Our neighbor's cat is cheating on them with us. Because I desperately want a cat I let it. But I don't feel entirely right about it. It's like driving a car someone borrowed you, you have to readjust everything and it still doesn't feel quite right because it's not your car.
This is all my aunt-in-law's fault. She let it in the first time now it's starting to become a regular thing. It knows just how to get my attention because all the doors in the building are the same. Each time it comes it gets a little bolder in its exploration. But I don't think he liked that I dragged him out from under the couch; he wanted to leave right after that.
I have a lot of questions about this as I'm sure a lot of people do. As a Disney fan and stockholder (I love cashing those 52 cent checks!) I know this will be a great move for them. But unlike when Disney bought Pixar, in which movies were already under the Disney name Disney has inherited a whole new catalogue of interesting characters. How is all this going to play out in established Disney brands?
It has been one of my most eventful and interesting Disneyland trips.
On the first day, I got to the park first thing in the morning, and got in the line to see my favorite artist, Shag. I stood in line for about 4 hours. I got him to sign this print:
And I asked him a question and got a picture taken with him. And then I remembered I was in Disneyland and did Disneyland stuff.
The next day I went to the California adventure. Not much to say about that. It's still a mess and about half a day's worth of worthwhile stuff to do.
And then yesterday we went back to Disneyland. Apparently they were filming what I understood to be a commercial with the Muppets; the whole bunch including Electric Mayhem. So while we were hanging out on Main Street real Muppets were riding around in a fire truck. Between takes the performers ducked down, and as soon they yelled, "Action!" they inflated and came to life. That for me was very cool. Throughout the day they were at different areas of the park; The Mark Twain, and by Big Thunder (for sure).
My mom fell trying to board the Haunted Mansion. She couldn't quite get herself from the moving platform into the moving, unstable Doombuggy before the safety bar closed in. She went down on her back like a turtle and hit her neck a little bit on part of the platform. I went through the ride. Meanwhile, my brother who can't just stay with us because he absolutely needs to ride every single ride in the park no matter how childish, or long-lined, is calling me (I wouldn't've guessed I could get service in the Haunted freakin' Mansion; it's a mood killer). I saw the first aid person pass me on the exit. I got thru the ride, my brother showed up, we cut to the front of the line, found the first aid lady administering aid to my mother, and then my dad and I got her wheel chair, which involved going through the stretching room backwards. And then we had to go back through the room again, get my mom, and go back up and see the whole thing in reverse.
And then my dad decided he wanted to go on Haunted Mansion. That stretching room used to be my favorite part of the ride. I watched it forwards and backwards about 6 times.
And then not too much else happened. I took a lot of videos and one of these days I swear I will get them transferred, edited and posted.
Leaving Disneyland is always kind of depressing. Even though I did everything I wanted to do two times or more, and at the end we're like, "Well, now what do you want to do...again?" it's still just a little sad.
There will probably not be too many more trips like this.
Today was the last day at my internship at Common Sense Media, which is a wonderful non-profit that all parents with young kids and teens should be looking at. They do video movie reviews like this one (which is one of the many I sat in on).
And it's a little sad because I felt like I was at the point where I could come in to work, I knew what I had to do, I could rattle it off in a short period of time without someone holding my hand. Now I leave and they get to start from the beginning with someone else.
I had a great time, I worked with some great people, I learned a lot, and it was a great experience and I'm sorry it's over.
At 6:10 this morning I was startled awake from a dream. In my dream, I was in charge of a zoo. There were a bunch of small animals two by two. I kept trying to control them. I distinctly remember two alligators who kept sorta nibbing on each other. And I remember getting them all around and trying to get them to settle down.
At 6:20 this morning, I accepted my first substitute teaching job with a kindergarten class.
I won't say much about the experience other than I wish I had caffeine for my lunch and more water. I tool a three hour nap after I came home and have had 4 cups of Mountain Dew to feel normal.
In other news, I officially have an internship at Common Sense Media, and I am directing the next Grad TV shows. I Technical directed the last show which I hope makes its way on teh internets before too long.
Here's another animation that I did. This one is of a dive.
I'm now thinking about something more complicated, possibly with talking fish and making a joke about their 3-second memories; everything must be new and exciting to them, mustn't it?
Tomorrow, I begin a new adventure or possible trip down the river Styx or both. I start grad school at SFSU.
I have no idea what to expect. After taking a few of a particular kind of class you begin to know what to expect. This is grad school. Aaah! Scary! I don't know it's going to be like. People have only described it to me in abstract terms.
Plus, I have to choose between two under grad classes. I will pick whichever is more relevant, or has the cheapest textbook.
PS This t-shirt made me laugh.
For those who don't remember, this is in reference to Boston going crazy when a promotional light board with this character from the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie was found. There were several of these up all over the country, were put up by fans/volunteers, I believe legally, and had been in place for several weeks before it was called out to be a bomb/terrorist thing. The young fans who put it up were arrested. They were cleared of charges intending to cause panic. Turner TV for some reason apologized for causing Boston to overreact and gave the city and homeland security $1 million each.
The test has three simple components. The movie/play/text has two or more female characters, with names, who talk about something besides a man. It is named after Alison Bechdel, the author of the graphic novel Fun Home and Dykes to Watch Out For.
It seems so simple. However, when you start thinking about it, many many movies fail. Some of them fail miserably.
I started looking though the movies I own. Of the 40-or-so movies, only 5 pass very well, a few pass because at some point two females do talk about something besides a man...once. And the rest either the women don't talk to each other, or they are just simply non-existent. The ones that pass the best (not surprisingly) were the ones with a mostly female cast or no love interest.
Of the movies I own, not "of all time" or whatever, here are the ones that pass the best:
1. Drop Dead Gorgeous
2. Chicken Run
3. Wizard of Oz
4. Beetlejuice
5. Hoodwinked
And here, of the movies I own, are my Bottom 4 (worst to best):
1. Ice Age 1
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. A Hard Day's Night
4. Jaws
I was debating too much for a 5th worst one.
This does not mean that movies that pass are great feminist movies or ones that don't aren't. Fargo ranks low because neither of its two females talk to each other. Yet, Margie is a good, strong, pregnant, woman. In addition, Drop Dead Gorgeous, is a satiric look at beauty pageants but doesn't really criticize their sexism.
If there is a book written specifically as a criticism of cartoon/animated females, I cannot find it.
How many ways can you break that down subjectively?
The princess (not just Disney), the traditional housewife (Wilma Flintstone to Lois Griffin), sexy women (starting with Betty Boop, to the present), villanesses, animals (as animals), token females, (like Minnie Mouse), traditional young women, and superheroes.
It has finally happened. After six months of hoping and not getting to the deli because the manager has finagled his way around promoting me by importing someone from another store who ended up quitting because she was going to get fired, and hiring 2 more new people who both ended up quiting, I have gotten to go to the deli. (I heard the second quit in a text message; very professional).
This will be good. There will be more money (not a lot more as my husband has pointed it).
My husband's big job interview is tomorrow. Pray to the deity of your choice that he gets the job we desperately need, and that it is not a flaky stupid job like selling vacuum cleaners door to door.
I still really want a real job tho. Maybe in a few months I can teach or something.
Before we went to Disneyland, I had my Clear Channel interview. I unfortunately don't think it went very well.
We left about 11. We usually leave about 10. Leaving that extra hour later was enough to make us arrive two hours later. (Lousy LA).
We got there early enough to go Downtown Disney, do most of my shopping, have garlic knots at Napolini, and swam at our hotel.
The park was open on Tuesday, our one and only day from 10-8. Everyone said, "You're only going to all of Disneyland for one day?" and I was worried that we wouldn't have enough time in those short hours to do everything in both places I wanted.
As it turned out, not even the big E-Ticket rides ever had more than a 20 minute wait, and even with a FastPass during summer, I've never gotten on the Tower of Terror in Disneyland so quickly; by 5:00 we were doing our favorites again. At 7:30, we couldn't think of anything else we just had to do, so we waited in the 45 minute line for the new Submarine ride, which on a busy day can be 2 or 3 hours long.
Today we came home via 101, stopping in Solvang briefly (don't tell my mom!).
We had a lot of fun. It's good to get away to an enhanced reality once in awhile; it's expensive, but probably good. Tomorrow I return to my lousy job.
Did I mention I got accepted to grad school, and I'm going to Disneyland?
Yes. Yes, I did.
This is the best month ever!!
w00t!!
I am listening to Disneyland soundtracks. Small World will be closed because "it's not a small world after all"
But I am so happy.
And I finished the animation I had to give up on yesterday.
And I'm off for the CBEST.
And I think if John Lasseter is serious about giving the California Adventure the same "emotional appeal Disneyland has" he'll put the Country Bears somewhere into the woodsy lodge area of the California Adventure.
You are a true Disney Fan if the Small World theme doesn't annoy you.
My sour morning has been eclipsed by the acceptance letter from the Broadcast Electronic Communication Arts department of San Francisco State accepting me into their graduate department pending the big school's acceptance. I didn't pour over my personal statement or bug former instructors for the university. I did it for the graduate faculty (and myself). I am not too worried about the university acceptance.
I got accepted into grad school!!!
My grandma cried, which was really weird. So it turned out to be a great day after all!!
And I'm going to Disneyland.
And My Name is Earl finally comes back on tonight.
Overheard on a depression drug commercial, "Anti-depressants can cause an increase in sucidal thoughts in children, teens, and young adults."
Doesn't that sorta defeat the purpose of taking anti-depressants?
mething 
