Daily Archives: April 14, 2014

10 Fun Facts About Disneyland!

Anyone who knows me could probably tell you that I’m a Disney fanatic! Disneyland is definitely one of my favorite subjects, after all, who doesn’t love Disneyland?! Today I have chosen to share with you ten slightly random facts about Disneyland.

1. Walt Disney was afraid of mice!

Who would have guessed? That’s right! The creator of perhaps the world’s most famous mouse, was afraid of mice!

 

2. The drawbridge leading into Sleeping Beauty’s Castle has been raised and lowered twice, once at the opening of Disneyland, and when Fantasyland was rededicated.

The bridge is real, but has only been raised and lowered twice. It would have been a great honor to have been there during these occasions.

 

3. At the top of the Matterhorn Bobsled ride there is a basketball court.

It’s true, there is actually a small space at the top of the Matterhorn Bobsled ride, which contains a hoop, backboard, and markings on the floor. The space is much, much smaller than a normal court, and it may be stretching it a bit to call it an actual basketball court. The space is used as a recreation and resting area for the real mountain climbers, who climb the Matterhorn.

 

4.  For $150 you can buy a small piece of Disneyland.

It cost that amount to buy a small hexagon shaped brick at the entrance of Disneyland, to have your name engraved in it.

 

5. In the tunnel under Sleeping Beauty Castle, that guest walk through to get to Fantasyland there is a small gold marking, that marks the exact center of the park.

Can you find it?

 

6.  The opening day of Disneyland was a disaster!

The blacktop wasn’t completely dry, a lot of the tickets were forged, and the plumbing didn’t work.

 

7. Sleeping Beauty Castle is much smaller than it appears.

The castle is built in a special way that makes it look bigger that it really is. The castle is also lined with gold, so that it sparkles all the time.

 

8.  There are 100 regions represented by animatronics in It’s a Small World ride.

Some of those regions are represented by Disney characters. I’m not sure if Ariel’s under the sea world counts as a region or not.

 

9.  There are 68 horses on King Arthur’s Carrousel, and all of them are different.

Wouldn’t you like the job of painting all of those?

 

10.  There are 999 ghost in The Haunted Mansion ride.

Are you scared?

 

 

TV Show Review

If your home is anything like the one I live in, you and your family always welcome a good TV show. One show I recently finished watching on Netflix is the BBC version of “Robin Hood”.  The first episode begins with Robin Hood and his friend Much returning home from fighting in the Holy Land. Little does Robin Hood know that his return is not welcome. His title as ‘Lord of Locksley’ will soon be handed over to the devious Guy of Gisborne when Robin crosses the Sheriff of Nottingham and his villainy.  The joke is on the Sheriff when he realizes that he has just made a lifelong enemy with the sharpest arrow in England!
Over the course of this show you get to meet many great characters. A couple of my personal favorites are Little John and Marion. Little John is a tall and strong character who is very stubborn. He always does what he thinks is best, which usually involves knocking out whoever gets in his way! Even though he may seem like a bit of a bully, he has a big heart and good intentions. Marion is a young, mischievous young lady who is the daughter of the previous Sheriff of Nottingham. Her bravery knows no limit as she plays the dangerous role as spy for Robin Hood’s gang. She is always up on her toes trying to dodge Guy of Gisborne, who is making every effort to win her heart. I like Marion because she adds a lot of excitement to the show and keeps the plot interesting.
BBC’s “Robin Hood” is rated PG. It has violence involving some torture that may disturb little viewers. However, many of the stunts are cheesy, like cutting someone with a sword and no blood appearing on the blade. So even though it is intense in some parts, in general it doesn’t get too graphic. There are also some downsides to the show, such as a bit of poor casting, costumes that don’t quite fit the time period, and so on and so forth. Despite it’s faults, the show “Robin Hood” is really fun and enjoyable and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a taste for action!

– Savy

Book Review!

The book I chose to share with you all today is The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers.  In The Last Sin Eater the main characters are a ten-year-old girl named Cadi Forbes and a Fourteen-year-old buy named Fagan Kai. Both Fagan and Cadi are plagued with regrets and guilt. Cadi lives in constant blame for the death of her sister, and believes her mother hates her for killing her sister. Fagan appears to be confident and skilled, but in reality is suffering just as much as Cadi, because of his father’s abuse and cruelty. Is there any hope for either of them? Or must they live in guilt and regret until they die, when the Sin Eater comes and takes away their sins? When Cadi decides she can bear her guilt no longer, she goes searching for the Sin Eater, to beg him to take away her sin before she dies. Fagan also wishes to be freed from his pain, and joins Cadi in her search for the Sin Eater. When they find him, the Sin Eater tries, but fails to free them from their guilt.  Will they ever be free? Is it possible this Man of God holds the answers? This book is full of excitement, and is a wonderful read! I would give it 5 stars! It has a wonderful moral of salvation, is based off of a real tradition in mid-1850’s, and is completely appropriate for anyone over the age of ten. I would highly recommend this book to any history lover!