Day 1475: Carrie and Debbie

It's not everyday you see hundreds gather with lightsabers and umbrellas at Disney's Hollywood Studios for a lightsaber and umbrella vigil, and it's even more rare that I'm able to be there to capture it all since I'm only at Walt Disney World for select days of the year. I haven't had the opportunity to attend a fan event since the D23 Expo in August of 2015, but as magical as that was, there was certainly something special about January 14 and the gathering at Disney's Hollywood Studios. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, on a Saturday in January, fans gathered at Hollywood Studios to celebrate the lives of two of the world's greatest: Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. The mood throughout the day, at times, was somber, but for the most part was filled with the spirit and energy the two women were so known for, and it was incredible to see their legacies directly portrayed through only a handful of their most dedicated fans.

Since I'm frequently found with a video camera in hand, I made a special effort to create a Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds Tribute Video, which you can watch above. It features some of the fans I met while at the event, sharing why Debbie and Carrie are so important to them. I was a bit nervous at first, worried that I wouldn't get enough people to make up an entire video, but I eventually relished in each word the fans spoke into my camera, and as I spent an evening editing it, I couldn't help but feel an immense sense of pride. I was getting to edit this video, and no matter how big or small the scale of it, these fans, like myself, felt a connection to Carrie and Debbie, and for the first time since their death, I felt comforted in the fact that we aren't alone, and they most certainly won't be forgotten. 

I encourage you to watch the above video, not for me, but for the fans and for Carrie and Debbie. Share it, and let's continue to pass the lessons they've taught us to future generations. These women may have left us right when it seems we need them most, but that doesn't mean they aren't here beside us, because the force is strong, and we are the future. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1457: Carrie

This is the kind of blog post that everyone dreads writing. 

I remember my Dad telling me once that there are certain moments in history where you just remember where you were and what you were doing - the assassination of JFK, the Moon Landing, 9/11, and so on and so forth. I didn't really understand what he meant until the day that Robin Williams died, and I can still recall every part of that day, where I checked my phone to find one of my inspirations gone. I remember the way the sun was setting, I remember the way my room was arranged, and I certainly remember the way I felt. 

Today will be another one of those days. 

I was in the middle of getting my haircut, barely a minute or two into it actually, when Frank texted me. I didn't check my phone, despite the fact that it was absolutely blowing up and vibrating every two seconds. When I did finally check my phone on my way out the door, happily sporting a new hairstyle, I was hit with the news and my face fell. 

It's taken me a good portion of the rest of the day to figure out what I really want to say about this. As I walked around the mall, filled with people taking advantage of post-Christmas sales, I couldn't help but wonder if anyone around me felt the same way I did. One glance at Twitter and it was almost like Alderaan blew up all over again, but for the most part, those around me seemed alright. They didn't seem sad, they didn't seem heartbroken, they seemed fine, and thus the shoppers became an instant reminder that, even in the face of death, life does go on. 

Carrie Fisher was, without a doubt, my first female idol. Previous to watching Star Wars, I honestly can't recall any other icon having such an impact on me. I remember just having to read her book, and actively searching it out from the library. I remember reading everything I possibly could about her life, and being pretty astonished to realize somewhere along the line that Debbie Reynolds, another of my favorite actresses, was her mother. She was, in every way, one of the most incredible, strong women in Hollywood and the world, and she taught me so much about strength and, quite literally, not taking crap from anyone. Through the pages of her book, she taught me about the seriousness of mental illness, and supplied the foundation for me to reach out to my friends struggling with it. Carrie helped me to understand that I can't resent the people who have hurt me over the years, because, and this is one of my favorite quotes, "Resentment is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die." And above all else, for years, I wanted to be Princess Leia. I wanted to be strong and confident and sassy all at the same time, and you know, I think a part of me has gotten there thanks to her. 

Which is why this hurts so much. I never met Carrie, and I probably wouldn't have even if she lived past today, but that doesn't diminish what she's inspired me to do. I'm a better person because of Carrie. I'm more sure of myself, more confident in what I want, and absolutely positive that nothing in this world will ever hold me back, even if some mysterious space station comes and blows up my planet. 

My thoughts and prayers are with Billie, Debbie, and all of Carrie's family and friends.

And to Carrie - We'll Miss You. 

Have a magical day!

Day 853: One True Pairing

I've spent some time this evening trying to determine what to do to makeup this extra blog post, although I've known from the start that I wanted it to be Star Wars themed. After all, May is definitely Star Wars month! But I didn't want to just do a post I've done before and then, through a collection of old blog posts, it hit me!

It started out when I came across this post from only a few weeks ago, which you'll see again in the next blog post as one of my favorite Star Wars themed Everyday Disney posts. The post included a graphic that helped explain my love of Han Solo in comparison to Captain Hook, which you can see below. Then I stumbled back across the first post on the Love Triangle Theory, and realized that there's something I think about quite often but have never actually blogged about, and that's my OTP'S.

For those that aren't fluent in fangirl, there's this thing called shipping, a completely ironic word when it comes to the fact that my two all-time favorite characters both own a ship. Either way, shipping is where you want two characters to form a relationship, whether it be canon or not (real in the plot of the show). So for example, Han and Leia are certainly an example of a canon-ship, while Leia and Lando would be a Non-canon pairing (who even ships that?) So then you have ships, but there are some ships that are just way more important than all of the other ships, and those ships are your OTPs, or rather, "One True Pairings." The concept sounds as though you really only have one, but I definitely like to believe we can have plenty. For me, I have two, and it just so happens that they are pretty closely connected!

And so I give the list: A Few Reasons why Hook and Emma are actually Han and Leia!

Uhh...Princess Leia? 

Scoundrel? Scoundrel? I like the sound of that. 

Get in the way? Never! 

Space Pirate and Pirate are obviously the same. After all, they do both fly. 

Of course, there are plenty of other reasons as to why Hook is Han and Emma is Leia, such as the complete female power that exists anytime Emma or Leia are around, the whole force use thing (definitely like Emma's magic), the constant hand holding that occurs all the time, and the list just goes on and on and on.

Now...let's just hope this doesn't go down in the Season 4 finale!

Have a magical day!

(Note: Due to finals, this post was written on May 4, 2015).

Day 617: Silent Star Wars

To be brutally honest, without music, movies would absolutely suck. And no, this isn't just the music major in me that says "Maybe you'll actually get to be good at composing music and can write music for a TV show or something." I'm saying, literally, that without music, films would be god awful.

Don't believe me? Watch this:

Ahh yes, the things you come across on Facebook and other social media. This one came up somehow and talked about how without the music, the end of the original Star Wars film is just a bunch of people smiling at each other, and IT'S SO TRUE. 

I watched this earlier tonight and all I wanted to do was make it stop. It's painful to watch...and this was just a couple minutes. Can you imagine a whole film? Gosh, that would be torture. Although Jupiter playing at the beginning really made me laugh because we just played that at a concert here at SNC.

So let's thank all the composers out there for a second, and thank the Lord for the music that backs the films. And for John Williams, because really, this makes a lot more sense:

Now I really, REALLY want to watch Star Wars.

Have a magical day!

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

Day 436: This Is Madness 2

If you remember, last March I was very outraged over a March Madness competition, specifically the on featured on the official Star Wars website. Well guess what, we're in for a round two, and I'm not sure if this is any better.

Let's start with the good news. I DO like how it's set up this year. There's still a light side and a dark side, but they have it down in sub categories, meaning that first we find out our favorite "Rebel" or "Jedi" or "Soundrel," long before finding out the ultimate Star Wars character. The problem? It puts some of the best characters head to head right away while still involving some less important characters. It means that just like last year, you could have a character that no one knows make it to round three while Luke Skywalker never makes it past round one.

And that's exactly what happened already. That's right, Luke Skywalker is already out of the competition. He lost to Obi-Wan Kenobi. While I do find this somewhat entertaining since it was only last year that Han lost to Obi-Wan, but still, is that really fair?

But the ultimate crazy thing? Han Solo has made it past round one, as I knew he would, but is now going up against Chewbacca? Funny, maybe...but really? Is that even fair? It's just like how Leia is once again going up against R2, and she'll lose again.

Ultimately, I'm really interested to see how the whole thing will turn out because last year Yoda won, which was a huge surprise considering Darth Vader was the favorite going into the round. I guess my hope here is for Han to make it further in the competition, because last year was just plain ridiculous.

In other Star Wars news, we're getting new stuff at Star Wars Weekends this year, including a breakfast meal with characters from the film! Although I'd just like to say that I'm not excited to meet Greedo. I WANT TO MEET HAN SOLO! Gosh people, get it straight. Then again, would it really be Han? No. I think I just want to meet Harrison Ford.

Either way, I sadly won't be going to Star Wars Weekends...again...as I just got back and won't be back home until June, just after the Star Wars Weekends end. Sigh. Someday I'll get there. Someday.

Have a magical day, and don't forget to vote!

(Note: This Blog post was written on March 27 due to Midterms and Travel).

Day 216: More Youtube

Well, here we are again. Gosh, I have a lot of series posts. Ok, not really, only like three of them, but this one is one of the most fun, I do have to say that. Why? Because I get to watch Youtube videos until I find just the right ones to include in the post. Actually so far it hasn't been all that difficult because I have a lot of these videos. But I sometimes still watch them anyway because, well, I talk about them, so I'd better know exactly what I'm talking about.

So here's the third bunch of Disney-Inspired YouTube videos that I just love to death!

Hipster Disney Princess - THE MUSICAL:

AVbyte has been around for a while, but this is most certainly the way I first found them. I mean, it's just kind of hard not to click on a video about Disney Princesses being Hipsters, and this is like one of my absolute favorites here on Youtube. Granted, would it really be on this blog if I didn't like it? Probably not, unless we were doing a fail post. Oh yeah, and that second one, all about Princess Leia...and just as awesome!!! The Disney Princesses actually show up a lot in their videos, which is something I am most certainly cool with.

Toyz Noize:

Honestly, nothing can make your day better like a bit of Toy Story, and here's a great, quick way to do it, especially if you don't have time to watch the entire movie. Nick Bertke has actually made several of these, but this one is by far my favorite. It's just so adorable. My actual favorite part? The "You are a...BUZZ LIGHTYEAR." Gets me every time.

Disney Dudez:

This one is fairly recent to my Disney collection of favorite videos, but I most certainly had to share it. This has got to be one of the best Disney inspired videos out there, just because the entire thing is hilarious, and musical and just overall great. I do have to say that the band, IM5, is pretty awesome...other than the fact that I find it slightly disturbing that I'm older than all of them. Since when am I older than the common Boy Band member? 

Well, unlike the Star Wars edition, I try to limit myself to three different videos per Youtube post. For one reason, it makes it so that I don't use all the videos at once, but it also means that you don't sit at your computer for hours watching video and that I don't get you in trouble for not doing your work. Or maybe it's just me that won't do my work? 

Here's today's Disney History: 1995: A ground breaking takes place for Disney's newest Florida theme park Disney's Animal Kingdom (the largest of all Disney's theme parks, it will open in April 1998). 

Have a magical day!

Day 162: Vader's Little Princess

Sometimes I go shopping, and when I go shopping, I sometimes find wonderful things. Today, I found one of those wonderful, wonderful things!

That's right, while I was out with one of my friends for sushi, we stopped at Target, and while we were looking through the books and movies, I happened to walk by a section of like Star Wars and Star Trek books. I didn't see it at first, but my friend pointed out two books sitting right in front of me, one of which is the book I've been wanting to get since it came out in April, Vader's Little Princess.

The book is the second in the series by Jeffery Brown, but I love this one even more than the original (which I plan on officially buying for myself when I go back to Target at some point). I mean, the fact that it's Leia means one thing: there's Han, and I just love that. Seeing Vader deal with Leia as she grows up is adorable, especially after she does begin dating a certain scoundrel. This page is totally my favorite though: 

I just couldn't handle the reference to the movie, and the fact that still, no one understands exactly what Han meant when he said "I know." Granted, I really don't care what he meant, because I think it was still way better than just a regular "I love you too." I thank Harrison Ford every time I watch the movie for coming up with the brilliance that is that line. It fits perfectly into the character that is Han Solo. 

Anyway, if you have kids, or just love Star Wars, I really suggest getting both these books, the first one on Luke and this second one on Leia. They're adorable the entire way through and I guarantee that they'll at least make you laugh a little bit. I know I laughed the entire way through it. 

Here's today's Disney History: 2010: World of Color officially debuts at Disney California Adventure park. A spectacular display of water and special effects, it features more than 1,000 jets of water which form incredible shapes in time to music allowing Disney characters to come to life on a shimmering veil of mist. 

Have a magical day!

Day 84: Long Weekends

This upcoming weekend is a long one for me, as we have three days off (Thursday, Friday and Monday) for our "Spring Break." Honestly it's kind of annoying to not have an entire week (I could fill the entire time up with work that I could be doing), but at least it's something.

I figured that since it's almost spring break again, I'd share what I did last year. Since I had a lot I wanted to accomplish then, I started a spring break mission log. It worked pretty well, and there's a couple of Disney themed examples of what I spent my week doing.

First, I really wanted to learn how to do Princess Leia's Rebel Assault Hairstyle from Return of the Jedi...you know, the one on Endor...like in this scene...

It worked out pretty well, considering my hair was probably two inches too short. It's plenty long now though, and I've gotten it pretty down packed. But, my first attempt really helped me figure it out. Of course, I never complained about having to watch Jedi a few extra times.

Second I decided I would learn how to create lightsaber effect on pictures. It seemed like a pretty fun and cool thing to do, and it really didn't take that long for me to master. Granted I probably wouldn't remember how to do it now, but it was still something that was a lot of fun to learn...and I could figure it out again.

Of course, that's not all I did over break, as I had plenty else going on, but I do plan on doing another spring break mission log this year. Posting the pictures to Facebook, and this year, to my blog, was always exciting and really got me excited about finishing the tasks that I needed to complete.

Here's today's Disney History: 1954: Disney is awarded 4 Oscars at the 1953 Academy Awards. The Short Subjects, Cartoon category is won by Disney's Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom. Disney's True-Life Adventure Bear Country wins an Oscar for Short Subjects. The Disney/RKO The Alaskan Eskimo is awarded for Documentary, Short Subject and the True-Life Adventure The Living Desert wins for Documentary, Feature. It is the first time one individual has one 4 Oscars in a single year.

Have a magical day!