Sunday, November 12, 2006

a mistake?

Quite honestly, I was out of the loop when The Walt Disney Company decided that this was a good idea. I was 12 years old and Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet. The company was, of course, celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Walt Disney World Resort (and the Magic Kingdom in particular). However, they turned a veritable icon into somewhat of a monstrosity.

Those that know me are aware that I am a huge fan of the Disney parks in general. I am unable to figure out exactly why that is. During my senior year at Hope, I did some extensive thinking about this, and the result was my worldview paper. My worldview since then has changed, but the words remain very true to my life experience and love for Walt Disney World:

The year was 1989, I was five years old, and it was my second trip to the World (I was just six months old the first time my family visited, so I only have vague recollections of what the place was all about during that trip). I honestly do not remember all that much about the trip. I do remember, however, the plane ride down with a connection in Baltimore, Maryland, the rental minivan (all we had ever ridden in was a 1980s Chevrolet Caprice station wagon replete with wood paneling on the sides), the Days Inn motel where we stayed, and of course, lingering memories of the parks themselves. This was an important time for my family, and would actually be the last vacation that we ever had while I was living with my parents.

I remember being in awe at everything there was to see and do at the resort. There were scary and not-so-scary rides, the magnificent geodesic sphere at EPCOT Center called “Spaceship Earth”, and all kinds of Disney characters to meet and greet. There was also the impressive monorail system that took us from park to park during our stay, and the ferry that brought us from the parking lot across the man-made Bay Lake to the Magic Kingdom. I will never be more impressed than by the effort that is made at Disney World to completely transport the guest from the everyday to a place where the everyday ceases to exist. I loved that vacation to Walt Disney World; my memories are lasting and their impressions remain strong upon me to this very day.

Does it matter what impacts us as long as we are changed for the better? No mistake here.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

just terrific

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

so what

I occasionally use this blog as a forum for terrific videos by my favorite bands, and this post is no exception. You have to check out Rockapella, a throw back to the old "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" game show of PBS lore. This is one of their newest songs, "Tonight."

Monday, November 06, 2006

awake


The reality is: I dig this guy's music. His new CD, "Awake", comes out tomorrow, and I will definitely be picking it up on iTunes (wow that sentence was comma-crazy).

As if I needed more incentive to listen to Josh's music; a track ("Lullaby") from this album was co-written was another of my favorites, Dave Matthews.

You can actually listen to the entire CD here. If you like it, be sure to pick it up tomorrow, November 7.