Traditionnn

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
-Succumbed to the darkness. Became the victim of a pick-pocketer, went to Disneyland with a 4 year old, drank whiskey, got a tattoo, went to a funeral I actually cared about, went on a solo trip with pneumonia, played with some guns.
2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
- This year I wanted to floss more and that definitely happened. In 2014 I want to run a marathon, climb Kilimanjaro, run 150 miles, and read 25 books. 
3. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
- A sense of purpose. 
4. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Ready? Lets go:
-Jan 31st
-March 17/18th
-May 7th
-Nov 11th
5. Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder?
- Kind of happier. Maybe the same I guess.
richer or poorer?
- SO POOR.
6. What was your favorite TV program?
- Community, Parks and Rec, The IT Crowd, 8 Out of 10 Cats.
7. What was your greatest musical discovery?
- Of Monsters and Men, Phillip Phillips, Bruno Mars
8. What was your favorite film(s) of this year?
- Catching Fire, Saving Mr. Banks, Frozen, The Great Gatsby, Paranoia, Chalet Girl, Syrup, We're the Millers, Iron Man 3, Now You See Me.
9. What were your favorite books of this year?
- The Descendants, Pandemonium, and One Day. I definitely didn't read enough this year.
10. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
- Lazy preppy? Is that a thing? Lots of button ups, sweaters and boots.
11. Who was the best new person you befriended?
- Yvonne and Jenny were both life savers at the premiere, and I got lots closer to Megan, Sarah, and Marissa!

I Feel Like A Woman

    I'm not a feminist. Let's start off with that straight away. I hate the flack ladies get when they admit they want to be a stay at home mom. I don't like the guilt trip given to those who like to work outside the home. I feel like we've come to a place in time in which women have the freedom to make choices like that without judgements from strangers.
    However I have recently been introduced to the gross underbelly of gender inequality and it makes me want to toss my razor and start burning bras. I'm talking about the cat calls when a girl walks down the street. When guys honk as they drive by. When girls are told how to dress. When the rape victim is blamed.
     It's absurd that we've come to live in a society in which a girl wearing a dress (of any kind) is an invitation for strangers to gawk and whistle at her. We shouldn't be told to hold our keys between our fingers when walking to our cars at night. We shouldn't be told not to sit in our cars alone at night. We shouldn't be told that what we wear will either invite or repel unwanted attention. Body shaming and victim blaming are so incredibly wrong! Why instead aren't we teaching the boys to stop attacking, harassing, and raping girls?
     I was just talking to Sharaya about starting a program that teaches self defense to young ladies during their sex education course - during my own class the genders were separated which would be the ideal situation in this instance. It really did sound like a grand idea before I considered the alternative: teach the boys that the female gender is equal to them and is to be respected as such. A very obvious option isn't it? I am so tired of being nervous to enter a parking lot at night, or wearing a skirt or dress in public by myself. And you know what? Most of the time those feelings are completely warranted. Some scumbag will gawk at me while I stand in line at the grocery store, or give me the elevator eyes when I sit down in a movie theater. This behavior is disgusted and exhausting and it needs to be stopped.

I encourage you to check out Everyday Sexism

B@T

In Breakfast At Tiffanys by Truman Capote, Holly explains,

"I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like."

     I don't think I've found this place of mine. I thought it was London, but in December I found myself disenchanted with the city. Maybe it was the grey skies or my aching feet. Something in it was lost. Maybe this place is in Cape Town, or Thailand or Florida. Maybe it's in Edmonds. I don't know where to look but I guess I better start.

A Box of Emotion

    I've begun working on my third Five Year Plan since the start of the year. It's interesting how life can change with a simple idea. 

    I am incredibly aware of the fact that I am a Big Picture person. I will get an idea, a glimpse of my ideal future or an exciting new opportunity, and I become enraptured in it. I break down all the details, budget, research, until I exhaust myself. The minute details get me bogged down until the passion that fueled me fizzles out. Then I get a new idea and I'm off again. There's always something too complicated or slightly unsettling that keeps me from actually pursuing anything. If I have to talk to strangers, spend money in an unusual way (et not on vacations), or simply move outside my comfort zone I become disinterested. I have a very comfortable life. I very, very rarely have to move beyond my comfort zone in my hometown. In my home country, I should say. 

    All this to say, I'm ready to start challenging myself. I feel like I've found a thing that I'm really excited about - one that feels so right. I'm ready to take the steps. I'm ready to take all of the steps. Living a life of complacency is so boring. A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. 

[side note: In 2013 I plan to watch every animated movie created by Disney & Pixar. My progress can be viewed via the Disney Rewatch page.]

Disney Survey!

1. How old were you when you first visited a Disney park?
I was an infant

2. Do you like the new look of the Disney princesses?
No. I don't understand the need for the new looks. The princesses are such symbols because of their movies. Belle's new look especially now looks very little like her look in the movie, so I don't understand why that was necessary esp pertaining to the face characters in the parks.

3. Do you look for Hidden Mickeys in the parks?
No. I'm usually too caught up in the rides.

4. What's your favorite character signature collected from the parks?
I don't collect signatures. I feel so abnormal. 

5. Have you ever had a Disney movie marathon?
Of course. 

6. Do you collect Vinylmations?
No. When they first came out I didn't like them but they've started to grow on me.

7. Favorite underrated Disney movie?
Hunchback of Notre Dam, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, & Hercules.

8. Favorite Disney/Pixar movie?
Up, Toy Story 1 & 3

9. Do you prefer Rapunzel's long hair or short hair?
Long hair. I think the idea that she doesn't have as much magic when she's a brunette is kind of silly. 

10. Disney movie you watch the most?
Aladdin, Little Mermaid, & Hunchback of Notre Dam.

11. Have you ever had a birthday in the parks?
No. It's too close to Christmas/New Years so it's always WAY packed. The closest I went was on Dec 13th. At least it's always decorated fantastic for my birthday =]

12. Have you ever played Musical Chairs with the Mad Hatter?
No I think I'm too old? But I've witnessed it. 

13. Did you like Pocahontas 2?
Not really. 

14. Have you ever had a crush on a Disney character?
Aladdin and Prince Eric.

15. Who is your favorite prince?
Prince Phillip. Sleeping Beauty was really his movie.

16. Favorite villain?
Frollo. He's terrifying because he's doesn't use magic. He's very real. 

17. What Disney movie makes you cry the easiest?
Up + Toy Story 3.

18. Favorite land in the parks?
Adventureland. 

19. Have you ever been to EPCOT?
Yes but I was 13, thought there would be loads of rides, and didn't yet care about international travel. So I thought it was a drag.


20. Do you collect Disney mugs?
Yes! I'm drinking out of one right now!

21. Have you ever dressed up as a Disney character for Halloween?
No. I never really dressed up for Halloween.

22. What's your favorite Dapper Dans song?
I didn't know they had multiple?!

23. Do you have a Disney OTP?
Not really?

24. What is one Disney song you can listen to 20 times on repeat?
Chim Chimney or Go The Distance. Or anything from the Tarzan soundtrack. Phil Collins is a legend.

25. Favorite Timon & Pumbaa moment?
When they first come upon Simba. 

26. If you could spend a day in any Disney movie, which would it be?
Who Framed Roger Rabbit. 

27. Would you ride Splash Mountain and Grizzly River Run on a freezing cold day?
Yep! Lines are at their shortest! 

28. Do you have a favorite Disney park restaurant?
I've actually never eaten at one. I always get my dole whips though.

29. Have you ever named a pet after a Disney character?
Nope.

30. Favorite Walt Disney quote?
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

Je suis miserables

They say misery loves company, but that's not true. Misery loves darkness and it wants to encompass you in it. It creeps its way into the corners of your long days; into the shadows of your tiring weeks until it envelopes you. You move around with a blank stare and a heavy heart. It will take your dog, your best friend, your job until it crushes you beneath the weight of it all. Your shoulders slump and your feet drag. You move through life barely able to see through all those dark clouds until one day you find yourself wondering when in the world it became this difficult to get out of bed.


It's been a rough week month.