As well they should be.

I stumbled across this scan while looking for something completely unrelated - it's from a Ryerson student assignment that required us to document a small business in eight photos. I had selected Bakka Books - the only small business in Toronto that I was really familiar with - and this was one of the prints from my final submission. I recall there also being a shot of staff member Jack Brooks shelving books, and a picture of a blonde woman with glasses behind the front desk - sadly, her name is lost to me after all this time.

I wonder if I still have those shots somewhere?  It's very likely that I've since disposed of those amateurish 35-year old black and white negatives, which, in retrospect, is a bit of a shame, it would be fun to scan those shots and post them.  Well, who knows, they might still be in a box in storage, after all, I do have a bit of a reputation for hanging onto things.

- Sid

Disneyland 2020: Merch.

Photo by KT

What would a trip be without some souvenirs? Visiting Galaxy's Edge is no exception, and there are certainly lots of options from which to choose.  I picked up a couple of t-shirts:  an unexpectedly long one for Rise of the Resistance, as unintentionally modeled above, and a Black Spire Outpost shirt.

 

I also grabbed a great R2-D2 mug, which is quite large and very sturdy, and some pins:  the infamous "I love you!"/"I know." exchange that Karli and I didn't buy the t-shirt version of during our first visit to Disneyland, a limited edition droid pin, and some Resistance propaganda. (Apparently Disney pins are a fandom all on their own, my apologies to anyone who is deprived of that droid pin because of my purchase.)

Karli and I also made each other action figure droids at an assembly workstation in one of the stores.  We showed the results to each other, and ended up buying them.  They cleverly come with blister packs and stick-on lettering so that you can name your figure - Karli is KT-74, and I'm going to be S-P61.*

More significant are the merch opportunities that I decided against.  Galaxy's Edge offers visitors two Star Wars-themed construction opportunities.

First, you can construct your own customized Bluetooth-controlled astromech droid (BB or R series) at the Droid Depot for $99.99 USD,  batteries probably not included - the Droid Depot web page is not explicit.

For the seriously committed would-be Jedi, the second do-it-yourself souvenir is your own light saber, assembled in a secret ceremony at Savi's workshop for $199.00 USD. Builders can choose from four different styles of light sabers, each of which has a selection of parts that can used in the final assembly - not to mention your choice of kyber crystal colours.

I won't lie, I did find the light saber ceremony a bit tempting, but in the final analysis I declined:  although the ones that I saw people carrying around looked quite impressive, two hundred bucks US felt too much like real money, and I can't imagine what it was like to get one home without breaking it.

Surprisingly, the US Transport Security Administration is totally fine with having a light saber in your carry-on, and concludes their statement on the topic by cheerfully hoping that the Force is with us - which is completely not how I see the TSA when I'm at a US airport.

- Sid

* We're a very cute couple.  Karli made the R-type with the mouse ears.

Disneyland 2020: Livin' on the Edge.

"I will protect the sacred holocrons with my life!"

To wrap up our visit to Disneyland, here's a selection of random snapshots from Galaxy's Edge.

It really is just like being on the set of one of the movies.

Enjoying blue milk - before remembering the scene from The Last Jedi where Luke drinks it fresh.

Speaking of which, do you have any organic craft lagers on tap?

Kylo Ren's shuttle at night - this is obviously a man who likes to make an entrance.

It's comforting to learn that garages in the future will be just as messy as garages today.

Okay, that's at LEAST five fuel lines - I wonder what it costs to fill the Falcon's tank?

"We're wanted men - I have the death sentence on 12 systems!"

Wait - is that the same landspeeder that Luke had in the background?  Time for a new ride, friend.

Coolest lunch menu ever.

Again, easy to imagine this as a movie set.

"Yes, husband, I AM a spy for the First Order - and now, you will come with me.  Kylo Ren...is waiting."

That's right, if you have time to lean, you have time to clean.

How to separate the fans from the boys, as it were:  $6,615 stormtrooper armour.  In US dollars, too.

"Yes, you, the Corellian midget in the stroller!  Show us your papers immediately!"

And, in conclusion, my thanks to Team Thomas for being such great travel companions!  Peace out!

  - Sid