Disney Store, the Death of an Era

It's no secret on this blog my love for Disney things.  When I was a kid the Bakersfield mall had a Disney Store.  It was a special place, magic outside of the parks.  A taste of Disneyland without the distance.  The store was an hour drive and all trips into the city involved a mall stop.

A few months ago the University Mall Disney Store closed.  It was sad, but at least the SLC store remained opened.  That was until I saw a news story stating that it would be closing in September.  Search "Disney Store Closing," and several stories, across the United States, will pop up.

There's two silly things I like to do when I travel internationally: Find a McDonald's to eat a Big Mac and go into a Disney Store.  I gave up a tour of the Opera de Paris to visit a Disney Store (debating if I regret that), but I've been to two Disney Stores in Tokyo, one in Dublin, York England outside the Shambles, and Cardiff Wales.  They were fun to step into and see if there were exclusive merchandise.  Tokyo has the BEST Disney merchandise.  Dublin had a cute set of Mickey and Minnie stuff seeing local sights and a shamrock.  Paris had a Tinker Bell candle you could only buy in their store.  

It's all a little melancholy.  The parks are getting more and more unattainable.  So expensive.  The Holiday Inn next to the Mickey and Friends parking garage at Disneyland is permanently closed.  All those memories.  Opening the curtains to watch cars drive up the ramps before heading to the parks, something I'll never do again.  It's true what they say: You never know the last time you do something.  You never know to take a step back in such moments and let them sink in, feeling them, saying goodbye.  That's the hard part, not being able to say goodbye. 

(I just did a search, and the Holiday Inn reopened!!!  And the guy on the IHG phoneline many, many months ago said it wouldn't.  Happy Days!!!  Some good news.  It's just so well located and reassembly priced. It's the one on South Walnut.  I want to go to Disneyland so bad right now.  Dang it.)

Well, I'm a little sad.  All good things must come to an end.  Toys "R" Us is closed. Pier 1 and Sizzlers closed as well.  I hate change.  Oh, I do.  

Disney Store, I'll miss you.  Shopping online isn't the same.

Sarah

P.S. Listening to "Someday" from the Hunchback of Notre Dame musical, performed by Ciara Renee and Andrew Samonsky.  I dare you to sing along with it and not cry.  Impossible!!!  Also, there needs to be more alto songs.  Got to embrace the ones we're given.  I should write some.

The Creator's Playbook Podcast, Episode 68-71: Scouts, Tricky Morals, Secrets, and Virtual Reality, Oh My...

Four episodes!!!  Kinda looks like I got a little behind in sharing these.  The Creator's Playbook is done by my brothers and I, and it's a podcast all about story creation and storytelling.  As for myself I'm on one of these four, but in the future I'm slated for the weeks of September 8, 29, and October 13.  Those are the ones I'm hosting, and in terms of co-hosting I'm waiting on my bros for that info.

Classic Movie Mondays are returning next week, and I mean it this time!!!!  Ahh!!!  Really, fresh start in September, for reals.  I've been looking through my own collection, subscription services, and the local library to work out all the movies I'm going to watch.  Good site to visit is JustWatch.com.  Search any movie or show and it will tell you where it streams, prices, etc.  With so many services it gets a little confusing.  They also have an app.

On to the four Podcast episodes!  Enjoy!  Links go to Spotify, but these are found on other services as well.

The Creator's Playbook 

Episode: Episode 68 - "Echoes from the Dune" - Cavalry Scout

Hosts: Steven and Michael

"Every good squad has the eyes and ears that keep them safe. In this episode of Creator's Playbook we are doing a character sketch! We explore the position of the army cavalry scout. What are their responsibilities, how do they function as a unit, and how can we use this to inspire a character in a story? Join hosts Steven and Michael as they create the foundation of a story using inspiration from cavalry scouts!"

Episode: Episode 69 - "Choose Wisely" - Moral Dilemmas

Hosts: Michael and Me

"Every good character is made great through the choices they make, but do we really know their character? Join Michael and Sarah as we create a Moral Dilemma to place our character in a situation that is at odds with their values and themselves and see what decisions they've made through a dilemma of deathly consequences that could spell disaster for the people of two planets."

Episode: Episode 70 - "The Ocean on Floor 22" - Secret Base

Hosts: Robbie and Steven

"Good guys on the run. Heroes worn down by the constant threat to their own safety. Identities that need protecting. A secret place is a home to the unsafe and daring. Most super heroes have them, and many stories are filled with them. Join Robbie and Steven as they spin up their own version and explore the secrets behind their very own base."

Episode: Episode 71 - "Please Try Again" - Virtual Reality

Hosts: Robbie, Michael, and Steven

"As creators, we have the opportunity to tell stories of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. It could be a dark, terrifying detective mystery, or it could be an epic adventure across the galaxies. But what happens when your story takes place in a world within the world you're telling? A virtually created world using the modern technologies of the setting. Today join Robbie, Michael, and Steven as they explore the elements that make up Virtual Realities."

Happy Listening!!! :D

Sarah

 

Don't Lose You Light

 "This, me dear, is the greatest challenge of being alive: To witness the injustice of this world, and not allow it to consume our light." ~ Unknown

What can I say?

So much happening.  

So much is troubling.

Yesterday while going back and forth between news sources I found myself in shock, silent screaming, crying, gut wrenched.  The experiences coming from the fleeing of a certain country so horrible, heartbreaking.  I don't know how much mainstream media is sharing, so I don't know how much is known, ohh, it's bad.  Do I repeat any of it here?   I won't.

What's frustrating is how preventable much if this was.

But the point of this post is simply... how do I say this?  I don't know if I have the words.  

I'm in a dark place right now.  I hate feeling like I can't do anything.  But even with everything that's happened, and will happen, the world is going to get crazier and crazier. 

We're in a world that wants to steal our light.  Don't let it.  We're here because we have the strength to be here.  Being witnesses to this time is not an accident.  We're not here by chance.  More crazy things is going to happen.  More heartbreaking things will squeeze our hearts.  But no matter what do not lose your light.  Do not lose you.

Sarah

Unlocking Dream Achievements

"Never go in search of love,

Go in search of Life,

And life will find you the love you seek." ~ Atticus

This popped up on one of my feeds today, and I was like, "Yes!  New motto!" The next phase of my life is going to involve unlocking dream achievements.

Really, life should be a video game.  Makes everything a little more exciting, well, heh.... (just realized how much death is in games... so not that aspect).

Level up here.

Level up there.

Living life in the best way possible. 

I do get caught up in the whole dreaming about love bit.  Probably because I'm a hopeless romantic.  Some of it is the culture I live in as well.  This is Utah after all.

Living life should be the focus, always.  Love will happen when it will happen.  No worries. No planning.  Life, on the other hand, is always happening.

I'm totally going to have fun turning my dreams into "leveling up" achievements.  There's no end to leveling up, and there's no end to dreams.

Life should be full of dreams.  Living for dreams makes life more fulfilling and awesome. :0)

Sarah 

Barreling Towards 40...

For Starters... I don't turn 40 until Spring of 2021. Okay, so, for all intents and purposes, I'm still in my 30's until that time.  I'm hanging on as long as I can, baby!!!

But, boy oh boy, that number is looming ever closer, and I'm feeling it.

What I'm mainly feeling are regrets.  Wishing I was more social and put myself out there.  That I didn't let shyness and bashfulness win.  That I wasn't afraid to be myself around strangers, letting my sense of humor out more often.  I've been hiding, and I can't blame the pandemic.  I've been doing this to myself for well over a decade.  Dang, if I knew what I know now I'd tell my younger self to take more chances and believe.  Maybe I'd be married with kids.  I always wanted kids. I always wanted to be a Mom.  But life is stupid sometimes, and we got to roll with the stupid and make the best with what we've got.

There's all these little things I've been meaning to do, and I talk about it, write about it, and then time passes without a well orchestrated plan.

What, with what's within my control, would I like to accomplish before my 40th b-day?  More importantly, what do I want to learn?

I've stopped and started the guitar so many times.  Took private lessons twice, but didn't last long.  I took a group guitar class at a community college in California, circa 2000, but the class kept getting canceled thanks to spontaneous brown outs, so I withdrew the class.  Then I've attempted multiple times to self study, but that falls apart. Anywho, quite sometime ago my Mom got a Keith Urban guitar method complete with a guitar and DVD's from the mail after watching an early morning infomercial.  It's one of those 30 day programs.  I'm going to do it!  And then go from there.  Get those chords learned.

I also want to start drawing.  I've already talked about this before, and still haven't started. -_-;;  But I bought all these books last year during quarantine, and then I got intermediated and they're just sitting there.  To start off I'm going to focus on the 30 day program.  

Before I'm 40 I want to submit a short story into a writing competition.  Another thing I keep meaning to do!  And then don't!  I'm sticking to Fantasy/Science Fiction (Shocker :P), and there's plenty of opportunity.  Write, polish, submit, and don't overthink.  What will be will be, but I need to take that step. Just take that first step.  Honestly I want to master the art of short fiction, and along with that is turning Creative Playbook Podcast ideas into short fiction, but these will be independently published.  

I'd like to have a book published as well, but Spring might be too soon. I have so many ideas, but there's this one silly book that is attacking my brain.  Okay, more importantly there's this character.  He has the loudest voice!  I have a lot of characters, and they all stay in their respective stories, and this character is no different, but every now and then I hear him saying stuff within his story context, and, well, he wants to come out.  So I'm going to work on this story.  It's just, it's going to be a little silly, and that's all I'm going to say about that.  

But also, embarrassing to admit, I've also always wanted to do a Disney film, record and sing and stuff.  That's not going to happen, lets face it.  But I'm a creator.  Every time I listen to Disney music I wonder if I could do that.  Do I have the kind of talent to create music that is so distinctive?  That makes people want to sing?  I have two stage musical ideas.  One is a full jazz/swing musical, and I have a few songs written for that.  The second lends itself to a more Disney style.  I have so many projects.  So many ideas.  And I'm already not good at utilizing my time.  Kind of like my debate between Japanese/Spanish/French, I feel like I need to pick one.  These kind of things take years, and I'm not getting any younger.  I want to perform these musicals.  Take them to a local theater and see if anyone is willing to take a chance on it, and let me star. 0_0 Tall order.  But I'm writing the script, music, arrangement, and lyrics.  I just need to know I can do it, and it's got to stop living in my head.  My head is so full.  And I miss performing.  Really miss it.

And then there's my music overall.  I keep wanting to lose weight, and then get YouTube going again.  I know that's stupid, but I have a lot of insecurities about my weight.  Now that I'm feeling better, I'm working on this aspect, and my self esteem.  I've been really thinking about music.  Cerulean Jade, the duo I had with my brother Steven, is on hold for awhile, so this music will be under my name.  I'm thinking of two channels, one for instrumentals and the other for my vocals.  Honestly I don't know how long this will take, because I keep giving dates to things and then don't meet them, but before Spring it's my goal to have both channels up.

That's good for now!!!!

That's enough.

There's some good things there to work on, and if I tackle all these things I can approach this next decade of my life with confidence and hope.  I'm happiest when I'm creating.  But I'm more happy when the things I create are finished and they can be shared.

It's time.

Sarah

Back From Alaska

There's a couple reasons I haven't blogged in the last two weeks.  One is that family project I mentioned, which is a Christmas present I've done for the last few years.  It takes about 40-50 hours, and I was trying to get it done before the trip, and finished 11pm the night before the flight to Seattle, and from there I hopped on a cruise ship for a glorious week of beautiful amazement.

Visiting Alaska has been on my bucket list for years, and quite a few months ago this trip was planned.  The cruise was through Norwegian on their Encore ship, and currently their cruises are vaccination only, requiring a Covid test on site.  I went with my parents, and if any of us tested negative we wouldn't be allowed on the ship.  I've been junking out on YouTube cruise channels, getting all the updates.  Honestly it's like watching a soap opera with all the ups and downs the cruise industry is experiencing. (Some of my favorite channels: Don's Family Vacations, La Lido Loca, The Shiplife, EECC Travels).

The CDC has a cruise ship color status, and the Encore was yellow, then green right before our trip, and then turned orange while I was on the ship.  It's still orange, which means that the CDC is currently monitoring the situation.  During the cruise I never felt at danger and felt quite safe.  

The cruise itself was amazing.  We had four ports (Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan) and a cruise to Dawes glacier.  Leading up to the cruise the weather looked grim, but the only port that got rained out was Juneau, and it was still fun.  That was such a nice day.

This cruise is also a blessing for another reason.  When I met with the surgeon about my gallbladder situation, I expected that the surgery wouldn't happen until I got back.  He's been to Alaska and had a great time, and wanted me to enjoy the experience as well.  Getting me in that Wednesday gave me a month to heal.  After the operation when he said I wouldn't have made it a month, what he technically said was that I wouldn't have made it to the cruise.  Makes me wonder how I would have been without the rush.  On the cruise I was able to overcome some of my food fears that developed this last year, still had some issues, but overall it was good.

Glad to be back, but it was nice to unplug. I didn't have a wifi package, and connection was iffy on shore, so I was completely cut off.  Been catching up on the news since getting back, and it's gut-wrenching. But for a week it was nice seeing beautiful things and experiencing some normal at the same time.

Have a great week,

Sarah

A Time to Breathe

"A huge shout out to the people who haven't felt okay lately but still get up everyday and refuse to quit, you got this." ~ Unknown

This is my last post for a little bit.  I will have a post up on August 23, 2021, so just a little break.  I'm working on a major project for my family, with other little things, so I just need to push the pause button on this blog.  

With the Creator's Playbook Podcast, last week's episode didn't go up due to technical difficulties.  My brothers are on it and have contacted one of the programs we use, so it can get sorted.

Michael and I just finished recording an episode, and it turned out interesting.  It ended at I hour 15 minutes, so Michael has some editing to do, but the topic was moral dilemmas.  It was one of those situations where I didn't find out the topic until we started recording, just because that's how it works out sometimes and I don't always get the information, so it's just an edge of the seat situation.

By the end of the episode the moral dilemma we worked through was such that we couldn't come to a unified solution, and it got a little heated.  After recording I said to Michael something I wish I'd thought of in the moment, but it was something like: "How a moral dilemma is solved in a story says just as much about the author as it does about the characters."  Michael's goal is to have it up before the end of the week.  Steven was planning to get last weeks episode up today, but I don't know how that's going.  He's working hard on it.

I've been thinking about language learning and how I'm studying Japanese, French, and Spanish, and how I'm making hardly any progress in any of them.  I use to study Irish, but that got dropped, though I'm still watching Ros na Rún, an Irish soap opera on the TG4 app.  There's also a YouTube channel with the early stuff with subtitles.  It's a good way to hear the Irish language.  The soap opera has been going on since 1996.

Anywho, I've been watching a lot of language YouTube channels, and just realized I'm not the sort of person who can study a bunch of languages at once.  Some can, I can't.  It apparently takes about 3 years of consistent study.  I've decided with Japanese I'm just going to focus on the writing, no grammar at the moment.  Which means with actually learning to speak and such, I need to decide between French and Spanish, and I've been back and forth all week between the two.  Having to choose just one right now makes it feel like I'm leaving the other to die.  Do I pick the language I've dreamed of speaking since childhood, but failed with about 2 years in HS and then 2 years in college?  Or do I choose the more handy language that comes with no baggage?  Well, I've chosen French.  It's pulling at my heart more, and I need to just give it a shot, not give up.  Prove to myself I can learn the language, and that it's possible.

I've also been playing around with MBTI again, just watching and thinking about stuff.  I'm kinda wondering if I might be an INFP, but... GAH!!!!  In terms of cognitive functions it's FI (Introverted Feeling), NE (Extraverted Intuition), SI (Introverted Sensing), and in the weak spot TE (Extroverted Thinking).  I can see that working for me, and the FI -> SI loop sounds like something I deal with.  But I'm not moody or anything, even though I feel emotions and can categorize them, explain the complexities I'm feeling because emotions are never simple.  And I'm a staunch individualist, strong sense of self, and strong moral center.  Anne of Green Gables is an INFP, though it's debatable if Fred Rogers was an INFP or INFJ.  One fiction and the other real, but completely different.

But then I feel a connection to FE in that I can feel peoples emotions and feel the emotions in a room, and I also connect to TI, because even though I love researching and gathering different opinions/information, and I believe in absolute truths, I love thinking and working through stuff in my head and figuring out my own independent thoughts about things.  I care just as much about what people feel as I do about what people think.

Why do I have to choose?  Because someone somewhere said I had to?  Why are they right?  Can it be proven or tested?  The blind leading the blind, missing depth and opportunity because we allow ourselves to be boxed in and categorized.  So, I don't know.  It's fascinating.  The cognitive functions are worth studying, whatever you get out of them.  There's value in all the functions.  I don't know what I am.  In college I was typed INFJ, but I've been all over the place with the introverted intuition types.  I'm somewhere in there.  Does it matter?  :\ Hmmmm....

So I'll see y'all on the other side.  Have a great week and a half,

Sarah

P.S. I just kinda realized that naming this post "A Time to Breathe" is ironic, due to the fire smoke infiltrating the western US.  It's so bad over the weekend we couldn't see the mountains.  Now we have an outline, so a little better, but yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and my lungs are feeling it.  Praying for wind and rain.

3 Weeks After Getting My Gallbladder Out

It's so wonderful being on the other side of the surgery, being in the light at the end of the tunnel.  Things are so much more clear now.  The pain I was experiencing before now makes sense, whereas before I was confused and felt like I was going crazy.

That intense hunger pain wasn't hunger at all, but gallbladder attacks.  A year and a half of this.  They always started at night with accompanying back pain, a few times vomiting, and then they'd take several hours to go away, except a little over a month ago when it lasted 3 days.  But that became my way of life.  Food I was used to eating suddenly became a problem, and I had to stop eating dairy.  I was afraid to eat, and eating was difficult.  It would take over an hour to eat oatmeal or a baked potato.  I would stare at food and cry.

Last week I met with the assistant surgeon who confirmed what the primary surgeon said about my gallbladder when it was taken out: I was one the edge of another major attack, and I wasn't going to last long before being in a really dangerous situation.  The large gallstone was the size of a marble, and it was protecting my bile ducks and pancreas.   For that I am very thankful.  On the day of the surgery they removed six gallbladders, all of them were very bad, they couldn't catch a break, and mine was in the middle of the pack in severity, though the last removed.  

I'm doing a lot better.  There's still a little pain where my gallbladder was and around my belly button where there's inside stitching.  But I'm doing so much better.  Those first few days were crazy, so much pain, hardly able to move, but slowly and surely everything is working itself out.

Now I'm starting to get brave with food again.  Some of it is going through me.  The doctor said it takes about 6-8 weeks for the system to rearrange itself.  It's about then when I can really start experimenting to see what food I can and can't eat, which is different for everyone.  He thinks I'm going to do just fine.  Here's to hoping!!

I asked him about supplements.  Should I be taking digestive enzymes?  What about Ox Bile?  Multi vitamins?  He discouraged me on the enzymes and ox bile/bile salts.  Said my body needs to adjust without the help, and actually some of the enzymes are dangerous, because my body would get used to the supplements and stop naturally producing the enzyme.  The vitamins are okay.

So now it's a wait and see game.  Each day I get a little better and a little braver.  It's So Nice Not BEING IN CONSTANT PAIN!!!!!!!!!  Oh my, being on the other side of it, I didn't realize how much pain I was in.  How much I was suffering.  I was just in survival mode.  No more back pains, stomach pains, referring pains, and gallbladder pains.  There's still some healing pain and possibly phantom pain, but it's really light.

Right now I'm just so thankful and grateful.

Sarah

Inspired By the Olympic Women's Gymnastic Team

It seems like everyone and their dog has opinions about the Olympic gymnastics women's team, particularly Simone Biles.  Last week's team final was confusing when Simone pulled out.  Rumors and gossip abound before the NBC airing of the event, but when her vault was shown, with the slow motion replay following right after, it was obvious she was lost in the air.  When the team gathered around her after the vault Simone told her teammates that she was afraid of getting hurt.

Then Simone did what no one expected, she pulled out of the last two apparatuses she was planning to perform, Suni and Jordan filling in the exit.  The team went on to win a silver, facing the challenge with great courage.

As time went on it was known that Simone pulled out of those last two apparatuses for mental health reasons, while also battling an out of no where onslaught of the "Twisties," a sense of losing spacial awareness while in the air, and other whatnot's I don't understand, which is incredibly dangerous. 

What followed was a complete tear down and bullying of Simone online, calling her a quitter, some telling her to throw away the silver medal she earned.  (There are 4 team members on each countries team, with only 3 performing on each apparatus.  I recall the Russian team having a member who only performed on vault, which is what ended up happening with Simone, and is completely within the rules.  Simone rightfully earned that silver medal.)

The week that followed led to Simone pulling out of the individual all around, and the single vault, double bars, and floor routine medal finals.  Meanwhile she was able to find a gym with soft landings to work on the twisties and monitor her recovery each day.  

During this last week Suni Lee won gold in the all around with an amazing performance and super tight competition.  MyKayla Skinner didn't fly home openhanded, but with a story book ending won silver on the vault.  Jade Carey had a misstep on the vault, and came back the next day with a really strong performance on the floor, earning gold.

Meanwhile Simone Biles was in the audience cheering and encouraging her teammates, her future uncertain.  After the team final Simone made sure MyKayla was immediately contacted and told not to go home, but stay just in case.  And Simone told Jade after her failed vault to kill it on the floor.  

And yesterday Simone performed on the balance beam, an apparatus that doesn't require much twisting, and won a bronze, which is what she earned in Rio.

Everyone on team USA earned a medal.

I'm inspired by every team member.  Simone Biles for being brave and admitting she had a problem and needed to step back, only to come back with an amazing beam performance, not giving up.  Jordan and Grace for staying strong during the team final and performing great routines.  Suni Lee for her graceful performance, earning a complete set of medals.  MyKayla who performed amazingly during qualification, but didn't qualify thanks to the stupid "two per country rule."  She was planning on heading home, but got the chance to stay, and after years of trying and sacrifice she's an Olympic medalist.  And Jade for doing well in the all around individual competition, then stumbling on the vault, only to come back the next day and becoming an Olympic champion.

You are all amazing women.

Classic Movie Monday: Guys and Dolls (1955)

Goodness... so this is a long time coming.  Classic Movie Mondays are back!!  Yippie. :P

So, I saw the stage musical on July 5th, and by the end of that week saw the movie.  Want to know what keeps circling my brain?  The stage musical.  It was so good!

That aside, for now, Guys and Dolls is a movie musical starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, and Vivian Blaine, based on the 1950's Broadway musical.  Essentially the musical is about gambling, New York, betting on horses, just making bets, period, and more gambling while battling love and romance, naturally.  

With the movie I loved Frank Sinatra's song, because he's got a sexy voice, but just about everything else I loved in the stage musical so much more.

The movie song, "Pet Me Poppa," was written for the movie, and dang it has issues.  So problematic. Women dressed like cats singing about being "petted."  Doesn't take much imagination.

Now I'm basing my comparisons with the Hale Center Theater Sandy version, so I don't know how much is scripted vs director interpretation, and how that matches with other theater performances.  But, for instance, two of the characters go to Havana, and the movie version took it so seriously, whereas the stage version I saw played up the comic timing with really great choreography.  It was just so much more enjoyable.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the movie, it was a nice watch, but if I had a choice I'd head over hills choose seeing the stage musical again over the movie.

Hope you're having a great day.  Listening to the 1992 Guys and Dolls Broadway Cast Recording.  The music is so good.

 

Sarah

You Must Believe

A friend of mine shared this quote online, and it was just the thing I needed pretty much now and always, so sharing this in its entirety.

“God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.

 

"God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.

 

"Drawing upon my vast background of children’s bedtime stories, I say you can pick your poultry. You can either be like Chicken Little and run about shouting “The sky is falling; the sky is falling” or you can be like the Little Red Hen and forge ahead with the productive tasks of living, regardless of who does or doesn’t help you or who does or doesn’t believe just the way you believe.” Jeffery R. Holland (Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast; September 12, 2004)

 

Have a wonderful week,

Sarah