Guest Column - Mike Pucher
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Mike and Goofy

Somewhere between the turnstile and the west tunnel underneath the railroad tracks I became four years old again, on my first trip to Disneyland. The feeling lasted all day long. I got my first annual pass on January 17th, 1998. Consequently, that was the last day I was allowed to skip school to go to Disneyland. I've made many memories with that pass. One that stands out was when Fantasmic! made it's glorious return after about six months of refurbishment. I hadn't seen the show in four years, and I didn't remember any of it. I watched both shows that night from the Keelboat dock with my jaw on the ground. I didn't feel four years old when I was witnessing the sheer magic of the show, I felt three. I don't think words can describe my emotions during that show; maybe 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,' but that still can't tie it all up.

More recently there has been an unprecedented source of magic at the park for me. It's called "Believe..." It still amazes me every time I see it. I haven't kept track of how many times I've seen it, but it doesn't matter. Every time I watch the show it continues to surprise and amaze me. It fills me with a feeling that my dreams are going to come true.

Right now one of my dreams is coming true, the only problem is that it is happening a couple hundred miles away from Disneyland. It used to only be about forty-five minutes away; I don't even want to think how long it takes to get there now. I've temporarily relocated to Berkeley for school, and while my heart may always be in Anaheim, I plan on ending up in Glendale.

-- Mickey "MintJulep" Pucher (November 28, 2000)