I went yesterday, of course. The HM's closed as of today until the 28th while the holiday overlay is installed. But, more and more Halloween stuff is seeping into the park, which always puts a smile on my face.

Nothing quite like spending a warm end-of-summer morning at Disneyland. I couldn't help noticing the card guards in Alice in Wonderland weren't working...that ride sure has a lot of minor tech problems. Speaking of Alice, the rowboat anchored at Alice's Village in Storybook Land is missing (along with Mr. Mole's boat).

You've probably already heard about the Banksy prank. I didn't actually see it, but Banksy (a brilliant guerrilla artist) sneaked a life-size figure of a Guantanamo Bay detainee into Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to raise awareness of the cruel and controversial detention center. This is NOT an easy task (it's almost impossible to sneak such a large item into the park undetected - security guards, cameras, motion sensors on the fences, etc.) so I wouldn't be surprised if a CM was involved. Big Thunder *is* pretty close to a few backstage areas. (The ride was reportedly closed for 90 minutes while the figure was removed.)

The current buzz on the missing HM spiel segment is that the removal's permanent. I don't think this is a terribly smart idea, since the Ghost Host is supposed to be like a tour guide...and come on, the line about Madame Leota is brilliant. Grrr. Oh well, I rode it three times...and hopefully it'll be a short three weeks.

My birthday's next Sunday and I will, of course, be at the park, sporting a sticker and a tiara. (Dammit, why does the HM have to be closed on my birthday?)

See you at Disneyland.