10 Days Till Disney!

Who is this handsome fellow?

Why, he's one of the bats that hold the velvet ropes in the Haunted Mansion queue!

I probably mentioned this before, but the Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom. I was scared of it as a kid, and it still makes me a bit nervous when I'm waiting in line outside, right before we enter the foyer, because I know some day, something is gonna go wrong and those ghosts are gonna be real.

So what about the Haunted Mansion makes my psych-odometer go nutz?

- Changes! I haven't been to Disney World since 2001, so I believe there's now an Escher-like room, amongst other things. Also, I've only seen the California version of the new Attic Bride.
- Haunted Mansion maids! I love 'em! I love their costumes, I want one so damn bad.
- The familiar wolf howl as you make that right turn in Liberty Square. So melancholy.
- The improved seance room!
- The immediate change in temperature as you enter the foyer.
- Looking at (and being disappointed by) the Haunted Mansion merch. Weird, I know, but I'm psyched to see all the lame stuff they're selling.
- Shrinking back into my Doombuggy as we hit the attic and graveyard, because those ghosts that pop out at you still make me jump.
- The gargoyles in the stretching room - I missed those guys.
- Telling everyone to look up so they don't miss the hanging corpse of Master Gracey.
- The one kid that's gonna start crying immediately. I laugh at that kid's cowardice. Trust me, when something finally goes wrong and the ghosts become real, that kid's dead!

Sarah said that every day, as this vacation gets closer, I become a little bit younger, and it's true. I just want to run around and scream all the time.