John and I went to Universal Studios today. And rode in an eight-seater DeLorean. (Sweet!) The park is up on a mountain, in between The Valley and Hollywood, so there are these spectacular views. You know how people always say that line, you know, about being able to see their houses from up high? Well, I really could see my house from there...or at least the bigger buildings down the street a couple blocks.

It's weird that it takes me less time to get to a theme park than it takes my mom to get to a grocery store.

We bought The Phantom of the Opera on DVD today, too, and watched it tonight. Afterwards, I discovered that there's a two-disc collector's set available...which I obviously didn't get.

Anyway, I cried like a baby. Phantom, the stage production, was something my family was always into...so in a strange way, I get homesick when I hear "All I Ask of You" and "Music of the Night" and watch this pitiable, deformed creature weep because the love of his life, it turns out, thinks he's either the ghost of her father or a murderous demon and is in love with some rich prettyboy who calls her Lottie. So I cry a little for Erik, who isn't even given a name in this movie (or in the stage production either). And I cry for me. Because I can't look down the row of plush theater seats and see my grandfather--dangerously close to nodding off--or my sister's goosebumps and runny, after-tears mascara.

I've seen Phantom in three cities, including London, and once (here in LA) there was an earthquake in the middle...and I didn't even notice. I have the FAO Schwarz Barbie dolls...which seem to have appreciated a lot in value since I bought them.

Perhaps John's Godzilla..umm...interest because "obsession" sounds too harsh...isn't all that weird.

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