Disneyland’s 63rd Birthday!

63 years ago today, Walt Disney uttered these now famous words: To all who come to this happy place – Welcome – Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past…and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America…with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Happy Birthday, Disneyland! 😀 *HUG*

Judge orders RunDisney The Animated Series to release an official timeline

7 Technological Wonders Predicted by Disney Theme Park Attractions – D23 Fun! Kind of silly, but still! RUMOR: RunDisney Cancels All Future Race Events, Half Marathons at the Disneyland Resort – WDW News Today Innnnteresting. Some friends were having a discussion recently about some sort of RunDisney hub-bub, and I wonder if some (any) of the concerns are addressed/explained by this rumor. UPDATE – 18th October 2017 My wife reminded me that there is some additional, political context to this issue in the current battle between Disney and the Anaheim City Council. The L.A. Times did a good job breaking down the situation in their two-part article here: Is Disney paying its share in Anaheim? The money battle outside the Happiest Place on Earth – Los Angeles Times Marvel will release an official timeline for MCU after Spider-Man: Homecoming fiasco – Polygon Um….okay? I didn’t know this was such a … Continue reading →

Assassin’s “Fixer Upper” proves that Bob Iger isn’t a Szechuan aberration

A co-worker was poking around Google Maps and stumbled upon this unusual, yet practical demonstration of chromatic aberration (Wikipedia). Us Weekly | ‘Fixer Upper’ Was Presenting a ‘Security Issue’ for Chip, Joanna Gaines So beautiful! I’ve only seen the show a handful of times, but the hosts always struck me as genuinely good people and this only confirms it in my mind. PC Gamer | For better or worse, Assassin’s Creed: Origins is an RPG now This very much whets my appetite for more. 27 October can’t get here fast enough! Polygon | Disney chief was consulted about decision to kill Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens I don’t know why, but this feels like Iger trying to (unneccesarily) prove that he’s a mover / shaker or something. Polygon | Rick and Morty fans, McDonald’s is bringing back Szechuan sauce This is very amusing to me. I don’t … Continue reading →

Walt Disney World and EPCOT Center Anniversary

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALT DISNEY WORLD (46) AND EPCOT CENTER (35)!!!

On this day in 1971, the vacation kingdom of Walt Disney World (Wikipedia’s article) first opened the gates of the Magic Kingdom (Disney’s second theme park), the doors of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, and the links of the Palm and Magnolia Golf Courses. Wikipedia’s article on Walt Disney World This Day In Disney History’s article on Walt Disney World’s Grand Opening Walt’s big brother Roy O. dedicated the Magic Kingdom with these words: Walt Disney World is tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney … and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney’s dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place … a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can … Continue reading →

Disneyland’s 62nd Birthday!

62 years ago, Walt Disney uttered these famous words. To all who come to this happy place – Welcome – Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past…and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America…with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Happy Birthday, Disneyland! 😀 *HUG*

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Playlist

When listening to soundtracks, I frequently like to listen to the tracks chronologically (i.e. in the order they were used in the film). So I thought I’d share that playlist-like order for “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2“. I’ve also tried to provide spoiler-free alternate titles for the scenes that go with song. Enjoy! “Brandy You’re a Fine Girl” – Looking Glass Prologue “Mr. Blue Sky” – Electric Light Orchestra Defending the batteries “Lake Shore Drive” – Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah Leaving the Sovereign “The Chain” – Fleetwood Mac Leaving with Ego “Southern Nights” – Glen Campbell Rocket on the prowl “My Sweet Lord” – George Harrison Ego’s planet “Come a Little Bit Closer” – Jay and the Americans Yondu’s escape “Bring it On Home to Me” – Sam Cooke This unspoken thing between us “Brandy You’re a Fine Girl” (Reprise) Ego consoles Peter “Wham Bang Shang-A-Lang” … Continue reading →

The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

The LEGO Batman Movie – McMennamins Kennedy School, Portland, OR

The problem I had with The LEGO Batman Movie was that, while it was funny, it was…for lack of a better word odd to experience this movie that feels like it’s in the same universe as The LEGO Movie (with it’s wonderful conceit of the kid mashing together the worlds), but to never have confirmation/acknowledgement that we are actually in that universe. That lack of confirmation makes me feel like we’re being asked to accept at face-value that non-DC characters were legitimately banished to the Phantom Zone. And that just makes me twitchy lol.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Logo)

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closes after 146 years

Source: https://a.msn.com/r/2/AAlSxkf?m=en-us As a passionate fan of Cy Coleman’s “Barnum” and the extraordinary life that Phineas Taylor lived, this saddens me. Although the sadness was slightly bolstered by listening to the finale of the show, “Join The Circus.” Reading through the article and talking about it with my wife, there were several curious nuggets that emerged from the discussion that I wanted to share. The article mentions shorter attention spans as one reason why circus attendance has declined and I wonder if maybe a Saturday morning cartoon where the circus has to solve mysteries or something might not have helped with that. I also wonder if it might even help people be less afraid of clowns playing detective. Despite winning a civil court battle regarding “allegations that circus employees mistreated elephants”, the circus continued to face negative pressure from animal rights groups and municipalities (in the form of local ordinance … Continue reading →

Bridal* Falls

Yesterday we went on a little excursion up the Columbia River Gorge. While it was gorgeous and lots of fun, we were surprised that one of the falls was named Bridal Veil Falls since we could think of at least one other falls named something like that (Niagara). So I took to Google to try and find where else waterfalls had taken on a matrimonial nom de plume. https://www.google.com/search?q=bridal+falls&oq=bridal+falls&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.6073j0j4&client=ms-android-att-aio-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8 Apparently it’s not that easy. So I thought I’d try and compile a list here. Oregon: Bridal Veil Falls (Colombia River Gorge) http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=107 California: Bridalveil Fall (Yosemite) https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bridalveilfalltrail.htm Colorado: Bridal Veil Falls (Telluride) http://www.visittelluride.com/activity/bridal-veil-falls British Columbia: Bridal Veil Falls (Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park) http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bridalveil_falls/ New York: Bridal Veil Falls (Niagara Falls) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridal_Veil_Falls_(Niagara_Falls) New York: Bridal Falls (Allegany State Park) http://falzguy.com/bridal-falls.html Arkansas: Bridal Veil Falls (Heber Springs) http://www.heberspringsparksandrec.com/bridalveilfalls.html Washington: Bridal Veil Falls (Lake Serene) http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/lake-serene North Carolina: Bridal Veil Falls (Nantahala … Continue reading →