match day festivities... and the hell that followed

i kid, i kid. sicu isn't hell. the absence of andy isn't hell. (he's in jamaica, living it up with jonk on a sims trip, eating authentic jerk chicken) the sleep deprivation isn't hell. but put it all together, and waddaya got? not a happy camper.

anyhoo, to reflect upon a much brighter, happier, shinier time... here's what we did on match day. first, after the breakfast at our school where we received our envelopes, we went to the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH..






it was andy's first time at disneyland!!! i kept marveling at the fact that something that was so integral and practically archetypal in my childhood was completely absent from his... case in point: he didn't know the "it's a small world" song.
he knows it now.













they totally revamped space mountain and red-hot-chili-pepperized it. i SWEAR it's faster than it was before, and much cooler. or maybe i'm just getting older and more afraid of rollercoasters of any sort. you be the judge.








then, after a day of adventure-fantasy-tomorrow-land wanderings, we found ourselves at my new favorite pre-pantages-show hollywood eatery: magnolia.

(photo courtesy of the delicious life blog)

we ditched the group dinner with our bajillion friends who also beat the traffic to eat around the pantages, and walked a few doors down to our restaurant. i've been wanting to eat here for a year. and i wasn't disappointed. twas cute, hipster but not poser-ish, with upgraded versions of american comfort food. started with a decent salad. then, we had the yummiest onion rings i've ever tasted, and a meat loaf to DIE for. my fish dish turned out too dry at first, then too raw, so i can't give the full two thumbs-up.... but the vanilla creme brulee at the end cemented magnolia's spot on my top 10 in LA list. PERFECTLY crisp burnt sugar, perfectly smooth texture, yummy berries as garnish... one of the best creme brulees of my life. and i've had MORE than my fair share. i'm such a sucker for the sweets. to add to the hollywood glam factor, andy saw two celebrities at the restaurant- albeit B or C list stars whose names we couldn't remember- but celebrities nonetheless. :)

then.... we topped off our day of celebration with what is NOW on the top of my best musicals list..........
the glitz, the glamour, the talent, the stage design, the costumes, the music, the lyrics, the story, the audience.... one perfect combination. one truly enjoyable and entertaining evening.

it was a great day.