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.

Introducing Animalle Mundo: A Doggie Love Hotel

Christmas might be a holiday for familial, not romantic, love, but with this notice you might have the time to start planning so your pet can have its romantic getaway.  That’s right, a romantic getaway for your pet.  If you’re trying to breed your dog and you want to do it in style, consider Animalle Mundo Pet.  It’s a hotel in Brazil, one that keeps in tradition with the country’s ritzy amorous motels.  The New York Times reports. You can find short-stay hotels all over the world, but Brazil is a leader in both having them, and in making them … Continue reading →

First Details from Disney’s “Frozen” Released

While there might not be a lot of new Christmas-related Disney stories to report, there is one wintry seasonal piece of news: the first concept image and story details from next year’s “Frozen.”  “Frozen” is Disney’s adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen,” a story that’s been in the works for years. Production on “Frozen” has been off and on for almost ten years, with the film looking like it’s getting made, and then being shelved.  It’s back on for real this time, and it even has a release date: November 27, 2013.  Just in time for most of … Continue reading →

How Do You Define PDA?

Recently my volunteering friends and I discussed PDA (public displays of affection).  My two friends talked about their husbands’ discomfort with PDA.  Well, I could relate to that: it tends to make a lot of people uncomfortable.  But then I learned that what they meant by PDA was hand-holding, hugs, a quick kiss. My one friend said it took her husband years before he would hold her hand in public.  The other said that when she and her husband meet up somewhere, when her husband arrives all the other women in the room get a hug, or sometimes even a … Continue reading →

New Events at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

If you’ve ever been to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party — Walt Disney World’s tickets-only, after-hours, month-long Christmas bash — then you think you’ve seen it all.  While that’s not entirely untrue – most of the major elements of the party don’t change from year to year – visitors in 2012 can expect to see something a little bit different this year.  Disney Parks site Inside the Magic has, well, the insider’s details on the new things you can expect to see at this year’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Of course the biggest thing on everyone’s minds is the brand new Fantasyland … Continue reading →

Why Pets Aren’t Good Presents

This goes without saying, but you can never say it too often because it happens every year: don’t give pets as presents.  If you’re thinking about gifting a pet to someone you love this year, consider very carefully.  Pets are lifelong commitments and responsibilities, not fun presents. Now, I can think of one context in which it could be OK to give a pet for a present: if the person receiving asked for it, knew that’s what they were getting, and understood the responsibilities involved.  That means in most cases, it’s not appropriate to get pets as gifts for children: … Continue reading →

Disney’s Recent Racial Controversies

Disney might be considered a family-friendly company, but that doesn’t mean it’s free from all controversy.  When it comes to its own properties, Disney is far from perfect, and there have been some big examples in the past year. The first has to do with “Princess Sofia,” and it’s not over whether or not she’s teaching princess obsession to toddlers.  I didn’t comment on the story for a while because the details kept changing, but things have seemed to settle down.  In the fall, promotional images of the film were released.  They revealed that Sofia’s mother had darker skin, eyes, … Continue reading →

Special Offers at Aulani, Disney’s Hawaii Resort

As winter approaches (or does more than approach, slamming some parts of the country with storms), we already want to turn our thoughts toward spring.  While there’s nothing we can do to make the months go by faster, perhaps what we can do is avoid the cold weather for a while by vacationing somewhere warm.  A dream vacation for many is Hawaii, and for Disney fans, that can mean one thing: Aulani. Disney’s Aulani Resort, located on Oahu, has recently joined the list of Disney destinations that get their own special offers page.  The resort is so popular that even … Continue reading →

Common Pet Myths: True or Untrue?

Many of the “facts” we grew up hearing about pets are false.  For example: who hasn’t seen countless images of a content cat licking cream out of a saucer?  When I got a cat in my childhood I remembered that image, and left out a bowl of milk for him.  He sniffed it and threw up.  This happened nearly every time I tried to give him milk; even if he didn’t spit up, he never touched the stuff. Because it turns out, not all cats can drink milk.  Some of them can, but lactose intolerance is as prevalent among cats … Continue reading →

New Disney World Attraction: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow

The cycle is complete: “Pirates of the Caribbean” was a movie based on a classic Disney World ride.  Now there’s a new Disney World attraction based on the movie that was based on the ride.  The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is a new immersive walk-through at Disney World that opened on December 6.  The Disney Parks released a behind-the-scenes video with the Imagineers detailing the attraction, and the famous talent that helped bring it to life. The centerpiece of the attraction is the virtual image projected onto the deck of a pirate’s ship: that of Captain Jack Sparrow.  But … Continue reading →

The Difference Between Friendship and Marriage

Sometimes I wonder what the difference is between friendship and marriage.  Not casual friendship, or even good friendship, but really-close, best-friends, rely-on-each-other-for-everything friendship.  If we look to the media for answers, it seems to imply that the only difference is physical desire.  In movies and television, the only or at least primary distinguishable change in the relationship between two characters that are best friends, and then become something more, is that their relationship adds a sexual element. Those are usually my favorite types of stories (as opposed to ones where the characters aren’t friends but jump right to dating), only … Continue reading →