Day 1571: Reading and Writing

While it's been nearly 16 years since I was last in Kindergarten, I can still clearly remember some of my first favorite books. One in particular could probably be better described by my mother, but I remember it because it was one of two books I read constantly on a trip to Walt Disney World. The first book, which was called Up, Up and Away, or something similar, was about a rocketship...and that's absolutely all I remember about the plot of the book. Regardless, I remember reading it at dinner at The Garden Grill that trip, showing it to Chip and Dale as they stopped by the table. I also remember the mac & cheese, which, quite honestly, I could go for right about now. 

The second, and the one I remember the most, was called Chick’s Walk and was about a little chick who roamed around meeting new animals. Chick would say hello to each one, from the pigs to the cows to the alligator…wait. Alligator? Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. (That’s how the book ends…because of course, a chick probably doesn’t want to meet an alligator.

After that, there was only one book amongst the slew of others I read: The Ghost Family Meets Its Match. It was about a family of ghosts who, at the start of the book, live happily in their ghostly retreat. Then, out of the blue, another family moves into the house, and the ghost family devises a plan to haunt the newcomers out of the building. Only it doesn’t work…because the new family is a bunch of werewolves! They lived happily ever (eternally?) after in the house after that. I must have checked out that book at least every other week for a good few years in Elementary school, and I distinctly remember making my parents read it to me until I had it memorized…and then I read it by myself hidden in their closet. Why the closet? I have no idea, but I do know that it’s the one book I’d give anything to have a copy of now that I’m older.

While I wonder if The Ghost Family Meets Its Match is still hidden somewhere in my elementary school library (even though I wore out the binding before I even left), a few other books also come to mind, like all those series I read anywhere between second grade and the end of middle school: Heartland, Warriors, Little House on the Prairie, Harry Potter, The Princess Diaries (but definitely not in that exact order). Each was completely different, but like Chick's Walk and Up, Up, and Away, they all contributed to one important element of my reading and writing: a personal style. 

We all love different books, and we all write different ways, and the way I look at it, the books we read throughout our life make up a unique recipe for our writing style, as we take little bits and pieces from things we've read and apply them to our own style. I mean, I can't say that I'm about to write a story about a chick and an alligator, but I definitely love short funny moments in my writing, and that's exactly something that was in Chick's Walk all those years ago. So reading is important, my friends, especially if you want to be a writer. 

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 1082: Goodbye Semester

Even after three years, it still amazes me how fast time can go by. Honestly, it feels like the beginning of the semester was last week, and here we are at the end, and I'm very glad we are. This semester has been an absolute rollercoaster, and I'm beyond thrilled that it's finally over. I'll never really understand why I thought taking 23 credits was a good idea, although the 22 for next semester certainly showcases I apparently didn't learn my lesson. And it's been a weird semester too, but let's focus on the fact that it's finally done and all the things that I can now do because I don't have to go to class or focus on schoolwork for a month and a half:

Watch Disney Movies

Getting through all the animated Disney films in order takes a lot longer than expected. If you watched them all back to back it would apparently take you somewhere over 3 days if you watched them all straight back to back, and since I'm just over halfway through after about a year and a half, I really need to finish them. The good news? I'm pretty sure one of my favorites, The Great Mouse Detective, is next!

Film YouTube Videos

If you follow my YouTube channel, you know very well that there aren't a ton of videos up at the moment. The good news is that I have pages filled with various ideas for videos. The bad news? I haven't had a chance to film any of them. However, since the semester has concluded, it'll be much easier for me to find time to film, and with a trip coming up soon as well, vlogs will appear too!

Everyday Disney

Obviously my blog is behind...and I'm obviously working on catching up as we speak. So this one could really go without saying.

Read a Book or Two...Or Three...or Ten

I have so little time to sit down with a book these days, and in fact I had a conversation not long ago with a friend about how if you actually have time to read for fun you don't have enough to do. That perfectly describes my life! There's about seven books that I've had sitting around for a while though and I'm excited to finally pick them up!

Then again, I'm not sure I have time for much of any of this after all. Updating Everyday Disney alone takes a couple of days (especially with how many blog posts are currently missing), and YouTube videos can take anywhere from an hour to 10 hours to create. Plus I have a band trip video to work on, a Disney trip coming up soon, a music library to organize, performances to play, and a boatload of other little things to finish. Yeah, it's about to be a real interesting J-Term.

Have a magical day!

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

Day 248: Rereading

You know, I was going to write about something that I intended to write about yesterday but then changed that post, and therefore changed this post. Well, I just changed it because I'm in one of those weird moods where I just feel like writing something. I'll have to hurry though because I have to leave in like five minutes to go to Wind Ensemble, but sometimes when I'm upset and need to write it just goes way faster than normal, so we'll see.

Either way, I've just been kind of having a bad day. I think a lot of us have for some odd reason. Maybe it's just a weird campus thing here. I have no clue. Or maybe it's the fact that we stayed up studying in the library until 11:30 last night, but who knows.

I watched a bunch of Once Upon a Time, which always kinds of helps my mood because, hey, it's OUAT! But even after watching that my mood was still kind of, flat? I guess that's a good word for it. And even now I just looked at my phone and saw something else that kind of made me sad. It's just been rough. And I know later I'm going to return to my room and watch my Millennium Celebration Video or my Vacation Planning DVD, because right now I just really wish I wasn't here and that I was home right now. Home at Disney.

But you know what. I remembered that a couple of months ago (three months ago exactly actually), I wrote a post about what to do when you have a bad day. Even though that post was specifically in reference to my friend, it looks like it's helping my future self (future as in me now, which would be future back then). I talked about how when I'm down I think about Disney or watch a movie or listen to music or even think about Harrison Ford. And you know what, that blog post really did help me. For the first time in the past couple of hours, that post brought a smile to my face, and therefore I can add something else to that list of things to do when I'm having a bad day.

Read my blog.

This blog, as silly or little as it may seem, means a heck of a lot to me. More than I probably ever thought it would, and I think it means even more now that I'm at college. It gives me a break from my real world, from the work of school. A break from reality. And that's something I really treasure these days.




For today's #Frumpstagram post, the prompt was World Showcase,
something relatively easy. I have a few people who follow who each picked a country, most often their favorite country, but I could never decide which is my favorite. Too many awesome options. So instead I just posted a lovely picture of World Showcase from a couple of years ago!




And here's today's Disney History: 1927: The very first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon Trolley Troubles (created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks) is released. After the Alice Comedies, Disney's film distributor suggested a change in direction to keep his animated shorts fresh. A new character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, was developed.

Have a magical day!

Day 163: How to Be Like Walt

Now, I said a while ago that I was going to do this blog post, but I finally got around to it.

If you remember, not that long ago I did a blog post on the Castle I made for my final in English. If you didn't see that post, you can go here to find it, because this won't make a ton of sense if you don't understand why I read it first and what all went on.

But either way, I made that castle for my final project, in which we were to read a book that we chose ourselves. I, in the tradition I've had for a while, read a Disney book. But not just any Disney book. Back in 8th grade I read Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas, so this time, as my last book to read in Seymour, I chose How to Be Like Walt, by Pat Williams.

I am very glad I decided to read this, because it is, in all honesty, the absolute best book I have ever read on Walt Disney: EVER. I'm not joking. It is a wonderful book, and if you ever have a chance to read it, do it. And if you don't have a chance, make one. It is a must read for anyone who is a serious Disney fan.

The book really takes an in depth look at Walt's life, and it really does so in a great way, starting with his childhood and going all the way to his death. It is not his life necessarily, but stories that I've never heard before, and how we can use Walt as an example on how to be a better person.

I think what really surprised me about the book is how it did make me look closer at my life, and also at how much I am like Walt. It's not to say that I'm "Walt," but just that some of the things I do are things that fit in perfectly with him. For instance, I'd read a story about Walt, and then would think about how there's a similar story in my own life, almost exactly, just with me instead of Walt. And then there are the times when I have a problem in my life, and Walt would have a similar problem in his, and with the example of what he did, it gave me advice on how to live my own life. I will never be Walt Disney, but he is my role model in life, and it was a very inspiring book to read.

And by the end of the book, you will probably cry. The story of the day Walt Disney died is heart wrenching, and I honestly can't even describe it. It doesn't affect one who hasn't read the book the way it does to those who have. Through How to Be Like Walt, you gain a personal connection with him, more than you can ever do by immersing yourself in every other book, movie and theme park.

I gave How to Be Like Walt 4 out of 4 Disneyland flags, because that was the assignment, but honestly I would give it 10 out of 4, because it really was just that excellent.

Here's today's Disney History: 1928: Disney Legend & Oscar-winning songwriter Richard Morton Sherman is born in Manhattan, New York. He and his older brother Robert wrote many memorable songs for countless Disney features and park attractions. Some of their best-known works include songs from Mary Poppins, the Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh and the Disney theme park song "It's a Small World."

Have a magical day!

Day 156: When You Have a Bad Day

Now, I didn't have a bad day, but one of my good friends did, and then, right now actually, we're in the middle of a discussion about what we think about when we are having a bad day and everything seems to just be against us. I'm not sure how random this post will be, but here's my list of things that always help when I'm upset:

1. Blogging: Or just writing about it really. It was actually one of the things that we were discussing. She just started her own blog, which you can find here, and she was commenting to me on how blogging made her feel better. Like, even though she's had a bad day, just kind of talking about it helps, and I feel the same way. There may be no one reading this blog, although I know a few people who do read it, it's still like I'm talking to someone, and that helps.

2. Reading: Specifically, when I get really upset, or in a fight with a family member or something, I'll back my car out of the garage, shut the garage door, turn the car off, get in the back seat and just curl up with a blanket I keep there and a pillow I bring out and just read a book. It doesn't matter what I'm reading, as sometimes I go there just because it's easier to read in the quiet of my car than anywhere else. I mean, I read Hamlet and Macbeth in that car...but I also read How to Be Like Walt, so yeah.

3. Disney Music: I am fairly certain I've talked about it before, but I'll mention it again. When I'm having an absolute horrible day, I'll put in my earbuds or hook up my iPhone dock and just listen to music from, a lot of times, Epcot. But at the same time, my brother is pretty awesome, because he knows that when I'm in a bad mood and we're driving in the car, he should put on Han Solo and the Princess because that always makes me feel better too. =)

4. Vlogs: The specific thing I told her to do this evening since she was in a bad mood, was to go and watch my vlogs from my Disney trip. I can't speak for her, but I'm pretty sure she loves those videos, and I personally CANNOT wait for July to make more!!!! I loved making my daily vlogs and now that my whole family is going again, it should be pretty entertaining. Plus, at the moment it's even more exciting because we're approaching the one month mark until the trip, and I'm right in the middle of planning for my challenge for this trip as well as the vlogs.

5. Thinking about Disney...OR Harrison Ford: When we were beginning to text, she mentioned that she was just trying to think of Disney and Star Wars, and I added that she could think about Harrison Ford, because that's always a fun thing to do. I just end up quoting all of Star Wars honestly, but still. It gets my mind off the bad day. Another great option, do what I just talked about and plan something for a Disney trip...and if you don't have a Disney trip coming up, go read about it and fantasize anyway.

6. Watch a movie: So maybe it's a theme here, but Indiana Jones, Star Wars or Disney are always good options. Just saying. Although I think my favorite is to watch a new movie or a movie I haven't seen in a really long time. Those always work well because sometimes I'll forget what the ending is when I first start so then it's like watching it for the first time...so then it gets my mind off of whatever is upsetting me.

I'm sure I have more ways to become "un-upset" but those are the ones that come to mind as of right now. Other Disney things for today? I went for dinner with my family at Longhorn Steakhouse and outside the restaurant as we were walking in, my dad and I decided it smelled a lot like Epcot for some reason. I have no clue where in Epcot, but it just reminded us of that. Also, my teacher's son is watching Star Wars for the first time today (although by now he'd probably be done). I think he was pretty excited about it, and she sent me a video of him singing the main theme before they started and it totally made my day.

Here's today's Disney History: 1934: Walt Disney Productions is granted a trademark of "Mickey mouse" for use in books and newspaper comic strips.

Have a magical day!