Disney Movie Reflection: Chicken Little

I really liked Zach Braff when I was in my late teens and early 20s. I saw Garden State by myself a few days before I was supposed to leave for college and cried the whole time and then immediately went and bought the soundtrack on CD. So I remember being excited when Braff was going to do the voice for a new Disney movie. I had every intention of seeing it and then never did.

I didn't miss anything. The CD is early 2000s so it looks cheap and bubbly. The movie has way too many plot ideas going on merging the story of Chicken Little with War of the Worlds in an alternate world where animals live together. There are a lot of fart noise gags and an obese pig who is makes me uncomfortable.

This is the first movie I've watched from the dead zone of Disney animation between the early 90s hey day and between the recent ramp up starting with the Princess and the Frog. Hopefully, I'll find a diamond or two in the rough.

Fantasia 2000, being busy, making it happen.

Not spending money is a constant theme of this month. It changes almost every dynamic and really refocuses you on what is important. This weekend is full of birthday parties. Four in total and it is a challenge to not spend anything. It really pushes your creativity and innovation. You have to actually think about the person and plan if you want to actually show that you care. This year, I'm not just picking up a bottle of whiskey on the way over or a tricket at the local gift shop but slaving over the oven baking cookies, making a full realized brunch and stuffing chicken breasts for a dinner. I feel busy and happy. I am putting in hard work that has tangible rewards. 

When I set out on this month, I really just wanted to get back to a financially stable place and I'm getting there but who knew it would shift my perspective. 

I've also been using my resources like crazy. I've been checking out tons of DVDs and books from the library for free. I've watched a lot of the little know Disney movies I haven't seen since I was really little and am working on a mega post that talks about each one and my thoughts and feelings.

This morning I watched Fantasia 2000 while curling up under Jake's electric blanket (actually I am still sitting here). I made cinnamon rolls and drank coffee and reflected on what has been a reflective week. Watching these short cartoons over famous pieces of music, I thought about inspiration and follow through on a dream. You listen to a piece of music and you have an idea and that is the easy part. The hardest part is moving from an idea to a reality. So on my weekly lazy Saturday, I am thinking about the hard work that I need to put in to where I need to go. I'm doing pushup three times a week to work towards being able to do diamond push ups. I'm planning camping trips and Canada trips and desert trips. I finding where to buy a rabbit.

So here is to having a dream and making it a reality.

Disney Movie Reflection: The Emperor's New Groove, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, Mulan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

The Aristocats

I don't really like cats and this movie is really just the glamorization of an aristocratic old cat lady. I mean (spoiler alert) she gives her entire fortune to a bunch of cats and the sad butler gets pissed and tries to drown some kittens. Way to take this to a dark place. This movie is kind of just Lady and the Tramp with cats and, as a dog person, Lady and the Tramp is always going to be the better movie. Redeeming features include a confusing jazz number in a movie that seems to be set in the turn of the century and the fact that the animation is weirdly scratchy and kind of looks like an impressionist painting.

The Emperor's New Groove
This may be the only Disney movie that Jake likes and possibly the only one he has ever seen. This movie came out in my angsty teen phase so I just missed it all together. I saw it a few years later at the suggest of a boy who I don't remember anymore. Now, I just associate it with sitting on a coach with Jake on a cold winter Saturday and working a project while he snores.It reminds me of him. Silly and heartfelt. A little brash and a little humble. The movie is easy and fun. Not one of my favorite but passes the time in a way that you will say that was silly and fun.

Robin Hood
So Robin Hood is in my top ten favorite Disney characters and was one of my childhood heroes so there was a lot of going into this. Also, I was a little drunk and it was my birthday and was the first movie I watched in my quest to watch at 53 Disney movies.

Robin Hood is all kinds of weird. It strives to explain England at the time of the Crusades using woodland creatures and cutesy songs. It is as dark as The Aristocats with more threatened children's lives and their is a hen who really likes to show off her undergarments. Additionally, there is a bizarre puppet show.

Mulan
I put on Mulan to watch while I wrote thank you cards on New Years eve. I put it on because I thought I wasn't going to like it. I remember seeing it on Veterans day with my brother and grandpa and being a little old for it and the going to McDonalds when it was released. I didn't remember the plot but I remembered that Eddie Murphy played a dragon named Mushu and I don't like Eddie Murphy.

It turned out to be a pretty awesome girl power movie. The whole song number about the match maker and disappointing your family by not matching feminine ideals and then saving your country because you are smart and resilient is pretty much a great message to send little girls. Or just people in general. My two major take aways from Mulan were that you should probably do whatever you want and that fireworks are bad ass.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
And the I watched Snow White shortly after Mulan and man is this story pathetic. I mean I appreciate the movie as a piece of art that changed everything but can we put baby in a corner any harder than this movie. I mean she is made to look so weak. SHE NEEDS WOODLAND ANIMALS TO HELP HER CLEAN A TINY HOUSE. Maybe she is just really undernourished.

Also, she meets the Prince for basically five minutes and he just searches for her forever. This is nonsensical. Double also, if she had been dead for like 6 months that glass box wouldn't really help and the dwarves should have realized something was a foot when her body wasn't getting nasty.

I do like the dwarves in general and that the queen kills herself because she is an idiot.

Manufacturing.

I went shopping today at two different malls. It was 5 hours of no holds barred shopping extravaganza. In fact, I originally planned to see a movie with my friend Jenny in the middle of this but instead we just moved from mall one to mall two.

I am proud to say I didn't spend a dollar and there were quite a few sales even when 30% off this additional clearance price or 40% off everything or the $50 Macy's gift card in my pocket all calling my name. At first, it was overwhelming and Jenny was lovely by constantly checking in to make sure I was having fun. For the first hour, I felt like I was missing out. The clearance shirts at the Gap need to be tried on and bought.

Side note: I just watched HBO's new show "Looking" for the past half hour. I wrote the last two paragraphs and then I watched the show. Thank the Lord for HBO East and HBO West so I can watch shows earlier. Now "Girls" is on I am less invested in the TV. Back to "Looking" (I think this how you write about TV show titles grammatically) which left me feeling a bad about myself and invested in the characters and mad because of the fact that it perpetuates stereotypes and happy that it shattered others and glad that their was a Hercules and Love Affair song and like I need to go to the gym tomorrow and everyday so one describes me as portly. I wonder if this how women feel after watching "Girls".

Back to lack of shopping, it didn't happen but I did eat a whole box of Good and Fruity and decided I might be the sole reason why that manufacturer is in business. I bought them at the grocery store so they fit into the rules. I planned to be really introspective while I wrote this and I feel like I accomplished that in the first two paragraphs. Mainly, I feel like I don't have to just buy the shit because the shit is in front of me this includes hand sanitizer from the Body Shop, Auntie Anne's pretzels, clearance shirts at all stores that sell shirts, and chocolate from See's. Having to write list of things you wanted to buy but didn't buy is kind of humiliating.

As the sun sets on this weekend, I feel like I've accomplished more this weekend than last weekend. I didn't start knitting the Kindle cover. I walked to the library with Jake and the dog. We played a game called if we bought this house how would you edit it to make it livable. The dog was bad at walking.

This post was weird and long. I probably won't post it to Facebook but I like it because it is messy. I feel messy and happy. Spellcheck doesn't know Facebook or HBO.

Being Still.

My goal this weekend was to feel like I'd made significant progress on the things in life that didn't cost money. I wanted to start a knitting progress or working on teaching Girlfriend a new trick or finish my book. I had grand visions of a posting an update this weekend about making progress on goals and being successful and grabbing life by the balls. Instead, I watched a Disney movie and bought the tea to make kombucha. I worked out, grocery shopped, made meals for the week, and saw some friends.

As I wait for Girls to premier, I can't help but feel a little lazy. I know I should tell you how it is about baby steps and how maybe I just needed a weekend to relax and recharge. I'd be lying. I want accomplishment things and feel heroic and adventurous.

When work Amanda and I were talking about the no spending months, I remember saying that I wanted to learn to be still. I know after this weekend I can do that but also that that isn't who I am. So I move into the next week with the goal of making some progress. Not letting creative hang ups cause me to be paralyzed on the coach and figuring out what I am going to knit.

A Progress Report

The other night I had a bit of a panic attack. I hadn't blogged in a few days and I hadn't eaten a rabbit and I hadn't been to Canada and it had been a week since my birthday so I made a peppermint Oreo milkshake and I got the proportions wrong and it was kind of gross. Then I wrote a post about not writing and then I decided to not spend a lot of money. Now, I feel a little more on track.

I've watched 6 of the 53 Disney movies. I'm not really sure what to do with those experiences yet. I thought about reviewing them all or ranking them or giving them a score. I feel like I need to quantify those experiences. Out of the 6, I think Dumbo was my favorite which was suprising. Also, I really like the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh but Robin Hood was a disappointment. Who knew?

I've Jazzercised.

I've been reading which isn't going as fast as I had hoped. I checked out a bunch of books on my Kindle which was a bad idea because now I feel overwhelmed. I like time spend reading and am watching a lot less TV which wasn't much in the first place. I'm half way though a Dave Eggers book. It seems that a few years ago everyone was on the Eggers band wagon and now apparently we don't like him. I like this book and I liked the last one I read. I confuse their names so I'm not going to try.

I filled out my passport application. That is kind of a feat for me. It was easy and isn't noteworthy. I'll write more when I get the picture taken.

I've got some yarn and I got some needles and I've going to start knitting. When I set that goal, I initially thought I was going to knit a huge grey infinity scarf but now I might challenge myself. We shall see. I intend to get started this weekend.

30 Days of No Spending

It is no secret that January is always a little tight financially. This is kind of universal. December is the month you spend just a little more and indulge just a little more because hey it is the holidays and festive cheer and I never see these people.

January is when you pay for it. Every January since I was a fully functional adult, I barely scraped by. It always came down to rolling change for laundry and eating the last of the pantry so I shouldn't have been surprised when things got tighter and tighter this last paycheck.

On the other hand, January is a time of goals and resolutions and new beginnings. New beginnings generally cost money. Most of my 29 cost money. It is more exciting to buy kombucha supplies or get my passport pictures than do nothing. Which is why, for the next thirty days, I'm taking a vacation from the debit card and entering a no spend month.

When I first added this to the list, I envisioned a calendar month with a perfect start and stop. I wanted to say "I spend nothing in July" but now I realize that isn't what I need. What I need is to spend nothing additional on coffee runs or lunches out or movies or brunches or new pants or pretzels or Target trips or craft supplies.

So from January 7th until February 7th, I am enacting a 30 day no spend cycle. What does that mean you might ask? I present my 30 day no spend rules:

1. If it is a necessity then buy it. If it is a luxury then don't buy it. This means I can buy toilet paper but not scented candles. Getting my oil changed isn't a luxury but something I dread so that counts.
2. I am not a monk so my grocery budget (which is $50 until 1/21) is my discretion. This means I can buy Hot Tamales.
3. Gift cards can be redeemed at this time. This includes whatever I have on my Starbucks card, my $25 Regal card, $50 to Macy's and my $5 to the Dollar store. This is probably controversial. I make my own rules.
4. Reoccurring but entertainment focused bills like Comcast and Jazzercise are fine but I should not sign up for additional bills. Medical expenses such as paying for my new glasses are allowed. 
5. I have a pretty strict budget set up for the next two weeks that I will follow which includes allotted money for gas. On 1/21, I will assess my budget and create another budget for the next two weeks.
6. I am actually going to look at my bank account daily. Even more, I am going to track what goes in and what comes out in a Google doc just like a checkbook ledger. I hate this.
7. At some point in the next 30 days, I need to buy a plane ticket to Florida for vacation. Most likely this will happen after the 21st or when I get my tax return. This is an allowable expense.

This probably sounds easy but it won't be at all. It will require that I have to pass on some things I want to do. It also will mean that I have to go to some happy hours and just hang out. Brunches will probably be spend at my house with friends than at a restaurant. Dinners will be made not bought. I don't know what coffee runs will look like. This is kind of scary but I am putting it in writing. 30 days of no spending begins today

Update: I realize that this kind of conflicts with the them of "More adventure, less worry". It has a lot less to do with the more and more to do with the less. Money is a constant worry for me. It is what keeps me up at night and keeps me from doing things and it stems from spending money on frivelous things instead of the big things. Additionally, I know how to have a credit card fueled weekend in Seattle but I am not sure I know how to have fun without spending money. There is challenge in that and I like a challenge.