Day 1273: Meet Goose

I'm definitely a dog person. I always have been, ever since I was really little and carried stuffed dogs with me around Walt Disney World. And yet, somewhere along the line, I ended up with cats, and lots of them. Barn cats are sort of like rabbits...they just sort of keep increasing in number, and then after a while some of them die off and then it bounces back again and, well, you get the idea. Currently, we have more than we've had in years, although that may have something to do with the eight kittens that currently call our front porch home.

Since one of my goals this summer was to do more photography, which I haven't really done a lot of in the past few years, these kittens were the perfect opportunity to work on some of the new techniques I'm trying. The only problem is they're pretty fast moving, so catching them for a clear shot isn't always the easiest thing to do. Still, I got a couple of good pictures, and while we wait for the youngest kittens to get old enough for decent pictures, meet Goose!

Goose may not be the most conventional name, but I've come up with a lot of cat names over the years, and because she's the only girl in a litter of three, and because her two brothers are both orange and look fairly identical, she got her name from our nickname for the three: Duck, Duck, Goose. Honestly though, she's pretty lucky. Of the cats we have right now, seven of them don't have names. Now, five of them are rather small yet, so names won't be given until we can actually tell them apart, but there's a couple of older ones that have been around for quite some time now. Like this one: 

Where his siblings Kylo Ren and Lassie got names somewhere along the line, he didn't, and honestly I just can't come up with a name. You can only name cats after Disney characters for so long before you run out of names, so instead of trying to come up with something myself I figured I'd see if anyone on the internet has an idea! 

So let me know your ideas for a name for him in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1156: Undercover Boss

I don't have a ton of time today since I'm heading off to a convention soon, but I wanted to stop by and talk for a second about the newest Star Wars thing that everyone's already obsessed with: Undercover Boss, Starkiller Base. 

I unfortunately didn't have a chance to watch Adam Driver's episode of SNL live, but I have watched this video multiple times just because it's so cleaver! Plus, you can never really have too much Kylo Ren, can you? Well..I suppose if you're Han Solo...too soon? 

There's also a behind the scenes video if you haven't seen that! 

Now...how do I sign up to be a Stormtrooper in part 2? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1084: A New Favorite

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS BELOW!

Just remember, if you don't want spoilers, you've been warned!

Due to...recent events...I've realized that now I'm going to have to choose a new favorite character. Don't get me wrong, Han will always be my all time favorite, but I need to look forward to something as we continue through Episodes VIII and IX (I even got those roman numerals right on the first try. Way to go Star Wars, teaching me things). Of course, we have a few contenders here...

I want to hate him...I want to hate him so much, but at the same time Kylo Ren is a Solo, and even if he did murder his own father, there's still a part of me that really, really likes him. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's interesting to see how he is similar and how he differs from Vader and even Luke. Plus, you have to admire his hair. 

Go on, try to tell me BB-8 isn't the cutest little droid you've ever seen. I kind of knew even before I saw the film that I was going to like him, but I didn't realize how much until I saw Episode VII for the first time. I want one of my very own immediately. 

You have to admire Rey in this movie. It'd almost be wrong not to. Considering the fact that she's basically the new main character of the franchise, I'm extremely interested in finding out who her parents are, how she got to Jakku, and what happens now that she's found Luke. I'm also thrilled to see another strong female lead in a Star Wars film, and Rey definitely brought me back to the days of a young Carrie Fisher on screen! 

Now, it seems that when there's Rey, there's also usually Finn, who I'm pretty sure is my best friend's favorite character. Finn really surprised me, and I found myself laughing constantly at his lines, whether they were shared with Rey, Poe, or Han. Absolutely constant laughter with this guy, and you have to admire his bravery, escaping from the First Order and all. 

But ultimately, I can feel one character pulling into the lead for the race for my favorite. Poe Dameron was the character I didn't even know existed (sounds about like every other favorite character), and in typical fashion, he took no time in "dying." You can imagine my relief to find him alive and well, and his relationships with Finn and BB-8 make my life. Of course it would be the best pilot that happens to gain my attention though...it's not like I have a type here or anything (ahem...Han and Killian...ahem). 

Favorite characters, especially this early on, can be hard to determine, but I certainly need someone to pull me through now that Han is gone. We'll see what happens when I see the film a few more times and then after we get two more episodes. One thing is for sure though...it's about to be a long, wild ride. 

Who's your favorite new (or old) Star Wars character? Let me know in the comments! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 22).

Day 1081: The Force Has Awoken

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS ARE AHEAD!

Wow.

I was lucky enough to grab tickets to Star Wars on opening night, and I have to say that some of that I totally expected...and other parts of it sort of decreased my will to live (ok...really only one part). But overall, I honestly believe The Force Awakens is one of the greatest Star Wars films to date. Empire still beats it I think, because nothing will ever beat Empire, but this movie was just really, really, REALLY good.

I do have to mention that I laughed a lot more than I cried, although I did cry. One of the things I love about the original trilogy that the prequels just don't have is their ability to create humor within the characters that we already have. From 3P0 interrupting (again), to comments about Trash Compactors, Hand Holding, and the Force, this just felt like the Star Wars I know and love, and I think that's the highest title this film can get right about now.

Han, my dear Han, was brilliant to see on screen again. I knew the second he would appear, and I cheered when the Falcon flew again. I cried when he was lost, and I laughed at pretty much everything he said. And you know what, I didn't even really notice how old he is most of the time. Because he's HAN. SOLO. and that's awesome enough.

Let's see, what else?

BB-8 stole my heart, and the bromance between Finn and Poe is my new favorite thing. Rey is a super strong female character and I'm so thrilled to see her on screen. Kylo Ren defines a new sort of Sith that almost seems as evil as anything we've ever seen before. There's a lot of questions left, that's for sure, but I'm still sort of stuck in the "I can't believe I just watched a new Star Wars movie" phase. I figure I'll be here for a while.

If you haven't seen The Force Awakens yet and are for some reason reading this despite the spoiler warning, GO SEE THE FILM. And if you already saw it, even if you saw it more than once, GO SEE IT AGAIN. If you're interested in my experiences at the opening night at my local theater with my friends, I filmed it, and you can watch below!

Let me know what you thought of the new film in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 22).