Babbles of a Lover and a Fighter

The other week, I started as a room service food runner and hostess at a hotel sports bar here in Austin.  A far cry from digital micromirror device tweaking and retinal sampling, I find it difficult and challenging in other ways.  Knowing the menu front and back, picking up what “86″ and “on the fly” mean, and walking (literally) miles up and down floors in one night are just a few things that need getting used to.  I actually really enjoy the fast pace, giving good service, and making patrons feel welcome and important.  I think this is something I’m pretty good at and pick up on very quickly.

But recently, yet another friend of mine found a job in his field, and it just tugged at my heartstrings.  Why not me?  Why, after eight months of searching, haven’t I been able to find a job in something on which I spent 4 years and thousands upon thousands of dollars?

The recession could be the one to blame, but I take full responsibility.  Maybe I’m not trying hard enough.  Maybe I’m not really putting 100% into this job search.  Maybe I’m not proactive enough, forward enough, aggressive enough.  Or maybe I’m just never at the right place at the right time.  Whatever the reason, I know I am trying my best, but it’s difficult to not become disheartened.  Eight months is a long time to keep your chin up.  Eventually, your neck starts hurting.

So…I’m a fan of Wrigley’s 5 gum.  I absolutely love the compartmented packaging, the little textured slidey tab, the various flavors.  Oh the flavors.  They already have 5 great ones:  Cobalt (peppermint), Rain (spearmint), Flare (cinnamon), Lush (tropical), and my personal favorite, Elixir (berry).  Today, I was perusing through the last-minute grab-a-snax section at HEB, and I laid mine eyes on this:

Now, I have no idea what this flavor is supposed to be.  I think the packaging said something about sweet and minty.  I tore through the plastic wrapper in the car, mouth watering in excitement, and decided to take a giant whiff of the freshly opened package.  A flash of Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and a visit to the dentist ripped through my mind.  I tentatively tried a piece and was in for an awkwardly pleasant surprise.  It wasn’t half bad after getting over my initial olfactory overload.  I don’t know what it is, but it does kind of taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream.  I give it a thumbs up, though, just because of the uniqueness factor.  I’ll definitely, at the very least, finish this pack without a grimace on my face.

So…I was talking with some friends awhile ago and we came up with some movies from our childhood that if watched today would be pretty messed up…therefore, I bring you: TWCMUCM (This Week’s Creepy, Messed Up Childhood Movie). *trumpets blare*

This week, we have Thumbelina.  This 1994 film features music by the one and only Barry Manilow and has the most ridiculously awesome voice of Jodi Benson, aka Ariel from The Little Mirmaid, Atta from A Bug’s Life, Barbie Tour Guide in Toy Story 2, and (most awesomely) Tula from The Pirates of Dark Water.

Synopsis

Thumbelina is this tiny thumb-sized, 16-year-old girl who thinks no one in the world is like her.  After being tucked in post-fairy royalty story reading, Thumbelina sings her little pea-sized heart out about finding someone her size or something to that effect.  Prince Cornelius, drawn to the cottage by the wee-one’s mesmerizing voice, says hello and scares the bajeesus out of her.  After he takes her for a ride on his bumble bee (no, it’s not a euphemism…it’s literally a bumble bee), he hears his mother calling and flies away, but not before promising to visit Thumbelina the next day.  That night, this CREEPER frog-gypsy kidnaps her and says he wants to marry her because of her voice.  Thumbelina tries to get to the Land of the Fairies before the first frost hits, but runs into other super creepers like Mr. Beetle (who is dressed kind of like a pimp, cane and all…and who actually is the voice of Iago from Aladdin), Mr. Mole (who also plays Mr. Ollivander in the HP series), Mrs. Toad (this woman…egads.), and Ms. Fieldmouse.  And she keeps running into people who want to marry her and kidnap her and call her “Toots” or “Tuts” or however you spell it.  And blahblahblah, snow falls, the prince is captured in a block of ice, Thumbelina is about to marry the mole, fighting, cave-in, Land of the Fairies, theylivehappilyeveraftertheend.

Reaction

Alright.  I understand this is a kid’s movie.  Okay, the music is sort of catchy.  Okay, there are quasi-lovable characters like the little kid bugs who know what’s going on with everyone.  But WHY are there always old nasty men after this sweet, innocent girl?  And WHY are there old nasty women trying to set up marriages for Thumbelina with these old nasty men?  And WHY is Thumbelina getting married when she is 16 to a fairy kid she’s only known for a few days???  Take a look at the movie poster:

WTF, creepers EVERYWHERE.

5 of the 8 characters are either trying to kidnap her, get her to be in an inter-species marriage, or use her in God knows what fashion.  Like I said, creepy.

1. Baby Bug, Gnatty, and Li’l Bee – What cute names! Okay, these bug kids are alright.  They actually try and help her get away from the weirdos, and one of them has an adorable little voice (who turns out to be Rosie from A Troll in Central Park…another CMUCM, but for another time).
2. Mrs. Toad – Again, this woman. *shudder*  She basically wants Thumbelina to marry her son (6) so their traveling show can become famous.  Just plain greedy and manipulative, not to mention she has terrible hair.
3. Jacquimo – Okay, this guy wasn’t so bad either.  Always talked about following your heart and stuff.  Kind of one track minded, but he meant well.
4. Mr. Beetle – Creeper extraordinaire.  Dude with the pimp cane.  Calls Thumbelina “Toots” and kidnaps her for his show.  Pedophile.  Superficial.  Aggressive.  Degrading.  Even has the creeper stash.  Eegh.
5. Mr. Mole – Blind.  Lonely.  Forceful.  Obese.  Major widow’s peak hairline.  Also has a pimp cane.  Almost ends up marrying Thumbelina.  I forgot why he wanted to marry her in the first place, but I’m 100% sure it was creepy.
6. Either Grundel, Mozo, or Gringo – There were 3 brothers, I think, and I forgot which of those horrific names is #6.  Pedophile with a creeper stash.  And he’s dressed like a CLOWN.  Missing teeth.  Tongue is always out.  Fat.  Gross.
7. Ms. Fieldmouse – Wants to force Thumbelina to marry Mr. Mole.  Outdated clothing.  Homebody.  Busybody.
8. Prince Cornelius – Knight in Shining Armor Syndrome.  Means well, though.  Falls in love fast and hard.  But what can you expect when you’re a Fairy Prince in a Hans Christian Andersen tale?

Alright, so basically, I think this movie is creepy and messed up because of all of the creepers.  Sure it supposedly teaches young girls not to go into show business according to the NYT Review, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that it’s still creepy and messed up.

Until next time, stay away from creepy bugs and animals with pimp canes.

It’s 2010.  Twenty-ten.  The Future.  Where’s my hoverboard?  Flying car?  Interplanetary transportation?  I suppose it’s a bit far fetched to expect those things, but a few years ago, I never would have thought of being able to get instant celebrity responses to the most mundane questions, aliens and planets you could only dream of coming to life and popping out of a screen in the most realistic fashion, or competing computer companies coming out with laptops as thin as a few sheets of freaking paper (Apple with its Macbook Air and Dell with its Adamo XPS…so…beautiful.).

People have been having a hard time coming up with a name for this past decade.  The Aughts.  The Naughts.  The Zeros.  The Double O’s.  I, for one, am a fan of The Naughties.  From ridiculous lawsuits and socially deviant behavior to terrorism and swine flu hysteria, this past decade has been full of crazy weather (uh…Katrina?), crazy people (Lady Gaga…Kanye…oh the list goes on), and crazy trend explosions (Facebook, Uggs, leggings as pants [ew, put that away.]).

It’s weird to think that my entire high school and college education happened in The Naughties.  I remember I was sitting in the front row in Ms. Driscoll’s class when she came in, eyes watering, and said, “Class…America has been attacked.”  I remember getting the hell out of dodge in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-10 wondering how bad a hurricane could really be.  I remember graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and thinking the world is my oyster, only to be denied job opportunities because of the worst recession since the Great One.

I think the biggest milestone for me this past decade was the whole Katrina thing.  It was my first semester of college, my first time away from 99.9% of my friends.  Going to a new school is scary enough, but literally getting blown away the first day of orientation is not what I’d call a smooth start.

A couple of excerpts from my livejournal from 2005:

8/27 – so…how about that hurricane katrina, eh? move-in day and my family made the trek from rowlett to new orleans in only 8-ish hours. they helped me move in the rest of my stuff into the dorm when i heard about people being told to evacuate the school. wth? apparently hurricane katrina made a drastic turn west and was headed straight toward new orleans. so i packed up a weeks worth of stuff and hopped in the car with my parents to go back home. i guess i’m just lucky it landed on move-in day otherwise i wouldnt have gotten to come home at all. and i also found it rather amusing that the hurricane has my sister’s name. i knew she would find a way to get me back home.

8/28 – so the question remains…what am i gonna do for a week and a half? i guess i’ll just mull over that for awhile. ummm…so hurricane katrina, eh? it’s a cat-5…meaning 175 mph winds and more than 12 feet (FEET!) of flooding. good thing i’m on the 5th floor. i guess just as long as it doesnt blow my window out and suck all my stuff out. oh, and please pray for the thousands of people in the super dome. that’s gotta suck. just sitting there waiting to get hit by the storm cause you cant get a ride out. yikes.

8/31 – prayers for the people down there and their families. i was listening to the radio today and i was amazed that every station, every single station is doing something about hurricane relief. so many good hearts out there.

Looking back on it, I don’t think the severity of the situation hit me until spring when I found my way back to New Orleans and in the Ninth Ward analyzing levee failures and gutting houses.  Gutting houses.  It sounds so…violent.  But I guess water-logged photo albums, rotting foundations, and toxic refrigerator innards are nothing to smile about.  The damage was/still is something that is impossible to wrap my head around.  Sure, you can put a number on it; sure, you can put a price on rebuilding this or that, but it is impossible to know how much was lost in memories, in people. It’s impossible to quantify the suffering in the Super Dome, in the Ninth Ward, all along the coast, living with backed up sewage, no electricity, no food, no water.

Four years later, New Orleans has come up stronger than ever.  Every Mardi Gras I’ve been to since Katrina has been bigger and more outrageous than the last.  I just got back after spending the week of New Year down there gallivanting around the city I’ve grown to know and love.  This decade has taught me how resilient the human spirit really is.  High school was great.  College, even more so.  2009’s over, and thus, the end of another chapter in this thing I call life.

…okay that was ridiculously corny.  Apologies.

I usually don’t count time in years or decades, I suppose the latter because I’ve only been alive for about two, but it just feels like wrapping up those teen-angsty days and care-free college days should be a pretty big deal, especially when landmarked with such huge events.  And what’s a better time to do it than at the end of a decade?

Here’s to the next ten years and to starting this new blog.