Toy Story 3

So. Freaking. Good.

I almost want to say Toy Story 3 is even better than the first film. It was that good. I don't care too much for Toy Story 2, but damn. TS3 is just excellent.

What makes TS3 so great (for me anyways) is the themes it deals with. The prevailing conflict in the story is the toys' fear of being discarded by Andy as he begins to move on with his life and their struggle to find a place where they can continue being happy. Of course this theme also pops up in the previous two films as well: Woody is jealous and afraid of being replaced by Buzz in the first film, and again in the second film where Woody deals with a decision to leave Andy knowing he'll grow older and tired of his toy. The second film also introduces Jessie and her lurking fear of being forgotten and discarded as she experienced it from her previous owner. So the third film does a great job of realizing all the toys' fears of being forgotten, stored away in the attic, or worse: trashed.

And so through a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, the gang winds up in Sunnyside Daycare where they believe they'll be happy as a constant stream of children will always be passing through, guaranteeing the toys will always be played with. However, not all is at it seems to be as Lotso, the chief of the toys in this place, has possesses a twisted sense of how a toy should fulfill its duties to its owner, and strives to press his ideals onto all the toys in Sunnyside. The rest of the film is spent as Andy's toys strive to escape the prison-formerly-known-as-Sunnyside and Lotso's tyrannical rule, and make their way back to Andy before he leaves.

For me, I'd describe TS3 in one word: nostalgia. The entire time I'm sitting and watching this movie, I kept thinking subconsciously about which toys I used to play with, which were my favorites, and which I still have. It's almost heartbreaking to see the change in character of all the, well, characters. Andy is a grown, young man, Molly is a perky preteen also outgrowing her toys, and even the family dog has grown old and rather fat. The opening scenes immediately establish a sense of the toys' despair of being forgotten and/or discarded. Like I said: heartbreaking. The ending is also nearly tear-inducing, but ends on a hopeful note. I'm trying not to spoil too much but I'll just say "rite of passage" is what I think of at the end of the film.

I remember how great TS1 was, TS2 was meh, ok, and now TS3 has redeemed the TS line. Those geniuses at Pixar have done it again. I'll now be hard pressed to determine which Pixar film is my favorite.

--I apologize for sloppy writing and grammar. It's 4AM. But Toy Story 3 is seriously moving, hilarious, heart-wrenching, overall: amazing.

Work

seems like it's all I do these days. But I've never had a job before, and what I do now is pretty good, and I shouldn't be complaining. Plus it fills up all those empty hours I spend staring at the TV while sitting on a swivel chair/large couch/stuffed cat.

As I was working today, a woman arrived with some friends of hers. She was wearing a US flag-themed bikini (which she filled quite nicely, I must say.)

I'm not quite one for religion, but damn. God bless America.

And as far as America-related issues that occupy whatever spare thinking power I have to use, it's the oil crises in the Gulf of Mexico and the future of healthcare+medicine. Environmental concerns and career crises, oh joy.

Even though it's summer I still feel stressed. Sometimes though, all you need to hammer out that tension is doing a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of The Beatles.

Work in progress.

Turtle

Awkward, that is.

If it was difficult trying to ask him a question concerning money, it sure as shit is near impossible now.

How do you rebuild a bridge that's charred and missing its beams and is structurally unsound due to a slow-burning, diesel fire of unease, dishonesty, and suffering?

Riddle me that, Batman.

A Good Night

"Oh, hey, I'm gonna get that myself."

"No it's ok, I'll get it. I have money."

------

Well.

Fuck. That.

"Without music, life would be a mistake."

~Friedrich Nietzsche

Sore Wounds

And now I remember a long time ago when we were smaller, younger, and our parents were in the midst of another cold war of words. The tension was high, anger and frustration sparked between them, and we reeked of fear.

Our mother let us stay with the S's while she returned home to continue the battle.

We sat around the dinner table, myself, my siblings, A and R. Mrs. S made dinner for us, but our mood was very solemn.

What can I say, we were scared. We never liked it when our parents duked it out. And as we ate the food Mrs. S graciously cooked for us, we expressed our worries.

"Are our parents gonna get divorced?"

Mrs. S did her best to assuage us at the time. "No, you shouldn't think they'll do something like that. You see, mommies and daddies fight some time but in the end they'll make up and it will all be alright, you see."

Thankfully later that evening, her words proved true as the conflict seemed to be resolved when we all returned home.

~~~~

However I see that 8 or so years later in the present, mommies and daddies don't always come to terms in the very end, and someone has to give.

When the Weather matches the Worst

I remember myself four years ago, sitting in 1st period Spanish III and hearing the announcement about Ashleigh.

I remember how the weather was that day. Grey. Cold. Wet. Miserable weather conditions to couple miserable news.

And now the day after I'm brought home to receive more dreary news, the weather mimics the weather on that day four years ago.

I was wondering how the hell is it suddenly so cold and wet and dreary when the last couple of days have been gorgeous?

But then I realize once again, we've been gifted with the right weather for the right news.

Fantastic.