Hello. Sorry to be posting so late in the day but I spent a lot of today's blogging time writing a final version of my recipe for Mark's Ridiculously Simple and Quick Recipe for Creamy Tomato Soup. It's there if you want to take a look at it. I have a bowl of said soup to my left as I'm writing this. And the bowl has the proper croutons in it.
More and more things are opening up. Disneyland reopened today and I'm pretty certain that a lot of businesses that weren't sure of the proper time to do that decided to take their cue from the Magic Kingdom and its outlying lands. And I don't know if it's hit the press yet but the Magic Castle in Hollywood has told its members of a timetable to open its doors in the coming month…in, of course, a limited capacity.
I'm thinking of a number of folks I know who either were in the opening day mob for Disneyland or dearly wanted to be. These are folks for whom it's kind of a sacred place…an environment they love so much that they got cranky and/or depressed if they didn't go there once a month or even once a week. And some of the ones I've encountered probably weren't yearning for any particular attraction or photo op. They just feel good being somewhere — anywhere! — in Disneyland.
I never had that emotional connection to the place. I've lived in Southern California for my entire life — closing in on seven decades — and I think I've been there about six times. I usually enjoy myself but I've never felt a need to visit and have had free passes that expired before I got around to using them.
But I think I understand that yearning. I also understand the near-desperation some have had during The Pandemic to feel a bit of normality in their lives. I have friends who urgently needed to dine in a restaurant and did so as soon as that was possible. I have my own serious needs but not that one.
What I've heard about precautions and closures and COVID-related changes in Disneyland make it sound not-too-appealing to me as a place to be. I'm also not all that comfy with the idea of being around lots of other people these days, no matter what percentage of them are fully-vaccinated. I feel the same way about Las Vegas and New York. I feel the same way about the reopening plans for the Magic Castle. I've been a member there for forty years. Comic book conventions have been part of my life for fifty, yet I feel no time-sensitive need to be at one, especially when they're not in their normal state. I can wait until all these things are a little more like they used to be.
I don't think it's odd that I feel this way. I was an only child. I'm a professional writer. I've never had a problem with "alone" as long as I didn't feel it was forced upon me by no one wanting to associate with me.
Today though, I'm thinking about the people who absolutely, positively had to be at Disneyland as soon as possible. I know what one of the appeals of the place is how separated you are from the real world while you're there; how whatever worries about life and politics and your job and all the bad things that happen when you're not at Disneyland you may harbor, they can be easily overlooked when you're on Pirates of the Caribbean or Splash Mountain.
But as I understand it, the monorail is closed, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is closed, the Matterhorn bobsleds aren't bobsledding, you can't meet Mickey, etc. A lot of attractions and places to eat are closed and a lot of guests will be wearing masks and there will be new dividers and other ways to keep people from getting too close to one another…
I'm curious if the attendees today and the coming weeks will feel they've gotten away from outside world…or if there are just too many reminders…