still glee-ful

so...from watching tv and reading posts on my facebook and twitter, i think there just might be something fun on tv tonight. i think. heh.

okay, okay. in honor of the long-awaited return of glee to our tv screens tonight, the folks at fox decided it would be fun to really whip all the local gleeks into a frenzy this past weekend. via twitter, i learned that a special sneak peek of the first new episode of the show was going to be screened at the grove. well, i love me some glee. and god knows i adore the grove, as does the rest of the wan household. and so it wasn't too tough to talk the hub into driving us out for the evening:

as soon as we pulled into the parking garage, we knew we were in for an interesting time. the display that so conveniently tells us how many available spots in the structure read "full" for every level, save one. yikes. but after doing a little parking lot stalking, we managed to swing into a spot fairly close to the escalators. yay!

the hub, with the bean sitting on his shoulders, shot us "the look" when we turned the corner and saw the crowds. not that we love hanging out in hordes of people either, but he's particularly lacking in patience when it comes to stuff like this. especially knowing that it was for something that we'd be watching in the comfort of our own homes a few days later. heh.

as we stood around, watching and waiting, we noticed these girls in glee cheerleader uniforms milling about, handing out posters, bottled water, and bags of popcorn. a few of them sashayed by with these giant posterboard thingys adorned with the show logo, but we were so distracted by all that was going on that we didn't pay them any attention. we would regret this later.

when these bright ass lights came on, and i noticed several dudes up on the roof with cameras, i realized that this was going to be a bigger deal than i'd originally thought. this was not merely a sneak peek of the new episode - the cast was going to make an appearance! squee!

the hub and the bean had walked off long before, leaving us to our giddiness and excitement to stroll around and check things out. the teen and i did a lot of peoplewatching and snarky commentary, as usual. and then we freaked out a little (okay, a lot) when we glanced at a girl standing next to us and noticed a big ass mosquito just kickin' it in her hair.

[shudder] so gross. but did we bother to tell the poor girl that she had a bloodsucking creature chilling in her 'do? no. instead, we did a lot of cringing and constant head-shaking, riffling through our own strands to ensure that our domes were critter-free.

the girl on the stage from our local top-40 radio station was doing her best to get everybody all riled up, bringing folks up to sing (really badly) for prizes, encouraging people to dance and sing along, tossing glee t-shirts out into the crowd. and she kept teasing everyone, dropping little hints about who was going to be there. at one point, she appeared on the bridge behind the hordes of people, called out the names of the cast, and folks lost their damn minds, hooting and hollering and snapping pictures that i'm sure looked a lot like this:

and then behind us, where those cheerleaders had erected those glee posterboards, the cast members finally appeared.

as we craned our necks to see over the crowds and through the arms up in the air with cameras, i spotted a familiar little face, laughing and clapping and what looked like singing along to the music. can you see her?

turns out they'd spotted those posterboards way before we did and managed to stake out a sweet little spot right in front. they had a way better vantage point than we did. hmph.



oh, well. at least some of us managed to actually get a good view. the hub casually mentioned later that he'd even high-fived one of the stars. the teen peppered him with questions about what the celeb looked like, and we came to the conclusion that it'd been dreamy cory monteith, the guy who plays "finn." dang it!

as for the teen and me, this was about as close as we got.

when they left the stage and the show finally appeared on the giant screen, we decided to join the hub and the bean, who'd grabbed one of the farm's tables near the water fountain. after all, we'd already seen that episode. psh.

in honor of the show, the people at the grove choreographed the fountain with one of the show's most popular songs, "don't stop believin'." if you weren't here for it, not to worry - they'll have the water show on continuous loop for the next three months.

of course, the bean was entranced by both the dancing water and the sounds of her current favorite soundtrack. even the appearance of her macaroni & cheese didn't entice her enough to turn away till it was over.

the food at the farm is always delish. when we don't eat at the neighboring farmers market, we dine here. i'd chosen the "ahi three ways" salad, and we'd started off with a margherita pizza as our appetizer.

we stopped in to the apple store so the teen could check out the new iPad, but with about a zillion other folks doing the same thing, we went upstairs to look at accessories. i didn't know that kate spade made iPhone cases, but now i want one:

on our way out, the teen nudged me and pointed excitedly at a body clad in a bright yellow sweater, surrounded by several big ass dudes, making its way into the store.

"it's the "other asian," mom! look!"

haha! she'd spotted one of the lesser-known characters on the show, dubbed "the other asian" by another character in one episode. we totally giggled like schoolgirls and rubbernecked as we headed to the parking garage.

oh, man. we really are gleeks.

twinkle twinkle little store

in my continuing quest to frequent smaller, independent "mom & pop shops," i took the bean here one day last week. we'd just dropped off the teen at the nearby skin care shop for her much-anticipated microdermabrasion appointment and had at least an hour to kill, so we took off on foot with her riding on my back in the trusty ergo carrier.

i'd seen this toy store before while driving up and down myrtle avenue for various errands, but never really had the chance to stop in. besides, it's always more fun to hit up places like this with the bean, so i was excited. cute name, right?

the bean scrambled to get out of the carrier once we walked inside and got our first look at the fun stuff that awaited us.

hello, kitty.

she scampered right over to this contraption and stomped on the little cushion, sending the foam rocket high up in the air. i was amazed at how quickly she'd figured it out until later that day, when we were telling the hub about the cute little store we'd shopped in. turns out they'd already been there once before (i don't know when, and where the hell was i?) and she'd spent a good chunk of time playing with it.

there was a nice little selection of clothing and baby gear, as well as toys for all ages - both current and nostalgic.

the bean got a kick out of all of the toys that were out on display. i love shops like this, where they make it warm and inviting, putting out a bunch of stuff and giving kids a lot of space to run around and have a great time without restrictions. i don't know about other parents, but it sure gives me motivation to pick up an item or two despite the slightly higher prices.

she ran right over to this mini piano and started playing a masterpiece for me. it was really cute, and later on she said it was her favorite toy in the store. they also had other musical toys for sale, and i can't wait till she's old enough for lessons.

they even have a room in the back that's set up for birthday parties.

of course, this was a big hit.

i chatted for a few minutes with the owner of the shop, while the bean continued to play with the cars and trains on the table. i was surprised to find that we'd killed the hour so quickly, and we left with a hello kitty pinwheel and that foam rocket set.

small-town shopping is so fun. i'm totally going to keep frequenting little stores like this! if you have any to recommend, let me know. whee!