Day 1561: Literary Parents

I was supposed to write this blog post for my Creative Writing seminar a week ago, but then life got in the way and it never happened. I did, on the other hand, think pretty deeply about the answer to the question we used as a prompt - Who are your literary parents? - and as I like to say, better late than never! 

Honestly though, I initially had no clue about how to answer the question at hand. While I've been an avid reader and writer my entire life, there isn't anyone in particular that's inspired me to the point where I'd single them out as a "literary parent." Well, I suppose, with the exception of Walt Disney and the writers behind some of our favorite animated films. And if we're citing Walt as a literary parent in regards to fairy tales, we really should be citing the writers of the original stories, and that's where things get deep. 

One could say that I don't know precisely who my literary parents are because it's unlikely anyone knows who they are. If the root of my literary background stems from fairy tales, my literary parents are sort of like those long-lost relatives someone might try and search out on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? In the fairy tale tradition, many of the stories we know and love are simply transcriptions from oral fairy tales that were passed down through the centuries. Unfortunately, no one apparently found it important to write the names of the storytellers down, or dig up information as to where the tales came from before that, so much of the knowledge has been lost or destroyed. Aka, a tough break for those of us trying to figure out where our literary parents are. 

Of course, some of them are definitive. There are some fairy tales, many fairy tales actually, created by the author that's listed on the front cover, such as Hans Christian Anderson or modern day fairy tale writer Emma Donoghue. Plus, my writing style has certainly been impacted by the show Once Upon A Time, so you could also say that the creators, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, along with their army of writers, have earned a spot on my list of literary parents as well, but the point still stands. No on in particular jumps out as the literary parent, and here's an additional thought as to why that may be: 

Somewhere out there, there's a quote that talks about how we're influenced by every person we meet, even if it's only a small influence or, perhaps, no apparent influence at all. I'm not entirely sure it would be fair to say that if you'd never interacted or "randomly stood next to each other and didn't even notice each other that one time" that you entire life would change, but fate does seem to work in mysterious ways. Regardless, if you apply this theory to literature, you could say that every author I've ever read is one of my literary parents, because they've all impacted me in some way. Some may have made a major impact, like the authors of fairy tales, and some may play only a minor role, like the authors of the books I read but don't remember reading in middle school, but the important part is that they all, in one way or another, have influenced my writing. 

So who are my literary parents? I'd say everyone, and while that may seem a bit messed up biologically, this isn't a science class, so who cares? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1529: Reading For Fun

Our prompt this week for Creative Writing Seminar is to write about something we've been reading lately, or have read, outside of class that has either inspired us or put us off. If I was lying, I'd probably go on some rant about how much I enjoyed reading The Martian this past summer and how it really impacted me emotionally and reminded me just how much I love reading (although, is suppose, that wouldn't be all that distant from the truth). However, as Pinocchio taught me, I must not tell a lie, and that means that I have to be honest about the fact that I haven't had a lot of time for reading lately. Aside from my regular schoolwork, all my spare time has gone to rehearsing for Knights on Broadway, which leaves in just a couple of days to perform in Florida, or practicing my pieces for my recital, which is quickly approaching in just over a month. So yeah, not a lot of time to spare. Unless I learn how to dance while reading. That could be fun. 

I suppose I do  have that giant and ever-growing stack of books that resides on the bottom shelf of my bedside table, which features novels and memoirs I've been intending to read and may finally dig into sometime this upcoming summer (that's probably wishful thinking though). Still, even as I think back to what I've read over the past few years (which, as I said, isn't much), nothing really stands out to me as important in some way. Actually, it's almost as though I can't remember any book I've ever read (except, apparently, The Martian and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?). So no, I suppose I don't have an answer to the question about which book I particularly enjoyed or didn't enjoy, and maybe that says something interesting in itself. 

A significant portion of my life has been spent reading, and there are days when I want nothing more than to curl up on my balcony or in a comfy chair with some tea, a blanket, and some excellent music just so I can spend an evening reading the latest hardcover or paperback I've picked up. However, with being a full time college student, recently those books have been more in the realm of Shakespeare plays I'm reading for my independent study rather than something for fun (not that Shakespeare isn't fun). It's still reading, yes, and I can definitely still curl up with a blanket and some tea, but there's still a difference between reading for enjoyment and reading about the typical range of your average Bb Trumpet. 

It is important to note, however, that I typically bring books with me when I'm traveling. I almost always buy a new one before I leave, because there's always ample time for me to do nothing but read while sitting at an airport or on a plane. It's like time automatically set aside for reading. Unless, of course, I manage to finish my book before I even get on the plane. Then we have a problem. Coincidentally, I've also been known to do some of my best writing on planes, so perhaps I should be reconsidering my life choices and spending more time at airports and less time on the couch in my living room. The goods news here is that I'll be traveling within the next 48 hours (I'll actually be in Florida 48 hours from now), so perhaps I might actually get some reading and writing done then. 

None of this has been a description of a book that's influenced me though, mostly because I still can't recall most of what I've read in the past couple of years. It's amazing how your memory will fail you like that. So I'll just go with a blanket answer - it's not as much about what I've read recently or in my life as much as it's about why I've read. Reading (and writing) have been important parts of my life for almost as long as I can remember, reaching all the way back to reading a children's book called The Ghost Family Meets Its Match in my parents' closet every other week (the library wouldn't let me check it out more frequently than that), and all the reading that has shaped me into the book-loving English major I am today. Plus, there's definitely something to be said about all the wonderful books that inspired Disney movies over the years, because yes, this is still a Disney blog and I have to relate it somehow. Just think, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, or Cinderella wouldn't exist if not for the fairy tales they're based on. Even films such as 101 Dalmatians and Mary Poppins are derived from the pages of a book, and those films have definitely inspired me throughout my life, so there you go. 

Which means that the answer to the initial question, about what I've read that has impacted me in some way, lies somewhere in between The Ghost Family Meets Its Match and Mary Poppins, although to be fair, I've never actually read Mary Poppins. 

I should probably get on that. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1223: Responsibilities

The semester is rounding out, and that means that my usually busy schedule is almost worse than normal. Of course, everything decided to fall on the weekend before finals, much to the dismay of myself and many of my fellow SNC students, since our jazz band played for the Dean's Reception, which was held in the library. Not the best idea, really. We did have fun with it though, playing some of our favorite tunes and checking Yik Yak every few minutes to see who was complaining about us being there. It was a nice break from all the studying though!

It also happened to be State Solo and Ensemble, which put me going back and forth between SNC and another nearby college campus to hear my brother and other members of the Seymour High School Band perform for state competition. I think I drove more than I really needed to for one weekend, especially right before finals, but it did give me a chance to listen to Finding Nemo the Musical, which I just found the soundtrack for on Spotify!

All in all, life at the end of a semester of college is pretty boring apparently. There's not really time to work on the blog, trips are usually still pretty far away, and most of the day is spent reading textbooks that maybe should have been read earlier in the semester.

And that's about it. Responsibilities have kept me pretty busy lately, so there isn't much Disney to report. It's too bad really, because everyone can always use more Disney in their life!

Have a magical day!

Day 1215: Earful Goodbyes

I think I'm having trouble accepting that I'm going to be a senior again...and I'm having an even harder time accepting that some of my favorite people aren't going to be next to me when I get to the first day of Wind Ensemble in the fall. It's never easy to say goodbye to the people you love, but the closer and closer we get to my own final concert, the more terrified I am of the future, which, I suppose, is typical for most college seniors. 

The truth is though, that these people aren't really leaving my life at all. Yeah, maybe they'll be a little further away and I won't be able to ask them daily questions about how to fix my saxophone or which bow I should wear in my hair, but they'll still be supporting me from afar, even when I move much further away than my apartment at college is from my home. 

And above all else, I heard some great advice this last fall, about how when you feel like you should take a step back, you should take a step forward instead, and I have the feeling that it's that motto that's going to get me through the next year and into my new life after college, wherever that may be. 

But for now, I think I'm going to rejoice a little in the fact that I do have another year with my pals before I move halfway across the country. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1159: English and Music

English Major by Day, Music Major by Night. 

That's how I like to live my life, or at least that's how this one particular day of my life went. I applied for the National Sigma Tau Delta Convention, an English honor society, back in the fall, and it was a number of weeks before I learned my paper, "Hope in Classic and Contemporary Fairy Tales" had been accepted for presentation at the convention. I lived in the excitement for all of five minutes before a terrible realization set in: I was double booked. 

It turns out, the way this particular year worked, my two majors actually conflicted with one another. I was supposed to be in the Twin Cities for the English Convention, but I was also scheduled to play with the St. Norbert Jazz Band back on our campus for our annual Snowball event. I had to be at both, somehow, and I had no way to guarantee that my presentation time would enable me to drive the four and a half hours back to SNC for the performance. All in all, for a couple of months, I lived in absolute terror. 

Luckily, the force must have been with me, as I managed to secure a presentation time at the convention that would give me roughly six hours to make it back for Snowball. Following my panel on Fairy Tales (which I really enjoyed!) I pretty much ran (in heels) back up to our room and grabbed my already packed bags, along with my coat, and then hurried back down to the parking garage, jumped in my car, and started my drive back to SNC. The weather wasn't really with me, as a snowstorm was following right behind me the whole way. I stayed ahead of it for the most part, but it definitely caused me to slow down a bit and added some extra time onto my drive. 

As I'm sure you can tell though, I made it safe and sound for the three hour Snowball performance, which is sort of like a winter dance with classic jazz and food. It's some of the most fun I've ever had performing, and I'm so happy I was able to make it back. On the other hand, my morning had started at roughly 7, after which I drove four and a half hours alone back to SNC, and Snowball didn't finish until midnight, so I didn't get to bed until around 1.

And then I got right back up the next morning and headed back to the Twin Cities for the conclusion of the convention.

All in all, I drove a lot, but it was absolutely worth it.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on June 14).

Day 1021: Study All Day, Study All Night

Remember when I said, just a few blog posts ago, that I was going to actually keep up with Everyday Disney and start making up posts? Well here I am a few weeks later, still absolutely ridiculously far behind...although the fact that I'm here now is a good sign. After all, once I get a few posts done, I'm more likely to continue blogging until we're caught up.

However, to give you an idea of why I'm so far behind (and why I'm writing this blog post from October in December), let's take a look at some of the stuff I'm up to this semester, and since I made this awesome graphic for a blog for one of my classes, let's bring it back!

What you see above is a basic breakdown of where I spend my time each week, but to be completely honest, this isn't anything close to what I'm actually spending on things. It's actually been a pretty hot topic around here lately...about who spends the most time on work, and aside from chats with my roommate and five minute breaks in the music lobby, I spend a ridiculous amount of my time working on things. 

This semester I'm taking 23 credits, which means I have four, four credit classes (one for each of my majors and two gen-eds), two, two credit classes, and three ensembles, all of which I'm auditing. In addition, there's performances to go to, I had a recital this semester, I have two jobs, I'm playing in a Christmas Cantata this year, and the list just goes on and on and on and on and on...

However, I have been having some fun working on another blog, which is new for me. I'm so comfortable here on Everyday Disney because I've been doing it for so long, so writing for another blog seems kind of weird at this point. For my Literary Theory and Writing Course, which is kind of a big part of your English Degree here at SNC, we have to write six papers, all on different theories, and in addition, we have to maintain and create a website portfolio - one that features a blog. 

Being my usual ambitious self, I decided that I was going to make graphics for every blog post, so just to give you an idea of some of the topics I've been working on that you probably wouldn't find on Everyday Disney, here's some of those graphics: 

I'll be pretty happy when the semester is over and I can move onto other projects, like band trip videos and YouTube videos and Everyday Disney things.

And then, all of a sudden, it'll be next semester. 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 1...because college).

Day 969: The Freedom to Fail

As I was watching the Walt Disney special on American Experience the other day, it occurred to me that one of the greatest lessons I've learned from Walt, in addition to all the other crazy things I've picked up, is that failure is actually a good thing. Walt found failure very early on in his life, but look at where it got him! Ultimately, failing taught him valuable lessons that he could relate back to throughout the rest of his life, and I realized that, in comparison to many other students my age, failure isn't as big of a deal.

That's not to say that I like to fail. I definitely don't, but this idea actually lead me to write a blog post on my English Portfolio site that I'm required to create for my English 305 Literary Writing and Theory class this semester. As the first blog post, I have to say it was quite a bit different writing for a non-Disney blog than writing here on Everyday Disney. I've found my voice here and grown acustomed to it, making small changes along the way as I develop my writing style and my interests change. To write for a different blog, however, especially one that will be graded at the end of the semester, took quite a bit more thought.

A little bit of me feels pretty good about taking 305 and getting right into blogging. After all, I've dealt with Everyday Disney for a couple of years now already, and I've certainly found things that work and things that don't. You can't even imagine the number of times I failed at getting an HTML to work properly as a part of the design. And that's just it. Failure helps us move forward. Not only does it give us the motivation to do bigger and better things, but it also allows us to practice, to experiment, and to take risks.

That's exactly the topic of the blog post I wrote for 305, about how in our society, so much pressure is put on getting good grades, but within this one English course we're suddenly able to experiment without taking a risk of any sort. Sure, at the end of the semester we'll have a huge grade, but if I royally screw up a paper, it's not going to impact me. I can improve that paper throuhout various drafts, and when I'm ready, I can publish it on my online portfolio. In other words, I've been given the freedom to fail without consequences, and I think, for Walt, such an idea would have been spectacular.

It won't go on forever, of course, because as soon as I leave 305 I'll be back to the real world where every paper brings a different high stakes game for a high grade, but by then I hope to have challenged my own writing, making it possible for me to develop my own unique voice, and that's just about all I can ask for!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 18 due to a tight schedule).

Day 748: Disney Desk Flair

It seems that with being back at school, I suddenly have found a wealth of new blog post topics, even if this one is more inspired by the Disney Style blog than my own dorm room.

Today, while in search of the last few blog posts to make up for the last week of nothingness since, really, all I did was edit video and that can only fit into one topic, I found one about Disney Desk Flair, showcasing some of the interesting desks at the Disney offices.

It's always been a dream for me to have a Disney office, and someday hopefully I'll get to that point. I can't even begin to express how many times I've seen something at Disney World and turned to my dad and said "For my office" as if I have one and know exactly where it's going to go.

Of course, not all of it is going to end up in the office in the end, as you really do have to keep things clean, but I loved this article, which you can read HERE, and couldn't help but think of my own desk here at school.

My desk has changed a little bit from last semester, largely due to the fact that I have almost twice the number of books now as I did then, and I still have bookshelves filled at home. Overflowing in fact. But overall, there's a lot of Disney influence in my desk without it constantly screaming Disney!

I think one of the things that really helps tie it all together is the nautical sort of theme I have going on. I found the jar at Hobby Lobby in the fall and instantly loved it, a plan forming in my mind. I picked up the sand that currently resides in it this past trip in January, right from the little beach on the walkway near the Magic Kingdom monorail station where my brick is! The little boat also came from Hobby Lobby and the Seagull (from Finding Nemo) is another of the things I picked up on my trip.

But that doesn't mean there's not a fair share of real Disney stuff. I may have a lot of books, but I feel like if there's two stereotypes of English majors, it's lots of books and lots of mugs. I definitely have both and ran into the issue of "where do I put all these mugs?" I solved my issue by working them into my desk decor. Here you can see my Fairy Tale collection next to my Mickey's Diner travel mug and my "I'm Inspired to have dreams as big as Walt Disney" quote frame!

Remember when I said there was a nautical theme? Yeah, more like Captain Hook. Somewhere along the line I got really into the whole pirate and Irish thing, and maybe, just maybe, it's got something to do with the guy in the middle in the frame here. 

And of course, I've got my Vinylmation. I've had numerous people compliment me on these little guys, and I really am in love with the custom designed shelf my Dad and Brother made me to help hold them. There's more at home, but these are my five favorites, and they look rather good together, don't you think?

But no post about my Disney Desk Flair could be complete without this little beauty. I've talked about it numerous times, but my Mickey Mouse wreath that Megan made me for our high school graduation is one of my absolute favorite things. It'll definitely be coming with me if I do get a Disney desk someday. 

This is just the beginning though. There's plenty of other little Disney hints on my desk, and it would probably take me a while to could them all up. Plus, I'll soon have a new desk to add just a little bit of flair to, even if I'll be the only one who ever really sees it down in the deep, dark, music library. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 24 due to a busy schedule).