Day 1078: A Perfect List

Christmas is coming up, and that means Christmas Lists are now a thing. In typical Disney-Fan fashion, there are several gifts that just have to be on my list:

1. BB-8 Anything

This BB-8 4GB USB Flash Drive happens to be directly from the Disney store, but let's be honest, I'd be good with just about anything BB-8 or Star Wars related this year.

2. Dooney & Bourke

No one really has money to buy these bags, but if someone DID have money to buy one, I'd be totally ok with this Haunted Mansion Shopper Tote or one of those new Star Wars design ones.

3. Millennium Falcon Drone

I don't know about you all, but I'd LOVE to get my hands on one of these Millennium Falcon Drones. They're just so adorable, and considering the fact that my car is already called the Millennium Falcon, it just seems right to have one of these of my own.

4. Graphic Tees from We Love Fine

I just so happened to come across this collection in the midst of writing this blog post, and gosh do I ever want one of these. Actually, I wanted one so much that I ended up ordering the Endor Tee as a "End of the Semester Treat Yo Self" present. I'll just take it out of the money I have stashed away for Florida, I suppose, but when it comes to T-Shirts, $20 isn't all that bad...especially when it's Star Wars!

5. Thinamavlogs Beanies

We all know that I'm a pretty big Thingamavlogs fan (and that they're one of the reasons I ended up doing YouTube videos), so it'd be pretty awesome to get one of these for Christmas! However, Whosits and Whatsits has more than just Thingamavlogs, and you can't deny that pretty much all of their merchandise is brilliant!

6. OUAT Calendar

Megan got me the 2015 calendar for Christmas last year and I've absolutely loved having it, so for the Once fan out there this is the perfect ticket. It doesn't get much better than having your favorite characters up on the wall every day of the year, and Cardboard Colin doesn't seem to mind much either...even when it is Rumpelstiltskin.

Other than that, honestly pretty much anything would be brilliant as a Christmas gift, even just a gift card for the theater so one can go see The Force Awakens as many times as possible! Or flat out cash because some of us are headed to Disney World shortly after the new year and will definitely empty out a significant portion of our bank accounts on the awesome new merchandise that's made an appearance in the parks. Or you know, whatever you want to do.

Now, considering the fact that, as I write this, Christmas is only a couple of days away, it should be interesting to see how many of these things actually appear in wrapping paper.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 22).

Day 1077: Am I The Interesting One?

We all know that I work really hard to keep my Ego in check. As a music major, and especially as a saxophone player, it's pretty easy for things to get a little over the top. But lately I've been trying to figure something out, and the more I think about it, the weirder it gets.

It all started when we were writing biographies for our classmates for Literary Theory and Writing. Instead of writing a biography for ourselves, especially when we already have an introduction that does almost the same thing, we wrote them for other people, which led to asking a bunch of questions and so on and so forth. Anyway, as I talked with my partner about my background and my goals and such, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I'm kind of interesting.

I don't really consider myself to be an interesting person. In fact, I figure I'm relatively ordinary. I grew up in a small town, I look forward to my coffee every morning, and spend most of my late nights at my desk working (although I would give anything for a Netflix binge and some pizza, especially pleasing if I can eat said pizza without my lactose intolerance getting in the way). As the saying goes, I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like anyone else.

But is my "ordinary" actually something the rest of the world considers extraordinary? Gosh, now I'm really starting to sound egotistical.

And then I had a discussion with one of my friends about people we know from high school, and as other went on about this friend doing this and that, I realized that I have very few friends who seem to be off doing really awesome things. But we all have friends like that on Facebook. And that's when it hit me: am I  the one off doing really awesome things? After all, in the matter of one year I've continued with a third year of straight blogging, started a roughly successful YouTube channel, met the creators of The Dust Storm, talked with Colin O'Donoghue on the phone, met my favorite saxophone player (again), went to Disney World twice and Disneyland once, met a bunch of my favorite YouTubers, and managed to balance it all alongside a busy college schedule. Of course, the fact that I plan on moving to a different state so I can pursue my dream of working for Disney doesn't hurt the whole "I'm interesting" thing either, but boy does it seem weird to be calling myself interesting.

After all, when everything boils down, I'm just another average Colin O'Donoghue and Harrison Ford fangirl who loves Star Wars and everything Disney and would give anything for a giant plate of homemade spaghetti and meatballs.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 22).

Day 1076: Six Reasons

As we approach the end of 2015, we have to start thinking ahead to next year, especially in regards to when we'll find ourselves at the Disney Parks. Being the Disney blogger I am, I follow pretty much every form of social media the company has to offer, and recently, as with every year, I've come across the articles titled things like "Six Reasons to Visit Disneyland in 2016." And those articles give lots of great reasons as to why this next year is going to be the greatest time to visit the parks. Read one of them HERE at the Disney Parks blog, which honestly makes me want to head back to Disneyland more than ever.

Still, it occurred to me while reading yet another of these posts that there are certainly some reasons why we should visit the Disney Parks every year, not just 2015 or 2016! So, since we are headed to 2016, here's six reasons why you should visit the Disney Parks!

1. From One to One Hundred

The Disney Parks are for absolutely everyone. Young or Old, Thrill Seekers and Calm Creatures alike, the Disney Parks across the world offer a wide range of experiences that are sure to satisfy everyone! In other words, if you're looking to meet the Disney Princesses, you can do that! But if you'd rather take a turn in the Twilight Zone, you can do that too!

2. Classic Attractions!

There's nothing quite like a tour on the Haunted Mansion or a battle with some buccaneers on Pirates of the Caribbean, and with the classic attractions that have become staples in the parks and the theme park world, there's never a better time to experience them first hand than right now!

3. The Smell of Fresh Paint

Well, hopefully you won't be smelling the Fresh Paint itself (unless Goofy spilled some again), but the newest additions to the Disney Parks come all year round, and regardless of when you visit, there's sure to be a new and exciting experience awaiting. In 2015 Disneyland brought World of Color: Celebrate! and Disneyland Forever, as well as Paint the Night, and Season of the Force took over on both coasts! In 2016, Soarin' Around the World will premiere at both Disney California Adventure and Epcot, and new experiences at Disney's Animal Kingdom will begin to thrill guests of all ages. But in the future, there's still Star Wars Land, Pandora: The World of Avatar, Disneyland Shanghai, and plenty of other brand new attractions to come!

4. Unlike Anything Else

Disney Parks have always offered unique experiences, from high-quality dining to some of the greatest resorts in the world. Regardless of where you call home at the Disney Parks and Resorts, you can bet that the quality, service, and expertise will have you coming back sooner rather than later. You could probably even call it your home away from home!

5. Family and Friends

One of my personal favorite parts about heading to the Disney Parks is the chance I have to spend time with my family and friends. My love of Disney began through family vacations to Walt Disney World, and now I've had the spectacular opportunity to share my home with some of my closest friends. You can do that too, and take it from me, the memories you make with your family at the Disney Parks will be ones that last a lifetime.

6. Magical Moments

More than anything else, the Disney Parks are absolutely filled with magic. From a child meeting their favorite character for the first time, to a magical moment you couldn't have seen coming, you never quite know when a bit of pixie dust will appear in your vacation!

And those are my top six reasons that you should visit the Disney Parks, regardless of when it is! Although, just between you and me, I rather think 2016 is a great time. Why? Because it's much sooner than later!

What are your top 6 reasons to visit the Disney Parks?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).

Day 1075: Goodness Gracious Me

With the release of the new Star Wars film, Lucasfilm and Spotify have teamed up to let you know what Star Wars character you would be based on what kind of music you listen to. Basically you sign in through Spotify and spotify-starwars.com and it matches you based on what you listen to the most. And don't worry - if you don't have a Spotify account you can still play along! It'll give you a selection of various musicians, from which you pick 5. From there it'll match you to your Star Wars alter ego. 

Usually, when I do things like this I obviously hope for my favorite character. After all, how awesome would it be to be Han Solo? However, this time things went a bit south...

To be fair, this analysis is probably pretty accurate. Because I spend so much of my time working on homework, I do listen to mainly instrumental orchestral music, and since I'm a music major, Brahms has become a huge part of my life. Actually, a chat with C-3PO about Classical Music kind of sounds fun...for about two minutes. 

Then again, I wonder what all the other characters would listen to? Han is probably some sort of hard rock, and Vader sounds like a Wagner kind of guy. According to the Spotify match, Darth Maul would listen to some serious heavy metal, and I'm personally between some super Indie and Hippie music for Yoda or something very calm and naturalistic. You know, the music with birds in it. Now I'm kind of torn, and I'm spending way too much time going through and finding out what all the characters would listen to. 

Maybe I'll stick with 3PO though...because as far as I'm concerned, he has pretty good taste. Also, you never heard me say that. 

Let me know which Star Wars character you matched up to in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).

 

Day 1074: The Final Countdown

I remember writing this blog post down with the full intention of actually writing it as I sat at a borrowed computer...but then it somehow got to be about 1 in the morning and all I wanted to do when I finally finished enough of my work was go to bed. Regardless, this is a daily blog, so I'll try to do my best to capture the excitement that came along with the one week mark for Star Wars and the one month mark for my trip to Walt Disney World falling on the same day.

I try to motivate myself in life through a series of countdowns, and I usually have more than one. If I count down to little things regularly, like the return of Once Upon A Time, the premiere of The Force Awakens or a trip to WDW, time tends to go faster. Plus, with that daily reminder on my phone, I can get excited while also remembering just what I have to look forward to when I finish my work.

So, as you can imagine, having two big markers for two of those events fall on the same day right in the midst of a week of crazy finals was pretty spectacular. What did I do to pass the time until those events? Work, mostly. Honestly a huge portion of my life in the past month has been spent constantly working, and now I'm gallantly trying to catch up before the second marker, my trip to Disney World, comes around.

Will I make it, who knows? And let's be honest, this blog tends to get behind like the slowest horse in a race, but it's never been about keeping up...it's always been simply about realizing the impact Disney has on our everyday lives, and then sharing that magic with the rest of the world!

This is going to be a much longer rant if I don't cut myself off, especially since even now I'm getting super excited for my trip to Florida, but if I have any hope of that happening, I need to get back to work!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).

Day 1073: A Computer Here, No Laptop There

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, more frustrating than taking a blogger/YouTube creator and pairing them up with a laptop that decides to stop working randomly. Don't get me wrong, I love my laptop, and amazingly enough, HAL9000 has been through some interesting adventures, but that doesn't make finals week any easier. 

Luckily, I have some wonderful people in my life kind enough to share their computers with me when mine fails and the library is too full of people to get any work done. In total, by the end of finals, I figure I worked on somewhere around 8 different computers (or was it 9?), which were made up of a mix of Windows of various versions and Macs, which I've only begun to understand. Honestly, I had to look up how to turn one on when I was faced with a black screen that was obviously just shut off. I HAD TO LOOK IT UP! 

The point here is this: even when you're faced with a non-working computer and a bunch of finals, there's still time for Disney. How did I manage to work it in? Music, for the most part, took on that role. After all, it's fairly simple to throw on a Disney playlist while I'm studying, and much of the music I'm working with in Music Theory and History at the moment has found a home in the Disney Parks over the years. 

Planning for Disney played a small part too, mostly in the realm of video ideas, which are promptly collected in a notebook to come back to later. The same can be said for blog posts, which have titles listed on a spreadsheet in Google Drive so, even if I don't have time to throw together a blog post at the moment, I can come back and write the appropriate post later (much like I'm doing right now). 

A word of advice though: if you plan on starting a daily blog, being an English major, a YouTuber, or really, a college student in general, get yourself a laptop that works...and then keep all of your files either backed up or online. You never know when they might decide to disappear. 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).

Day 1072: Not One of Us

I've lived through a lot of interesting moments, many of which were some serious arguments that, in a few cases, turned into absolute war. But never have I been broken quite the way I was over the last few weeks of the semester, and in this case, it was mostly due to my roommates. Weirdly enough, these are the same people I considered to be some of my best friends, which was apparently not the case here.

Without getting myself all worked up again, I found, while sitting working on my final portfolio for Literary Theory and Writing, that the best way to describe how I felt was through a song...and of course it's from Disney. Basically, I'm Kovu.

This makes it sound a lot worse than it actually is. I haven't been Exiled or anything, but it sort of feels that way, and in any case, the situation certainly isn't good. It's far from over too, and the next few weeks are certainly going to be a determining factor in the ultimate outcome. Hopefully it'll end something like Lion King 2 where everyone is happy, but only time will tell for that. 

Now I kind of just want to watch Lion King 2 though. I haven't seen that movie in ages! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).