Sunday, October 30, 2011

Scooby-Doo Meets the Beatles

Eight Days a Week is ONCE AGAIN a day late. Sorry.

Alright. Since nothing says Halloween like homicidal lyrics, have a song.



AHAHA. I just realized that song is just like Othello and Desdemona. Ah nerd connections.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

I need you to watch this too. Seriously. I promise I will tie it all together.



Okay. I was SUCH a Scooby-Doo child. I love Scooby-Doo. So the first time I heard "Run For Your Life," the lyric about hiding your head in the sand automatically connected with the song from Scooby-Doo about being in love with an ostrich. And having your head in the sand.

Congratulations, you've wasted five plus minutes of your life on this post. :)

Friday, October 28, 2011

"Yamamamamoo Gazornonplat."

My physics teacher used to say that last year in reference to when something sounded like gibberish. I haven't blogged in a week and I have a million things on my mind. This post is mainly going to be ranting, rambling gibberish. You've been warned.

In the new and noteworthy section, I got my first college acceptance letter today, from my first choice, no less. I should probably be really excited but mainly I'm just relieved that I will indeed get to go to college. I've been terrified there'd be this horrible glitch and I just wouldn't get accepted anywhere.

Had my convictions slammed inadvertently yesterday. That was awesome. I don't even remember how the conversation started but a bunch of us at lunch were talking about "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," and I made the comment that it's ironic that that's on ABC Family. Considering it's NOT AT ALL A FAMILY SHOW. I'm not showing that to my five year old. So this guy came back with "Well that's just because your ideas of what's appropriate and what's not are ridiculous." I don't think he probably meant it the way it came out, but still. "Weird" I would have accepted. If you don't have my convictions I'm sure the stuff I am and am not okay with is incredibly weird to you. But "ridiculous" adds this whole negative connotation to it that stung. Alright. I'm done having my pity party.

Term paper... English essay... history essay... read Tale of Two Cities... scholarship applications...why am I blogging right now? I don't know. Anyways.

It's almost Halloween! Yay! I'm going to a party tomorrow night and I still don't have my costume finished!... Awesome. (I'm being Peter Pan. I know, you're shocked. Not at all.) My brother is being Captain America and he made his shield out of duct tape and cardboard. Because he's AWESOME. (On a completely unrelated note, I watched Captain America last night and it was fantastic. I mean, I'd seen it before, but it's really good.) I also have not yet watched Great Pumpkin (which I MUST DO), nor have I carved a pumpkin. Two functional days people. I better get crackin'.

You know what's obnoxious? BOYS.

Four days from today starts National Novel Writing Month. I have no ideas for a plotline. Awesome! (Notice how I keep using that word sarcastically? Except talking about my bro-ha. He actually is awesome.)

So. On Monday we went to my friend Rachel's house for dinner. Long story short Rachel and her dad and her grandma, along with our friends Sheryl, Kathy, and Dale went on a mission trip to Cambodia, and they came back last week so they had a mini party to celebrate their return. When we all get together, we sing. And it's BEAUTIFUL. So I'm sitting in this circle of these people I love more than anything in the world, who I would do anything for, and I know they'd do anything for me, and we're all singing to God, and I'm like, "WOW. I know so many people that don't have this." And it broke my heart. I think if people could really understand what it meant to be in the church, nobody wouldn't be. It's just too good to pass up. People who don't have God have been on my mind a lot lately. How do you help somebody who doesn't think they need help? Ugh. Pray for me.

I really don't have a clever way to end this post. Thanks for letting me spew my random thoughts at you. Or skimming. Or stopping reading all together, as the case may be. Of course if you didn't read the whole post, you're not reading this so...

Wow. I am in rare form today.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Eight Days a Week-- "When I'm 64"

Tonight was the "Banquet of the Ages" at my church. The youth group serves the elderly people and we get to talk to them and it's all very cool. All I can say is I hope I'm like them when I'm sixty-four.



Hehe. Oh the cleverness of me. :)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Pardon My Pixie Dust-- The Haunted Mansion

I'll cut right to the chase-- I miss Disneyland.

It's a little bit of an obsession. I talk about it at least once a day. I Google random Disney facts (I oughta be a tour guide by now, it's ridiculous). I watch YouTube videos of rides. Talking about Tinkerbell and the fireworks still brings me to tears. Of course, it hasn't helped that two of my dear friends have been in Disney parks in the last two weeks (one of them is bringing me a pin for my lovely Disney pin collection).

So I decided that to preserve my own sanity I need an outlet for this madness. I'm calling it "Pardon My Pixie Dust" since whenever things are under construction at Disneyland, that's what the signs say. Once a month I'll spotlight a Disneyland attraction here. Yay! This month is appropriately the Haunted Mansion. (It's also convenient since it's my favorite.) I'll never tell you how anything WORKS in these spotlights, because that would ruin the magic and that would be terrible.

(Sometimes these will feature pictures my daddy took. However, the only picture he got of the Haunted Mansion was... mostly of me. So. Perhaps he will see this and inform me that he has a picture I don't know about that I can have. For now, have this one I found on Google.)



DUN DUN DUN!!

Opening Date: October 1, 1971

FUN FACTS:
-In early concept design, the Mansion was originally intended to include a restaurant (like the Blue Bayou in Pirates of the Caribbean). The idea was, obviously, scrapped.

-The main theme of the Mansion is "Grim Grinning Ghosts" (that's the song they sing incessantly)... the phrase "Grim Grinning Ghost" comes from Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis. Oh yes. This literature nerd now loves the Mansion EVEN MORE.

-One of the singing busts is voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft, also known as the narrator of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The "Ghost Host" is voiced by Paul Frees... who is, among other things, the voice of the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

-The Bride in the Attic's name is Constance. Ironic considering she axe murdered all four of her husbands. The hitch-hiking ghosts also have names: Gus, Ezra, and Phineas.

-There used to be a "Hatbox Ghost" in the attic.
Now, people who have been in love with Disneyland for far longer than I obsess over the hatbox ghost. His head would disappear and reappear in the hatbox in his hand. Disney got rid of him and it apparently hugely disappointed tons of people. Everybody's buzzing now that he might be coming back. I don't get the hype, but whateva.

-The table settings in the Ballroom scene make hidden Mickeys.

-Like most Disney attractions, almost none of the ride is contained within the so-called "ride building," so when the outer facade was up for a REALLY long time before the ride actually opened, people started to talk. There was a rumor going around for a long time that Disney had held a special pre-opening ride and someone had died of fright, delaying the attraction's open. If you've been on the Haunted Mansion, you know how ridiculous that is. :)

-The organ in the Ballroom is an actual prop from the film Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

-During the holidays the Mansion gets a revamp entitled "Haunted Mansion Holiday" featuring characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. (Even though I love me some Jack Skellington that bothers me. Don't mess with the classics.)

-The entire ride runs on an Omnimover system-- the cars are moving all the time. This makes it rather difficult for disabled people to get on, so the ride is stopped often to accommodate these guests. (Seriously. It happened, like, FIVE TIMES while we were there.)


MY PERSONAL FAVORITE PART:
Alright, I have two.

The first one is in the attic. As soon as you get in there you can hear the Wedding March playing in this super creepy minor key... but you get about halfway through and there's this shadow. PLAYING THE PIANO. The shadow's fingers are on the piano and he's playing it. It's so cool. I don't know how they do it. (I tried to find a good picture... but there wasn't one.)

My other favorite part comes when you're going up the escalator back to the land of the living at the end. You look to your left and Madame Leota (from the crystal ball) is standing there, except she's teeny tiny. In this goosebump worthy voice she says, "Hurry baaaack! Hurry baaaaaaack! Be sure to bring your death certificate... if you decide to join us." Her hair is blowing and she looks so real and goodness. It's so cool.

STORY TIME!
-The people who work outside the Haunted Mansion are incredible. This wonderful girl was working it while we were there, and she was perfect. She NEVER smiled and she was saying things like "Look LIVELY now... we've been DYING for company..." I'm sure that's not original with her, but when you can make a spiel sound as awesome as she did, it's Disney magic.

-Me and Matthew were getting into our "Doombuggie," as they are called, and I started to pull down our safety bar. The voice of the Ghost Host comes on RIGHT THEN and says "Do not pull down on the safety bar please. I will lower it for you." I was a smidgen freaked out until I realized that it says that to everyone, whether you touch the safety bar or not.

Alright. I'm done ranting. Thank you for satisfying my Disneyland addiction.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Would You Be Likin' A Tissue?

Over the past five weeks I made a new best friend. Her name is Mary McGregor. She's in her late 50s/early 60s and she owns a Chinese restaurant with her lovely sister Molly. Oh yeah, and she's Irish. She immigrated during the Great Mushu Famine of 1907.

But on Saturday night I had to hang her back up on the costume rack for good.

I'm seeing a common theme in senior year: endings. It seems obvious now that I think about it, but until it started happening I hadn't really realized that this is the year where everything ends. The first great ending was the end of Fall Play.

I don't really know how to explain how I feel about Fall Play. Theatre itself is just a wonderful experience. It's just pretend for grownups. If I'm having a bad day, bummer. You know what? My character doesn't have to be having a bad day. I can peel myself off like a wet bathing suit and slip into something more comfortable.

I'm not that much of a social person at school. (I know. You're stunned.) Most of the time I'm not in my niche. I don't know how to deal with people, but I get to play practice and all bets are off. I'm louder. I'm prouder. I refuse to shut up. I'm me. It's painfully, dreadfully cliche, but I belong there. I love those people.

But now it's over. I have to say goodbye to Mary McGregor. I have to say goodbye to the Orient Express. I have to say goodbye to my complexion-ruining stage makeup and my toe-numbing character shoes and washing gray out of my hair every night. I have to say goodbye to Mr. Murphy yelling at us. I have to say goodbye to the lovely Ms. Murphy, who might actually be retiring for real now. I have to say goodbye to this year's Fall Show... but this is the end of Fall Shows for me, at least in high school.

This is turning into an insipidly sappy post... I don't really even know what I'm trying to get at. I just had to write about Fall Play. It felt wrong not to.

There are lots of beginnings coming, though. I have Musical coming soon and very soon. I have several adventures yet to come. But Fall Show gets me. Right in the heart. With chopsticks!

<3

Friday, October 14, 2011

99 Items or Less

... And by items, I mean words. :)

In Creative Writing this week we've been working on flash fiction--a complete story in 99 words or less. Flash fictions have static characters (there's not enough time for them to change) but your perception of the character is supposed to change, usually in a surprise twist. I'm rather proud of mine. So I think I'll share them.


I'll Never Understand Women
“She left me. Throw a couple a’ punches and she walks away. I just don’t get it.”
Judging by his speechlessness, his friend didn’t either.
“I mean, really, did I ever do her wrong? And you remember that time Vince tried to beat her up? What’d I say? ‘Nobody beats up my woman but me.’ That’s exactly what I said, idn’t it? Idn’t it?”
Sympathizing silence.
“I know it. You’re a good friend, George. Guess it’s just you and me now. Gimme another round.”
Billy hugged the stuffed tiger and poured himself another cup of orange soda.

Hahaha. Loosely inspired by Calvin and Hobbes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not With a Bang, But a Whimper
The archaeologists rummaged through the rubble, sifting through a civilization that had fallen into ruin centuries earlier. The dig had thus far been disappointing; evidently, this society had not much cared for written records.
“Hey! Dave, come look at this,” one called from his respective place in the site. “I think I found something!”
There were only a few pages left inside the bound cover of the book, and it was amazing that even they had survived.
“What’s it say?”
He brushed stray dirt and rocks from the binding.
“Twilight.”

This one was inspired by my enduring fear that our civilization will fall and all they will find is the Twilight Saga, and they'll judge our entire civilization by it. If you've talked to me for any length of time I'm sure you've heard me rant about that before, so I won't get started. I will say that the title is a reference to T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men," and that particular quote describes the way in which the world ends: "Not with a bang, but a whimper." I feel like if the world ended on Twilight... that'd be a pretty whimpery way to go.

Aaaannnddd my explanation of my story was successfully longer than my story. Awesome.
That was the entertaining part of my blog post. Feel free to stop reading here unless you know what Eight Days a Week is.

Finally, on a completely unrelated note, it's Eight Days a Week. I know you're excited.



I don't actually like this song all that much, but it talks about there being a show tonight. And I am, in fact, in a show tonight. It's a murder mystery, and I play an old Irish lady who owns the Chinese restaurant in which the crime occurs. There are, sadly, no trampolines. Or fire.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Insert Horrid Poem Title Here

This will be an ugly poem.
There will be lines far too long to belong with all the rest,
Or too
Short,
Not to mention
Atrocious choices of enjamb
Ment. I will probably stretch
For wretched rhymes
That will fetch
And catch your attention.
I will most likely refer
To Homer's Aeneid,
Or attempt artistry by breaking
CAPITALIZATION RULES
and, utterly; abusing! punct'uation?
But somewhere towards the end,
I'll whisper you between my ugly lines,
And then they will be beautiful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm incredibly proud of this poem. It's horrible, but it's horrible on purpose, so it's not really horrible at all. :) And it's funny and witty and then I even have some sentiment thrown in at the end. Yeah. I really like this one.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Eight Utterly Exhausting Days a Week

This about accurately describes this week's school/work/church schedule (as demonstrated in my lack of blog posts since last week.)



Someday I will have free time again...