[€uroMeinke]

So the prices went up again - not nearly as bad as last year, but last year I was grandfathered so facing the two years worth of increases I realize I'm finally priced out of Disneyland. I'm kinda bummed about that.

I always figured that while I might let my AP lapse - since we don't visit nearly as often as we used to - that when something was happening, I could always pick-up a day pass and convert it to the lowest level AP. But looking at the new prices, and knowing that I would need to buy a pair of whatever tickets I'd chosen, that end of the day price would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $600. Even if I stuck to just a single day single park ticket I would be looking at spending $200. Maybe if I devoted a full day to the park that would be worth it, but I just don't do the park like that anymore.

Today I also bought 2 tickets to the FYF festival in downtown LA. Two full days of entertainment, unique activities, and I already now some people are going. More entertainment for half the cost.

Now, I do miss those days of weekly visits - but mostly I miss hanging with the people. To enjoy the parks like that, I'd have to regain my geekdom and find some more geeks. I spent the morning paging through Mouse Pad and Mice Chat and realized, not only wasn't I that much of Disney geek anymore, I really didn't care to be one. Carsland was a fine and welcome addition to DCA, but this summer I'm more excited to see the James Turrell exhibit at LACMA, or the Helmut Newton show at the Annenburg space for photography. I like Disney, but there's so much more, and so much that is new, unique, or interesting.

This last year I enjoyed getting cocktails after work at the Carthy Circle, but as my friends AP's began to expire and go unrenewed there seems little point to keep going.

I guess I'm still a bit nostalgic for my past relationship with Disney and the people I met through it. W've slowly been parting ways for sometime now, but it seems now the break is much more real to me. But who knows, maybe I'll be in for an evening of Disney Xmas later this year.

Sigh - these are the blues I'm signing