On Saturday I came back to a scary world.
I came back to a world in which twelve people are now dead, the victims of a brutal shooting at a midnight movie premiere at a Century 16 in Aurora. Fifty-eight more were seriously injured, and most are still in hospital beds hoping for a full recovery.
I'm not old enough to remember Columbine, and I have very little recollection even of 9/11. This mix of surreality, fear, and tragedy hitting me square in the chest is new. I think it's hitting me so hard mainly because it's so close to home. One of my best friends lives in Aurora, and probably would have gone to the premiere had her brother not been at Kamp. Another friend was in the theatre and came out without a scratch. Looking through my saved movie tickets I discovered that a year and a half ago I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the now tragedy-marked Theatre 9.
All of us have questions, even those of us who aren't directly affected, who haven't lost loved ones, who aren't on the front lines of the tragedy. Why do things like this happen? What possesses someone to brutally murder innocent people? Why twice so close to home? It's enough to scare anyone.
I told you I came back... but I didn't tell you where I came back from.
I came back from a place where God is honored in all things, where people love Him deeply and try to serve Him with their lives. I came back from in-depth Bible discussions. I came back from honesty, friendship, chivalry, and love. I came back from laughter and tears, joy and compassion. I came back from... well, a river in the desert.
I don't know why twelve people met eternity Friday morning. I don't know why it's so close to home. But if there's anything I do know, it's that there is hope, and the world is going to see the need for it a little more today than it did a week ago.
And maybe, just maybe, I'm in the perfect position to show someone that hope.
"Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert." -Isaiah 43:19
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
If This Isn't Nice...
Those of you who know me well know that I'm a little bit of a quote fiend. I actually have a literal list of my favorites, and it's about a mile long. Being a writer, I guess I'm always searching for the right words, and quotes are proof that it's possible to find them, that someone was able to write or say something breathtaking and inspiring that lived beyond themselves.
I came across this one the other day, and it's been on my mind ever since:
"I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" -Kurt Vonnegut
Even though I like quotes, they don't usually stick in my head for as long as this one has, but I'm thankful this one has stayed. In the last week I have more deeply appreciated several small joys that I wouldn't normally have thought too much about: hugs from my best friends after being gone a long time, conversations that require no effort to keep going, lying in bed and realizing I don't have to get up yet, having time to read a good book. And as it turns out, happiness that's acknowledged becomes even better.
I guess all I'm trying to say is if you revel in your happiness when it comes, your life feels so much happier, even though it's probably about the same as it's always been. Enjoy your life, because if this isn't nice, I don't know what is.
I came across this one the other day, and it's been on my mind ever since:
"I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" -Kurt Vonnegut
Even though I like quotes, they don't usually stick in my head for as long as this one has, but I'm thankful this one has stayed. In the last week I have more deeply appreciated several small joys that I wouldn't normally have thought too much about: hugs from my best friends after being gone a long time, conversations that require no effort to keep going, lying in bed and realizing I don't have to get up yet, having time to read a good book. And as it turns out, happiness that's acknowledged becomes even better.
I guess all I'm trying to say is if you revel in your happiness when it comes, your life feels so much happier, even though it's probably about the same as it's always been. Enjoy your life, because if this isn't nice, I don't know what is.
Eight Birthday Beatles a Week
So as not to mess up the mood of the next post, I am doing two posts in one day to accommodate Eight Days a Week. I know I'm behind, but it's Ringo's birthday! So have a Ringo song.
Happy birthday, Mr. Starr.
Happy birthday, Mr. Starr.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Happiest Place on Earth
Hello, gentle reader! I apologize for not blogging direct from California, but we were at the park from opening to closing every day, and there just wasn't time. So, I shall now give you the highlights of our Disneyland adventure in a format similar to this post from last year (which is also a fun post, if you care to go look at it.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We met Mickey Mouse first thing Day One, which I thought was rather fitting. His autograph looked the same as last year, which entertained me (though I don't know why... it's not like he would randomly change his signature... hehe.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We met Mickey Mouse first thing Day One, which I thought was rather fitting. His autograph looked the same as last year, which entertained me (though I don't know why... it's not like he would randomly change his signature... hehe.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FLYNN RIDER GAVE ME THE SMOLDER.
Yeah. It happened. I mean, he was actually trying to teach Matthew how to do it properly, but I was the guinea pig. I'll take it.
Also, why isn't Rapunzel a short-haired brunette now? I mean, that's what happens in the movie...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A conversation I had with Ariel:
Ariel: "So where did you come to Disneyland from?"
Me: "Colorado."
Ariel: "So did you swim here?"
Me: "No... it's a land-locked state."
Ariel: "Oh good. People always say yes and I always wonder how."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FLYNN RIDER GAVE ME THE SMOLDER.
 |
| "You're so dashing!" "Girl, he's MINE." |
Also, why isn't Rapunzel a short-haired brunette now? I mean, that's what happens in the movie...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A conversation I had with Ariel:
Ariel: "So where did you come to Disneyland from?"
Me: "Colorado."
Ariel: "So did you swim here?"
Me: "No... it's a land-locked state."
Ariel: "Oh good. People always say yes and I always wonder how."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We waited in line for TWO AND A HALF HOURS for the new Cars ride. And it was almost worth it.
It's called Radiator Springs Racers, and it was pretty dandy. You get in a car that seats six people and drive around Radiator Springs (did I mention they built the Cadillac-fin-rocks like from the movie? They're HUGE. Whenever Dad posts pictures on Facebook I'll steal them and put them here.) At one point you go past the huge waterfall like in the movie, and it was truly breathtaking. And the animatronics are ridiculous, man. I have never seen ride robots so lifelike. Or big.
So yeah, if you go, ride Radiator Springs Racers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When addressing Disney royalty such as the Queen of Hearts or Snow White's Evil Queen, one must use the utmost respect. Otherwise they'll unleash their wrath on you.
For example, the girl who requested an audience with the Queen of Hearts directly before me talked to Her Majesty as if she were a common peasant. The Queen responded by throwing the girl's autograph pen on the ground and shooing her away. Getting the message, I bowed to the Queen called her Your Highness, and politely begged the privilege of an autograph.
.... I still got shooed away afterward, but at least she didn't throw my pen on the ground.
You think she's full of herself, you should see the Evil Queen (straight out of Snow White). Being as vain as she is, she responded far more favorably to my veneration. After I called her "Your Highness," she said, "Finally, someone who knows how to address me! Your Highness! Correct!" After we took our picture she said, "Print out that picture. Frame it. Hang it on your wall. Study it every day and just trrrryyyy to look like this."
It was great. I loved her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where was Peter, you may ask? Well, THE Peter... um... flew back to Neverland a while ago, so if you see a Peter in Disneyland, it's clearly one of his Lost Boys he's sent in his place. The whole "show up when they tell me to" thing obviously wasn't working out for him. The new "Peters" naturally aren't as good, because Peter made especial effort to make sure they wouldn't be. He's so vain, you know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you're celebrating something, you can go to City Hall on Main Street and they'll give you special buttons. Since Mom and Dad were celebrating their anniversary, they got buttons, and EVERYONE wished them a happy anniversary. I mean, EVERYONE. The Jungle Cruise skippers, the people sweeping trash, Pooh Bear and Minnie Mouse, all the princesses, every Cast member we saw. Just another reason Disney is so awesome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a die-hard fan of corny jokes, I love the World-Famous Jungle Cruise, and this trip we had THE BEST skipper I have ever had, ever. Usually I'm inwardly chuckling at the jokes. On Patrick's cruise, I laughed so hard I cried.
Some favorite jokes:
--"Those spiders can grow up to eight feet.... and... legs..."
--"MAN-EATING PIRANHAS! Quick! Women and children, protect the men!"
--"There's a boa constrictor. Sitting in a tree. H-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes... asphyxiation."
--"That limestone over there? Most people take it for granite." *I laugh* "My sediments exactly."
--"That over there is Trader Sam. You know, I went over to his house the other night and I said, 'Man, your wife makes good stew,' and he said, 'I know. I'm gonna miss her.'"
--"You know, Sam was the first one in his family to go to college. He got kicked out for buttering up his professor."
I laughed SO HARD, guys. SO FUNNY.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I came away with a lanyard full of pins, a messenger bag for college, and a Tinkerbell necklace, but my favorite souvenir of all was a drawing of Tinker Bell from my sweet brother and Dad.
They have Disney artists in a few of the shops, and you can sit and watch them draw. It's really incredible watching how easily it seems to come to them. You can order pictures, and given my connection with Tink, we thought it was fitting.
It says "Find the joy in the child that you are," which is a line from the fireworks song, which is enough to make me tear up just thinking about it. It's perfect. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why do I love Disneyland so much? The nostalgia. The magic. The technical incredibility. The emanating joy. It is, quite simply, the happiest place on earth.
“To all who come to this happy place; welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past...and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America...with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
Mission accomplished, Mr. Disney.
It's called Radiator Springs Racers, and it was pretty dandy. You get in a car that seats six people and drive around Radiator Springs (did I mention they built the Cadillac-fin-rocks like from the movie? They're HUGE. Whenever Dad posts pictures on Facebook I'll steal them and put them here.) At one point you go past the huge waterfall like in the movie, and it was truly breathtaking. And the animatronics are ridiculous, man. I have never seen ride robots so lifelike. Or big.
So yeah, if you go, ride Radiator Springs Racers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When addressing Disney royalty such as the Queen of Hearts or Snow White's Evil Queen, one must use the utmost respect. Otherwise they'll unleash their wrath on you.
For example, the girl who requested an audience with the Queen of Hearts directly before me talked to Her Majesty as if she were a common peasant. The Queen responded by throwing the girl's autograph pen on the ground and shooing her away. Getting the message, I bowed to the Queen called her Your Highness, and politely begged the privilege of an autograph.
.... I still got shooed away afterward, but at least she didn't throw my pen on the ground.
You think she's full of herself, you should see the Evil Queen (straight out of Snow White). Being as vain as she is, she responded far more favorably to my veneration. After I called her "Your Highness," she said, "Finally, someone who knows how to address me! Your Highness! Correct!" After we took our picture she said, "Print out that picture. Frame it. Hang it on your wall. Study it every day and just trrrryyyy to look like this."
It was great. I loved her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where was Peter, you may ask? Well, THE Peter... um... flew back to Neverland a while ago, so if you see a Peter in Disneyland, it's clearly one of his Lost Boys he's sent in his place. The whole "show up when they tell me to" thing obviously wasn't working out for him. The new "Peters" naturally aren't as good, because Peter made especial effort to make sure they wouldn't be. He's so vain, you know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you're celebrating something, you can go to City Hall on Main Street and they'll give you special buttons. Since Mom and Dad were celebrating their anniversary, they got buttons, and EVERYONE wished them a happy anniversary. I mean, EVERYONE. The Jungle Cruise skippers, the people sweeping trash, Pooh Bear and Minnie Mouse, all the princesses, every Cast member we saw. Just another reason Disney is so awesome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a die-hard fan of corny jokes, I love the World-Famous Jungle Cruise, and this trip we had THE BEST skipper I have ever had, ever. Usually I'm inwardly chuckling at the jokes. On Patrick's cruise, I laughed so hard I cried.
Some favorite jokes:
--"Those spiders can grow up to eight feet.... and... legs..."
--"MAN-EATING PIRANHAS! Quick! Women and children, protect the men!"
--"There's a boa constrictor. Sitting in a tree. H-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes... asphyxiation."
--"That limestone over there? Most people take it for granite." *I laugh* "My sediments exactly."
--"That over there is Trader Sam. You know, I went over to his house the other night and I said, 'Man, your wife makes good stew,' and he said, 'I know. I'm gonna miss her.'"
--"You know, Sam was the first one in his family to go to college. He got kicked out for buttering up his professor."
I laughed SO HARD, guys. SO FUNNY.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I came away with a lanyard full of pins, a messenger bag for college, and a Tinkerbell necklace, but my favorite souvenir of all was a drawing of Tinker Bell from my sweet brother and Dad.
They have Disney artists in a few of the shops, and you can sit and watch them draw. It's really incredible watching how easily it seems to come to them. You can order pictures, and given my connection with Tink, we thought it was fitting.
 |
| Lovely artist Carrie drawing my beautiful Tinker Bell |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why do I love Disneyland so much? The nostalgia. The magic. The technical incredibility. The emanating joy. It is, quite simply, the happiest place on earth.
“To all who come to this happy place; welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past...and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America...with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
Mission accomplished, Mr. Disney.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Smorgasbord
Isn't that a great word? Smorgasbord. I'm pretty sure the goose in the old cartoon Charlotte's Web sang a song about a smorgasbord. This post is going to be an informational smorgasbord, a word which here means, "Melissa is going to tell you a bunch of random things about her life the last month she hasn't blogged."
Well, I graduated from high school. You would think that would be a blogworthy thing, but no matter how long I sat here thinking of something to say, I couldn't come up with anything profound to say. It was all very simple: I wore the robe and cap, I walked across the stage, I took my diploma, I turned my tassel. In the course of a mere two hours, the world changed its 18-year-deep opinion of me and decided to consider me an adult. No revelations about the rest of my life, no nothing. It just happened. My world expanded, but I remained exactly the same. I don't really know what else to say about it. Maybe the full significance will hit me later.
The last day of school seemed far more significant than graduation itself. Where graduation is stiff and formal, the last day contained a full spectrum of maturity, from farewell tears to a shaving cream fight. I've already given my sap to the people who needed to hear it, so I'll just say this: D'Evelyn did so much in making me who I am, and I'll forever be grateful for God's awesome plan in getting me there.
Alright, enough deep sappy stuff. Back to my usual overly peppy banter.
Guys, guys, guys. I started watching Doctor Who.
I'm not going to lie, I came in biased. Way too many people had told me how much I would love it before I started watching it, so I figured I would. They were happily correct. I've only finished season one, because I have to get them from the library, because I'm the last person on the planet without Netflix, but yeah. I started watching Doctor Who. And Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is fantastic, by the way.
And they sell sonic screwdrivers at Tradesmart and I want one.
Hey, it's raining! I like rain.
Have I mentioned Disneyland here? Somehow I don't think I have. Blogging has been so spotty. I'm going to Disneyland again soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So excited. I'm sure I'll blog again. I'm planning on keeping a video diary of the entire trip, but I also said that last year and it didn't happen, so we'll see. I'm beyond excited. Cross your fingers that it's not too crowded for us!
I despise and loathe the weirdness of the spacing, by the way. Blogger has done weird things with my layout and I can't stand it. Facebook changes enough, Blogger!!! Why must you change too?? Harrumph.
But anyway, I reread Peter Pan this week. I hadn't read it since I was a little kid, and while I've always loved the story, I didn't realize what a masterpiece of literature it is. There's Biblical allusions and satire and deep symbolism and yeah. I geeked out just a bit. Also, did you know that J. M. Barrie started writing it shortly after the Wright brothers flew their plane? What a time to write about a kid who can fly...
I'm speaking at a girl's rally in September and I found out not too long ago that my topic is ESTHER! It's one of my favorite books of the Bible, so I'm super excited. Did you know that Mordecai is mentioned more times in Esther than Esther is? I find that fascinating. The book ends with Mordecai too-- the last three verses are telling you what happened to him in the end. I'm honestly beginning to think the inspired focus of the book was Mordecai, and then someone just called it Esther.
And finally, in commemoration of the first time the Beatles recorded at Abbey Road Studios fifty years ago today, Eight Days a Week.
So, dear Readers, there's your random update on my life. I'm leaving out everything from the comedic pangs of young love to the Avengers, but there simply isn't time or will power for all that at the moment. You're excellently patient Readers. Return to your normal activities.
Well, I graduated from high school. You would think that would be a blogworthy thing, but no matter how long I sat here thinking of something to say, I couldn't come up with anything profound to say. It was all very simple: I wore the robe and cap, I walked across the stage, I took my diploma, I turned my tassel. In the course of a mere two hours, the world changed its 18-year-deep opinion of me and decided to consider me an adult. No revelations about the rest of my life, no nothing. It just happened. My world expanded, but I remained exactly the same. I don't really know what else to say about it. Maybe the full significance will hit me later.
The last day of school seemed far more significant than graduation itself. Where graduation is stiff and formal, the last day contained a full spectrum of maturity, from farewell tears to a shaving cream fight. I've already given my sap to the people who needed to hear it, so I'll just say this: D'Evelyn did so much in making me who I am, and I'll forever be grateful for God's awesome plan in getting me there.
Alright, enough deep sappy stuff. Back to my usual overly peppy banter.
Guys, guys, guys. I started watching Doctor Who.
I'm not going to lie, I came in biased. Way too many people had told me how much I would love it before I started watching it, so I figured I would. They were happily correct. I've only finished season one, because I have to get them from the library, because I'm the last person on the planet without Netflix, but yeah. I started watching Doctor Who. And Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is fantastic, by the way.
And they sell sonic screwdrivers at Tradesmart and I want one.
Hey, it's raining! I like rain.
Have I mentioned Disneyland here? Somehow I don't think I have. Blogging has been so spotty. I'm going to Disneyland again soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So excited. I'm sure I'll blog again. I'm planning on keeping a video diary of the entire trip, but I also said that last year and it didn't happen, so we'll see. I'm beyond excited. Cross your fingers that it's not too crowded for us!
I despise and loathe the weirdness of the spacing, by the way. Blogger has done weird things with my layout and I can't stand it. Facebook changes enough, Blogger!!! Why must you change too?? Harrumph.
But anyway, I reread Peter Pan this week. I hadn't read it since I was a little kid, and while I've always loved the story, I didn't realize what a masterpiece of literature it is. There's Biblical allusions and satire and deep symbolism and yeah. I geeked out just a bit. Also, did you know that J. M. Barrie started writing it shortly after the Wright brothers flew their plane? What a time to write about a kid who can fly...
I'm speaking at a girl's rally in September and I found out not too long ago that my topic is ESTHER! It's one of my favorite books of the Bible, so I'm super excited. Did you know that Mordecai is mentioned more times in Esther than Esther is? I find that fascinating. The book ends with Mordecai too-- the last three verses are telling you what happened to him in the end. I'm honestly beginning to think the inspired focus of the book was Mordecai, and then someone just called it Esther.
And finally, in commemoration of the first time the Beatles recorded at Abbey Road Studios fifty years ago today, Eight Days a Week.
(This is one of the songs they recorded.)
Friday, May 4, 2012
Defying Gravity
(This will most likely be one of those horridly inarticulate posts where I am far too excited to write well. You've been warned.)
Last night, I went to see Wicked. *scream*
For those of you who don't know, Wicked is a musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz. You get to see the entire story from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, who finally gets a name, Elphaba. An outcast all her life due to her green skin, Elphaba is a very sympathetic character, and you can't help but cheer her on. The whole show plays with the ideas of "goodness" and "wickedness"-- neither Glinda the Good nor the so-called Wicked Witch are as black-and-white... I mean, pink-and-green... as they appear.
Nerd confession: I've owned the soundtrack for a while never having seen the show. The music kept coming up on my Pandora and I just loved it, so I bought it. It was awesome to get to hear the music in context and figure out how essential it was to the plot. Elphaba (played by Mamie Parris) was just INCREDIBLE. That woman has PIPES, man. "Defying Gravity" (the main song-- look it up on YouTube if you care to) was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen/heard. My feeble words really aren't doing it justice, but seriously. It was awesome. Exceptional. Stunning. Fantastic.
Glinda, played by Alli Mauzey, was nothing short of hilarious. She perfectly captured the ditzy, popular girl character, charming and obnoxious all at once. The whole show was hilarious-- so many witty one-liners. At one point Glinda insulted Elphaba's broom, to which Elphie replied, "Well we can't all come and go by bubble!" There were several jokes referencing the Judy Garland movie as well, which I enjoyed.
Some of you might remember my beefs with The Wizard of Oz-- so many of them were totally resolved by this show! The script and story are truly brilliant-- figuring out how everything ties together is so fun. There were so many ironic hints with wordplay and the suchlike as to how things were going to turn out, but there were definitely a few curveballs.
I'm adding Elphaba to my list of roles to play before I die... "I think I'll try defying gravity..."
:)
Last night, I went to see Wicked. *scream*
For those of you who don't know, Wicked is a musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz. You get to see the entire story from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, who finally gets a name, Elphaba. An outcast all her life due to her green skin, Elphaba is a very sympathetic character, and you can't help but cheer her on. The whole show plays with the ideas of "goodness" and "wickedness"-- neither Glinda the Good nor the so-called Wicked Witch are as black-and-white... I mean, pink-and-green... as they appear.
Nerd confession: I've owned the soundtrack for a while never having seen the show. The music kept coming up on my Pandora and I just loved it, so I bought it. It was awesome to get to hear the music in context and figure out how essential it was to the plot. Elphaba (played by Mamie Parris) was just INCREDIBLE. That woman has PIPES, man. "Defying Gravity" (the main song-- look it up on YouTube if you care to) was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen/heard. My feeble words really aren't doing it justice, but seriously. It was awesome. Exceptional. Stunning. Fantastic.
Glinda, played by Alli Mauzey, was nothing short of hilarious. She perfectly captured the ditzy, popular girl character, charming and obnoxious all at once. The whole show was hilarious-- so many witty one-liners. At one point Glinda insulted Elphaba's broom, to which Elphie replied, "Well we can't all come and go by bubble!" There were several jokes referencing the Judy Garland movie as well, which I enjoyed.
Some of you might remember my beefs with The Wizard of Oz-- so many of them were totally resolved by this show! The script and story are truly brilliant-- figuring out how everything ties together is so fun. There were so many ironic hints with wordplay and the suchlike as to how things were going to turn out, but there were definitely a few curveballs.
I'm adding Elphaba to my list of roles to play before I die... "I think I'll try defying gravity..."
:)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Misslissalaneous
Hey there party people. I'm blogging. Are you shocked?
I'm just trying to get my creative juices flowing again... so have ten random facts about me that no one cares about. Yaaaay.
(Also, the title of this post maybe one of my favorite puns I've ever come up with. Ever. Including Academia Nut.)
1. I obviously like the Beatles, but have I mentioned that I mostly like-1964 Beatles? After Sergeant Pepper's they just get a smidgen weird for me. The early stuff is so polished and Chuck Berry-ish. I dig it.
2. I am FINALLY on Pottermore (if you don't know what that is, you're not as big a nerd as I am), and have been sorted into Hufflepuff. I was sure I was a Ravenclaw, but alas, no. My wand is hornbeam and phoenix feather, 10 and three quarters inches, slightly springy. :)
3. Since my early childhood I have had objections to certain numbers simply because I think they're "mean numbers." I never thought six was very nice. Why? No clue.
4. In one of my notebooks I have a list of every book I've read in a year since 2006. The steady decline the older I get makes me sad. (Again, why do I have a list? I don't know.)
5. At this very moment my fingernails are orange and my toes are alternating shades of blue.
6. So the other day I was at the (very hilarious) school Improv show and they played this game in which a bachelor has to guess the bizarre personalities of three bachelorettes. One girl was Superwoman and made a pun about Marvel. I was internally bothered because Superman and his compatriots are most definitely DC.
And then I felt super nerdy.
7. I collect Disney pins. My collection currently consists of a Little Mermaid California Adventure pin, a key from the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a glow in the dark Haunted Mansion pin, a Pirates of the Caribbean wheel (it opens and there's a skeleton pirate inside), Peter Pan, a Fantasmic dragon, Tinkerbell flying over the castle, a mechanical-looking Mickey Mouse, and a Grape Soda pin (like from Up). I like my pins.
8. I'm seriously considering chopping my hair off above my shoulders after graduation.
9. In creative writing last semester I wrote a short story about a kid who stops time when he sneezes. I don't think I'll post it here, 'cause that would scream, "Free short story! Take me!" but if you know me personally and want to read it I will show it to you. It's a cute story.
10. I realized the other day that I'm a conglomerate nerd. I'm hardcore nerdy about a few things (see 2 above), but for the most part I dabble in nerddom. I like Star Wars, but I can't tell you the names of all the ships, and I like Lord of the Rings, but I can't speak Elvish, etc. etc.
Congratulations. You wasted ten minutes reading this. Return to your normal routine.
I'm just trying to get my creative juices flowing again... so have ten random facts about me that no one cares about. Yaaaay.
(Also, the title of this post maybe one of my favorite puns I've ever come up with. Ever. Including Academia Nut.)
1. I obviously like the Beatles, but have I mentioned that I mostly like-1964 Beatles? After Sergeant Pepper's they just get a smidgen weird for me. The early stuff is so polished and Chuck Berry-ish. I dig it.
2. I am FINALLY on Pottermore (if you don't know what that is, you're not as big a nerd as I am), and have been sorted into Hufflepuff. I was sure I was a Ravenclaw, but alas, no. My wand is hornbeam and phoenix feather, 10 and three quarters inches, slightly springy. :)
3. Since my early childhood I have had objections to certain numbers simply because I think they're "mean numbers." I never thought six was very nice. Why? No clue.
4. In one of my notebooks I have a list of every book I've read in a year since 2006. The steady decline the older I get makes me sad. (Again, why do I have a list? I don't know.)
5. At this very moment my fingernails are orange and my toes are alternating shades of blue.
6. So the other day I was at the (very hilarious) school Improv show and they played this game in which a bachelor has to guess the bizarre personalities of three bachelorettes. One girl was Superwoman and made a pun about Marvel. I was internally bothered because Superman and his compatriots are most definitely DC.
And then I felt super nerdy.
7. I collect Disney pins. My collection currently consists of a Little Mermaid California Adventure pin, a key from the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a glow in the dark Haunted Mansion pin, a Pirates of the Caribbean wheel (it opens and there's a skeleton pirate inside), Peter Pan, a Fantasmic dragon, Tinkerbell flying over the castle, a mechanical-looking Mickey Mouse, and a Grape Soda pin (like from Up). I like my pins.
8. I'm seriously considering chopping my hair off above my shoulders after graduation.
9. In creative writing last semester I wrote a short story about a kid who stops time when he sneezes. I don't think I'll post it here, 'cause that would scream, "Free short story! Take me!" but if you know me personally and want to read it I will show it to you. It's a cute story.
10. I realized the other day that I'm a conglomerate nerd. I'm hardcore nerdy about a few things (see 2 above), but for the most part I dabble in nerddom. I like Star Wars, but I can't tell you the names of all the ships, and I like Lord of the Rings, but I can't speak Elvish, etc. etc.
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