Day 1229: Just Be Nice

If there's one thing I've noticed as a part of the Once Upon A Time fandom, it's that people can be just downright rude. Aside from my personal experiences lately, I can't help but see the constant bullying, arguing, and honest to God wars that occur via social media. It's really terrible. Which leads me to my point today, and I'll try to keep it brief. 

Just. Be. Nice. 

We're all very different people, from all over the world, with different backgrounds. We have different favorite characters, different favorite episodes, lines, ships, and story arcs, but that doesn't mean we should be arguing about it. One of the most important lessons I've ever learned was the idea of agreeing to disagree, and I think that's what the OUAT fandom really needs these days. 

I think that's what we all need these days, to agree to disagree, and understand that just because we don't share every single opinion doesn't mean we should be rude. No one is worthless because of their opinion, and while I have my own ships and favorites, I'm not about to say that anyone else is wrong because they prefer someone else. That would be ridiculous. 

So don't do that. Be nice. That's not that hard to accomplish.

Have a magical day!

Day 620: Christmas Lights

I collect many things, and tweets from famous people is one of them.

Now there are a few things I consider. Really, if a famous person (or anyone with that little blue check mark or who is on TV or is in a band, etc) tweets you back, then that's obviously a huge win. It doesn't happen very often, especially when you get into those high ranking twitter users. Yep, Colin O'Donoghue I'm talking about you. I classify this as Level One.

Level Two features the retweet, because who doesn't want to be retweeted by a famous person. That's a pretty darn awesome thing to have happen, especially if they quote your tweet and say something like "I LOVE THIS!" Happens on occasion...although I don't think I've ever had this happen to me specifically. Someday I tell you, someday.

And then there's a Level Three, not to be underestimated, the favorite. These are great because it shows that whoever you tagged is indeed looking through their mentions and happened to notice yours. I definitely count these in my collection because they're pretty easy to get.

Over time I've had a lot of favorites and mentions. I have a L1 Colin, of course, as well as L1 from Adam Horowitz (x3), Raphael Sbarge (Archie) and various others from the Once Cast as well as Top Gear America and others. Like I said I don't really have any Level 2's, but I do have a great collection of Level 3's, including this brand new one.

The other day I spent a good couple of hours putting up Christmas Lights in our dorm room. Since deciding we would room together last spring, my roommates and I have always talked Christmas lights in our room. It's a popular decoration on Pinterest and you see it throughout dorm rooms here at SNC. It took us a few weeks to get it done, but with a couple of free hours I put myself to work on various activities around our room, and those lights happened to be one of them. They look pretty great, huh?

Well, I posted this photo on Instagram after finishing, and then included it on Twitter as my photo of the day for #101DaysOfSmiles, which is 101 days of photos of things that make us smile started by Jennifer Morrison. She's participating and is encouraging everyone else, especially the Ugly Ducklings, to do so as well. Of course, I picked it up right away myself on my first day of the school year, oddly enough.

But later that day as I stood with two of my roommates in one of the buildings on campus before class, and my phone went off with a Twitter Notification, we ended those last few minutes before learning with a favorite from Jennifer Morrison herself.

That's right everyone, Jennifer Morrison likes our dorm room. BEST. DAY. EVER.

And that's just part one...there's still a canvas to be put up!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 14).

Day 318: Vlogs

Over the past couple of days...well, yesterday and today...I've been in the mood to go and rewatch my vlogs. I don't really know why but that's what I've been doing. Yesterday while working on homework and today while working on making up some of the blog posts I'm missing from the last few weeks. It works out pretty well just because I can have the videos play on Youtube while I write stuff and I just split the screen and I can do both. No problem.

So I figured I would share which of my vlogs are my favorites. I know it's kind of hard to pick specific favorites because I do love all of them. It's nice to be able to go back and watch the videos from my vacations to Disney, especially when I'm missing home like I have been for the past few days.

Anyways, here are just a couple of my favorite vlogs that I've made during my past two trips to WDW:

While I absolutely hate the quality of the entire first trip of vlogs, I have to include a couple of them, and one of my all time favorites is this one: the original vlog. That's right, this was the very first Disney vlog I made, and now I've got a whole bunch that I can watch. Why do I love this one? Well, it holds new experiences for me, we meet Walt, my brother is hilarious and it's just overall great. Oh...and the blue screen theory. 

Day five of that trip was pretty awesome too. I mean, we see the behinds the scenes stuff that doesn't include Harrison Ford (I have no idea why), see Indiana Jones and play high speed ping pong! And I beat my brother...which is always fun. 

This actually happens to be the vlog I'm watching as I write this post, and felt that it should be in here because it does make me laugh and has Canadian music and Star Tours and my brother is hilarious, as usual. Oh, and we go to Be Our Guest for the very first time. 

As much as I hated not getting to Disney on time, I do love this vlog. I mean, just the fact that I watch the sunset over the Magic Kingdom, and my brother being all interesting as we were waiting in the airports for stuff, and wishes at the end, and how we were on the 16th floor on Bay Lake Tower all leads to awesomeness. 

On the fourth day of my last trip I went a lot of places, but I included this because the end of that day was seriously one of the best endings I've had in a while (although I think the other one probably tops it). Either way, this vlog holds a lot of great memories...plus the entire Main Street Electrical Parade is in it, so that's pretty awesome too. 

This vlog just makes me happy in general. I mean, with the whole Harrison Ford thing and me being a Galactic Hero AGAIN (and then singing a song about it), it's just a wonderful video. 

I'll be honest, there's nothing quite like spending your birthday at Walt Disney World, so this vlog certainly holds a special place in my heart just because of that. But then there's the fact that I ended my birthday in the best possible way...staying in the Magic Kingdom until after hours and then being the last people out after basically seeing the Kiss Goodnight presented just for us. And then my brother is absolutely hilarious. Yes Jonny...that is a leafy bush. 

That about rounds it out, although I still have about 7 vlogs left to watch tomorrow since I'm still not finished. It is midnight though, or almost, and if I don't get this blog post finished before the strike of twelve I have to change the date and time and it just gets annoying! 

 

Frumpstagram threw me for a loop today. The prompt was "Pineapple Princess," which seems fine, except I have three problems: (1) I'm allergic to Pineapple; (2) I'm also lactose intolerant...meaning very few dole whips for me; (3) I have no pictures of the Polynesian WHATSOEVER. I know, terrible. So instead I found the Poly in the Birnbaum Guide to Walt Disney World. That counts, right?

Here's today's Disney History: 1964: Actor Patrick Warburton, the voices of Alien Cop in Chicken Little and Patrick in Home on the Range, is born in Paterson, New Jersey. His Disney credits also include Sky High, the Emperor's New Groove and Kim Possible: The Secret Files. He also supplies the voice for Buzz Lightyear (a Toy Story character usually associated with Tim Allen) for the TV series and video games. Warburton is featured in the "preboarding" film shown to guests at Soarin' Over California in Disney's California Adventure Park and Soarin' in Florida's Epcot.

11:59! MADE IT!

Have a magical day!

Day 254: Which Wins?

I eat dinner with the same few people just about every night. I mean, my best friends and I have Wind Ensemble and then we eat together because, well, it's 6 o'clock and it's dinner time. That's just how things work. So this evening we were discussing Disney, because that's such an odd topic for me to be talking about, right? 

Anyway, one of my friends asked me why I was pushing Hollywood Studios for the band trip over Animal Kingdom, and this is a legitimate question. I was asked which I'd rather see on the trip and after some thought, I did decide that Hollywood Studios would be a better fit for our group. Of course, then we got into the discussion over which park is the best. I said Epcot, because it is, in every way, my favorite park. She said Animal Kingdom and argued that the band should be going there instead of Epcot. 

Megan, my best friend, just commented that our other friend had a death wish. 

But thinking about it in the end, why WOULD I choose the three parks I have for the band? Why Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios? And so, here we have a perfect topic for a blog post. 

Magic Kingdom: 

I think this one can mostly go without saying. We're officially marching at 2:30 on June 25th, 2014 in the Magic Kingdom, and I am super excited. There's just absolutely no way one can go to Disney World and NOT go to Magic Kingdom. It's classic, has some great thrills and just screams Disney. It's the essential home of Walt Disney World. 

Hollywood Studios: 

We'll put this one second just because then I can leave the final debate of Animal Kingdom and Epcot at the end. When I was initially asked which of the parks I'd rather see, I chose this one for the following reasons. Hollywood Studios has multiple E-Ticket Attractions, including Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Toy Story Midway Mania and Star Tours, but that's not all. Hollywood Studios also has a lot for the less adventurous person, including a walk through One Man's Dream, MuppetVision 3D, The Great Movie Ride, The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and so much more. There's just a lot for this park to offer a group like my band. It just makes sense, right? 

Epcot: 

Now, part of the reason we MUST travel there is because our recording session is located at Epcot, but I feel like Epcot is essential for everyone to hit on their Disney Vacation because it is, to a point, part of Walt's actual dream. Epcot, in it's original form was the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, but that's not all. There's three GREAT E-Ticket Attractions, Test Track, Soarin' and Mission SPACE, as well as many other classic attractions such as Ellen's Energy Adventure and Living with the Land. And that's not even including World Showcase! There's so much to explore there that I haven't even done it all, and I spend hours and hours at Epcot! But I think the absolute best reason for Epcot to be a must see is at the end of the day: Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. It's the absolute perfect display of fireworks!

Why not Animal Kingdom?

The reason I am turning Animal Kingdom down is as follows. While there are, when I finally did count, Four E-Ticket Attractions, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur and Kilimanjaro Safari, there isn't much else for this park to offer. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Animal Kingdom, and for many many years it ranked about Hollywood Studios on my list of favorites (that only changed when I watched Star Wars, honest). Yes, there's Finding Nemo and the Lion King and the trails and what's left of Dinoland, but that's about it. Tough to be a Bug is in there too, but that really is it. That's all Animal Kingdom has to offer. But you see, the NUMBER ONE REASON I'm suggesting we DON'T go to Animal Kingdom is because of the park hours. Animal Kingdom is only open from 9 (8 maybe if we stay on property AND meet a day that works) to what, 7 or 8 in the summer? Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom are all open until 9 or later. It makes for a longer day with more time to see things, and we certainly don't want to waste time on our short trip. 

And so, in the end, I guess this doesn't necessarily determine which is better, but which is the best fit for our HS Band. I love all four theme parks, and that's something I honestly wouldn't have been able to say a couple of years ago. Actually, I hated Hollywood Studios (I found there was little for me to do there), but now I have learned to love it. In it's place, Animal Kingdom has just fallen short for me recently. With the changes in Kilimanjaro Safaris and the looming Avatar Land, I just don't see it as the same park it always was. Yes, all four would be great for the band, but in the overall scheme of things, our best choices are Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. 

What do you think though? Does Epcot have too little for the group? Does Animal Kingdom have more to offer than meets my eye? Which is your favorite park, and for what reason? I'm legitimately curious!

Frumpstagram threw me another loop today and asked for a Princess Picture...which of course, I don't really have many of. Did you know that in the past five years I've met two princesses...and seriously, one was by accident. I really hope that will change when I go with the band though! I'm ready to meet some characters!

Here's today's Disney History: 2001: Following the morning terrorist attacks on The Pentagon, New York City's World Trade Center and in the air over Pennsylvania, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California, close without incident. All the resort hotels remain open and provide accommodations to guests who are unable to leave. Phone charges are suspended so that guests can reach family. The closure marks only the second time Disneyland has locked its gates in its 56-year history due to a national tragedy. The first time followed the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963.

Have a magical day, and always remember 9/11!

Day 224: A Few of My Favorite Things V2

Originally I was going to wait a while before doing another volume of my Favorite Things post, but considering the topic, it just felt right. You see, exactly two years ago I was vacationing at Disneyland for the very first time, and I can't wait to go back, even if it will probably be another two years before I get to return (I'm hoping my family will go back for the next D23 Expo in 2015). So much was going on, and as you already heard I went to the D23 Expo in 2011. But that doesn't mean I didn't have time to explore the parks!

Since I'm not really sure what categories I'm all going to have in the My Favorite Things Series, I'll just go with the basics. You know, Attraction in each of the two parks, Nighttime Activity, Mode of Transportation and, of course, Restaurant. Plus I'll showcase one thing that's my absolute favorite part about Disneyland, as well as my favorite version when comparing something to Walt Disney World! So let's get to it then!

Favorite Attractions: 

Disneyland Winner: 

Now, as much as I love the stunt show at WDW, having an entire ride just of Indiana Jones was AMAZING. I only got on it like twice because I didn't really realize how much I loved it until after I was gone. Like, I was always a fan of Indy as a kid but didn't rewatch it until AFTER I went to Disneyland. Still, I remember going on it the first time and just screaming "INDY!" like half of it because, I mean, why wouldn't you? It's one of the only times where it's totally appropriate to yell that! And I chose the poster for it because in the Poster Art of the Disney Parks Book I remember reading that the artist of this poster was working on it and realized that he just couldn't do it without Harrison Ford's likeness. So what does he do? Just casually calls Harrison Ford and asks him if he can use his likeness. Just CASUALLY CALLS HIM. How does one do that?!?

Disneyland Honorable Mention: Pirates of the Caribbean 

Disney California Adventure Winner: 

You know, as much as I feel that Aladdin is one of the most overrated Disney movies ever (sorry, I'm just not a fan), I REALLY loved this Musical version, and I can't wait to see it on Broadway sometime in the future. I actually saw it twice while at Disneyland, but I think I liked it more the first time. Genie was my favorite, of course, although The Carpet was pretty darn great too. And how Aladdin comes in on that Elephant!?! Amazing!

California Adventure Honorable Mention: Soarin' 

Favorite Nighttime Activity:

I think this is probably my absolute favorite thing I found at Disneyland. Like, I haven't loved something so much since Spaceship Earth and Illuminations. We were staying at Paradise Pier, and as you know if you read my other post, we were able to stay in a room with a Park View because of a Room Mix Up. So I got to watch World of Color every night, twice a night, even after our tickets were expired and we were just spending our time at D23. I'm pretty sure I cried watching it a bunch of times too. The entire show is just absolute Disney magic, and is for sure on my list of the most spectacular Disney attractions or shows ever created. 

Favorite Mode of Transportation: 

I feel like this must be kind of obvious because there's like...two modes of Transportation in all of Disneyland other than walking (God did my feet hurt after that week). But still, the monorail is still worth mentioning! It's not quite the same as the WDW Monorail, but you know what, I don't care! You can still sit in the front of this monorail, which is a luxury that we had to forgo at Disney World, so being able to do that is just really awesome! Plus, unlike Disney World with it's 12 monorail trains, there's only three at Disneyland. We only saw two of them though, the blue one above being one of them! Plus, I'll give it some credit for actually going in and out of the park! 

Favorite Restaurant: 

This one was such an easy choice...I think. Honestly we ate at so many places that I don't really remember them all so clearly. It was two years ago, after all! But I do remember that one of my absolute favorites was the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square. It doesn't get much cooler than eating IN an attraction (and I'll talk more about that in a minute), but that's not all! It's literally right next door to Club 33, the exclusive dining area for Walt Disney and his guests, and how only Club 33 members (which always pay a really pretty penny to be a member...after sitting on a waiting list for a really long time). Not many get to eat in Club 33, even though it's the dream of all of us, but Blue Bayou certainly has amazing food, and hey, it's like the same kitchen, right? 

It's Better at Disneyland: 

Speaking of Pirates of the Caribbean and Blue Bayou, it also holds the record for my favorite comparison attraction to Walt Disney World. Honestly, the WDW version of this just doesn't have a chance against this one. Like, you're always disappointed when you go on the WDW version after you've been on this one a few times. You start in the restaurant, and then there's an extra drop and a whole number of extra scenes before you get to the stuff you already see at Disney World. Plus, there's no ghost. That's ALWAYS a plus. 

Overall Favorite Thing:

Now, I feel it's worth mentioning that one of my overall reasons I love Disneyland, and one of the places it beats Disney World, is in the small town atmosphere. Like, the characters can walk around without handlers, and everyone is just a lot more friendly. Disney World is made up of theme parks, although they are one of a kind in every way, but Disneyland is just more quaint. You can really take your time strolling and seeing the magic that Walt saw in it when he was alive. It's Walt's dream, and while Disney World was too, this was the one he saw to completion. This is where he walked and lived, and where I think he still lives today. It's almost like you can feel his watching eye over the entire thing, and I think he'd be pretty proud of it all. 

So that concludes the second Volume of My Favorite Things. Since we had two posts pretty close together there might not be another one for a while, but we'll see! There's so much that will be going on in the next month that I have no clue when anything is going to be! 

Here's today's Disney History: 1958: Disney's stunning True-Life Adventure White Wilderness- directed and written by James Algar - is released. The 72-minute film, narrated by Disney producer-writer Winston Hibler, tells the story of the animal inhabitants of Canada's subarctic and Alaska's arctic wilds. 

Have a magical day!

Day 212: A Few of My Favorite Things V1

I do so many of the Volume Posts, but it just occurred to me recently that I never really talk about my personal favorite things at Walt Disney World. Maybe once I talked a bit about my favorite quiet places or smells or something. Even music, but I don't think I've ever had a series that just talks about things like my favorite attractions or restaurants. In other words, I figure that right now is a very good time to start (Gosh all these Sound of Music References!)

This will hopefully work just like my Disney Collection Series, where about Once a Month or so I'll post on a Different subject of my favorite Disney things! Of course, this topic could go absolutely anywhere in the Disney Universe, but we'll start with something simple: Attractions!

Magic Kingdom Winner: 

This one is really Really REALLY hard, because I absolutely adore so many of the Magic Kingdom attractions! I think after some tough thought (I even had to ask my dad!), my favorite attraction currently in the Magic Kingdom is The Haunted Mansion! This is actually pretty funny because this was my LEAST favorite attraction as a kid. But somewhere along the line I just fell in love with the music and the idea and the entire thing. Plus it houses my absolute favorite word: Prematurely! Oh, and on the topic of which is better, Disneyland or Disney World, totally Disney World on this one!

Magic Kingdom Runner Up: 

Ok, so I couldn't pick just one you know! Actually I think it's almost a tie between the three, but the runners up are easily Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. I've always loved Buzz, and after all, I am the Galactic Hero, but Space Mountain is a more recent addition. It is easily my favorite of the mountains at Disney, and of the roller coasters in general I think. I just love the fact that it's all dark and you don't really know what's coming. Well, I guess if you ride it enough you do, but when you go as often as I do, which isn't very often at all, you kind of forget what happens.

Honorable Mention: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Epcot Winner: 

This is the easiest one! Spaceship Earth! It was the first Disney attraction I was ever on, and honestly, if my life works according to plan it will be the last one before I die. Unless I die at Disney......but then I get to live at the Haunted Mansion, right? Either way, I have been on SSE over 130 times now, and it is absolutely my favorite attraction, not just in Epcot, but in all of Walt Disney World!

Epcot Runner Up: 

While not a "Ride" like all the others listed, this is a list of Attractions, meaning that The American Adventure is most certainly included! This attraction is actually the reason I'm so interested in History, although I have this feeling I talked about that a long time ago. Either way, it has lovely music and a great storyline (our country is pretty great!), and I have always loved the Civil War section with the story of the two brothers!

Honorable Mention: Test Track

Hollywood Studios Winner: 

This one was quite hard too, because my winner and runner up are seriously almost a tie. But the winner has to come out as Star Tours. Like most of the attractions on this list, I didn't like it until recently when I decided to watch Star Wars and then got motion sickness medicine so I would be able to ride it! The first time I went on it years ago I just wasn't impressed, but then I watched Star Wars, and then in November 2012 I went on it 9 times...searching for Han Solo of course!

Hollywood Studios Runner Up: 

And just behind Star Tours is the Great Movie Ride. It's another one of those attractions that's just a classic, one that you HAVE to go on! Plus I'm a pretty big fan of movies myself, and I've actually taken to watching most of the movies in the Great Movie Ride, not including the montage at the end of course, that could get tricky! Still it's helped me discover some of my favorite classic films such as Singin' in the Rain and Indiana Jones!

Honorable Mention: Toy Story Midway Mania

Animal Kingdom Winner: 

Gosh this is hard. For a park without a lot of attractions, it sure is hard to choose a favorite. Honestly though, I think I'm going to have to go with Expedition Everest. I hated this attraction for years, and then two years ago went on it because a couple of my friends wanted to. So I did. I learned I needed to take motion sickness if I ever wanted to go on again, but it has certainly become a must-do on my list each time I go!

Animal Kingdom Runner Up: 

Almost had another tie here, but I'll explain why I didn't. My runner up is Finding Nemo: The Musical. Why? Because I think it's one of the most brilliant things I have ever seen in my life! I am not joking, I absolutely LOVE this musical. I'm not able to see it every time I go, but I will certainly wait in line for a little while to see it! I mean, who can't love Nemo!?! BUT, this was ALMOST a tie with Kilimanjaro Safari. It wasn't and the Safari gets only an honorable mention because I am NOT a fan of the redo of the attraction. When I was growing up you went on a raging mission to save Little Red the baby Elephant. It was an adventure and it was EXCITING! Now there isn't a storyline anymore. You just go see animals, which is still cool in itself, but I really hope parts of the old attraction make their way back!

Honorable Mention: Kilimanjaro Safaris

And that's about it for Volume One of My Favorite Things! Of course, my favorites change all the time (Other than Spaceship Earth, that has been and always will be my favorite). Things come and go, just like Kilimanjaro Safaris did, so I'm sure it will be changing again in the future.

So, if you've been to the parks, what are your favorites? And if you haven't, which attractions sound like the most fun to you!?!

Here's today's Disney History: 1955: The Casey Jr. Circus Train (based on that train of the same name from the 1941 picture, Dumbo) debuts at Disneyland. Located in the back of Fantasyland next to Dumbo, the train was to open with the rest of the park on July 17, but it wasn't operating properly.

Have a magical day!