pretty great!  The idea is super cool.  I loved the theatre and some of the effects, but overall not scary and not as well executed as I would expect.  As far as scares go...I did however have a panic attack in the air-bag wall because the group stopped moving for whatever reason & I got stuck in there with a lot of pressure from the over-inflated walls making it very difficult to breathe and stay calm, especially since I am mildly claustrophobic.  I left this experience with bad memories and less cash in my pocket.

QUEEN MARY'S DARK HARBOR 

WEBSITE  - (2 out of 5 stars)  Last year was way better as far as the overall experience goes.  This year the new maze was really great.  The actors were great.  The sets were great.  BUT...you couldn't enjoy any of it because there were too many people there.  They sold more tickets than what could comfortably enjoy the event.  You couldn't get scared in the mazes because it was sooooooo crowded.  I left early out of frustration and I usually try to do every maze more than once...I only did each maze once.  I also got really annoyed by the odd boy band/rap group music that was blaring from the stage.  My favorite maze was "Submerged" & second "Hellfire" this year.  The cage maze would've been awesome if we weren't literally so crammed in that we could see the entire path of the maze as people ahead of us stood waiting to walk slowly in a line through the fence walls.  I hope they cut off ticket sales to a smaller group next year, or I won't go back to what used to be my absolute hands down favorite Halloween Event.

PIERCE COLLEGE CORN MAZE

We went and only bought tickets for the Corn Maze.  We didn't realize that wasn't scary, but rather a maze where you walk around in corn and try to locate points to stamp your card that you found them all.  It took about an hour to accomplish.  I was so tired and my back hurt from walking around int hte corn field in the dark stepping on uneven ground that I didn't feel up to the other mazes when I finished.  They had 3 other mazes, but I can't say whether they were scary or not.  They had other fun stuff like tents selling food and pumpkin decorating.  It's a mini festival.  It was fun.

Will possibly still do BLACKOUT which sounds terrifying although I'm not sure that it sounds fun to be honest.  Also still want to do Paranoia which got extended into mid-November except everytime i try to get tickets, I can't.

*Boo Scare - when someone jumps out at you and surprises you 

RANDOM UPDATE

I booked a role on DAYS OF OUR LIVES shooting early October.  #Excited #DOOL

10/1/12 Car Insurance Tips from a girl that got rear-ended

If you follow me on Twitter (@christinebarger) then you know I was in a car accident on the 18th on my way to perform a ventriloquist show at a restaurant north of Los Angeles.  

Here's what happened:

I got hit from behind on the 101 fwy.  I was stopped with the traffic in our lane, but the guy behind me didn't appear to notice and hit me at a pretty high speed.  I think he totalled his car and did around $5000 of damage to mine.  I had to go to the Emergency Room, dentist, doctor follow-ups and so forth. (I still am.)  I had to get a rental car, also.

So here's what happened after: 

California minimum required coverage may not be enough.  My insurance had to pay for the car repairs and I had to pay the rental car fees out of pocket.  Hopefully his insurance will have enough to cover it.  I am paying ALL medical out of pocket and hopefully his insurance will have enough to cover it and pay me back with a settlement check sometime between now and 2 years from now.

Here's the tip part:

I recommend everyone have at least the minimums for your state, but make sure you take care of yourself.  Have un-insured/under-insured coverage.  Have rental car coverage.  Have medical for yourself.  I know I always just thought that if someone caused an accident they were required by law to fix my car and cover my medical...I never actually realized how it works.  It sucks.  Insurance is expensive...I know...but it's worth it when you need it.  

9/17/12  Just Do It

Have you ever seen a comedy where there's a birthday party and all of the kids are running around screaming and attacking the clown?  Well...I've been there.  And I'm going back.  I started thinking today about why I say yes to gigs that I know are going to be challenging.  Do I like the challenge?  Is it the money?  Why do I do it?

Then I realized...it's the exposure.  I got into this business to make a difference in thte world...specifically to change the world one smile at a time.  I can't do that if I turn down gigs.  I also may miss out on a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in someone's life or meet a new person that may lead to something more...the possibilities are endless when you DO IT.  However there are no possibilities if I do nothing.  So I've decided to Nike it up and just do it. 

9/3/12 SOA

I love Sons of Anarchy!  I started watching the pilot episode because I heard that Katey Sagal is on the show.  I adore her work.  Then I whipped through the entire series to catch up and be able to watch it live this season.  Talk about an amazing show.  Kurt Sutter is brilliant!!!  (Check out his site: http://sutterink.com/ )  I don't want to get into it too much because of spoilers...but if you haven't started watching it, then you are really missing out.

I think this is one of the best overall shows I've ever watched on television.  The writing is brilliant, the cast is amazing, the make-up always blows my mind, the wardrobe & set & props & edits & lighting & sound...it's all awesome!!!!

It's my goal this year to make sure I get in front of the amazing casting director for the show Wendy O'Brien.  It would be a dream come true to work on SOA!!!

8/20/12

I'm on Twitter...now WHAT is Pinterest?  

So I've been on twitter ( @christinebarger ) for a while, but I didn't really start using it until recently.  

Now it goes to my phone, so I am tweeting, following, RT-ing from anywhere I get cell phone reception (granted with my phone....that's not that many places, certainly NOT in my apartment...but that's a rant for another time).  

I quite enjoy many of the jokes & quotes posted, but most of all I enjoy keeping up with so many friends while never actually having to speak to or see them.  

Right?!?  Isn't that the awesome part of Twitter & Facebook?  I remember a time when you had to "hang out" with friends in order to call them friends.  Thank goodness that's a thing of the past.

And now there's a site called Pinterest that my "friends" keep telling me about.  So I joined http://pinterest.com/ventriloprov/  

I don't really understand it yet.  I think it's like when people used to say come over and we can watch a slideshow of our vacation OR hey let's look at family photo albums, but with no privacy and most of the pictures you look at aren't really their photo's but other peoples photos that they happen to like.  But none-the-less I am giving it a shot.  

So if you are on Pinterest, find me and pin me or whatever it is you do on there...

AND if you are on Twitter, tweet me or follow me...

AND feel free to 'LIKE' my facebook page...

Or send me a video response on YOUTUBE.  

I really appreciate it and I'd love to get to know you through the world wide web.  

However, if we are actually friends that hang out...stop expecting me to read ever status update, tweet, pin, video...and just send me a text so we can catch up.  LOL 

8/6/12

Orange County Ghosts

I didn't realize how many antique shops are in Orange County until I went on the Haunted Orange ghost walking tour.  Apparently most of them are haunted.  There are a lot of fun and intereasting ghost stories about Orange County.  You can hear many of them on the tour.  

We walked to a couple of different houses and a few shops, stood outside and listened to the guide tell stories about the history and reported hauntings.  I found the town circle story the most interesting about 2 young boys that got killed by a horse drawn wagon and now play in the street as ghosts.  They also showed us pictures of Post-Mortem Photography which was intersting (except the photo of the baby, that was hard to look at).

Overall it was a fun little tour that I recommend.  My only complaint was that our tour guide was a complete air-head...and I don't use that term lightly...but apparently she only does the tour once in a while.

"I can't believe I forgot to tell you that used to be a mortuary." -Guide

I need ANGER MANAGEMENT!

Ok, I did lose my temper today at the telephone banker that refused to let me speak to his manager because they were,  "just going to tell me the same thing."  I actually yelled at the phone and complete lost my temper for the first time in...well I don't actually remember the last time I lost my temper, but I'm sure I have at some point...but that's not what this post is about.  (But thank's for letting me get that off my chest.  And to the banker guy, I'd like to apologize to you if you happen to read this, but I won't because I am still ticked off that you had to be soooo difficult.)  

I started watching Charlie Sheen's new show ANGER MANAGEMENT and it's really funny.

I was never a huge Charlie Sheen fan before.  I mean he was good in "Hot Shots" and...well I can't say I really remember him from anything else.  I was never really that interested in "Two and a Half Men" either.  But after all of the "winning" publicity that he's had and those awesome FX commercials with the train crash and him in a coffin my curiousity was peeked.  So I watched the first episode.

I love it!  It's REALLY REALLY funny.  I literaly LOL in my living room alone watching it.  The supporting cast is very funny, as well.  I especially love watching Barry Corbin.  I remember him from Northern Exposure.  I laughed so hard at one of his lines the other night that I had to rewind the OnDemand to see what I missed.  

If you haven't watched it yet...do it.  It's really worth checking out.

7/16/12 - Carsland Update (pics)

(I said I'd upload photos.)

7/9/12

Fun Stuff to do in Los Angeles - Griffith Park

Griffith Park is awesome!  

There is a zoo, museum, train town, gofl course, driving range, carousel, observatory and more in this huge park.  The observatory is free to check out and often very busy at night.  I have yet to visit the zoo, golf facilities or museum, however I have been by the carousel and it's always been closed.  Apparently it's open on weekends.  The train area is super neat.  You can even have birthday parties there (mostly for kids, but hey I suppose adults could too).  But don't forget the PARK!

I have discovered my new favorite hiking trail at Griffith Park.  I'm going to tell you about it now:  if you are driving through the park and pass the driving range on your right hand side, you will come to a parking lot that is kind of straight ahead/left of the road...park there.  Then walk out of the parking lot toward the road where you entered and you will see a dirt path to your right that leads uphill.  You can either take the path to the right uphill or go to the left up a small hill and you will find wooden stairs to your right that lead up.  The stairs are MUCH HARDER!!!  (At least I think so.)  Both lead up to a gorgeous little garden area with a drinking fountain and even a water trench for horses.  There are picnic tables and benches to relax and enjoy the plant-life.  If you want to keep going up hill you can take the main path up and you'll eventually pass a helicopter landing grassy area...keep going up until you get to the paved road.  Turn to the left and follow it a short distance until you see a picnic table with a tree that has fallen on it to your left.  That is supposed to be a haunted picninc table...however I investigated it with my EMF and didn't find anything unusual.  That's about as far as I get when I hike there.  It's a pretty long and can be difficult if it's hot, so take lots of water with you and maybe a light snack.  

6/25/12

The Brave Challenge

So I was watching tv the other day and saw the commercial for Brave.  When Mirada made the statement about changing your fate it made me think.  So I have decided that I am going to focus on 3 major changes/goals in my life.  I find that I often have too many plates spinning, so to speak, and it's hard to focus on anything.  

So here are the 3 things I am focussing on:

1. Eat healthy & exercise

2. Promote myself as a comedienne.  

3. Finish Dogface Bridge

I will be keeping updates on my facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/TheBraveChallenge

where I am putting myself out there to be held accountable.  Anyone that would like to join me in changing their fate can join me at the facebook page and share updates.  

And remember not to be afraid of failure...it's how we learn to improve.

6/10/12

Carsland #Disneyland

So this weekend is the weekend we've all been waiting for...CARSLAND OPENS TO THE PUBLIC!!!!  Ok maybe not all of us have been waiting, but I certainly have.  I was not lucky enough to be able to attend one of the preview days, so I am excited!!!!  Saturday bright and early I will be waiting at those gates to get into Califonia Adventure to ride floating tires, Lightening McQueen and Mater.  I've been watching the online videos, talking to friends that have already gone, and staring longingly through the removable walls made of bushes that currently surround the area...but Saturday morning I will finally get to experience it myself! 

I'll be sure to take pictures and post a follow-up blog.

5/28/12

Fun Stuff to do in Los Angeles - Hollywood Museum

One of my favorite museums in Los Angeles is located smack dab in the middle of Hollywood, next door to Mel's Diner at Hollywood and Highland.  It isn't hidden, but oddly enough it seems few locals know of it.  

The museum is the old Max Factor building.  There are some displays on the history of Max Factor make-up and it's role in Hollywood including a film with a lot of information.  Having done a lot of make-up design for or theatrical productions in college, I found this quite interesting.  

I love the 100 years of Hollywood exhibit.  There are 10,000 pieces of authentic Hollywood memorabilia in this permanent collection.  I like the I Love Lucy memorabilia the most...and the cars upstair are pretty cool too...and the old camera equipment...and the basement.

Actually my favorite is the basement!!!  They have a chamber of horrors area that includes the set from "Silence of the Lambs" of Hannibal Lecter's cell.  It's really awesome and spooky.  

For more info check out the website: http://www.thehollywoodmuseum.com

RIP Desperate Housewives

So I watched the series finale of Desperate Housewives.  It was the most I think I've ever cried during an episode of a TV show.  

I cried partly because of the shows wonderful writing, acting, etc... and partly because it was the end of a series that I have grown to love.  

But I realized something else...I think a major reason why I love the show and have grown so attached is that I long to have such a wonderful group of close girlfriends that would rather go to prison than break a promise, women that I have known so long and had so many wonderful memories with that I know that every time they have a bad hand of poker they tap their wine glass, friends that have shared thier lives so fully that we have been there for eathother through births, marriages, heartaches, deaths and everything in between.   

How lucky those characters were to have created such strong friendships.  And what a terrible feeling it was to realize that even that could drift away.  That reality that hit me during the finale.

And that's why I feel like something is missing now that my "friends" on Wisteria Lane have moved on.  

A big THANK YOU to everyone that worked on the show for sharing your talents with us through that magic box in the living room.

4/30/12 

Are you a Trader?  #Disneyland

Hello!  My name is Christine and I'm addicted to Disney pins.  

I collect them and trade them at Disneyland and The Disney Soda Fountain whenever possible.   

So by now you may be asking yourself, "What the heck is she talking about?!?!"  

HOW IT WORKS...

When you go to a Disney theme park you can purchase lapel pins off of the rack at the stores.  To get started I suggest getting a "starter set" or a group of pins that share a common theme already on a lanyard for display and cheaper to purchase in a group than buying individual pins.  They are perfect for trading.  Once you have your pins, you can go up to any cast member that is wearing a lanyard with pins (unless their lanyard is the color light blue...that's only for kids to trade) and ask politely to trade for any pin on the cast members lanyard.  They will allow you to trade up to two pins per day per cast member.

It is very similar to trading baseball cards.  You can choose to collect your favorite character's pins, your favorite ride pins, your favorite park (I have a couple Disney Paris pins), or just whatever catches your eye.  Or maybe you want to collect "Hidden Mickeys".

I specifically collect MUPPETS, TOWER OF TERROR & PERRY THE PLATYPUS.  I occasionally find a Stitch pin I am fond of as well, but I'm afraid to fall into collecting Stitch because there are soooo many Stitch pins and Stitch collectors out there.  But I admit the movie is awesome and he is adorable! 

LINGO TO GET YOU STARTED:

*Hidden Mickey pins are special pins that only cast members have on their lanyards for trade.  They are not sold.  They are usually sets of about 5 pins with a 6th pin called a "chaser" that is slightly harder to find becausethere were less of them produced.  They all have a hidden mickey head on them somewhere.

*LE - Limited Edition pins.  Some of Disney's pins are limited editions, meaning that only a limited number of pins were produced.  For example LE 1000 means only 1000 were ever made.  Unless I'm mistaken all of the pins from the Disney Soda Fountain in Hollywood are LE 300's.

*Cast Exclusive - These pins can only be purchased by employees.

*AP - Artist Proof.  Artist proof pins are very rare.

*WDW - Walt Disney World

*DLR - Disneyland Resort

*Jumbo - oversized/large pin

*There are many other types of exclusive pins like travel company, imagineering, etc. 

Pins can be a combination of these.  For example an LE150 Cast Exclusive.  You can tell by reading the back of the pin.

SO NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW IT WORKS...

It a fun hobby.  I love it.  I find it's a great way to find out about the park from cast members that love to share their stories when engaged.  I found out from a cast member the other day that Haunted Mansion has a real ghost story.  I found out from another about the hidden Tinkerbell in the diamond mine of Snow White's Scary Adventure.  It's also a great way to meet other guests.  There are two main areas that the pin traders hang out and trade pins with other guests.  The barrels in Frontierland and the tables outside of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters store.  You can walk up to any of them with their pin display books open and ask to look through their collections.  They will be happy to share their knowledge of pin trading, the park, stories and so forth.  If there is a pin in their collection that you like, you can purpose a trade.  Unlike the employees that must trade, the privet collectors do not have to accept your offer.  But they often will, or they will make a counter offer.  I've met traders that are employees on their off-time, families that do it together, couples, etc.  I once met a guy that trades for fun, but always carries a Mickey pin with an American Flag.  If he finds out you served our country, he gifts you the Flag Mickey pin...it's his way of saying thanks.  

So last weekend I made some of my favorite trades at the park yet.  I traded for a 4 pin set of LE 250 Muppets on Haunted Mansion.

4/16/12

I Promise I'm NOT a Spy!!

I love party & board games.  On lunch Thursday I was introduced to a game called THE RESISTANCE.  It's a blast!  We played again on Friday's lunch break too!

Basically everyone is either a member of The Resistance or a Spy.  You find out which you are based on the card that you are dealt.  It is kept a secret.  Then every player closes their eyes and the spies peek to find out who the other spies are.  Then everyone begins playing trying to win missions by choosing teams that are made up of only members of the Resistance, but only the spies know who's who.  The group that wins 3 of the 5 rounds is the winner of the game.

It doesn't sound quite as fun when I explain it, but I promise it is a wonderfully good time.  It's a unique strategy game where everyone finds themselves sucked into the excitement and before long it's a room full of yelling and accusations.  It is similar to Werewolf or Mafia, except better because everyone gets to play and there isn't a "host" that sits out to run the game.

Take a look at our rowdy lunch group taking a moment to smile at the camera before returning to accusing one another of being a spy.

photo from @jennettemccurdy twitter

4/2/12

Addicted to the Housewives

It is a sad year for me when it comes to TV shows.  Desperate Housewives is in it's final season.  

I never thought I would enjoy the show to be honest.  I watched part of an episode in an early season once and decided it wasn't for me. However I interviewed for the tour guide position at Universal Studios and I decided that it would be easier to memorize the houses on Wisteria Lane if I knew who I was talking about when I said Susan, Brie, Mike, etc, so I watched the pilot.

Suddenly I was hooked.  The show is tongue in cheek, funny, witty, clever, with relatable yet over the top characters that you can't help but love or in some cases love to hate.  I started watching the early seasons on DVD/online and then caught up. Then I spent the following seasons watching live.

I smiled and cried along with the ladies (and guys) of Wisteria Lane through their ups and downs.  I've been on the edge of my couch through their adventures.  I was actually so connected to these characters that I wept this season at the death of one of the folks on Wisteria Lane and mourned as if it were a family friend for the next few days without even realizing it.

This series is a must see, however if you haven't watched yet...do NOT jump in now.  I recommend going back to pilot episode and start there.  It is a bit of a soap opera in the past couple of seasons, so if you jump in too late you won't have the same connection with the characters.

SILLY FACT:  The Wisteria on Wisteria Lane is fake.  (They are plastic/silk flowers.  I know because I've seen them.)

Fun Stuff to Do in Los Angeles - Amazing Race

In January I came across Amazing LA Race II online.  I signed up with the guys, Jeremiah & Brendan, who are writing "Dogface Bridge" (the first feature film I have decided to produce).  It was going to be a great bonding experience for the three of us. 

We got to the secret location and checked in.  Bob, the Amazing LA Race guy, asked us for a team name. We went with PLATYMONK (the name of the production company I am in the process of creating).  There were two other teams competing against us: two local ladies that were friends and a family from Australia. We began by winning a challenge and we were off and running...literally running. 

I can't get into any more details because I don't want to give any of the locations or clues away...but I will say it was amazing and challenging and AWESOME!!!  We had a blast...and...WON!!!  (That made it even better.)  We found locations in LA that I never even knew existed and I've lived here around 10 years now. 

I highly recommend The Amazing LA Race II to anyone that enjoys a challenge or just wants to spend a couple of hours racing around LA exploring and finding new sites with friends or family.

To top it off...now that I am "a part of the family" so to speak I was invited to beta test a new race. This time the race was in conjunction with the Starline Hop on Hop off tour.  It was between team 1, my mom and me ('The Sassy Ladies' team), Jeremiah and my dad, team 4 and the late coming team 5.  They  only wanted teams of two for the beta test, however I think you can have teams of all sizes once they roll out the actual race.  This one's format was slightly different, but still really fun.  I should mention my mom and I won and the guys came in second...and no we didn't work together.  We lost them around the halfway point and got a bus ride ahead.

So now I have two first place medals from the amazing races. :)

Here's their website in case you are as excited about the races as I am or just curious: http://www.amazinglarace.com/

Christine
http://www.christinebarger.com/

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