I take pictures. At first, it was unintentional, but then I started seeing things from an artistic view. Now I can’t go anywhere without my camera. It’s just an old Cannon Powershot, sometimes it doesn’t even want to work but it works.
But yeah. I have so many photos, I decided I need to start posting them. Who knows, it might look good when I get into film. This other blog isn’t really made for photos, so lets try this out…
So I received a comment on my Thanksgiving post, which brought me to someone else’s blog, the blog of “Suldog”. Someone else who agrees that Christmas starts too early. This made my day, so I feel I should share it.
So, as you all may know from my previous post, I am quite the walking disaster. I seem to be accident prone. This semester, I have fractured three toes and damaged my thumb (had to wear a brace on it for a week). Not quite as bad as the concussion incident, but still, I was hoping to go one semester without a visit to the student health center.
Last Thursday I had another incident. It wasn’t quite a walking disaster thing, but it was still traumatic, and so very…me.
It started when I got out of English early, and decided to stop by the library. After this, I decided to take the White Loop home. It was there I ran into my friend Barbara. I haven’t really seen her since the beginning of the semester, so we went to get coffee.
We spent a good while catching up, and plotting our trip to Disney for the following December. After our coffee had been drained, I started to feel sick. Sharp, stabbing stomach pains. I figured it was because I had just finished a latte- I sometimes display symptoms of lactose intolerance.
So I packed up my stuff and got home as fast as I could, assuming I was going to be sick. That didn’t happen. Instead, my stomach continued to hurt, and I lay in bed, waiting for it to go. Soon I started to feel nauseated, so I dragged myself down to the grocery store for some instant rice and Tums.
This helped me a little bit, with the nausea, but the pain didn’t go away. I watched the clock. Eight hours since the pain had started. At this point, it was past midnight. I called my friend Greg, and prayed he was still awake. He agreed to drive me to the hospital. I called the advice nurse, just in case
So I went to the hospital. Again. I hate the hospital when I’m sick. Especially when you don’t know what’s wrong. The doctors hand you a cup and say say here. Pee in this. That’s one of the most impossible things to do, especially when the advice nurse says DON’T EAT OR DRINK NOW. So that took a while. The nurses kept coming to the door and asking if I was okay, which didn’t make that an easier task. >.<
Have I mentioned I’m scared of needles? I never realized the extent of it until that night. The next step in figuring out what was wrong with me was to take blood from me, then put in an IV. I went into full panic mode. I was crying and thrashing, and the nurse couldn’t get the needle into my vein. I was crying like I was three., and Greg had to hold me down. They finally had to call in another nurse, a real tough one who apparently could take blood from babies without making them cry. I don’t know how that’s possible, because it hurt like hell. The doctor came in and tried to talk to me and distract me, but that made it worse. My whole body was shaking. The nurses kept asking me if I was cold, and did I want a blanket?
Next they wanted to X ray me. That wasn’t scary for me, because I’d had those before. What got me was when I was being wheeled back to my room. I was wheeled past beds full of emergency patients. There was a woman covered in bandages, blood everywhere, and paramedics and nurses running around. That’s exactly what I needed to see to calm me down. Not.
I get back to my room, only to have them put an IV in the tube sitting in my arm. This sent me into hysterical laughter. Greg could only stare at me like I was insane. Couldn’t really blame him.
The worst part of hospital trips is waiting. They told us half an hour. After a while, the came back in and told me they needed more samples. After waiting another hour, they finally came in and told me they had no idea what was wrong with me, but it wasn’t my appendix or a bladder infection. They gave me a bunch of medications and told me to go home.
One week later, I’m still alive, and still having slight pain. I’m on a special diet, which means I pretty much live off of bread. Oh, and I discovered that the nausea pills the hospital gave me are meant for Chemotherapy patients.
I realized I’ve had this blog for more than a year, and I never write.
That’s how I am. I start things like this…blogs, stories, sewing, and learning the piano; and after a while, they just…die. I try, I really do, just other things get in the way. School has to come first, followed by homework, studying, and my film projects. Especially my film projects, those are really important to me.
Now, don’t go thinking I’m a total scatterbrain -okay, maybe I’m a little bit of one- but it’s not my fault. Other things get in the way, things that I need to take care of first. By the time I’m finished with those, I’m so tired and distracted that I can’t finish those projects. Hobbies, I guess they are.
I hate being like that, though. So I’ve decided it’s time to fix this. Yes, this is one of those cliché I AM GOING TO BLOG MORE posts. Ish. It’s not all about the blogging. I mean, I do love blogging, and sharing all my crazy adventures (What crazy adventures, you might ask. I’m working on posting more, okay?). I can also put up my photos and film projects. So, updating here would be a good thing.
But the rest of those things need to be finished, too. Writing is at the top of my list. I’m insane and joined National Novel Writing Month. Last Sunday, six days late. So far, I’m at 4,136 words, and very behind. First step is catching up on that. I keep saying I want to be a writer…now I need to actually write something.
I also should finish sewing and piano, too. So far, I am working on a stuffed Toothless, and a companion cube. I abandoned Toothless for the cube (making it for my boyfriend, so he has hugs when he’s at home), but then I realized I made the cube wrong. So I had to start that over completely, but I’ve been so caught up in NaNoWriMo I haven’t worked on it in a week. I should start working on that again (It would make a great Christmas present). Also, my wonderful boyfriend, besides encouraging me to start working on all this and helping me with my film projects, has given me his old keyboard. I have absolutely no reason why I can’t learn how to play piano now.
This is the old cube...the grey squares are supposed to go off the edges.
So, all in all, I need to get busy being awesome. And tell everyone about the crazy things that happen to me (like my hospital visit last week!)
Now I just need time to sleep.
You guys ought to know my opinion of Christmas starting early. I’m sure I’ve ranted about it…Christmas for me starts after Thanksgiving.
So I’ll keep this short.
That’s more like it.
We're ignoring the fact that right below these was the Christmas cookies.
This is a short story I wrote for my Fiction Writing class. It is not edited yet. Please don’t use it.
Ava woke up, back aching, on a cold hard surface. She lay there for a moment, hands immediately reaching to her face, checking to make sure she was still herself. Two eyes, although she couldn’t see anything; same crooked nose, mouth twisted in fear. She was still there. Still Ava. For now.
Slowly, she sat up, heart pounding. Where was she? She was on a floor of stone, sharp and jagged edges pressing into her hands. Or maybe it was glass. It was cold, hard and sharp but it was too dark to see anything. Maybe she was blind? She quickly nixed this thought as waves of anxiety overtook her. Cautiously, she felt her way around. Stone walls closing in around her, just barely giving her enough room to stretch out her arms.
The claustrophobia panic was beginning to set in. Ava threw herself at the walls, clawing at the stone, trying to find a door, anything to get out. Stone everywhere, and the smooth surface of a door. Handleless, hingeless, just the faint impression of a narrow rectangle- food, she guessed. She hacked away at it with her fingernails, hoping it would give. It wiggled, ever so slightly, but she could feel that it wouldn’t budge. It was secure. Ava flopped back on the stone, trying to ignore the pain in her back, and the fresh pain in her fingertips. One of her fingernails had ripped off, caught in the edge of the door. Fuck. She could feel the blood trickling out, oozing onto the stone floor. She tore a chunk of her shirtsleeve off and twisted it around the finger, flinching at the stinging pain. She longed for painkillers, or water, but there was nothing.
Ava didn’t know how long she lay on the floor for. The pain in her finger had dulled, just a little. She wanted to look at it, but there still wasn’t any light whatsoever. Maybe she had gone blind, after all. Maybe the door had poisoned her.
From somewhere, a chime sounded. A voice began to speak, a woman, voice as cold as the floor, sounding bored. The voice came from everywhere, as though oozing from the stone itself.
Welcome to Rehabilitation.
You have been brought here as part of government efforts to create outstanding citizens in this time of war. Our goal here is to remove the tumors of society, and help them restructure their lives to be outstanding citizens willing to fight for the cause and the country.
You will be kept on a strict schedule with vigorous routines. Meals will be served three times a day, and sunshine breaks will be rewarded to patients with good behavior.
After your Rehabilitation therapy, you will be admitted into treatment for your health and strength.
The Center for Rehabilitation would like to remind you that there will be no smoking, running in the halls, laughing, smiling, or dreaming.
Your treatment begins…now.
There was another chime, and the hissing of gas being issued into the cell.
Ava woke up some time later, face aching. She could feel something on her finger, covering her missing nail. Her mind processed the pain in her face. She was slow, probably from the drugs. They changed her, she just knew it. Hands shaking, she touched her face, feeling the long scar running down the center. That was it, then. She hadn’t had time to prepare mentally. The doctors here had opened her face. Fixed her eyes so her vision was perfect, implanted a device into her forehead to measure her body signals and brain waves. They had started to keep her under constant watch.They would be able to see when she was afraid.
She managed to sleep a little, tossing and turning about as she dreamt of sometime before, something she thought had happened, but maybe it was a dream.
She saw him across the room, just like in a fairytale. He was standing there, across the room, staring back at her. She blushed and looked down, and when she looked back at him, he was gone.
Pity.
And then there was a tap on her shoulder, and she spun around to face him. He was smiling, asking for her name. He introduced himself as CJ. Just the initials. He smiled at her, and wrote his number on the back of her hand in a marker.
She called him the next day, hesitant. He wanted to see her, and she reluctantly met up with him. She was shy and awkward; he was dazzling and kind, and he loved her. Love at first sight, he proclaimed. She laughed, and agreed to meet up with him again. Just because.
And the rest was history. He found ways to see her on a daily basis, sneaking into her room when her parents were asleep, giggling as he fell flat on his face after crawling through her window. After time, she came to realize she loved him too. They were inseparable, going to be together forever.
Neither of them ever thought things could go so wrong.
She was awakened by a loud BANG! and harsh light pouring into her chamber. Ava recoiled and shielded her eyes, blinded. Her motions were slow and heavy- they had probably gassed her again while she was asleep. Strong hands were grabbing her, dragging her of the cold darkness.
After a minute her eyes adjusted enough for her to squint at her surroundings. She was being dragged down a hallway. The hall was lined with heavy metal doors, and painted a sickly green color. Ava could only guess that others like her lay behind the other doors, before she was dragged into a lift at the end of the hall.
She twisted around a little to see her captors. Two blank-faced men in white lab coats, staring straight ahead. She squirmed, and they didn’t look at her, just tightened their grip on her arms. The elevator stopped several floors down, and she was dragged through another green hallway, and deposited in the middle of a green room. There was a metal table and one wooden chair in the center. The door closed behind her, and she was left alone.
Please be seated.
Ava hauled herself over to the chair, half expecting to find handcuffs or bonds. She looked around. No cameras that she could see, no people. Nothing but the desk, her, and the solitary light hanging from the ceiling.
We would like to welcome you once again to Rehabilitation. You have been selected due to your part in the anti-war movement. Your drive and dedication shows us you have what it takes to be part of our ranks.
Your will however may take time to deteriorate. We have altered your schedule. Each day you will submit to questioning so we can better judge your personality. Next week we will add testing to your schedule.
Questioning begins…now.
Question one. Why did you decide to join the anit-war movement?
Ava just shook her head, refusing to answer. She didn’t want any of this
Please answer the question.
Ava stared straight ahead, imitating the men in the lab coats.
Please answer the question or we will force you to.
They couldn’t. There was no way into her head unless they-they wouldn’t! They couldn’t do-
Sharp pain shot through Ava’s head. She screamed and collapsed onto the floor, feeling like her skull was being split in half. Little lights danced in front of her eyes from the intensity of the pain. It felt as though there was a spike driving between her eyes. Things were swimming through her brain, beyond her control. Memories surfaced before she could stop them.
The announcement had been plastered all over the news. The government had declared war on the rest of the world. Their reasons why changed on a regular basis- foreign countries had ruined their economy with trade, too many people being forced to immigrate to here, unfair treatment on the World Counsel… the talk of the people was that the government just wanted absolute takeover. The army was dispatched, but quickly eliminated. The government was turning to the people, asking them to join and “fight for the cause!”
But the people wouldn’t have it.
The anti-war movement swept the country. Nobody would stand for this. You lost your entire military, why would you create another? Ava and CJ dove right in, leading protests and raid. The dynamic duo, recognized nationally for their efforts, hoping the government would hear their voices.
And then the disappearances started
Ava sat up, gasping. The pain in her head had dulled, leaving her dizzy, the world out of focus.
Very good. This would be easier if you cooperated. Question two. Where are you from?
And so it went. Hundreds of questions were asked; some trivial, some logical, some not related to her life in the slightest. She fought as hard as she could, trying to protect her life from these monsters. Each time, they got into her brain, ripping each memory or thought from her brain, leaving her on the floor cold and shaking and in agony. By the time the men in the lab coats returned, she could hardly stand or see. They dragged her through more puke green walls, leaving her in a new room. It had stone walls and a stone floor, although not nearly as sharp as her previous cell. There was a cot in the corner with well used blankets; along with a mirror, toilet and sink. The men left her alone. She had a room to herself. She scanned the walls- no sign of a cameras, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t watch her anyways. Probably could see through her eyes.
The food was drugged, she was sure of it. Each meal pushed through into her hole of darkness had the faint tang of something slightly metallic. At first, she just pushed it around her plate, then shoved it back through the slot. She wasn’t about to let them take over her. After a while, the effects of the gas treatment began to get to her empty stomach, so she had no choice. She ate as little and as slowly as possible, trying not to let them get into her system; but no matter what she did, she could feel it in her blood, making her lethargic.
The second week in, her testing began. After her morning questions, she was served her lunch, and dragged to a new room; beige. It was completely empty. The lab-coated men deposited her on a square outline and left her alone.
These tests were designed to build up your intelligence, critical thinking, logic, and stamina. You are required to complete four a day; you will not be allowed to eat or sleep until you have done so. Your testing begins…now.
There was a buzzer, and Eva was dropped down into another beige room. It was a maze, she could see that. It only took her a few minutes to solve it. Something above her dinged, indicating the completion. The lab-coated men came through the door and escorted her to the next chamber. Slightly more difficult, but manageable. Ava was bored with the ordeal.
The routine established itself within days. Food, questions, food, testing, food, sleep. In her free time, Ava worked out, so she could be better prepared for the tests. They varied, from mazes to military courses. Once they left her in a locked room with only a few odd household bits, and told her to get out. That one took her the majority of the afternoon. She didn’t mind the length of the tests. Anything to distract her from the memories.
Dreams came in the night, plaguing her, memories of her past like her life flashing before her eyes. She would wake up every night, clutching at the ratty blanket, gasping into the darkness, feeling sick to her core. The memories were worse than nightmares, gnawing at her all day long. The gas they used to make her more vulnerable before her questioning was a sweet relief, those few minutes of bliss before they attacked her brain. She fought them harder and harder, the pain increasing until she was passing out. They woke her up each time, and started the process over again. By the end of the fourth week, Ava could barely think straight. The tests were taking longer to complete. One day she was trapped in a basic maze for two days. She finally stumbled out on complete accident, and collapsed.
He came in from one of the revolution meetings looking grim. There was a new breakthrough in the government process. The disappearances had been increasing rapidly over the weeks. He had discovered what was happening. The government was kidnapping people, mostly the revolutionaries, and putting them into facilities to brainwash them. It wasn’t right- and he wanted to put a stop to it. He wanted to sneak into their and put a stop to this. He could fight the brainwashing, trick them into letting him into the military, He could take them down from the inside.
Ava just stared at him in horror, He couldn’t leave her like this. She cried and pleaded with him, but he wouldn’t budge. He loved her, he really did, but he couldn’t be with her in a country so dangerous. So let’s run away, she said.
He looked at her, and she could see it was over. He took her in his arms and told her he would be back for her, He would never leave her. He would always be there to protect her, no matter what. Always.
When Ava woke up, she wasn’t alone.
At first, she could feel it, the extra presence in the room. A little throbbing in the front of her head; not pain, just a pulsing. She sat up and peered out into the darkness, wondering if all the probing in her brain had finally pushed her to her limit. Maybe she was dying.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Turning her head, she saw them- little glowing, floating specks. Tiny sparks, pinpoints in the darkness. They floated around, dancing closer to her. She sat up in her bed and reached out, and they floated closer, following her movements. For some reason, they made her feel…safe. She fell back asleep, for the first time, not afraid. Strangely.
They were there when she woke up. They hovered around, never leaving her line of sight. She smiled for what felt like the first time in forever. She ate her breakfast and was gassed for morning testing. She was curious to find out if anyone else could see them.
But the men in lab coats didn’t seem to notice, even though they hovered in front of their faces, dancing on their noses. Ava suppressed a giggle. They couldn’t see anything. She was deposited in the questioning room, and left alone. More or less.
The questions were brutal. She barely had time to think before they were plunging into her brain, extracting all the information the wanted. She blacked out within seconds.
When she awoke, there were more sparks dancing around her head. They grouped around her, comforting in their own way.
You have answered enough questions. Please return to your chamber.
Ava blinked in surprise. They were done questioning her? Had they found what they wanted from her? The men in white came to get her, and the sparks followed, glowing brighter than before.
As she ate her lunch, Ava watched the sparks dance around her tray, and wondered about them. They had brought her luck with questions. Maybe they weren’t sparks? They seemed to only be in her head, nobody else could see them. Unless they picked them up through the implant in her brain. That could explain the end to the questioning.
But what did they mean?
The sparks followed her around every day though her testing. Ava stopped questioning them. They made her feel less alone. Someone to follow her through her tests. Someone to talk to when she got lonely at night. A distraction from her past.
One afternoon while testing, she was stuck in a particularly nasty test. She was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. She was dozing off a little. There was a bright flash, and she woke with a start. The sparks were swarming around her face, brighter than ever before. They moved left, bringing her eyes with them. That was all she needed. She flipped backwards, just as the guns fired. A sneak attach she had almost missed. She ran through the rest of the test, following the sparks where they led her. She couldn’t get back to her room fast enough. She had to think.
The sparks were like her guardian angels. They had saved her from the questioning, she just knew it, and had helped her survive the test. What were they? Who sent them? Were they just another test?
They couldn’t be. They made her feel so warm inside. They were…friendly. They were good. They had to be. Something or somebody had sent them to her. To keep her alive.
Who?
I will never leave you.
That night, she let the past catch up with her.
The news of his death came one bright and sunny day. His mother was standing on her porch. That was all she needed. She didn’t wait to hear the news, she just ran off down the block, her face and shirt soaked with tears. She had been dreading this. She stayed out for three days, hiding in the woods. The cops found her and brought her home. Her mother sat her down and talked to her- he had made it to the ranks after all, but was caught and shot. She barely listened. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t lead the resistance. She couldn’t do anything. He had broken his promise to her. She was lethargic and wandered though the streets aimlessly, until one day, they took her in. They had recognized her from the news reports on the protests. They wanted to make her one of them.
Good. Let them.
Sometimes at night, Ava thought she could hear the sparks whispering to her, in their little chiming voices. Escape, was their favorite word. It built up like a tumor inside her brain, bouncing inside her skull day in and day out, until it was the only thing she could think of. She had to get out of here.
It was almost too easy, escaping. The men in their white lab coats stumbled and shouted as she kicked free from their grip and barreled down the hallway. She ran into the walls a bit, still foggy on her drugs, but managed to find the sign labeled STAIRS. Behind her were yells, and heavy footsteps. Shit. They had called in reinforcements. Her brain screamed for her to go faster, but her legs were heavy, and she tripped on the steps. One of the heavy-booted military men caught her ankle. She screamed and kicked frantically. She felt her shoe connect with the flesh of his nose, felt the nose snap. Blood squirted onto her leg, and his grip vanished as both hands flew to his face. He cried out in agony, stumbling back and sliding down the stairs.
GO! RUN! The sparks were back, dancing in front of her eyes. Her head cleared just enough to push faster. Stairs flew underneath her. More guards came up in front of her, but she pushed them out of the way, charging all the way to the top level.
Don’t stop! At the top of the stairs there was a door. She slammed through it, out into the brilliant sunlight of the rooftop. For a moment, Ava was startled by how bright and warm it was, but the footsteps on the stairs prevented her from hesitating. She sprinted past the happy patients on their sunshine breaks, and to the edge of the roof.
It was a long way down. She was balanced precariously on the edge. The guards were on her tail. There was no choice. She couldn’t go on like this. She needed the ultimate freedom. Closing her eyes, she jumped.
Her feet hit a hard surface.
Startled, Ava opened her eyes. It looked as though she were standing on a sheet of glass, being held so many stories high over the street. NO! screamed her brain. She was so close. She could taste the glorious freedom waiting for her. She would see CJ again…
But the glass wouldn’t give way. Ava stumbled forward, hitting more glass. It was fake. There was no outside, she was still trapped in the facility. She fell forward, tears hot on her face. It was over.
The guards caught up with her, and picked up by her armpits. She was dragged back inside, where she was met by the cool female voice.
Prisoner, your recent actions leave us no choice. It is time for your full immersion cleansing. When it is over, you may join the ranks. Prisoner, are you ready?
Ava stared up at the ceiling, watching the bright fluorescent lights glide over her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sparks dancing. I will never leave you. There was nothing left to do.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
It’s 3:30 in the morning, and I’m in one of the campus computer labs pulling my second all-nighter in four days. Compared to Sunday night, I’m surprisingly lucid, so I decided I felt like blogging. No one really reads these anyways, especially when they’re not Disney related, am I right?
I’ve got homework to do, but I’m not in the mood to do it. I’ve got all night to do a shot list. Well, five hours. Easy. I should just get it out of the way, but I’d rather sit here and search youtube, and wonder why the heck the only girl’s bathroom is closed for cleaning at 3am. Who’s cleaning bathrooms at 3am? Don’t say it’s because there’s nobody around at 3am, because this lab is full of other students pulling all-nighters. People who procrastinated their big essays. Those really smart kids who don’t sleep at all, just study and survive off of Mountain Dew and stellar grades. And those people who don’t have anything better to do at 3am except sit on Facebook and post useless status updates.
Usually, my all-nighters indicate my insanity. It begins around 2am where I see things crawling up the wall. Running across the floor. The room is crawling with critters that I can only see out of the corner of my eye. Next, I can’t concentrate on anything. I bounce between websites and episodes of Family Guy and whatever random show is on the Disney Channel, and my homework, and my iPod. I’m twitchy and can’t sit still. Next comes the part where I do everything at the same time. Including watch both shows. And then I go about my day in a haze, doing the most interesting things. My post all-nighter feats include falling asleep in Adventureland outside of the Pirates ride (I was a guest at the time, don’t worry!); taking an Asian Art History final and writing “Karma Sutra” as one of my answers (I caught this in time and aced the exam); neurotically cleaning my entire apartment in just under an hour; and writing a blog entry about how I wanted to write an English paper drunk. (Lizzy, stop glaring at me.)
That last one isn’t quite as insane as it sounds, honest. I’ve been thinking that for a while, actually. Understand, I will probably never do it, but it’s entertaining to think about. You see, I’m in an English class for fiction writing. It really is a fun class. The professor is one of those fresh out of grad school professors, but he really knows his stuff. We spend classes doing zany writing exercises and deeply discussing what we’ve read. I really enjoy it.
But the things we read are so mind boggling and BIZARRE! An panther like alien that does crack; a man who’s miserable and shoots kittens; a kindly aunt who returns from the dead as a bitchy, sex-craving, rotting corpse; a girl with a hand of fire and a girl with a hand of ice; an overweight man who kills raccoons for a living, then later, his boss (spoilers!)… We sit there in class talking about the hidden meanings and symbolism and all that jazz, and I do participate in that, I really do, but inside I’m wondering WHAT WERE THOSE WRITERS SMOKING!?
Every weekend, our homework consists of a blog entry, a short writing piece based off our class work and a prompt. Our professor picks two examples to read to the class on Tuesdays. We have had some pretty strange stuff read. Like the guy who’s teeth fall out every night (he proceeds to describe all the teeth in the human mouth). Or the guy with no pupils. Such strange yet metaphorical things that are so out there, that I’ve come to the conclusion that my classmates, when doing these assignments, are not in their right minds.
Think about it. This is Penn State. We’re given our assignments on Thursdays/Fridays, when the drinking has begin. The assignment is due Sunday at midnight. At some point in their partying haze, or maybe in their hung-over state, they spew out their homework assignment. And they produce deep bogus that our professor adores, and reads aloud to the class on Tuesday.
They aren’t in their right minds, because I’ve tried it. I don’t like drinking, and I really don’t want to mess around with drugs ever, not even for the sake of homework. But Sunday night, during my all-nighter, I revamped THIS and submitted it. And much to my surprise, it got read aloud in class. But it wasn’t bogus! It was nice. Go figure. So I succeeded, without putting strange substances in my system.
Except for Mountain Dew.
*twitch*
So to interrupt the usual flow of Disney related posts, I’M A FILM MAJOR NOW!
So what, you say. Well, at Penn State, you have to submit s portfolio to get into the major. And I know, it seems like most people get into it, but I still worried over it. And now I’m 100% accepted, and life looks good from here. I love film. Except hauling my gear around, but that’s what my Little is for 
I may have to buy him Disney presents to make up for it…
Yay film <3
With the random Photopass guy...
So yesterday was the day I’ve been waiting for since January: my return to the parks. My roommate and I got up early to go get our ID’s, then after some er
rands we headed to Hollywood Studios with one of the guys.
I feel a little sad that my first park of the summer wasn’t Magic Kingdom, but Hollywood Studios is fitting. It was the park I visited the most during my original college program.
Hello, old friend...
We rode on a few rides, and of course I had to ride my old nemesis, the Tower of Terror.
I rode that ride for the first time when I was sixteen, and it terrified me. I don’t like elevators or
heights or darkness or falling…and yeah, that’s the Tower of Terror. In the photo, there’s everybody with their arms in the air, looking thrilled, and then there’s me, hunched over and trying not to die. It gave me nightmares until last fall when one of my neighbors decided she was going to cure me once and for all, and dragged me on the ride. No really, she had to hold my arm to make sure I didn’t run off.
After that initial ride, I was shaking and laughing like a lunatic, but I went back. A lot. I have the speeches memorized, and I have all the timing down. It’s probably my favorite ride.
Since I hadn’t been on the Tower since January, it was more terrifying than I remember, but now that the first ride is out of the way, I’ll be back for more.
The new Expo Hall, with characters inside
After Studios, we headed for Magic Kingdom. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t in the most fantastic mood when traveling between parks. Iwas so disappointedin myself for that; it’s DISNEY. You can’t be depressed in Disney. It didn’t last for too long, though; as soon as I walked on to Main Street, my grin was huge. The shops were still familiar, and at the end of Main Street was the castle.
I missed seeing that view.
Main Street was so different! They finally finished Expo Hall! I’ve never seen that building without some sort of construction. They’ve moved onto the Confectionery. It’s blue now!
Not as much head room as one would think...
Space Mountain with the lights on
I had to ride all my old favorites, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and I managed to do a few new things, like Hall of Presidents and the People Mover in Tomorrowland. The latter goes through Space Mountain, and it was down at the time, so we got to see it with the lights on!
Most people would be terrified of the ride after seeing that, but that makes it so much more fun for me. I know, I’m insane.
I stayed until park closing. They have a new show on the castle before the fireworks, where they put up pictures of guests. It’s part of the new theme. When I first heard this was going to happen, I was a little worried, I didn’t think it sounded like a very good idea, but I was
proven wrong tonight. The show was fantastic, with all sorts of amazing animation and graphics projected on the castle, all choreographed to music. I really enjoyed it.
And of course I had to stay for Wishes. I think I missed that the most, out of everything. I heard that every night at work. I know the lyrics by heart, I know the fireworks, and if I can’t see the castle I can still picture exactly what’s going on. Wishes won’t get old for me. Probably ‘cause inside me there’s a silly little kid who still believes in wishes. I still make a wish at the end, the same wish I’ve made every single time I’ve seen the show. I know that’s a little ridiculous, but I don’t care. It’s Disney. I’m allowed to believe in wishing stars here. My wish hasn’t come true yet, but I haven’t given up on it. We’ll see.
It’s good to be back <3
So I’m back in Florida! And I am absolutely thrilled.
I know, I probably sound brainwashed. My dad keeps teasing me about Disney drugs and whatnot, because as we arrived in Orlando I was going “OH MY GOSH IT’S THE A BUS! OH MY GOSH IT’S AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR EPCOT! OH MY GOSH I KNOW WHERE I AM!!”
Okay, maybe just a little bit insane.
But this behavior isn’t brainwashing. Contrary to popular belief. After the semester I’ve had, I need this. I need to be away from all the stress of assignments and essays and doing work I despise. I need to be away from being locked up in a dorm all day, editing and swearing at my computer. And I get the feeling that my depression will lessen being down here. Look at where I am. The world where people seem constantly happy, the world where I can go to parks and hang out with my friends on my day off. I can make films on what I want, how I want. The only stress I have is waiting to see if I got into the school of film, but I think I can handle that. I have enough distractions in the mean time.
So far, I am feeling a lot better. Housing didn’t terrify me like I had expected. The night before check in, one of my friends ambushed me in Downtown Disney. He introduced me to a girl he thought I’d get along with. We had a lot in common, so now she’s my roommate- my only roommate. We decided we didn’t want to deal with real-life episodes of Jersey Shore for three months, so we’re in a one bedroom. The extra few dollars of rent is incredibly worth it. I think the housing situation should be relatively stress free.
And I have a group of friends already! It’s me and my roommate, along with my friend from college and his roommate. They’re in another one bedroom apartment a few buildings over. We all get along well. Whenever my roommate and I make plans, we always consider inviting “the boys” to come along. This is only my third day in Orlando, but so far, this seems to be going incredibly well.
I hope it stays that way. I’m starting to feel more like my old self.
