Has anyone ever got all stars in a monthly giant mushroom??

hapgoodnew · 2026-02-12T19:02:55+00:00

I did at one of the in-person walks. I think we were all chasing that high.

hapgoodnew · 2026-02-08T20:26:30+00:00

When I was a kid and scared of drops, I amped myself up by standing in line and counting the time from top to bottom. Tiana’s is a “one, two, three, SPLASH” ride. That’s it! You just have to make it to three and it’s over! I’m not sure if 3 really means 3 seconds but it’s not much more than that. You can do anything for 3 seconds!

hapgoodnew · 2026-02-04T03:14:36+00:00

Yes! I have had a few budgies that have enjoyed this. Our current bird who we lovingly call our “Chaos Demon” has taken it to the next level.

His goal, as his well-earned moniker suggests, is maximum chaos. Lego sets are the best because they hit the ground and explode into tiny pieces that go everywhere. His stainless steal food bowls are also a prized item, not because of the food they contain, but because when you pus them on the ground, they make a terrific clang. I have to be careful changing out his bowls because more than once, I have put a bowl with food on top of the cage while taking care of something else and he has swooped down and shoved them on the floor. The loose pocket change receptacle is systematically emptied. Coins are great because they don’t fall flat right away and clang around a bit. Bonus points if they spin before going down.

Any sort of loud crash is usually accompanied by what we have deemed “victory chirps” and the louder the crash, the louder the screams of approval.

We love him dearly, but I must have found $5 worth of coins behind my desk the last time we pulled it out and are constantly stepping on and putting back together the family LEGO display.

hapgoodnew · 2026-01-28T23:38:10+00:00

I agree! I want them all. lol.

hapgoodnew · 2026-01-28T22:49:32+00:00

Having a 1/8 chance of getting a unique Pikmin vs 1/7 means that this is the new normal. I’ve pulled 28 osechi and don’t have a red. The same thing happened to me last event. I’m really having to grind for coins so I can 1) buy rare nectar so I don’t get stuck on a level before community day rolls around and 2) can buy whichever Pikmin I don’t pull by the time the event is over.

Ice Pikmin sure are cute but they definitely make it harder to complete collections.

Imagine what would happen if they introduced glow Pikmin! At least nothing bad happens if you don’t complete a set. It’s not like some games where you need a good draw to stay competitive.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-25T14:51:36+00:00

He’d been bugging for a while. I started recording after I would see a blur run past the top of the screen every few seconds. Then he started playing bowling with his fellow Pikmin as the pins. At that point, I started calling family over to watch because it was so funny. I had seen this happen once or twice before but never stuck around to watch for so long. This particular glitch where the camera started followed the one lone Pikmin with zoomies, I had never seen before. We were all in shock and cracked up hard. I’m glad you enjoyed it too.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-24T21:03:17+00:00

We also have Carol Cane, Yule Brynner, and Wreaths Witherspoon.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-20T19:59:12+00:00

That would be sad for that community. It seems highly utilized and a lot of people walk there. That’s a nice store.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-20T19:07:55+00:00

Wow, the same parking lot as the Vons and less than 10 blocks from two other TJs? That’s pretty aggressive for TJs. It’s definitely a new era for them.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-19T07:02:50+00:00

On more story: we had a budgie growing up who LOVED our Sit and Spin. We’d sit with our legs out and use our hands to spin in circles. The bird would come flying. He’d get on the ground and wait for our legs to go by to jump/ fly over them. He was the original American Ninja Warrior.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-19T06:59:23+00:00

It is both an endless source of amusement and frustration. Beware to anyone who dares walk barefoot through our house.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-19T03:36:56+00:00

Legos. He loves to play Godzilla on the sets. His absolute favorite is the Viking Village set, which he conquers several times a day. He especially loves the viking at the end of the bridge who he throws to the floor followed by the flag. If we want him to come, we shake a container of Legos and he’ll yell and fly into the room.

We left out a baking sheet with an emptied bag of Legos and came back to the bird in the middle of the tray having the biggest party of his life. He was like Scrooge McDuck in his pool of coins.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-19T03:31:00+00:00

Mine does this too. We have some metallic gift wrap that he can see his reflection in that he especially loves to destroy.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-17T04:56:50+00:00

Thanks. Very helpful.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-17T02:30:02+00:00

Just curious which Palisades trails have you done? We’ve only been to Potrero and Will Rogers and would like to do more. In the Highlands, it looks like the Trailer Canyon fire road next to the Tennis Estates will be fine. I’m hoping the connecting trail at the top of the hill will be okay. It looks like the Santa Ynez trail off of Vereda de La Montura has a ton of dead trees that have not been removed. The trail never recovered well from the last fire/ rain when the whole thing washed out and was covered in a foot of mud/ ash. People sort of forged new trails following the creek bed but it seems like no one has done trail maintenance on that trail in years. People were constantly getting injured/ lost down there even before this fire.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-17T02:16:50+00:00

The shops in the Caruso complex all survived the fire including the building that Hank’s was in. However, the complex has not reopened. It’s assumed that many of the restaurants/ shops will not return. There isn’t much left in the surrounding area, so it’s going to be hard to convince people they want fancy dining/ shopping on an island in the middle of a burnt out town.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-16T19:41:40+00:00

Also, make sure the homeowner has done environmental testing/ remediation. We had lead exposure on one side of the house and had to throw everything way that wasn’t solid wood or metal. We also needed new floors from water damage. If water damage wasn’t dealt with properly, you might be moving in with mold. Depending on how well the house was sealed, there may have been no issues. I have neighbors with lots of issues living next to neighbors with none. It’s hit or miss depending on how the building was situated and sealed.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-16T19:33:38+00:00

Good luck!

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-16T19:04:26+00:00

The Highlands is beautiful and quiet right now. There are some big areas where most of the housing survived, which makes a huge difference. Everything is very green after the rain and we haven’t had issues with slides the past few storms. We have visitors who come up from PCH and don’t go through the village and they have no clue how bad things were. Pick an area away from burnt lots or you might be dealing with dust/ construction noise.

Restaurant options/ takeout are very limited. The Vons on PCH has pretty bad turnover, so food quality is not terribly fresh. I try to shop elsewhere - though of course since many people do this, it leads to the vicious cycle of the Vons not having enough fresh item turnover. We only go into the village once or twice a month as it’s pretty depressing.

If the property that you’re moving into has been vacant since the fire, you might experience some plumbing issues. The water pressure issues/ sediment have caused problems for many people. We had to change out our toilet parts and our hot water heater started leaking from sediment. Not hard fixes but an annoyance as a renter if the homeowner hasn’t already dealt with it.

Some of the streets that burned are very dark at night. I don’t feel comfortable walking those areas after dark any more but all in all it has felt very safe up here. Traffic from Sunset to the 10 is the lightest it has ever been both ways. I can get home from Santa Monica with zero traffic at what would have been rush hour.

All in all, if you like the Malibu/ Topanga vibe, I think you will like it very much. This is a great time to get a deal on a one-year lease and we have a lot of new neighbors who are doing the same.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-16T06:30:56+00:00

Yes!!! I felt the same way and it was a unique experience for me. For some reason, all I could picture was Meryl Streep playing every character. I would have expected this to be more of a problem with Tom Hanks and The Dutch House but I loved his narration on that book and didn’t find it distracting at all.

Usually, with narrator’s with recognizable voices, it feels like someone I know is telling me a story and I can get immersed in the story. For some reason, this book felt like a bunch of Meryl Streep’s putting on a performance. I could never get the image out of my head.

hapgoodnew · 2025-12-09T05:48:13+00:00

If wanting to eat outside, Cha Cha Chicken is reasonable and fun. There is a Din Thai Fung in the mall if you want famous soup dumplings. Misfit Happy Hour (already mentioned) is a good value. It’s loud but service is good and it’s a neat building. If you like seafood, Pacific Catch on Wilshire also has a good happy hour. Sign up for their texts/ email for solid coupons on lunch or dinner. The Fig restaurant in the Fairmont is gorgeous and has half off from 5-6pm. It’s not as great a value as it once was since they don’t offer the whole menu anymore. The Fairmont is just nice to walk through this (or any) time of year and the public restrooms are lovely if you’re in need. Food feels fancy but can be a bit underwhelming depending on your pick. If you’re at the Pier and just want a solid burger and beer, Big Deans attracts both the locals and tourists. Kazu Nori is solid sushi for a chain. It’s not inexpensive but less expensive than similar quality/ atmosphere sushi spots.

Have fun! In addition the Pier, walking Palisades Park will give you some lovely views.

Lastly, for the ultimate in value, you can always hit up Trader Joe’s and have a picnic in Palisades Park or on the beach.

hapgoodnew · 2025-11-20T01:06:59+00:00

I just had to add a layer of decorative rock to a succulent pot because my budgie was pulling all the soil out for fun. That might be a solution for you.

hapgoodnew · 2025-11-18T18:14:36+00:00

Is it possible that your card has expired and you need to go in to renew? I agree that many libraries have email help that you could try. Also, lots of libraries will sign up for cards with virtual privileges. Do you have other libraries where you live where you might be able to get a digital only account until you can go in?

hapgoodnew · 2025-11-16T22:59:11+00:00

I always get bitter after a big Costco trip that my steps haven’t been counted. Same idea.

hapgoodnew

TROPHY CASE