LALA Land, part 1

Sorry for the lack of blogging, or as Amy would call it, "blobbing." I just got back Saturday evening from L.A. where I saw my sister (Kiirstin, the younger sister), her husband (Jabbar), and a good friend (Nick Daly). I had a great time. I really didn't know how I'd like L.A., but I ended up enjoying it. Don't know if I could live there with the traffic and smog (my sinuses are beginning to get back to normal now), but it sure was a fun place to visit.
Let's see...how did I occupy my time?
I arrived Saturday the 4th and KK and J-bar picked me up at LAX (bless them for driving all the way out there when, it turns out, they live really freaking close to Burbank airport and that would have saved something like an hour...). We went to a restaurant/bar called Miyagi's and had 2-for-1 appetizers and drinks. We filled up on tasty 1/2 price things and then headed to a bar called...I don't remember. Yomishira? Why there was some sort of Japanese theme I don't know -- I think it was an accident. Yomishira was up on a hill with a great view down into L.A. (or the greater L.A. area? I really never knew where I was the entire week...).
Then it was over to the Raisanis' place for sleeeeep! We got up in the morning, had some fud at a Mexican restaurant (which had valet parking 3 feet from the door and was having a lunch buffet of Mexican and BBQ. Now THAT is Texican!). Eventually Nick came by and we all went over to Jabbar's brother's place for the Super Bowl. And cute guinea pigs. And the puppy bowl.
Monday I headed off to Universal Studios where I took a tour, rode the rides, and made new friends. Yeah. I was all alone, so in the very first ride (a haunted house) I ended up befriending the couple in front of me in line. Lucky for me, they get annual passes to all the parks in the area, so they knew the park REALLY well. Plus there were no lines! So, they told me exactly where to sit, which rides were cool, what to expect, etc. They also volunteered me to be in the special effects show. So, for the first time since I was a student, I had an audience :-) I screamed, faught with a giant "cat paw," moved "bricks," and talked to tennis balls. It was fun!
While there, I got free tickets to the Tonight Show...but more on that later! I've been slowly working on this post all day...now I MUST sleep!