My name is Trey and I am a Disney geek. A real, true Disney geek. What does that have to do with Applied Flow Technology and pipe flow simulation? Well, a lot actually. Read on if you want to know more…
This year is AFT's 25th anniversary and I have been doing a lot of reminiscing. About many things. I have been a Disney geek since I rode Dumbo at Disneyland right after my third birthday in 1966 - with my uncle sitting behind me and my grandfather down below watching.
Does that qualify me as a Disney geek? Maybe. What really qualifies me though is a place I will be in a little over three weeks. It is not really a place though. It is an event. An event that happens every two years called the D23 Expo.
What is the D23 Expo? The D23 Expo is an event that happens every two years in Anaheim, California, USA. It is held at the Anaheim Convention Center across the street from the Disneyland Resort. This event brings together all elements of the Disney company under one roof for three action-packed days. Parks. Movies (both live action and animated). Television. Music. Characters. Animators. Actors. Vocalists. Celebrities. Products. Merchandise. The Past. The Present. The Future. And more…
The D23 Expo is billed as the "Ultimate Disney Fan Event". This year it takes place on August 23-25. I will be there all three days. This will be my fifth Expo and the only one I missed was the first one in 2009 –when I did not know what it was and had a schedule conflict anyways.
Here are some personal highlights for me from past Expos:
Why is it called D23? Of course the "D" is for Disney. The 23 represents the year (1923) when 21-year-old Walt Disney arrived in Los Angeles to see if he could make a living as an animator.
Real quick, here are some of my favorite Disney things:
I am excited to be going this Friday (with a new friend I met last week who loves Disney as much as I do) to see the new, live-action version of my favorite movie, Aladdin. And earlier this year (in March and April) I took a course at a local university on Walt Disney.
Am I ever going to talk about AFT here? Yes, but I want to first make sure you know for certain that I am a real, true Disney geek. Are you convinced?
So, where does Disney fit into AFT? Disney – the parks, movies, TV shows (when I was a kid), songs and characters – inspired me to dream big. To think about things that do not exist. To be creative and fun. To go outside the box. To be unconventional.
When I started AFT 25 years ago, I saw something in my head that did not exist. Part of the reason I was able to do that was because of Walt Disney and what he created and represented. Walt Disney was a great American and will always be one of my heroes.
What's next for me? A pirate's life maybe…Yes, I like that! Yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!
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