Author Archives: Angela Shambeda

About Angela Shambeda

Angela lives in southern Maryland with her husband and three rescue pets. She often talks her poor husband's ear off about various topics, including Disney, so she's excited to share her thoughts and passions with you.

Laid-Back Anniversaries

It’s our fourth anniversary today. I know that’s not really a milestone (insofar as any year’s anniversary is one); that’ll come next year, with our fifth. But I don’t see us doing anything bigger next year than we’ll do this year. Like with everything else, Jon and I don’t make that big of a deal of our anniversary. We don’t even get each other gifts. That’s something we stopped doing before we were even married. The first year or two we were dating we got each other anniversary presents, but that ceased by the time we graduated from college. I … Continue reading →

Disney Park Secrets: Disneyland’s Feral Cats

Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth for all beings, cats included. I’d heard rumors of this but I never thought it was true: Disneyland employs an “army” of feral cats to keep the park rodent-free. Alley Cat Allies, a national organization for the protection/understanding of feral cats, reports on the details. No one knows exactly when the feral cats moved into Disneyland; they weren’t put there intentionally. They’ve definitely been there for at least 25 years, and some think they’ve been there since the park opened in 1955. Perhaps it was built on land on which feral cats … Continue reading →

Man Locks Self in Kennel to Help Homeless Animals

Over the past few weeks I’ve read a couple stories indicating a possibly growing new trend: humans locking themselves in animal shelters to raise awareness for pet safety and rights. In the first, a woman lived in a small, cramped space for a week, live streaming the whole thing online. The point was to raise awareness for the conditions under which dogs are often forced to live in puppy mills and similar facilities. Then at the beginning of the month, according to the Miami Herald, a man moved into a dog run (a kennel) for a weekend to promote an … Continue reading →

Limited Time Magic at the Disney Parks

2013 is a big year for the domestic Disney Parks. 2012 saw a lot of change for the both of them, between the reimagined California Adventure and the Fantasyland expansion (the largest in history for the Magic Kingdom). To celebrate, both parks are throwing a party for 2013, called “Limited Time Magic.” One-of-a-kind events will take place at the parks at certain times throughout the year next year. The official Disney Parks blog has a look at some of them. Two follow holidays: Valentine’s and Independence Day. For Valentine’s the Disney Parks are rolling out “True Love,” an event lasting … Continue reading →

Holiday Disney World Deals

Looking to take a holiday Disney World vacation? If you try to take your trip right over Christmas you’re not going to get any special offers from the park, but vacation just after Thanksgiving through mid-December, or in early January, and Disney World has a host of deals of which you can take advantage. If you book by October 31, you can receive up to a 30% discount at select Disney resorts for trips taken between November 1 and November 16, or November 24 through December 22. Remember that Disney World holiday celebrations often last weeks. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas … Continue reading →

Not Always Joined at the Hip

Jon and I started dating in college, and we were far from the only ones in our social circles to do so. Some of the others would make fun of us, giving us couples’ names, like the media does for dating celebrities (our name was Jangela). It never really bothered me, except for one potential interpretation: was there some truth in the fact that I didn’t do much without Jon? Looking back, I think that I had enough friends and enough things going on in my college life that were separate from my boyfriend. But I could see how it … Continue reading →

Compounding Pet Medications: Is It Safe?

It can be tricky getting them to take their meds One of the latest health scares has been over a strain of meningitis that’s killed multiple people. According to WebMD, the meningitis originates from a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts. Compounding is the practice of putting more than one type of medication in a pill, or basically changing the medication in some way from its original formula. How is this relevant for the pet owner? Compounding is a common practice in pet medications. Before you worry: the meningitis came from a human medication for back pain and it seems the authorities … Continue reading →

Exploring the New Official Disney Website

I promised a preview of the new official Disney site, and today I’m delivering. The new Disney site isn’t that different from the old one, it’s just got a sleek new redesign. The front page is less cluttered than before, and is on a bright white background rather than the previous black. I’m actually a little surprised at how plain the front page is; there are plenty of thumbnail pictures and links, but there’s nothing going on around the edges. The official Disney site is a good place to go if you’re a general Disney fan, but aren’t really sure … Continue reading →

Girl vs. Monster: Disney’s Answer to Buffy?

As I was poking around on the refurbished Disney.com site (it’s very pretty and well-organized now, I’ll have to do an overview of it later) I noticed something called “Girl vs. Monster.” Immediately my hackles rose. I know I should give Disney the benefit of the doubt, but I guess I was just jumpy after the premiere of “Once Upon A Time,” where Belle stays with Rumple again to “change him with the power of love,” or some other terrible abusive-vibe thing like that. I’m glad I followed the link to learn more about it, though, because “Girl vs. Monster” … Continue reading →

The Effects of the Media on Romance

Where do our irrational romantic impulses come from? Are they just something we naturally want; after all, everyone likes to be spoiled. But often we equate all romance with grand gestures, or expect our relationships to play out like fairy tales. We have the media to blame for that. I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, and it must seem like I think we shouldn’t watch movies or television. I don’t believe that at all, but I can testify that too many romcoms, or at least, not approaching them in the right way, can have a negative effect. … Continue reading →