Credit Where Credit Is Due

The last time I set a personal best at Disneyland's Buzz Lightyear, my accomplishment was incorrectly attributed to my son, Nick.

Well, you can't keep a good Space Ranger down. On what is likely to be our last trip for a while, I was able to best my previous score. And, at 10:30 on a Saturday night during the Christmas season, I was among the Top Ten Leaderboard. Oh yes, you read that right. If you can do better...I don't want to hear about it.

Non-photoshopped photographic evidence:

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

I really enjoy going to Disneyland. Yes, even now, with six kids, I still enjoy it. There are moments when, well, you know.

And really, all spiritual exceptions aside, I think it is the Happiest Place on Earth. In fact, I think Walt liked my designation so much, he put it on the sign.

In my younger days, I really just liked to go on all the "mountains." Space, Splash, Thunder, Big Rock Candy. But, in my younger days, we didn't have video game rides. For the past 5 years, it has been my life's ambition to get and stay on the leaderboard on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters.

I thought I was doing so well when I started scoring in the several hundreds of thousands. Then I saw scores over 2 million. "It's not possible!" I exclaimed. Or at least, I thought it in my head. Although Nicki and her family would tell you I exclaimed it more than once.

I have been on the leaderboard, even late in the day, with my scores in the 900,000 range. But there were always those cursed few who scored over 1 million. Oh how I coveted the experience of looking down at my score to see 999,999.

At last, this past week, I did it. I entered the last room with over 700,000 points. And as we exited, I looked down to see my coveted 999,999. Hooray for me!! My score? Well, see for yourself. Of course, Disneyland couldn't let me have all the glory...