December 29, 2014

Best and Worst of 2014


A mix of the important, the personal, and the fluff related to entertainment-

The Worst: 
  • The killing of young black men all over America, both by the police and by black on black violence
  • Young black men (and all people) choosing to break the law, placing themselves in the position of having to encounter police
  • Meryl Streep's ridiculous swipe at Walt Disney
  • Losing my job
  • The continued move of American business operations to overseas locations at the cost of jobs for our citizens
  • Disney's continued characterization of Epcot. Losing Norway to Frozen
  • Maroon 5's latest album
  • Lame plans for Disneyland's 60th Anniversary
  • Middle Eastern thugs terrorizing the nations and beheading innocent civilians
  • Joel Osteen and his brand of "Christian" wealth and prosperity doctrine. Sure worked for Jesus and certainly works for most of the Christians suffering all over the world- yeah, right!
  • Americas continued reliance on abortion as birth control
  • Hollywood's seeming emphasis on dumb, over the top, sex fueled entertainment
  • Continued genocide all over the world
  • The state of disrepair at Disneyland Paris
  • High prices for cars and high fees to use public transportation
  • Texting when a conversation deserves face to face communication
  • The continued high price of airline tickets
  • Frontier Airlines' website
  • Too many reality television shows
  • Remaking Disney animation classics into Live Action films
  • Over the top greed in the business world. CEO salaries out of control
  • When friends disappoint and show their true colors
  • No Friends movie in the future
  • Thugs posing as athletes in professional sports
  • Sports leadership making excuses for such behavior and being slow to respond appropriately
  • "Naked" television
  • Excessive awards shows on television
  • Putin's moves toward a new Soviet Union
  • The new Polynesian Village Resort Lobby at Disney World
  • The number of broken effects at Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland and all over the park in places you'd never expect
  • The high cost of health insurance and the mess of Obamacare. When will our government understand its never better or cheap to add even government layers of oversight to a social service?
  • News stations that interpret the news versus delivering it
  • Kim Kardashian's exposed butt. Niki Minaj's too. Should I add Miley Cyrus' self-degradation to this list?
  • Musical artists that have to swear and use highly crude sexual language to sell their music
  • Parents not disciplining their kids in public and giving into their every whim
  • Big Hero 6 not being the breakout hit it deserves to be
  • Suits at Disney refusing to give Frozen an E Ticket attraction in the Magic Kingdom where it belongs
  • The price of Disney one day park hopper tickets
  • The legalization of marijuana in Colorado
  • School shootings continue on
  • The infiltration of humanism in the Christian church 
  • The devolution of Epcot
  • Fewer Caribou Coffee locations
  • The French air traffic controllers strike during our vacation
  • The lack of an Avengers film this year
  • Having to book attraction and meal times far in advance at the Florida Disney parks
  • No new original, non-IP based attractions at the Disney parks
  • A wet and green summer
  • Losing Shakira on The Voice
  • Seeing friends lose their children and their parents
  • Not enough time to give this blog the attention it deserves
  • Shoddy concept art by Disney for new additions
  • Disney's focus on more retail and restaurants than creating groundbreaking attractions in its parks
  • The overall dumbing down of America by bringing culture to the lowest common denominator


The Best:
  • Everyday heroes serving in their communities
  • The announcement of Incredibles 2
  • More grandchildren
  • Cleaner air
  • Films that value family, such as the Thousand Foot Journey
  • The addition of Ratatouille to Disney Studios Paris
  • The return of old school R&B music
  • The continued excellent maintenance of the exterior of the show buildings at Disneyland
  • A hot cup of coffee and a quiet morning to read and pray
  • Picking apples with my grandsons
  • The transformation of California Adventure and the hope of the suits finishing the job in the original areas of the park
  • The new and overdue investment into the Africa section of Disney's Animal Kingdom
  • Adam Levine and Blake Shelton bromance on The Voice
  • Watching my son in law get baptized
  • Alain Littaye and the Disney and More website
  • God's continued faithfulness even when I do not understand what He allows
  • The excellent refurbishment of Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • A trip to Switzerland- almost free
  • A supportive wife and family
  • Having more than enough to be able to give to others
  • Tim Tebow on Good Morning America. A great match of human interest stories and good-hearted host.
  • A new job
  • Seeing Christians boldly live out their beliefs by following Jesus at all costs
  • Longer movie previews
  • Finding personal joy and fulfillment even while making less money
  • Chipotle and their barbacoa tacos
  • Better treatment of immigrants
  • Lower gasoline prices
  • Aging gracefully and without plastic surgery
  • Rumer and Harriet making new music
  • The overall good sportsmanship at the World Cup
  • Old albums finally coming to compact disc
  • The generosity of friends and family at unexpected times
  • Removal of the Hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios
  • George Benson
  • Watching our favorite local Chinese restaurant survive the economic downturn
  • Visiting our son, daughter in law and grandson in Kansas City during game six of the World Series
  • Universal's new Harry Potter attractions and the transformation of both the Studios and Islands of Adventure
  • Having four living parents, especially as we are grandparents ourselves
  • Walking along the beach in Laguna
  • Praying for physical headings that would take God doing a miracle- and seeing it happen
  • The forums at A&M Corner and WDW Magic
  • H&M comes to Denver
  • The return of Downton Abbey
  • A night of Ticket to Ride with family and friends
  • Great Reads by David Platt and Francis Chan
  • Five Guys' french fries
  • The new Union Station in Downtown Denver
  • Discovering great BBQ in Orange County
  • Finding new friends when you least expect it
  • The upcoming details for the remake of Disney's Hollywood Studios
  • Having faithful and wonderful readers of this blog!
  • ...and so much more

2 comments:

  1. Happy New Year Mark! So much of your blog hits home with me especially anything related to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and Disney parks. But not having an Avengers movie this past year is another thing that we're on the same page!

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  2. I am convinced, Len, that we would be great friends in the real world!

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