Busy Isn’t Always Best
Have you ever had your own words come back to haunt you? It happens to me all the time! The worst is when there is a record of your words, i.e., a book or a blog that clearly states, in…
The Grandmother Lode
Last month marked the nine-year anniversary of finally finishing The Wisdom of Walt. After hitting “send” to my editor, I left for a walk. I still remember the strange sense of relief I had that night. On my walk, I…
Sonny Eclipse and the Path of Totality
In case you missed it, and I doubt you did, we had a major celestial event last week. The U.S. experienced a solar eclipse. It wasn’t a huge deal here in Southern California, only 55 percent. But millions of others,…
Winnie-the-Pooh and Which One Are You?
Pooh Bear turns fifty this month! No silly bear, not A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. His birthday isn’t until August. August 21 to be exact. Deena Annette’s Pooh Bear! Deena is my “little” sister, and her birthday is this Friday, March…
Disagreeable Disney Part 3
Following the success of Steamboat Willie in late 1928, Walt set the standard for animators, animation studios, and short cartoons. It was one story after another—all filled with farm animals, gags, and belly laughs. Soon enough, Walt hated it. What…
Disagreeable Disney Part Two “Barnes! I swear you could ruin a birthday party!” It’s been twenty-two years since my first boss in higher education yelled that to me across a room during a “leadership meeting” in Hawaii. Twenty-two years and…
Disagreeable Disney
I’m wrong. I’ve been wrong for years. This year marks the ten-year anniversary of me teaching, speaking, and writing on Disney. I’ve been reading and researching for more than thirty. All this time, I’ve had this image of Walt as…
Kevin on the Bridge
Happy Valentine’s Day! Lyndsey and I will be celebrating the day at Walt Disney World. We are here in Florida for another speaking engagement. When we first met, she had never been to Orlando. Now, this is her eighth trip…
Surrender to Serendipity
Now that it’s all behind us, Lyndsey and I are finally decompressing from our Long December and the craziness that was Fall 2023. Between my writing, speaking, and traveling, plus her schooling, working, graduating, and planning most of the wedding,…
Catastrophe Canyon
If you were a guest at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios back in the day, you no doubt remember a section of the Backlot Tour called “Catastrophe Canyon.” There you experienced an elaborate special effects show in which Disney simulated…