Day 1397: Perry

It's time again for another round of "That Thing in Class That Mysteriously Related to Disney!" 

This time it was in Intro to Computer Programming, which I'm taking to fulfill my last general education requirement...the second of which (math), I was supposed to complete by the end of my second year of undergrad. I'm a first semester senior right now, so you can tell how well that worked out for me. 

Regardless, throughout the semester in addition to doing labs and attending lectures, we're expected to create several programs that will run on the computer. We're usually given instructions and basic code to help us start writing our program, but ultimately a lot of it is up to us, and I'm particularly excited about this next one! 

For our fourth program, we're creating a sort of basic adventure game. Think sort of like the really simple old ones where you have to run into certain objects and avoid others to gain points. You'll lose lives if you hit the bad things, and when you run out, the game is over. Pretty simple, right? The rest of the program, including the theme and story, is up to us, and our professor showed us several examples in class today. The first one? Perry The Platypus. 

As the game started up, there was some pretty intense Perry The Platypus music, and the game was run where you had to run into Doofenshmirtz to stop him while avoiding Phineas and Ferb. It actually seemed like a lot of fun, and I quickly snapped a picture to prove that yes, indeed, I'm not lying. 

What I'll be doing for my own game has yet to be determined, but expect it to have at least something to do with Disney. I figure something with the parks could be especially fun, but that might include a lot of coding if I did it the way I want to. So perhaps The Lion King will come into play, or another classic Disney movie. I don't know about you, but I played a lot of those simple kinds of games on the computer as a kid, and this seems like the perfect chance to relive some of those memories! 

If you have any suggestions as to what kind of game I should do, leave them in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1172: The Salmon Run

Disney had all kinds of awesome computer games back in the day, and by far one of my all time favorites was Brother Bear. I don't know if being a bear is actually more fun than being a human, but based on the adventures in this game, I kind of want to be a bear! 

I don't remember it all perfectly, but I do remember that there were two parts of the game that were simply the best: the Salmon Run and the Sledding. Since I don't actually have the game anymore, at least not on a computer I can play, here's a couple of videos from YouTube to give you an idea of the ins and outs of this epic adventure: 

Pretty awesome, right? Gosh, I think I'm going to have to go find my old disc and try to install it on my computer because the want to play this is so real right now! 

After all, the salmon aren't going to catch themselves! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1146: Zoo Tycoon 2

There are some things that simply mark our childhoods and make us the people we are today. Zoo Tycoon was one of those things. 

Not long ago, my friends and I had an entire conversation at lunch about Zoo Tycoon. I'm not talking about a mention it and move onto the next topic type of conversation...no, a literal, real, half hour conversation about how much we loved Zoo Tycoon (and other old computer games...Rollercoaster Tycoon was at the top of that list too), and then my roommate and I proceeded to search out our copies of the game. Coming up empty handed, she ordered the game online and now we've all got zoos on our computers, filled with animals of every kind. 

Personally, I think I took Zoo Tycoon 2 a bit too seriously as a kid, but I have the feeling that has something to do with Disney and how the parks look. I was always obsessed with making sure the themes matched the animal habitats and that everything looked as natural as possible, just like it does at Disnye's Animal Kingdom in Florida. I haven't had a ton of time to really make much of a zoo yet, but when I do I'll be sure to share all the random little Disney references that appear. I know for one that the very first elephant I buy will be named Red...and her little baby elephant will be Little Red. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 937: Breakfast Food

Moving into a larger dorm this fall also means that, for the first time, we have a kitchen to use as our own. Honestly, you wouldn't even think about how much it takes to put together a kitchen until you actually have to figure out what all goes in one...and then where it's all going to be stored, but we're making due. Regardless, it's sort of come to my attention that I may have a bit more cooking experience than some of my roommates, an odd feeling for me, especially since I don't even find myself to be THAT good of a cook. I mean, I can definitely make things and know the processes, but unless it's a batch of cupcakes, I just pray nothing burns and the pasta isn't like glue.

Doesn't mean that my roommates won't look at me like a chicken with its head chopped off when I pull out a spice rack and a lemon juicer.

Truth be told, I'm actually a weird type of OCD when it comes to food. I rarely measure things precisely. Well, I use measuring cups and stuff, but if it's not EXACTLY on the line, I don't worry too much about it, and things like olive oil or vanilla are rarely measured in my world. Whether that's due to me being lazy or what, I'm not sure, but the one thing I do find myself worrying about is definitely the processes and quality of the food. For instance, if I'm making some chicken, I'm not just going to throw that chicken into the pan. No, I'll probably end up marinating it some first and then baking it in the oven. Becuase I have so many allergies, I can't just eat freezer food or an apple and a slice of cheese. So generally, when I'm cooking something, I'm cooking something. From scratch, every process included.

And apparently I'm going to teach my roommates about some of these processes.

Now, once, over a year ago, I talked a little bit about My Disney Kitchen, the game I played as a child continuously. Why I found this cooking game so interesting I don't really know, but it definitely taught me how to make breakfast. Since blogging about it the last time, I found some video evidence of what I'm actually talking about...so here you go:

Of course, subconsciously, when Megan and I decided to make dinner last night and wanted breakfast food, we ended up making pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Funny how life works out that way. And you know what, our dinner looked a lot like the one served to Mickey and Minnie. 

Looking back at the game, however, I do find it a bit funny that Mickey and Minnie take turns eating. Also, I sort of wonder if that game is the reason I never like to do dishes. They just disappear from the table! 

Did you play the My Disney Kitchen game as a kid? Let me know in the comments below! 

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 374: Pancakes

Since my parents are gone to WDW for a few days, and then on a cruise, I'm here in charge of just about everything. That's all fine by me, but it also means that I actually have to make food for us. I love to cook, so again, not really a problem at all. In fact, this post has nothing to do with complaining about how I have to do all the choices that, between the four of us, we normally do, but all by myself.

No, I am here to talk about Pancakes. And believe it or not, I'm not going to be discussing how I made Mickey Shaped Pancakes, mostly because I didn't make Mickey Shaped Pancakes. No, I actually made Storybrooke inspired pancakes. Since they had chocolate chips in them (best way to make them), and I hate chocolate chip pancakes or waffles with syrup, I always eat them with whipped cream or cool whip or something. So then I added some cinnamon and, after I took this picture, more chocolate chips, and boom, Storybrooke Pancakes. Don't worry, I also had my daily hot chocolate...especially important since I didn't have any yesterday.

But that's not the ONLY reason I'm blogging about Pancakes. You see, I never really "learned" how to make pancakes. I mean, I never really practiced. Today was, honestly, probably the first time I made pancakes (although I've made the famous Mickey Waffles a bunch of times). But I still knew how to make them. Why? Because of a computer game I played as a kid. 

This wasn't just any ordinary computer game. See, when I was little I had a whole ton of computer games, but two of my favorites were totally my Disney ones. I had one that was like a Walt Disney World Resort one that explored all over WDW in Computer Game form (I specifically remember the Haunted Mansion and the Living Seas parts). The other, and here's where the pancakes come in, was this cooking one with Mickey and Minnie. You were like neighbors with them and could bake them cakes and invite them over for a breakfast meal and stuff. 

So you would sit there and cook the breakfast, which consisted of pancakes, eggs and bacon. You had to get it just right though, flipping the pancakes at the right time and everything. And that is, basically, how I learned how to correctly cook pancakes. Apparently the game was fairly accurate and I learned a lot from it. Oh, I also remember you could throw fish out the window...but that's another story for another blog post.

Have a magical day!

Day 101: Dalmatians!

You have no idea how excited I was when I realized that this post was 101...and there's really only one thing that it can be about!

I can see no better topic than the wonderful bunch of little spotted puppies that star in Disney's animated feature, "101 Dalmatians," which just happens to be one of my favorite films.

It's not my favorite, as that's reserved for Lady and the Tramp and Beauty and the Beast, but it's probably about 3rd or 4th on my list. I think it's probably because of the dogs though...as a kid (and still today), I loved dogs, so any movie about them made me excited.

Plus, how many of you honestly wanted to be a dog on the Twilight Bark? If I went outside and started barking I basically started my own Twilight Bark...not that I could understand anything that was going on, but still! And Cruella is probably one of the best Disney villains from my perspective...I think it's the theme song!

And then, of course, there was this movie:

And this one: 

And one more: 

I think the dalmatians have been pretty successful! So many great movies all based off the same story line  I personally like the original animated feature the best though, and the book of course! And I remember having the Disney Interactive 101 Dalmatians computer game too! Boy was that fun!

Anyway, here's today's Disney History: 2006: Winnie the Pooh celebrates his 80th birthday by receiving the 2,308th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California. Pooh is one of a select few animated characters to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - an honor that is perfectly timed to the global 18-month long Pooh anniversary celebration Disney kicked off in December 2005. The only other Disney characters to be given a star, as of this day, are Mickey, Donald and Snow White.

Have a magical, one of a kind, day!