Day 676: Kermit meets TED

TED talks are one of the best things ever created, if you ask me. There are talks on just about everything in the world, and there's certainly one for every moment of your life. You can use TED talks in the classroom or to boost your mood at the end of a long day or to get inspired for a project. Especially in high school, I loved watching these talks, especially since they worked really well for learning about stuff in Psychology. When I saw that Kermit the Frog had done a TED talk though? Boy was I excited.

It took me a while to find a recording, but I did eventually track one down, and you can watch it too!

The TED talk was pretty darn good if you ask me, and was certainly inspiring when it comes to the basis of creativity. Being creative is one of the most difficult things to do, and honestly, it's really tiring sometimes. I'll decorate a part of our dorm room or something and everyone will comment on how absolutely creative I am and how naturally it comes to me and I'll be like "Thanks but it's really not that easy." Alright, I guess part of it comes sort of naturally...the fact that I can see certain things in my head just at will. The hard part is getting to that picture and then actually completing the project you're working on. 

I loved Kermit's talk though because it incorporating all those inspiring things while still staying true to what he (the character is), bringing in references from The Muppets and making wonderful jokes about everything from Miss Piggy to those who had a hand in his performance. 

It's also great to see the internet respond to the talk, since after his talk happened, Twitter pretty much went wild. That's how I actually found out about it, and I couldn't wait to watch it, which I have now done, obviously. 

Let's hope we get more TED talks like this in the future, simply because the fact that Kermit being on the TED talk was pretty creative in itself. You can't beat Kermit the Frog, after all. 

Have a magical day!

Day 675: The Force Awakens

What a big day today is!

Just this week we got the news that Star Wars Episode VII had finished principle photography, and that alone is a giant success. Here we are, a long, LONG time after the same sort of filming completed on Return of the Jedi, once again waiting for the next installment (yeah, I didn't include Episodes I-III simply because we're talking about Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill here). Just think about how different this is all going to be...and think about how amazing it's all going to be too.

But then, today, we get something more...a TITLE. That's right everyone, I'm sure I'm not the first to blog about this, and I certainly won't be the last, but as of November 6, 2014, we know that Star Wars Episode VII will be titled The Force Awakens.

Since being so included in the world of Once Upon A Time spoilers, I'm desperately trying to stay away from Star Wars spoilers, half because I want it all to be a surprise and half because I know that JJ Abrams prefers us to be surprised. It's a part of being a director or an actor or a writer...you want your audience to be kept on the edge of your seat, and I 100% understand that. Cliffhangers? Those are actually really fun to write. Not fun to read, but fun to write.

But that's not the only Star Wars that popped up in my day. You see a lot of awesome things on the internet, but a lot of times you never see the actual awesome Star Wars things in real life. I'm talking about the funny made up posters and signs and such. Today, however, I found a Star Wars reference right here on my own college campus.

I was meeting a friend at one of the buildings on campus to print off some Saxophone Quartet music and since it's getting chilly around here, instead of going all the way back to my dorm, I just went straight to the building after dinner, since I only had around an hour before our scheduled meeting time. Megan suggested I find a specific couch to sit on, partly to test it out and partly because it was probably a good little place to study while I waited. I took her up on the offer and not only found a super great area to read my British Literature, but also this:

I've seen this all over the internet, but simply the fact that I found in on a real door in a real place that I can actually take a wookiee with me...that's awesome. Megan also informed me that the entire office dressed as Han Solo for Halloween, so basically I love these people. No clue who they are, but I love them. Because, you know...Han Solo. 

I also just decided that I really want to watch Star Wars...so that's probably going to happen tomorrow if I have enough time. Yeah...it's gonna happen.

Have a magical day!

Day 674: Drawing Games

When stuck with piles of homework to do, every good college student has to come up with a way to take a break. Popular options, of course, always include Netflix and, for some, maybe drinking or a party at a friend's house. Around here we do watch our fair share of Netflix (Megan and I are currently binge watching Gilmore Girls while our other roommates binge Psych), but that's not the only way we keep our sanity in the midst of a giant study session.

More often than not, our friend Katie, who lives next door, will join in on our study sessions, plopping down on the front room futon (which is by our desks) and doing her own homework. It's a great set up and we share our fair share of laughs in between French and Management assignments. Tonight was one of those nights, and Katie and I made life interesting by playing a rousing game of drawing.

The rules are pretty simple. Each person draws a line or two (or three or four) on a white board and then the players all switch. You end up with something sort of like this:

Then you have to draw something that incorporates all those lines. You can do pretty much anything to them: add to them, outline them with different colors, anything except erase. Those lines have to be present in the final drawing. Each player sets to work creating their masterpiece, without allowing the other person to see what they're doing. In the end, you get something more like these: 

You can still see those original lines, although in the case of mine (on the bottom), I added lines here and there to have the whole thing make sense. Katie's is a little bit easier to understand since it's still facing the same direction, but you can still see the development. And yes, that is Expedition Everest on the bottom. I told them while drawing that Megan would be the only one who would understand. Everyone else got super confused. 

We also had these from the previous round, although we didn't start taking pictures of the beginning lines until round three, and we didn't take a picture of round one at all. Round four? That's for tomorrow, and we're both bringing our A Game. 

"Oh the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the appleseed. The Lord is good to me." - Johnny Appleseed

Have a magical day!

Day 673: Out with the Old

This morning I woke up to quite the pleasant surprise. Disney World has already switched over, mostly, from the Halloween Decorations to the beautiful, bright, Christmas decor that will remain up until during or just after my own trip in early January. Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, and I definitely believe Disney has played a key role in that love. My family has visited Walt Disney World many times over during the holiday season. In fact, we've probably seen the Christmas decorations more than any other season or occasion.

It also means that we've seen the decorations change time and time again. The first change I really remember was at the Studios, which, of course, I've already talked about some time ago. I loved the Osborne Lights as a Kid, going down Residential Street and looking at all the houses decked out with Christmas lights. It was a spectacular sight for little Lizzie, and I definitely won't be forgetting it anytime soon. Of course, Residential Street left some time ago (and now it sounds as though the last remnants of it will be disappearing as well), leaving us with the Osborne Lights we enjoy today. I boycotted those lights for a really long time before a trip a couple of years ago caused me to actually enjoy them, and now I'm thrilled I get to share them with my friends on the last night of the season in January (they run through January 4).

Then, if you remember, over at Epcot they have changed the Christmas decorations a few times, but most notably was the system of lights that surrounded the monorail track and led into World Showcase. It was like an arch, and if you don't remember, I've got you covered:

I can't even begin to explain how much my family (especially my Dad and I) complained when the arch was taken down for good. It was just a symbol of Christmas at Epcot, and it's certainly not the same without it. 

But with a new parade in the Magic Kingdom, it meant that the Christmas decorations were going to have to change a little bit. Some of the floats reach to new and amazing heights in the realm of Disney Parade Floats, and that caused the regular decorations to be quite the issue, since the floats wouldn't be able to go down Main Street U.S.A. with the various wreaths hanging in the way. If you need a refresher, here's what Magic Kingdom has looked like in the past: 

I'm not going to lie, I really hated the Christmas Decorations at Magic Kingdom. I love the idea of the garland hanging out over the street from building to building because it's a very classic small-town Christmas style, but it covers up the castle, a fact that even Megan pointed out when I showed her the pictures this morning. You can't take a regular Cinderella Castle Picture, and it blocks much of the view of the fireworks. Ridiculous. 

When I saw the pictures of the new decorations, at first I was like "No, this looks ridiculous too!" but then I went back and looked at the old ones and realized that no, it doesn't. It looks much better. We're just not used to it yet, and therefore we find it all a bit off because instead of having wreaths in the middle of the street, they're on the sides.

Now, I've still got two months before I head down to Walt Disney World and decide once and for all if I like the new decorations better than the old ones, but as of right now, I'm a fan. I'm a very big fan. No more blocking the castle! 

The thing is....if Disney put their Christmas decorations up already does that mean that I can too? Can I put my decorations up? Because I'm going to. Like next week. Or maybe the week after. We'll see. 

Have a magical day!

Day 672: Minecraft

My brother loves his computer games, and perhaps the only one I truly understand is Minecraft. Alright, so I'm still not 100% on what you do with the game, other than the fact that it looks like a complicated computerized version of legos. That makes sense, right? Regardless, he's spent more hours on Minecraft that I've probably spent dreaming about Captain Hook (not only is that up for debate, but may have been the weirdest sentence I've even written. Dreaming of Captain Hook? When did that happen?)

Either way, it seems that Minecraft fans are also sometimes fans of Disney, hence the incredible Magic Kingdom server put together. I've included the walkthrough video just down below, but I highly suggest you go through and check out some of the other things they've recreated from the Disney parks.

By far, the thing that impressed me the most wasn't in this particular video, but rather in another on the channel, where they've put together Wishes via Minecraft. How awesome is that? Granted, you have to sort of use your imagination a little bit as you walk through the Magic Kingdom in block form, but it's all incredibly well done. I can't even imagine how long it took to creat the entire thing, but one thing's for sure: it looks really realistic. 

In addition, they added in the park music for each individual land, bringing the park to a whole new level of authenticity. I don't know about you, but I listen to Disney Parks music on loop, so it certainly ads something to have that stuck in there as you "walk" through Tomorrowland or past Big Thunder Mountain. 

Have a magical day!

Day 671: Heartbreakers

If there's one thing that's a rule around here, it's that we always watch Once Upon A Time together. In fact, I hate watching it alone these days, despite the fact that entire first two seasons I spent my Sunday evenings with my television screen and my dinner. Since coming to college, our OUAT time is the one hour every single week that my roommates and friends and I all gather together to watch one of our favorite television shows. It's kept me calm many times over and I treasure that time spent with my friends. So when my roommates missed this last episode because of homework, things got a little crazy around here.

Don't get me wrong, they need to do their homework, and I'm not mad at them in the slightest (I'm a bit grudgy with other people for other reasons that also involve OUAT, but certainly not Hannah and Megan).

What made the whole thing funny was the continuous references to The Lion King that came out of them missing the episode. It began with deciding that they're heartbreakers for not watching with us, although that wasn't the end of it. Somewhere along the line, we got to discussing the fact that the entire situation reminded us of the moment in The Lion King 2 when Kovu is exiled. Of course we had to play the song...

I think Simba was a bit harsh on Kovu compared to us on our roommates, especially when considering the fact that I too will have to miss an episode of OUAT this next week (I'll be watching it later in the night with a couple of my other friends, so don't worry. I won't have to wait too long). After all, we love our roommates and school always comes first...unless we're on our last legs from exhaustion. Then we highly recommend they go to sleep.

Have a magical day!

Day 670: Magical Disney Pics...Again!

Instagram is a great place, especially when it comes to the Disney community, and since we've reached another month, it means that once again, a Disney Picture Challenge has come to an end! I've been trying to do the challenge on an every other month basis, but it seems that things are going to get mixed up (who am I kidding, they were mixed up months ago). Regardless, there are some really exciting things coming in relation to Disney Photo Challenges, but I can't quite talk about those yet, so instead let's celebrate another month of Magical Disney Pics!

Huge thanks to fellow Disney Blogger Sparkly Nicole for putting on another great month of Disney photos! I love doing the challenges and can't wait for December! 

Have a magical day!