Tina Fey as Tinkerbell .... THAT's Disney Magic!

OK, so I have kind of an odd crush on Tina Fey. I don't think about kissing her or anything like that. I actually had a dream where we were coworkers and just made each other laugh. I mean, how cool is it to be the 21st-century Mary Tyler Moore -- except that you write AND star in your show?

Anyway, I love that she's Tinkerbell in these new Disney photos by Annie Leibovitz. Jessica Biel is getting most of the attention for her smokin' hot portrayal of Pocahontas, but Tina Fey shows an adorable exasperation as Tinkerbell. Big ups to TheDisneyBlog.com for posting the closeup, 'cause you can barely see her in the main photo.

The Presidents of the USA at our holiday party

I love working @ amazon.

New Star Trek teaser!

So my inner Trekkie is breathless with excitement over the new teaser site promoting the J.J. Abrams reboot of the beloved classic series. The movie is due at Christmas, and I can tell you now that I'm as excited as I was when "The Motion Picture" hit theaters back in '79. Let's hope that the new movie isn't as overwhelmed with grandiosity (honestly, I don't see how it could be). Anyway, the trailer basically shows the ship under construction, a time-honored Trek tradition (the curves of the Enterprise are as beloved as the curves of any Orion slave girl). I can't wait to see what's coming. Oh, and be sure to click the red dot to the right of "under construction" for more images of the ship being welded together, etc.

I'm so excited. It makes me want to buy a Star Trek uniform shirt. But Cheryl has pointed out to me that if I do that, I may be seen as irredeemably geeky. (Well, only if I wear it in public.) Hmmmm. We'll see.

Fatal shooting where I catch the bus....

So this morning I walked past some balloons and flowers attached to a pillar and for a moment, I thought they looked festive. Then I remembered that they were there to mark the shooting death of a 38-year-old woman. The P-I reports that it wasn't random -- she was targeted by a teenager and it had something to do with money. But that it still doesn't make any sense.

I missed the shooting by about 20-25 minutes, which compared to my near-crash on I-5, feels like an eternity. I don't know what a person can do to avoid these kinds of things. Unfortunately, people get shot in all kinds of places, and I'm not going to stop going to malls ... or McDonalds ... or post offices ... or bus stops. And I hope it never comes to that.

New playland at the Supermall!

The tired "bacon and eggs" play area at the Auburn Supermall has been refreshed with a regional theme, including trees and mountains. Two thumbs up!

My face & hand . . .

. . As done in pegs at the Olympia Children's Museum, which is AWESOME! (And I didn't love it anywhere as much as the boys did.)

Top Chef and spray cheese .... mmm, mmm good

I'm feasting on cooking shows, of all things! I mean, really? Who'da thunk I'd be fan of shows that involve emulsions, sauces and mascarpone?

I used to be a lifestyle editor, which meant that I ran the newspaper's food and restaurant coverage. But it will come as no surprise to anyone that I was not particularly food-aware -- unless you count obsessiveness as awareness. I was the girl who ate a turkey pita for lunch every day (and sometimes for dinner too) for an entire semester in college. One of my absolute favorite things to eat is Kraft mac 'n' cheese, and one of my new favorite treats is spray cheese from a can. (Believe it or not, I'd not ever had that until a week or so ago! As I told Cheryl, when I was growing up, it was waay too expensive.) In fairness to me, I also learned to appreciate morels, fresh oysters, seasonal produce, and Pam's salmon.

Maybe it's my time in the food world that has led me to my latest obsession: Top Chef. Just finished season one. I also just finished Hell's Kitchen, the Gordon Ramsay show. So I'm all about braising, plating, seasoning, etc., etc. And I enjoy my spray cheese and Diet Mountain Dew. I'm full of complications. But as much as the chef stuff, I think what I enjoy about these shows is the compeitition and the personalities. And it feels more accessible to me than, say, Project Runway. Though that might be next.

Phiten: Probably crap, but I still want one

Good Lord, I am susceptible to marketing. Well, certain kinds. Here's an example. I saw this story at seattlepi.com, and now I wants me a Phiten necklace:

The Japanese-based company said it melts small doses of titanium and mixes it in water to form a dye, which is then fused into the fabric of necklaces, T-shirts, socks, shorts, tape and discs, which resemble a small round Band-Aid. The company claims that by wearing its products "energy flow is stabilized" and fatigue sets in later and recovery time is shortened. ...

"I really like it," (pro QB and Hasselbeck pal Damon) Huard said. "If I'm not wearing my necklaces to bed I'm a little stiffer. I think there is something to it. I figure it can't hurt me. I wear it under my shoulder pads every game, and I wear a bracelet, too. ... Phiten power, baby!"

Amazon has them, of course. Feel free to buy one off this link. We'll see if I buy one. The fact that I wear a magnet bracelet probably indicates a propensity, though mostly I wear that because it was my mother's.

Cars Land, and a target return date for Disneyland

A post on the LA Times travel blog is packed with goodies for a Cars-centric family such as ours:

1. Disney's California Adventure won't just be getting a Cars ride, it's getting a Cars land!

2. Cars Land is targeted to open 2012, WHEN CARS 2 COMES OUT!!!! Hello, Cars 2??? That is HUGE.

Here's a little more about the signature ride itself (it's called Radiator Springs Racers):

"Based on the animated “Cars” movie, the indoor-outdoor attraction combines a leisurely dark ride prelude with a dueling side-by-side race car finale akin to Epcot’s Test Track in Orlando, Fla.

According to MiceAge, the $200-million E-ticket promises to bring to bear virtually all of the classic Disney ride components: theme, technology, animatronics, special effects, interactivity, story line and thrills. The ride starts with a race briefing from the movie’s star, Lightning McQueen, and concludes at the Wheel Well Motel scene from the movie."

Less "leisurely" is this promised ride: Mater's dizzy, noisy tow truck adventure.

DCA will make a great Pixar Land. Here's a look at the ride that's coming this year (2008), which we saw under construction (it's called Toy Story Mania).

So there's our target return to Disneyland. We can hit Disney World and a Disney cruise in the meantime. :)

Shopping for New Year's

Looks like party food, but the truth is that I would buy Mountain Dew, ice cream sandwiches (no sugar added) and spray cheeese any day. It's just that on New Year's no one looks at me funny.