Day 1637: Aladdin Chicago

I'll openly admit that I've never really liked Aladdin. If asked, I'll be the first to suggest that A Whole New World is probably the most overplayed song in the history of Disney Music (closely followed by anything from The Little Mermaid), and that while some of the characters are interesting, there's just nothing special about them that's truly appealed to me in my 21 years of life. In fact, and no one murder me for saying this, I realized recently that the most likely reason I've never really enjoyed the film is that the chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine seems forced and unrealistic in the film, among other things. I do love Genie though, so there are some redeeming qualities here. 

Obviously, my feelings toward the film made me cautious going into the musical. I've only listened to the soundtrack a handful of times (mostly to avoid hearing A Whole New World for the 8 millionth time), and other than watching a video here or there over the past year out of curiosity about Adam Jacobs, I kept away from the show altogether. My family does, however, have a history of taking in the newest Disney musical when it arrives in Chicago, and that meant that at some point before September 10, we were bound to make the four hour drive to see the show. 

Overall, I'll say this about Aladdin: It was good, but not the showstopping extravaganza Hamilton is, with the exception of Friend Like Me and Prince Ali. In fact, Friend Like Me might just be one of the best things I've ever seen on stage, and that's saying something. The near 10 minute Genie feature is full of glitter and glam and everything you'd expect from the Genie. The dance breaks (specifically the tap) are full of energy and honestly, the entire number looks just plain exhausting, but is equally musical, hilarious, impressive, and magical. 

Prince Ali is similar, with bright colors and a high-energy atmosphere that brings the audience right back into the story at the opening of the second act. It was also in this number specifically that I marveled at the quick costume changes for the entire swing company. It's obvious that the creators of the show spent their time working on this piece in particular to bring to life one of the best-known moments in the film, although I do wish the elephant had made an appearance. 

The new additions to the musical lineup are nice, specifically Proud Of Your Boy, Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim, and High Adventure. The entire added Aladdin subplot actually did a lot for me in terms of the story as a whole, as it gave some depth to the character that was missing before. However, that same depth is missing for many of the other characters, but this story is about Aladdin himself, so it was helpful nonetheless. 

Not to continue to bash on A Whole New World, but per usual, this is where I thought things were lacking the most. Perhaps it's because I'm not a fan of the song itself, but this number was extremely underwhelming in comparison to the others in the show, and after seeing the Disneyland production multiple times, where the carpet literally flies out into the audience, the on-stage carpet did little to dazzle me. From a production standpoint, I completely understand the point of this, because flying out over the audience severely impacts the viewing of well over half the audience, but there was just so much that could have been done with this number and wasn't. A Million Miles Away was a welcome addition to the show though and added some of that chemistry I was missing in the film, so a few bonus points there!

Plus, seeing Adam Jacobs in person almost makes up any faults in the show. For those of you that aren't constantly following the Broadway Facebook Pages or Cast Lists, Adam Jacobs is best known for originating the role of Aladdin on Broadway, and he's since moved to the Chicago production. It was an honor to see Jacobs in the title role, and his portrayal of Aladdin is spot on in every way. Plus, he's not too bad on the eyes...or did you not notice that he hardly wears a shirt in the entire show? 

So does Aladdin rank among some of the greatest musicals of all time, even the Disney ones like The Lion King and Mary Poppins? I'd say so, but it's also not something I'll be rushing back to see immediately. Then again, that may just be my dislike of the film talking, so make your own decision on the show by checking it out on Broadway or at the Cadillac Theatre in Chicago (through September 10), and when it's finished there, Aladdin will head out on a national tour, so watch for when it comes to a city near you soon! 

If you've already seen Aladdin, leave your thoughts in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1259: Tony Time

As a fan of musicals, I'm sure you can imagine how exciting a night like the Tony Awards is. After all, Hamilton was sure to have a sweep this year, and a Hamilton fan myself, I probably watched just as much for them as I did for everyone else (although Hamilton or no Hamilton I would have been on my couch either way). As we so often do on Sunday nights, we gathered together with food and a TV for three hours of wonderful performances, and it didn't disappoint.

Of course, Hamilton did sweep the awards, winning 11 throughout the night. While they were nominated for 16, the most ever in Tony Awards history, they only needed 13 wins to beat out the previous record holder, The Producers. In fact, they came really close to a tie with The Producers, but a much deserved award for Best Actress in a Musical went to Cynthia Erivo of The Color Purple.

Noticeably absent from the awards was Disney, although with no new musicals this year this isn't surprising. Frozen will appear soon, and I'm sure that will be a contender for several when it does finally make its Broadway debut. In the past, several Disney musicals have won Tony Awards. In fact, a lot of them have won Tony Awards. Beauty and the Beast was nominated for 9 in 1994 and won for Best Costume Design. The Lion King, in 1998, was nominated for 11 and won 6, including Best Musical. In 2008 The Little Mermaid was nominated for two, and in 2007 Mary Poppins was nominated for 7 (Mary Poppins would win Best Scenic Design).

More recently, Newsies was nominated for 8 in 2012 and won Best Choreography and Best Original Score, and Aladdin was nominated for 5 in 2014, bringing home one for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for James Monroe Iglehart.

All in all, I think you could say that Disney has had a long relationship with the Tony Awards, and if that's not enough for you, just remember that Jake Gyllenhaal and Sean Hayes did an impromptu performance of A Whole New World during one of the commercial breaks.

Have a magical day! 

Day 983: Frozen Carpet Ride

I'm certainly not the first to discuss the recent news out of Disney California Adventure and I'm sure I won't be the last. I have to say, first off, that I'm not a fan of Aladdin in general, but the musical that's called DCA home for the last how many years almost convinced me otherwise. I remember my first trip into the Hyperion in 2011, laughing my head off at Genie's jokes about Twilight (ironically enough, I was laughing at similar jokes just today), and I will be sad to see it go just as many of the Disneyland Locals that have signed the petition to stop it from leaving.

If you haven't caught up on the news yet, Disney is closing the Aladdin show at Disney California Adventure and replacing it with a Frozen Musical Show sometime in 2016, and people aren't exactly happy about it. I've always thought of Aladdin fitting so perfectly there, but as much as I'm with those trying to save it, I also wonder if Disney's making the right move. Not to say Frozen is the answer, but there was an observation I had while out at Disneyland that I felt is kind of important, and odd, considering the controversy surrounding Frozen in the parks.

There's been a lot of complaints about Anna and Elsa taking over pretty much everything, and for the most part, I wholeheartedly agree. Maelstrom, for instance, should never have been closed. Updated, yes, but closed, no. Frozen is not the answer for Epcot, and while I do believe it will be an extremely popular attraction (maybe wait times for Test Track will finally go down), there were probably better answers, and the same can be said for Aladdin and DCA. But before we really start trash talking Frozen as it becomes more integrated into the parks, perhaps we should look at a different film...The Little Mermaid.

I've never been quiet about my dissapointment of the Ariel attraction that now graces both DCA and Magic Kingdom. It just didn't impress me, and quite frankly, I didn't see the need for another Little Mermaid attraction. And then, while at Disneyland, it finally clicked. If you think Frozen is in a lot of places...think about Ariel for a moment. At Walt Disney World, there's reference after reference to the film, including the following: Voyage of The Little Mermaid (Hollywood Studios), Ariel's Undersea Adventure (Magic Kingdom), Fantasmic (Hollywood Studios), Festival of Fantasy (Magic Kingdom), Wishes (Magic Kingdom), and she has her own meet and greet. At Disneyland, however, things are a bit more shocking: Fantasmic, Disneyland Forever, Mickey and the Magical Map, King Triton's Carousel (DCA), Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Soundsational Parade, Paint the Night, AND Ariel's Grotto. Compare that to Frozen: Maelstrom Location (Epcot), Meet and Greet (Magic Kingdom - Moving to Epcot), World of Color Celebrate!, Disneyland Forever, Paint the Night, Sing-A-Long locations on both coasts, a Frozen Summer Fun Event, and Festival of Fantasy. There are a few seasonal events not listed, but do you see a problem here?

I'm not about to say that The Little Mermaid is a bad film, because it certainly isn't, and there's a lot of attractions and events that involve Ariel that I do love in the parks, but what makes The Little Mermaid so much better than Frozen? What makes it possible for one film to take over and receive backlash while another does it secretly in the background? Is it because Ariel, with her mermaid tail and upbeat songs, is easy to include in shows? Or is there another reason in the background?

Personally, I think we need to see more Princess and the Frog and Tangled stuff, if we're adding anything, and maybe a bit more Pocahontas too, but that could be beside the point. If you're interested in signing the petition to keep Aladdin at Disney California Adventure, you can do so HERE, like many of us Disney Fans that have already done so. And let me know your thoughts on either the Aladdin show leaving or everything I mentioned above in the comments below!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 25 due to a tight schedule).

Day 839: 20 Facts

Every so often I do actually participate in other Instagram things beyond my own Everyday Disney Challenge, and occasionally others do tag me to do things. This time I wasn't tagged specifically, but a fellow Disney fan (or two or three) recently did the #20ThingsAboutMe challenge and I figured I'd make it into a blog post. Only, this list is going to be a bit different. 20 Things is sometimes hard to begin with, but what about 20 Disney things that you might not necessarily know about me, even after 800 days of blogging!?! You can find a different, easier list on Instagram, but I'm going all out here because I can! So here we go. Here's 20 Disney Things You Might Not Necessarily Know About Me!

1. My Least Favorite Disney Movie Is Aladdin.
2. I've stayed at a number of Disney Resorts, but I've actually been a DVC Member most of my life. Since 1996!
3. As a kid I didn't really meet characters in the parks. I've meet more in the past two trips than I have in at least 10 trips combined, if not more.
4. My brother and I used to fight all the time on our vacations. Many years ago we made a pact to not fight while at Disney. It still holds true today.
5. I only recently discovered my love of Dole Whips.
6. I know I want to work for Disney but I have no idea where or how. People ask me all the time what I intend to do and I have a different answer every time you ask me.
7. The lost attraction I probably miss the most is Horizons.
8. My love of Pirates definitely has everything to do with Colin O'Donoghue...and a little bit with Pirates of the Caribbean. I ADORE the attraction now though! On many levels!
9. While I've been on Spaceship Earth around 150 times and it's my absolute favorite attraction, I'm fairly certain that my most frequented attraction is actually the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover.
10. I used to hate the Haunted Mansion. Hardcore hate it. I wouldn't go on it. I wouldn't even go by it. I was terrified of the casket in the sunroom scene, and it was only after seeing the Eddie Murphy film that I got over my fear. It's now my favorite Magic Kingdom attraction.
11. Aside from attractions I've never been on or only recently faced, the attractions I visit the least (in each park) are probably Dumbo, Circle of Life (the Film in the Land), Rock'n Roller Coaster and Rafiki's Planet Watch.
12. My favorite Disney snack is actually a chocolate croissant found throughout the parks. My favorite version comes from Gaston's Tavern.
13. As much as I love the parks, one of the things I enjoy most at Disney is late night ping pong tournaments with my brother at Old Key West.
14. I love seeing Disney with other people, my friends, my family, my high school band, etc. But I also love seeing Disney by myself. There's something freeing about having no plans, being a single rider and grabbing food from whatever park you decide to go to.
15. I used to be that person who does the same thing every time I went to Disney, but now I love trying new things. It's my goal to eventually accomplish everything at Walt Disney World. Eat at every restaurant, ride every attraction, see every show and meet every character possible.
16. I'm not a huge fan of Fantasmic, unless we're taking the Disneyland Version. Then I love it.
17. My favorite Disney song changes every so often, but I've always loved the song There is Life from Bambi 2 (in addition to my cited favorite Disney song Out There from Hunchback). Actually I love the whole Bambi 2 Soundtrack.
18. In Middle School I would often do every project on something Disney (not that that's changed much), but in 8th grade we had to read a biography or autobio of our choice and I picked a 300 page Walt Disney Biography and then did a multimedia presentation on his life that took me weeks to create. That was my first big Disney project.
19. When I was a kid, I loved Lady and the Tramp so much that I would pretend to be Tramp stretching out in the morning. It's hard to explain, but I had it pretty down packed, bark and everything.
20. I actually am not a fan of special events at Epcot, at least as far as music goes. Since I'm generally there around Christmas time or, recently, during a festival, I get a little irked when the regular Epcot park music is replaced with something else. For example, Sleigh Ride at Christmas time.

And there you have it, 20 Disney things you may not have known about me. There are many little habits we all have that are just hard to explain through blog posts, especially when I only visit the parks here and there. Like I said before, you can find other Facts on my Instagram as well, and I encourage you all to share 20 Things about yourself!

Have a magical day!

Day 735: Characters

Throughout my lifetime, I've met my fair share of Disney Characters, but my family was never too big on stopping by to meet them, especially if it meant standing in line to do so. But since my friends were along on this trip and we had a day that worked perfectly for meeting characters, I planned it all out so we could meet pretty much as many as possible.

We started the trip with two character meals, one at Garden Grill, where we met Pluto, Chip, Dale and Mickey, and then the next morning at 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, featuring Mary Poppins, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Character meals were pretty common for my family throughout the years, but once we were finished with those and actually headed out into the parks, we had a chance to meet character after character, and here are a few of the highlights:

Cinderella: 

As the first of the Princesses we met, Cinderella was absolutely sweet. She commented on our outfits, brought Rapunzel into our discussion (as she had snuck over from her side of the room), and suggested that my brother would make a fine prince for her stepsister. Of course, we had to go visit the stepsisters the next day, just to meet his Fiance. 

Rapunzel: 

It was with my favorite Disney Princess that we had plenty of wonderful discussions, particularly about men with Hooks. Rapunzel warned us all that men with Hooks are up to no good and suggested we stay away from them...somehow I doubt that'll happen.

Anna & Elsa: 

After over a year of 2 to 8 hour wait times, we finally got our chance to meet the sisters, and you have no idea how excited I was. With Elsa, she complimented my dress, saying it reminded her of snowflakes (awesome because I was Disneybounding as Elsa!) and we asked her to help us end our eternal winter in Wisconsin. Although she couldn't help us out too much, she promised she'd try! And with Anna we found out that her favorite kind of sandwich is Peanut Butter and Chocolate, so now we're all obligated to try it! Also, shoutout to the cast member who took selfies with my phone! 

Peter Pan: 

The following day we went to meet Peter Pan, who not only loved my outfit (I was Disneybounding as him that day!), but also told me that should my crew become unhappy, as I am the captain, they might try to overthrow me and appoint someone new captain! 

Mulan: 

With Mulan in China, we all got to become warriors, and honestly I just love this picture and that's basically the main reason for having her on the list, although she was really sweet and signed a special postcard for us too! 

Belle: 

Also at Epcot, we met Belle, who also signed a special postcard for us. After she looked throughout autograph books, she noticed that we met Gaston, and then went into a story about how she gave him a mirror as a present for Christmas, just so he can admire himself all day long!

Aladdin & Jasmine: 

Although we waited almost an hour for them, I think this was probably one of my absolute favorite meet and greets of the trip. Both Aladdin and Jasmine were just plain great, and when they noticed the nickname on one of our postcards, they launched into a whole conversation about it! They were honestly really great, and that's coming from someone who's least favorite Disney film is actually Aladdin! 

Indiana Jones & Marian: 

I can't leave these two out either. In June, for the first time, we had the chance to meet Indy and Marian, and of course we came back for a second time this trip, only this time we also got their autographs! That's right, I have Indiana Jones' autograph. What now? 

This is only scratching the surface of all the characters we met this trip, and I'm pretty sure I'll go find more characters in the future, although something tells me it won't be quite as fun without Megan and Ashley along for the ride! Don't worry though, those autograph books will be completely filled someday! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 12 due to the Disney Trip!)

Day 589: Never Had a Friend Like You

It isn't often that we come across an event that basically stops the world from running. One where it makes us all slow down and think about our lives and those we love and, in this case, our childhoods. Some of the more prominent world stopping stories include 9/11, or Pearl Harbor or the death of JFK. More recently we could probably say we all know what we were doing when we heard about the death of Michael Jackson, and now we can, sadly, add another name to that list.

If it's any indication as to how much I personally loved Robin Williams, here's a bit of a clue. My all time favorite actor isn't Colin O'Donoghue, much as you might think, but rather Harrison Ford. I have at least 12 of his films in my personal collection apart from Star Wars and Indiana Jones, meaning that I have more of his movies than I have of any other actor. But Robin Williams comes in second, with at least 5 that I can think of off the top of my head, and I intend to include at least two more as soon as possible, favorites that I loved to watch on television but never got around to adding to my collection.

Over a year ago, a different actor's death broke headlines, that of Cory Monteith. I happen to remember where I was when that story broke as well, although I think it would be pretty easy to remember I was at Disney. And I remember the date because it also happens to be Harrison Ford's birthday. But that honestly didn't affect me like this news has. Some of my friends talk about how Cory's death DID affect them more, but for me, Robin Williams was that guy that I think we all kind of thought would live forever. He brought us all so much joy, and I can't help but smile every single time I'm on the Great Movie Ride and he says "Good Morning Vietnam." I know I'll probably end up crying next time I go on it.

Other than that, I'm not really sure what to say. Robin was a great man, always making us laugh, and it breaks my heart to know that he wasn't laughing with us. But I did read a really great tweet yesterday that said "If there's any thunder tonight it's just Robin Williams making God laugh," and I like to think that, if there was thunder last night, that was the case.

The world lost a legend yesterday, and so I encourage you all to go out and watch your favorite Robin Williams movie. Mine happens to be Hook, with Robin playing the good old bangarang Peter Pan, although there are plenty of movies out there of his that I love and adore. Whether I'll be able to get through any of them without crying, I don't know, but it's just still heartbreaking. I remember saying that although my least favorite Disney movie is Aladdin, there's one thing I loved about it, and that was Robin Williams. The only thing that made that movie watchable for me. Because to be truthful, he was one of a kind.

And we'll never have a friend like him again.

Carpe Diem everyone.

Have a magical day!

Day 540: Backstage Music

My High School Band may have gotten accepted to march in the Magic Kingdom, but that doesn't mean that's all we went to Florida for. Nope! We were also accepted to do a workshop with Disney Performing Arts, and it was certainly a wild adventure.

For those of you that don't know, there's a Performing Arts center backstage in Epcot, right between Italy and the American Adventure. I'd actually seen it before, since I've been backstage in that area, but I completely forgot (or didn't realize) that the DPA Center was there. It's a neat looking little place, and the inside area is beautiful as well. When you do a workshop there, your band goes into one of the recording studios and sight reads through music, recording as you go until you record a song or two from a movie, which is then paired with the film footage for your own custom recording of the music from that movie. It's honestly a wonderful experience.

For our workshop, I actually ended up playing Clarinet. You're probably all like, "but Lizzie, you don't play clarinet?" and you're right! I don't! Or at least I'm not very good at it. About a month before the trip I was discussing with my band director what I might end up playing. The problem? Four oboe players were going on the trip, and the alto row is so full that one of them actually already had left to go help out in percussion. Which mean that there wasn't really room to fit me in.

So we stuck me in the clarinet row instead, and within a month I picked up the instrument enough that, surprisingly, I could play most of the music we read at the workshop. It probably wasn't quite as rewarding for me then if I had been playing my alto, or even my oboe, but the experience was still great, and I was super proud of the fact that I could handle playing a first clarinet part with Megan. Also, a special shout out to Ashley, who taught me how to play that darn thing.

Within the two hours we spent there, we played through some great music, including the theme from Beauty and the Beast and music from Aladdin, which was the film that they backed the music to. Aladdin is honestly my least favorite Disney movie, but it was still fun. However, by the far the BEST song we played had to be Trashin' The Camp from Tarzan. Our band director was enlisted to do animal noises on the recording and I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life.

Plus, we got to meet this wonderful cast member, Allen! (I hope I spelled that right. I'm not exactly sure). He was great! Hilarious, and most certainly a spectacular trumpet player (among other instruments). Plus we got these special pins for the workshop and it just makes me super happy. Actually, I should figure out where I put mine. I think I remember where it is...unless I already put it in my pin case. Gosh I need to sort out where I put all my Disney stuff from this trip.

But for sure, the workshop was GREAT! And we got to go into backstage Epcot, and there's nothing I enjoy more than going backstage past Test Track and the little Spaceship Earth thing. It probably has a name, and I should probably learn what it is...but I think I'll have to save that one for when I finally work there some day.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on August 1). 

Day 380: Disney Princes

I love Youtube, and I follow a surplus of channels, most of which I don't even have time to watch anymore because I end up watching so much TV in conjunction with all my college classes and the work I do here and for the band trip. Yeah, I have a lot going on. But especially right now, since I'm on break, I have more time to catch up and watch some Youtube, and one of my favorite YouTubers is MrCheezyPop. I actually have a quote on my desk from Maxwell, at college, and for those of you who are fans of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube, you'll know him as Mr. Colins.

Well yesterday his newest video was "Which Disney Prince is Your True Love?" which goes along with a BuzzFeed Article that doubles as a quiz, enabling you to find out which Disney Prince you would end up with. So, here's the article and his video:

Take the Quiz Here!

So, I hope you took the quiz, but I'll let you know what I got. Aladdin. Apparently he's my true love. Funny because of all the Princes, he is honestly my least favorite. It's a personal preference of mine. I've just never liked the movie Aladdin. I think that it's a bit overrated, although I do enjoy the music. I'd much rather watch Tangled or something.

Speaking of Tangled...I'm pretty sure that my Disney Prince True Love would obviously be Flynn Rider. I mean...Flynn. Rider. Plus if you add in Han Solo and Hook, I must have a type. Or it's just the fact that when they created Flynn Rider they polled women on what they found most attractive in a man and then used the top results to create literally the most handsome man alive: Flynn Rider. 

I guess that could even count as a DFOTD even though I'm not doing that anymore, haha!

Have a magical day!

Day 76: Disney in Concert

Today I headed to a nearby city to attend a Symphony Orchestra Concert, and this time it was specifically Disney. While we've attending this particular concert before (although with a different Symphony Orchestra), it was just as magical the second time!

They played a wide variety of music, as you can see below. There was one change though...instead of the Rescuers Down Under, they performed selections from Pirates of the Caribbean, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And because of technical difficulties, we were also able to hear parts of Aladdin and Mulan twice, and the entire Little Mermaid selection a second time as well. There was also an encore of It's A Small World...and of course we all sang along!

And since I went shopping yesterday and got a few new colorful additions to my wardrobe, I decided to Disneybound as Winnie the Pooh to the concert. I was pretty excited about my new yellow converse, which I've been wanting for a while. I'm pretty sure you'll see them in many Disneybounds in the future.

The concert was a great way to spend my afternoon. Sadly, I've had to somewhat leave the magical world of Disney behind and spend the rest of my day writing essays for an application, but it was still a wonderful way to start off a busy week!

Here's today's Disney History: 1999: Test Track officially opens at Walt Disney World's Epcot. Sponsored by General Motors, the attraction is the fastest ride ever designed (At this time) by Disney Imagineers....guests can reach speeds of 65 mph! The ride has been up and running since December 1998.

Have a magical day!

Day 44: Monsters University

Over the past few days there has been a lot of hype over two things. Oz the Great and Powerful, which is having it's World Premiere today at Disney's El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, and Monsters University.

While I'm excited for both movies, I think I'm more excited for Monsters, which might be because the music in the original is some of my favorite in any Pixar film and the fact that I think we all love the two monsters and we really want to see how that friendship was created.

Last night I watched the UK preview in high definition on my home computer, which was pretty amazing. The trailer was amazing too, and it really gives us an idea of what the plotline of the film will be about. It's so exciting to see the monsters a little younger, and I found myself trying to spot differences while I watched. There are differences between the Mike and Sully we see in Monsters Inc, but it's not bothersome. The attitudes they both share are what I think is the most different, as Mike is so excited to be at school and to become a scarer and Sully is almost already a scarer.

Here's the trailer:

Also today, I'd like to share my Disneybound outfit. I went for Iago from Aladdin! My hair is a little different the way I'm actually wearing it, as I took these pictures the other day when I was planning the outfit, but it's pretty close!

Here's today's Disney History: 1993:  Lumiere's Kitchen restaurant opens in Fantasyland at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. In 2006 it will become the Village Fry Shoppe and in 2009 the Friar's Nook.

Have a magical day!