Fan Club Minutes: 9-1-10

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The Peter Pan Fan Club has existed for a solid two months now, and the reception from all our readers has been awesome. We’re extremely thankful for all the support. We’ll continue to push out top-notch content for as long as you all continue to read it.

Of course it’s never a good idea to rest on your laurels, and we’re nowhere near satisfied, which is why we’re always trying to improve your site. This fan club minutes comes a few weeks after our last update. Because we’re in the growing stages, change will come often, but as we settle into a routine, I’m hoping to stretch the updates out to once a month, and maybe, down the road, to a quarterly report.

But that is all theory at this point. For now, take a look at some of the things that have been going on at the Peter Pan Fan Club over the past few weeks…

Tweet Meme & Facebook Sharer

We’ve added easy share buttons to both Facebook and Twitter. They are located at the top of each post, just below the title.

We hope that you will use these buttons to help spread the word about our site. That, and it looks way cooler when there’s a double digit number in the box rather than a big fat zero.

Facebook Fan Page

One of our favorite ways to interact with readers (besides comments here on our blog) is on our Facebook Fan Page. As of my writing this report, we have 115 Facebook fans. Considering that most of them joined in the past month, we’re doing ok, but still would like to see that number increase.

If you haven’t joined our fan page yet, you can do so very easily by clicking the “like” button on the fan box on our sidebar.

Additionally, if you’d really like to help out, and you think your friends would enjoy what the Peter Pan Fan Club has to offer, you can invite them to join the revolution against old age too. This is also very simple.

First, go to the Peter Pan Fan Club Facebook page and click the “suggest to friends” link underneath the PPFC logo. It should look like this:

Then, just pick the friends you want to send a suggestion to.

Another easy way to share our page with your friends is to post a link to it in your status feed.

Here’s the address: http://www.facebook.com/peterpanfanclub

Just copy the link into the feed, add whatever cool stuff you want to say about us, then press “share”. Job done.

And we thank you.

Favorite Parenting One-Liners

One of the perks of being a fan of our Facebook page is you get some content that isn’t found anywhere else. This could be anything from inspirational quotes to contests (coming soon, hopefully).

Sometimes we’ll also ask for your opinion on articles we’re currently working on. This is what happened recently, when we asked for some of your favorite parenting one-liners. It got a good response, which included some solid advice.

Some of our favorites…

“Be firm, consistent and fair.” -Josh
“It’s only a stage they’re going through. It will pass.” -Patti
“Don’t get arrested.” -Anthony

And the most concerning one?

“Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about.” -from my mom

Moving on…

New Article Series on PPFC

We’ve recently launched two new categories for article series that we will be posting to on a somewhat regular basis. They are “Character Spotlight” and “Awesome People”.

“Character Spotlight” will allow us to highlight a particular character in a movie, tv show, book, etc. The character will possess some sort of a notable trait that we find admirable, or ridiculous, or something in between. Most of the time they will be someone who we feel deserves more attention than their role offered them, thus we will attempt to put the spotlight on them for just a little longer.

For an example, check out the Character Spotlight of Coach Bobby Finstock that Bo put together.

“Awesome People” is a closer look at real-life people who in our opinion live or lived in a way that promotes staying youthful. Not all will fit the criteria as closely as the first subject for this series, but the Awesome People post on Walt Disney is a good example of what you can expect in the future.

Your Opinion Matters

As much as this site is something we use to help us stay young, we want to help others do the same. In order for us to do that, we need to know what you think. Don’t be afraid to send us your thoughts and ideas. Fill our the form on our contact page, leave us a comment on a post you love or hate, or write on our Facebook wall.

Whatever way you choose, just know that the Peter Pan Fan Club is here to help you, and your opinion matters to us.

The Michael Jordan Debate

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Time is tight today, so I thought I’d put something out there to stir the pot a little and then step back and let you all hash it out.

I love a good debate, just like I love me some intellectual conversation. Not to get too confusing, but it’s been debated whether or not I belong in an intellectual conversation in the first place. That’s an argument for another day.

Today, I want to bring up a subject that I first heard raised about ten years ago. For lack of a more creative name, I call it “The Michael Jordan Debate”. The Michael Jordan debate is a simple premise that carries with it a single fact: Michael Jordan was the best basketball player to ever live.

You may or may not agree with that statement, and that’s fine. I’m not even sure I do. If you do, then jump ahead to the next paragraph. If you don’t agree, then just substitute MJ’s name with Kobe or Lebron or Oscar or Wilt.

The reason I use Jordan’s name in this debate all stems from a single statement I read in a book about his life. I’m not sure who the author was, but in the book, the author wrote one of the most profound things I have ever read in my life. It was a single sentence, but it carried a message that is as powerful as any other you’ll read not involving religion.

They said:

“Michael Jordan is better at basketball than anyone else in the world is at anything else.”

Stop and think about that for a minute. They’re saying he’s better at basketball than the world’s best doctor is at being a doctor. Better than the best writer, musician, poet, politician (that one’s easy), soldier, technician, etc.

It’s unclear whether they meant to include historical figures as well, but I don’t recall them making a distinction, so for the sake of argument we’ll include those no longer living, too.

Which brings to mind the following names: Einstein, Shakespeare, Churchill, Michael Jackson, Aristotle, Magellan. I could go on and on. As good as Michael Jordan was at basketball, is it possible that he was better at that, than Einstein was at rocking the world of physics?

This is where you come in. I want to know if you think Michael Jordan (or whoever gets your vote for best b’baller ever) was a better basketball player than anyone else in the world was at anything else. I know it’s comparing apples to oranges, but the best debates arise from an argument that can’t be proven, only defended. So here’s your chance to take your side and defend your choice.

Leave your comments below.

A Little Childhood Nostalgia

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While watching my son and his friends play the other day, I couldn’t help but be taken back by how carefree and buoyant they were. All that mattered was right in front of them, not a care in the world. Not a bad way to live.

It wasn’t too long ago that I was the same way. A quick burst of nostalgia ran through me, and I then realized what my next article would be about. I want to recapture some of the things that mattered most to me as a kid, the same things that I took for granted growing up. Not so much the actual “things” but more the feelings and sentiment I had with them.

Getting a new Nintendo game

There was no better sense of euphoria then being 10 years old and getting a new Nintendo game. Well, at least for me anyway. The feeling of anticipation and excitement was something I’ll never forget, even after all these years. I remember the car rides home after getting the game, and how a 10-15 minute drive always felt like a thousand mile trek. I passed the time by staring at the game box in awe, and then reading the booklet a dozen or so times. The characters of the games were larger then life, and I felt like I was part of their world…

I still play video games, but it’s obviously not the same. Luckily for me, I have a son who shares the same love for video games that his old man once did, and the look on his spoiled face when he gets a new one brings me back.

Christmas Tradition

To say I loved Christmas isn’t all that profound, what kid didn’t? While the memory of almost all the presents is dead and gone, the thing I’ll always take with me is how I mastered the art of  the middle of the night present attack. Nobody could sneak a present like I could. Nobody.

There was most certainly an art to doing this, you couldn’t just grab a present and run. Even at a young age I realized I had to almost visualize what was inside the wrapping or I risked blowing my spot. For example, my parents would probably notice a missing Nintendo, but they probably wouldn’t a random action figure.

I still wake up in the middle of the night on Christmas, I don’t sneak a present anymore…but I always think about it. If the tradition was genetically passed down to my son, I hope he knows that I wrote the book on the middle-of-the-night-present-attack, and I’ll be waiting.

Summer Vacation

Is it just me, or did summer vacation used to feel like it was 9 months long? Now it’s just a few months that seemingly get shorter every year.

Obviously being out of school was every kids highlight, but that’s not what I loved it for. There was just something special about it, like time was always standing still. Like I was never going to grow up. Like I had my whole life in front of me.

A typical Summer day looked something like this:

7:00 – 9:00   wake up, eat

9:00- 11:00   get the crew together, AM Nintendo session

11:00-1:00    intense wiffle ball

1:00-2:00      eat, a little Nickelodeon

2:00-4:00      get the crew together, terrorize the neighborhood

4:00-5:00      afternoon Nintendo session

5:00-5:30      eat

5:30-7:00      neighborhood hide-n-seek game

7:00- 8:00     figure out where the sleepover was going to be

8:00-?           trade some baseball cards, PM Nintendo session, sleep

Next day do it all over again

I may have left out a few things, but you get the gist of it.

Perhaps my favorite part of being a father is having the opportunity to watch my son do and enjoy some of the same things I once did, and in some ways giving me a chance to relive my youth. Almost like a being a kid mulligan.

My point in all this. There’s things that you’ll do. And then there’s things that you’ll never forget.

Awesome People: Walt Disney

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The “Awesome People” series is a collection of posts in which we highlight an individual who has accomplished something notable, especially in regard to encouraging youthful behavior, a strong desire to follow dreams, or anything else that we think makes them an awesome person. If you would like to see a particular person (living or dead, famous or not) featured here, please let us know.

Personal

Name: Walter Elias “Walt” Disney
Born: December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois
Died: December 15, 1966

Profession

Walt Disney’s largest impact was in the entertainment industry. He is most known for creating the theme parks that bear his name and the lovable character Mickey Mouse. In addition, he was also a successful film producer, director, screenwriter, animator, entrepreneur and philanthropist, among other things. But you already knew that.

Products/Websites

You can’t go very far without running into something that has Disney’s mark on it. From tv shows to movies to merchandise, the Disney brand extends far and wide. Not only that, but the logo is one of the most recognizable in the world. Period.

You can find anything Disney by going to the official website:

http://www.disney.go.com

Claim to Fame

As stated above, Disney is most notably responsible for creating Mickey Mouse and the theme parks – Walt Disney World and Disneyland. That will probably continue to be his legacy for as long as those entities stay under the ownership of the Disney Corporation.

It’s true that the brand is vast and there are no shortage of affiliated products and trademarks, however, I doubt anyone hears the name Disney without first thinking of Mickey or Cinderella’s castle – the face of the theme parks.

Despite all the attention-grabbing successes his company has awarded him, the most impressive accomplishment he earned – at least from a perspective of “difficulty to repeat” – came with his record fifty-nine Academy Award nominations and twenty-six wins, also a record.

What the PPFC Thinks

The most amazing (and sad) thing about Walt Disney is the true result of his vision, his dream, wasn’t fully realized until after his death. Disneyland did open in 1955, while Walt was still alive, but his grandest vision, Disney World, was only in the planning stages.

After he died, Walt’s brother Roy took over the production of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, which opened in 1971.

Among other things, Disney was a pioneer in the world of dreams, fantasy, and feeling child-like. Those who worked on planning Disneyland were called “Imagineers”, a name which is still used today for those who engineer theme park rides and attractions.

This quote hangs on a plaque at the entrance of Disneyland and offers the vision that Disney had for his parks:

“Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy.”

In our opinion, there isn’t a place on earth that ignites the feeling of youth inside a person more than Disney World and/or Disneyland. It was Walt Disney’s hope that he could create a world where imagination would be most powerful and “parents and children could have fun – together.”

Not only did he accomplish his dreams, he continues to inspire others to chase theirs.

They Said It

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
-Walt Disney

Contact

Disney Corporation has many, many facets. The simplest way to get in contact with the most appropriate branch is to try the social media route.

Additionally, the Disney World contact page has some more information.