Wordless Wednesday: Sweet Tooth

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Related Links:
* Wordless Wednesday: Main Street USA
* Wordless Wednesday: It's the End of the World as We Know It
* Wordless Wednesday: Sunset Over Epcot

Disney Memories: One to Forget

So it’s old news by now that Disney has a new marketing campaign that it announced with all the brouhaha that is usually reserved for announcements of actual things. The big news? The Disney Parks promotion for 2011 is called Let the Memories Begin, which, in addition to being a ridiculous name (Did the memories ever stop? Isn’t this what the Men in Black say after they flash someone with that wand-thing?), is also manipulative and proves that social media concepts (in this case, the “sharing economy”) should not be applied to real life.

Here’s the sell: people upload their Disney memories – stories, videos, photos, etc – and share them at DisneyParks.com/memories. In the parks themselves, Disney PhotoPass photographers will provide images taken that day to feed a nighttime show and the images will be projected onto Cinderella’s Castle (and “it’s a small world” in Disneyland) with great fanfare and music.

My first thought was, what a silly idea. You know how you go over a friend’s house and she is all, "We just went on an awesome vacation" and you politely say, “Oh that’s great. I’ll have to see pictures sometime,” and then you realize you've gone and done it and now your friend has retrieved a massive photo album and now you are stuck looking at 500 family photos and ooohing and aahhhing and omg that's hilarious-ing out of politeness while awkwardly peeking over her shoulder for an hour? This is that experience, except you will be standing the whole time.

But that’s just the castle piece of the Disney Memories promotion. The other piece is that your Disney photos, videos, and memories can be used in television advertisements and posters. As if this is some sort of privilege, when the sad reality is it’s cheaper for Disney to use your old home movies than it is for them to recreate them with actors. You sign over rights to use your image and likeness, Disney saves a few bucks, and you get … what, exactly? Let’s be clear on this – “Let the Memories Begin” is not a value-add for guests. It’s a marketing strategy, pure and simple. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Disney privacy policy says that your information can be shared with other Disney firms and companies that do business with Disney. So congratulations Disney Parks, you’re now as shady as Facebook.

And then my snark and mockery gave way to something else … disappointment. To Disney, we are just bodies to fill the parks, wallets fat with money to spend, and after it’s all over, we can be used as pawns in the Great Disney Marketing Machine. And it makes me sad to see the same company that was once so focused on helping families create memories, now being focused on exploiting them.

Because here’s the thing about memories. They’re personal. They’re unique to me. And while a photo of us may look like just another family enjoying their day at WDW, the real story is often so much more than that. Maybe it was from the first trip we all took as grownups. Maybe it was the trip where my sister got over her fear of roller coasters, and we could finally enjoy every ride together. Maybe it was the trip where we could afford to stay on Disney property for the first time. Maybe it was the first trip we took without my dad after my parents divorced. These memories are so important and so special and so priceless to me, and no Disney, you may not co-op them to sell more theme park tickets. I don’t know what’s more insulting, that they even asked in the first place or that they’re trying to manipulate me into thinking it’s a privilege.

I don’t know if Walt would be ashamed, but I certainly am. And that’s a memory I wish I would go away.

This post is part of the DisMarks Blog Carnival. For more Disney reads, click here.
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Related Links:
* An Open Letter to 3-D
* Meet the New Minnie Mouse. Then Back Away Slowly.
* The Problem with Disney Princesses

Sunflower Seed Bread - Garden Grill, Epcot

Fall is finally here, and my kitchen couldn't be happier! Finally, I can bake things without dying of heatstroke. And fall foods are some of my favorites - apple pies, soups, and breads. Heaven. And in a moment of "let's start brainstorming what to make for Thanksgiving this year," I decided to whip up some of the Garden Grill's Sunflower Seed Bread. If you have the time, this recipe is a worthy investment.

First, make the starter dough.

Ingredients:
3/8 cup water
1 cup bread flour
pinch of fresh yeast

Start it up!
Mix together all ingredients and rest overnight in refrigerator.

The next day, it's time to get baking!

Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups starter dough
3/4 oz. fresh yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups water

To Make:

1. Mix everything together and knead dough until smooth texture and it comes away from the mixing bowl clean.

2. Cover dough with cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.

3. Scale dough pieces into desired weight and shape pieces into round dough balls.

4. Proof the dough until it is double the size.

5. Place in hot oven (400°F) for approximately 15-20 minutes. Delicious!

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Related Links:
* Macaroni and Cheese - Jiko, Animal Kingdom Lodge
* Sweet Bread - Kona Cafe, Polynesian Resort
* French Toast Loaf - Main Street Bakery

Turning WDW Memories into Keepsakes, Plus: A Giveaway!

Alright team, I'm back. I took a brief (well, an almost-week-long) trip to Acadia National Park for my family's annual hike-eat-laugh-shop-walk-talk-putt-relax trip. And now, even though I've only been home one day, I'm already looking through my 500+ pictures and wishing I could go back there. And not just because I have a serious craving for blueberry pancakes.

Which brings me to today's post - photos. I'm a compulsive picture-taker. Not in the now-let's-do-kissy-photos-sisters-for-life-did-someone-say-shots?! or the that-dirty-puddle-of-rainwater-is-so-inspiring sense, but in that I-love-this-trip-so-much-I-must-document-everything-and-one-day-I-will-cherish-that-blurry-photo-of-the-rhino-we-saw-on-our-third-ride-on-Kilmanjaro-Safaris way. On my last WDW trip, I took 2000 photos. There are maybe 50 that will eventually make it into a Wordless Wednesday post. I am That Person.

So when I met the team from FujiFilm at this year's BlogHer conference, they were showcasing an impressive array of customizable photo gifts from SeeHere.com, their online photo service that lets you create prints, cards, photo books, mugs, tote bags, and .... coasters! I immediately started brainstorming cool ways I could remember this year's trip to WDW, and voila!

(That's me on the left in both photos. And yes, I purposely left out Hollywood Studios in this collage. I don't have digital photos of the Earful Tower and I refuse to acknowledge The Hat. So.)

Pretty cool, oui? And they were easy to make - the hardest part was deciding which pictures to use, you know, because I took 2000 of them. After you register and upload your photos, you'll be prompted as to whether you want to continue with your pictures as is, or get a little fancy:

Obviously, I chose the collage option, and from there you can add text (the "We're Celebrating" refers to the fact that we were celebrating my sister's graduation and birthday, and we had the pins to show for it), clip art, backgrounds, and other effects. You then adjust your elements by size and perspective, pop it in the shopping cart, and wait for the mailman. Easy peasy - and I love how crisp and clear the final product is.

GIVEAWAY! Thanks to the good people at FujiFilm, you have a chance to win a custom coaster set from SeeHere.com. To enter, leave a comment below and answer the question: what WDW memory would you like to commemorate?

The giveaway ends Wednesday, September 22 at 11:59 PM EST - good luck!

Disclosure: SeeHere.com provided me with the above coasters for free, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

The Disney Chick Enters the Terrible Twos

Today is a special day 'round these parts, and not just because it's Labor Day and I finally have a day off to get my life in order. Today marks the second anniversary of the day I started this blog. The day I said, maybe I'll give this blogging thing a try. The day I said, maybe someone out there will actually give a hoot as to what I think the best quick-service restaurants in WDW are. The day I said, maybe there are other Disney fans out there who are just as passionate and wacky and weird and ranty as me.

In other words, it was a pretty awesome day.

I continue to be amazed at the wonderful Disney community I've found online, and the friends I've made through various channels. Your comments make me laugh, your blog posts make me smile, and your tweets make the day go by just a little bit faster. One of the biggest surprises for me this year actually came when I was in WDW for a week. I opted to not bring my laptop because I didn't want to feel like I was constantly on assignment, and yet, any time anything random/funny/weird/awesome happened, all I could think was I can't wait to blog about this.

In my first year of blogging, I was finding my voice. This year, I really let my geek flag fly - and it turns out my voice is really shouty sometimes. So thank you - thank you for the comments, the tweets, the encouragement, the laughs, the inspiration, and the fun. Thanks for another great year!

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* The Disney Chick Turns 1!

Who Will Win Dancing with the Stars? Let's Decide Now.

On Monday, I posted my gut reactions to the Dancing with the Stars Season 11 casting news. But now that the partnerships have been announced, all bets are off. Actually, no. Wait. All bets are on, because now we can speculate on who will take home the mirrorball trophy!

Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower
The Good: Chelsie is a great choreographer, and an even
better teacher. Her biggest challenge will be getting him through the Latin rounds.
The Bad: Michael Bolton lost his long locks, and therefore his power.
Odds of Winning: Unlikely, but they should finish in the top half of the season.

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
The Good: She knows a thing or two about performing in front of an audience.
The Bad: Brandy seems like a crier.
Odds of Winning: Debatable. She'll either be the Lil' Kim or the Shannen Doherty of this season.

Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel
The Good: Margaret has a fiesty fan base.
The Bad: I'm not sure they watch this show.
Odds of Winning: If Margaret and Louis are half as funny as Louis/Kelly or Louis/Niecy, she could stick around for awhile.

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
The Good: Athletes have a track record of doing very well on this show.
The Bad: Those athletes are not usually NBA players.
Odds of Winning: With no Olympians to compete against, he might have a clear path to the finals, if his height doesn't get in the way.

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
The Good: Well, she has danced before. Sort of.
The Bad: There's no way the producers would set Derek up to win the mirrorball yet again.
Odds of Winning: Nil. Odds of Bruno making Dirty Dancing jokes? A sure thing.

David Hasselhoff and Kym Johnson
The Good: Dancing with the Stars was made for people like David Hasselhoff.
The Bad: He could be easily distracted by the parties held in The Situation's trailer.
Odds of Winning: 2-1. He's my pick to win the whole thing.

Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas
The Good: Who doesn't love Florence Henderson? Seriously.
The Bad: Corky. Why?!
Odds of Winning: She's one of the most likeable people on the show, so I think she'll be with us for a long time.

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
The Good: The Disney Channel appeal thing worked out pretty well for Cody Linley.
The Bad: Lacey's choreography often gets her in hot water with the judges.
Odds of Winning: Unlikely.

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
The Good: NFL stars do very, very well on this show.
The Bad: Something tells me he's not going to be the easiest student.
Odds of Winning: Ultimately, this one is up to Anna.

Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
The Good: Um, Tony has sparkly teeth?
The Bad: There are much bigger curiosities this season, she'll be easily forgotten.
Odds of Winning: If anything, she'll go home first.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Karina Smirnoff
The Good: He's already tan.
The Bad: There is no bad. THIS CAN ONLY BE AWESOME.

Odds of Winning: Assuming he actually shows up for practice once in awhile ... who am I kidding? This is the most entertaining partnership in the history of DWTS.

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas

The Good: She can't be worse than Kate Gosselin.

The Bad: Shannen Doherty last season and now Bristol? Is Mark being punished for something?

Odds of Winning: Surely you jest.

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Related Links:

* Dancing with the Stars Season 11 Cast Announced
* Troy Aikman is Bad at Secrets and Other DWTS News

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset Over Epcot

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* Wordless Wednesday: Sunset Dinner at the California Grill
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