Welcome to Non-Horror Fall Movies

 Happy October everyone!

Spooky season is in full swing (even if it unofficially started in August - sigh). I've started compiling my horror movies and Halloween decorations. I'm buying all things pumpkin spice and everything nice. And I just saw Clue at the Kennedy Center.

Wait that last one doesn't scream October movie. It's not scary. It's funny...even with all the murder and mayhem. 

Clue isn't a Halloween movie (or in my case a fun play), but it's aerosphere is full of horror cliches without the scares. A group of people are having a party in a big spooky mansion, a thunderstorm is raging outside, murderer (or seven) are on the loose, and there are secret passages galore. The mansion looks is decorated and lit in a way that invokes warm oranges and dark velvet greens that are associated with a fall color palate. 

The Clue play is very similar to the movie - with about 200% camp and physical comedy. Mr. Green totally steals the show, but Wadsworth and Miss. Scarlett get some great zingers in there too. I also loved their interpretations of Colonel Mustard, with his ability to mix up words, and Mrs. Peacock's "old woman" act. Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Evette, and the Cook are also great performances. Each are given their iconic scenes to reenact. The motorist and the cop, though briefly on stage, have great presence. And the singing telegram girl is perfectly hilarious (her body keeps moving every time the front doors open - I swear this is not a spoiler).

It is also similar to the movie in that it's time at the Kennedy Center was at the start of the Fall season - similar to it's TV run in the 1990s and early 2000s. Many of us 90s kids first saw the movie version of Clue either while flipping between channels in late September or as a rental during a back-to-school sleepover. Seeing Clue on TV meant that school was back in session and Halloween was just around the corner.

Much like Clue, there are several other movies that may not intuitively be seen as part of the Fall season. Either they were often on TV during the month of September or their atmosphere is like a warm apple cider on a crips day. So, here are some of my non-horror fall movies to get a bit cozy with.

1. Clue - I already wrote a bit about this movie and the new play. Clue is such a nostalgia cult classic with a subtle fall feel. 10 out of 10, would recommend.
2. The Princess Bride - for the cult classic romantics out there, the Princess Bride is the perfect movie. For those of us who spent a lot of time watching ABC Family in the 90s and 2000s, the Princess Bride was often shown on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was one of the first movies my generation learned all the lines too.
3. Matilda - a perfect back-to-school movie for my elementary school self, this movie actually scared me quite a bit as a kid. However, it was guaranteed to be on TV multiple times on multiple weekends during the start of a new school year. I find myself reaching for Matilda right after Labor Day every year, since I don't go to school anymore myself.
4. Jumanji - I'm talking about the 90s version, not the 2010s one. The original Jumanji is full of the same fall atmosphere as Clue, but likely actually takes place in the summer/fall transition period. The style is very 90s Fall fashion and it also was shown quite a bit in September. But this isn't the only Robin Williams entry.
5. Hook - I'll admit that Hook actually takes place in the winter time while everyone is in London. However, much like the previously mentioned movies, this was on all the time in September in the 90s and 2000s. As soon as September hits, I start thinking about Peter and Wendy growing up into adults. I also never fail to cry when Peter starts talking about when he ran away as a baby (not sure why they chose to have him run away as a baby, but it's sad). Hook is one of my favorite fall movies about never growing up and believing in yourself.
6. Dead Poet's Society - one of the few "mature" films on this list, I saw Dead Poet's Society in my 20s. The atmosphere is 100% back-to-school fall. This is another with Robin Williams, but this time its a much more serious role. "Oh captain, my captain" I will never forget this movie during the Fall season.
7. Labyrinth - don't be surprised by this entry, I love Labyrinth. I've always thought of this movie as a coming of age story for a girl trying to navigate the pressures of being a teenager in a world that hates teen girls. You've got a labyrinth built like a maze (a true labyrinth only has one path that takes you to its center and then leads you back out) symbolizing the confusing emotions and feelings teen girls are feeling. You've got the pressure to complete tasks you probably shouldn't be responsible for (saving her brother could symbolize parentification, and creepy old guys creeping on you (hello Jareth). There's a lot to love about this movie and it just looks like fall. From the orange and brown Labyrinth walls, to the Bog of Eternal stench set, and even the puppets this movie looks like something a farm with a corn maze might have.
8. Practical Magic - this is not a horror movie, but it is one about witches, ghosts, and sisterhood (it also takes place in March, but who cares). I love Practical Magic during the October season. It's all about how to be a witch without any of the (extreme) terror. There's even a bit of romance. 
9. Knives Out - this movie's aesthetic is all about fall. The leaves are on the ground, everyone is in sweaters, and hot drinks have been poured. Also there's a mystery afoot. This one isn't a product of nostalgia (at least not right now it isn't). Knives Out is a fall movie minus the Halloween horrors.
10. The Fantastic Mr. Fox - technically this could be considered a Thanksgiving movie (they do have a Thanksgiving dinner at one point), but this movie just looks and feels like fall. The color palate is reds, oranges, and warm yellows with leaves on the ground and the young foxes are in school. This movie is all about the Fall. 

So these are some movies that I consider fall classics without the horror elements (Practical Magic has some, but not enough to qualify as a horror movie). So if you're not a horror fan, check out these movies during the spooky season. They'll put you in the mood for cozy sweaters, apple cider, and pumpkin spice with everything nice tasting.

Let me know your favorite Fall movie in the comments. I know I missed a few. Until the next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Hocus Pocus

If ever there was a movie that screamed Halloween - it would be Hocus Pocus. From the vibrant color scheme and colorful costume to the setting being the infamous Salem Massachusetts, Hocus Pocus oozes the holiday from the very first frame of Sarah riding her broomstick through the country side. Its a seasonal favorite for my family and many of my friends - especially if you were a kid in the 90s and 2000s. 

Is it a perfect movie? No.

Is it a satisfying movie? Yes. 

--Prepare For Spoilers for a 30 year old Movie--

Though the Sanderson sisters are a lot of fun, you cheer when they are defeated at the end of the story. You're excited to see the bullies get their comeuppance. It's hilarious when Billy inevitably betrays Winnifred. And its bitter sweet to see Thackery Binx reunite with his sister and move on to the next life. 

The journey Max, Danny, and Allison go on over the course of one night is exciting and scary. Yet, the kids manage to use their wits and ingenuity (multiple times) against the witches to save the lives of all the children of Salem. Each one has a moment to shine. From Danny improvising her interest in meeting the sisters, to Max and the "burning rain of death", and finally Allison with her version of "daylight savings time". 

Though it is a little weird that a Disney movie made for kids is constantly bringing up virginity.

--End of Spoilers for a 30 year old Movie--

The movie also gets a number of things right about witches in the colonial period of Massachusetts that so many other stories get wrong (looking at you Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost). 

Witches were considered evil in the colonial period, having made a deal with the devil. Winnifred, Mary, and Sarah all refer to Satan as their master and proclaim their devotion to him. 

Witches were hanged (or pressed, or drowned) in the colonies - not burned at the stake (that was a continental European thing). North American's wouldn't have burned witches because then the spectators might have seen naked bodies. The last thing a Puritan would have wanted to see is a naked witch. 

The movie actually takes place in Sale, MA and the city really does look like that. Some of the bigger landmarks were missing, such as the hotel and House of the Seven Gables, but that's really the outside of the town hall. Also, there really are underground tunnels throughout the city - there was a huge pirate problem up until the early 1800s. 

However, there is one major inaccuracy to the movie. There were no real witches in Salem during the colonial period. None of the people accused, imprisoned, or murdered for witchcraft were actually witches. They were victims of a mass hysteria, racism, and a scheme to steal property by the elite of the city.  

Memorial to the victims of the Salem Witch Trials.

It took nearly three centuries for the city to address this shameful period in their history. Now there's a beautiful memorial to the victims and a lot of tourist traps for people see. I personally found that a historical ghost tour was a lot more interesting than the wax museums that line the main street. Though the Witch House, which has the recreated jail in the basement was creepy.

Yeah, Hocus Pocus focuses more on the spectacle of Salem's infamous history. But I think creating three completely fictional characters that have the actual historical stereotypes of colonial witches works. It plays up the folk horror of witchcraft, makes it ridiculous, and weaves in a tiny smidge of historic reality.

The new sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, adds to that malicious silliness.  

I don't plan on spoiling that movie, as it only came out three days ago at the time of me writing this post. I found it funny and a cute addition to a story that really didn't need a follow up. Some of the details are a delight - like the witchcraft store (because if Salem has an overabundance of anything, its witchcraft stores) and adults trying to side step explaining what a virgin is to a little kid.

Do I recommend the movie? Maybe - if you really liked the first one, the nostalgia will hit you right in the feels. However, I don't think it'll be the cult classic the first one is.

At their core, the Hocus Pocus movies aren't about the accurate history of Salem, MA, the witch trials, or the trauma surrounding them. 

They are stories about family and friends. The first movie has Thackery and his sister Emily mirrored by the siblings Max and Danny. The second movie is about the relationship of the Sanderson sisters and is mirrored by the three friends Izzy, Becca, and Cassie.

Hocus Pocus is one of those movies that became a cult classic because of how it treats its audience. For adults, its a reminder of what it means to be a kid. For kids, it's an adventure against villains that are silly, but still super evil. It's not perfect, but it doesn't need to be.

Hocus Pocus 2 is okay. It's not good. It's not bad.

Do you have any fond memories watching Hocus Pocus? Mine include catching it on ABC Family on a late fall day and my family realizing that the guy who plays Thackery (but is not the voice actor) was also on NCIS.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please, like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. 

Welcome to OMG Ducktales WooHoo!

I've made it no secret that I love animation as a medium, art form, and story telling tool. I find that some stories are better suited for animation than a live action adaptation. There's a lot more freedom with animation to exaggerate emotions and character features.

So about DuckTales...WooHoo!

When I was a small child and would go to visit my grandparents in Michigan, they had a VHS tape that had two episodes of DuckTales. These episodes were "The Curse of Castle McDuck" and "Dinosaur Ducks". Since DuckTales came out in the 80s and I showed up somewhere in the 90s, these were the only episodes I really saw of the show. I did have a VHS copy of DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, but it doesn't feature all of the characters that would be created for the 3 season long show.

I enjoyed what little of the original DuckTales I was able to watch, but I knew that it was flawed. Deeply flawed. The DuckTales movie featured a very racially insensitive character who also appears in the final season of the show. And though I can probably credit "The Curse of Castle McDuck" with my interest in ancient British culture, I admit that seeing Uncle Scrooge take advantage of the Druids in the episode made me feel a little uncomfortable even as a kid.

Because I have no life and a Disney+ subscription, I opted to finally watch all of the original DuckTales episodes to get a better idea where the reboot (which is fantastic by the way) came from.

I'll be honest, I didn't have that much hope that an 80s cartoon would hold up well after nearly 30 years...and I was sort of right. The original DuckTales is definitely entertaining and easy to just kind of leave on in the background while I clean my apartment.

But there are also a lot flaws. Deep, deep flaws. Thankfully, most of these weren't carried over to the new series. 

Like a lot of 80s entertainment, depictions of characters not coded as alabaster white are more than a little problematic...especially characters that are coded as being middle eastern (one of my biggest complaints of the movie I mentioned earlier as well). There's also some classist stereotypes that are also harmful.

I can confidently say that the reboot took steps to either update characters to not have these same problematic issues or has opted to remove the character entirely. Fenton and his mother, for example, goes from being a white trailer trash characters in the original to middle class Latinos, one of whom now works in law enforcement, in the reboot (I 100% prefer Fenton's mom in the reboot to the original). The character Dijon seems to have vanished completely (not that I'm going to complain about that). And efforts have been made to have more inclusive, less culturally insensitive story narratives in the reboot.

Another thing the reboot has going for it that the original doesn't is character development.

The reboot DuckTails has also made an effort to give better characterization to its leads. In the original nephews,  Huey, Dewey, and Louie, were fairly generic boys who were pretty much interchangeable - so much so that it looks like they all shared a voice actor. Webby was basically the annoying little sister trope. Mrs. Beakley seemed to serve no purpose in most of the original episodes. And Duckworth was just there to be a butler.

The only character who has any emotional arc in the original is Scrooge and that's a shallow assessment at best.

Now the reboot has character arcs galore. 

To start, the boys now each have distinct personalities and I can tell them apart (not only because of the different voice actors) by their mannerisms. Louie is definately the "laziest of the bunch with a laidback posture, while Huey is much more mature and responsible. Dewey is an energetic ball of energy in pretty much ever scene he is in (especially if Webby is with him) and it shows. I don't even need the color schemes to tell the triplets apart.

Both Dewey and Louie have great emotional story arcs over the 2 seasons I've watched of the reboot. Louie definitely takes after Scrooge in his money hungry ways, but lacks the hard work ethic Scrooge has. He also is very dissapointed that he wasn't named Rocket like his mother (Della) wanted to name him. Dewey's character journey is equally interesting and often involves Webby as an accomplice/instigator to their antics. Much of season 1 is dedicated to him finding out what happened to his and his brother's mom and the conclusion is really good.

If I had one complaint about the reboot's treatment of the triplets, it's that Huey seems like an afterthought or is treated as a the "stick-in-the-mud" in most of the episodes. As I've only seen the first two seasons (and an occasional episode in Season 3), I can only hope that eventually Huey gets the same character development his brothers are getting.

Webby is probably one of my favorite characters in the reboot and probably wouldn't exist as she is today with out characters like Mable Pines from Gravity Falls. She's hyper and feeds into Dewey's energy, which makes them have a great relationship. She also no longer feels like a "tag-a-long" but a fully realized character with her own motivations. I love the episodes that really focus on her and the friends (not just Dewey and his brothers) she makes.

That leads in to Mrs. Beakley. Like I said earlier, in the original, she's just kind of there to mother and tsk the children. In the reboot, she's basically a retired Bond girl and I love it. She's strict and worries, but is also fully capable of protecting the kids. She works for Scrooge before the series starts (which means that Webby grows up in Scrooge's house) and we get the impression that her employment is more as a deceptive bodyguard than housekeeper or nanny.

Duckworth they turned into a ghost. He's not a nice ghost either and it's implied a couple of times that he didn't make it into heaven in the afterlife, but managed to get somewhere else.

Scrooge is updated too. He's still the money loving adventurer, but his backstory is better fleshed out, we get to meet his parents, and he really truly loves his family...even more than his money. He's still the pinnacle of the "good capitalist" trope, but he's given a much more rounded character.

I could go on and on about the DuckTales reboot, but that isn't the purpose of this post. I watched the original cartoon to see where and how the reboot made it's updates. I can safely say that the reboot is a lot better than the original in pretty much every way. Though it's deeply flawed, I can understand why people love and still watch it. 

Do I recommend the original DuckTales? Not really. 

Is the reboot DuckTales a perfect masterpiece? No, it has its flaws like any story - though it might take another 30 years to recognize that.

Go watch the reboot and when you run out of those episodes, check out Gravity Falls or The Proud Family or Kim Possible. 

In another 30 years, we'll probably get another reboot of these classic cartoons. Transformers seems to have a new cartoon every five years or so. The My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic did a fantastic job at rebooting the series. I do hope that some of the cartoons I grew up with get an updated reboot eventually. I'd love to see a modern take on Hey Arnold, Rugrats, or Code Name Kids Next Door - especially that last one as two-by-four technology must have improved since the early 2000s.

What are some stories from your childhood that you hope get a reboot? I've already listed a few of mine, but I've got a whole list that grows every year. Nostalgia is powerful, but that shouldn't mean that something we enjoy isn't free from criticism. The adults in the room can still share their love of DuckTales with their kids, but I hope it's with the reboot.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Nostalgic Cringe

Apparently someone this week sent out into the Internet an article about how awe full the 90s show "Friends" is. I only found out about it because it’s been in my Twitter trends for the past couple of days.

I vaguely remember watching friends. I think I found it funny, but it’s been so long that I don’t really remember. I just know I watched the show if nothing else was on. I don’t think I’ve even seen the series finale, which shows how much I cared.

I do know that the author of the original article is right about one thing, "Friends" has some seriously dated and cringe moments. Like to the point where I can’t watch a 5 minute clip without pausing.

I can take guesses about why "Friends" has somehow managed to stay relevant going into the 2020s, but really I think it comes down to a nostalgia for a time that never really existed. It’s the same reason I get sucked into watching "Leave It To Beaver" with my dad, or why I just binged 5 seasons of "Murder She Wrote". These shows take place in an idealized world, in places that never really existed, to distract us for an hour or so from our inadequate lives.

Quality of these nostalgic shows may vary. Aging into the 2020s is not always applicable.

For example, I finally sat down and watched every episode of the Original Star Trek series. I came out of that binge with a few thoughts. 1. It is such a product of the 60s - from the clothes to the hair to the crazy colors. So freaking 60s. 2. The sass is strong with this show, especially if it's Spock or Chekov doing the sassing. They have some of the best comebacks in the series.

And finally, 3. there are so many cringe moments in this show. I don’t want to call out any particular scene or episode (though "Plato’s Stepchildren" was tough for me to sit through), but there were a lot of cringe moments that had me thinking “this wouldn’t be done today”.

Do I think that people shouldn’t watch the Original Star Trek Series? No, I think people should keep watching (and learning) from this show. It’s entertaining as all get out, even if some of it hasn’t aged very well and is definitely a product of the 60s.

Rewatching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" occasionally gives me similar feels as my take on the Original Series. It’s great when it’s great, Q is a hilarious villain, and there are some cringe moments that make me question certain production choices. Like who in their right mind let’s a child have a very important position on the bridge? There were better ways to have had Wesley be involved in the series.

The same can be said of most TV shows and movies. It’s hard to make something timeless. I can totally tell the difference between the 60s "Batman" show, the 90s animated show, and the Chris Nolan movies of the mid-2000s and know exactly when they were made based on the technology and aesthetic. My only exception (which others may argue with me on) is the first Tim Burton "Batman" movie from 89. Okay yes, the women’s hair totally have an 80s vibe, but so much of that "Batman" world was styled to be a mash of 40, 50s, 60s, and 80s aesthetic as to be uniquely timeless.

Another show I loved as a child and have been rewatching for mindless nostalgia is "Sailor Moon". Thankfully someone managed to update and fix the first awful dubbing I had as a child. It’s a lot better than the 90s, but that doesn’t mean that it’s aged well. "Sailor Moon" is totally a product of the 90s and there are some major cringe moments that I didn’t pick up on as a kid, but find super awkward as an adult.

NO ITS NOT. IT'S WORSE!

The biggest cringe moment (at least right now) for me was the relationship between Usagi’s (Serena in the original dub) friend Naru (original dub Molly with a thick Boston accent) and the villain Nephrite. Naru is a middle school girl, 14 max. Nephrite is an adult. At first he totally takes advantage of Naru’s crush on him, as any villain would, but by his down fall he genuinely claims to love a MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILD. And not love as in “I-think-of-her-as-my-daughter” love, this is supposed to be interpreted as romantic love.

So much cringe.

And this doesn’t even cover the slightly less cringe romantic relationship between the lead Usagi (again a middle schooler) and college student Mamoru (Darien in the first English dub). Their relationship is seriously messed up at times.

However, I still love the show, cringe and all.

Though there have been shows and movies that I've gone back and tried to watch for nostalgia reasons and been completely turned off by their cringe factors. "The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers" may hold a special place in my heart, but I can't for the life of me get through a whole episode in one sitting anymore.

So is "Friends" as terrible as the author of the article made it sound? I don't know, I haven't watched it in a while and I don't plan to any time soon. It's definitely a product of the 90s and should be viewed as such. Times have changed, "Friends" has not.

Hopefully the next sitcom to define a generation is the timeless treasure we deserve, but I doubt that.

Do you guys have a show or movie you find nostalgic, but also a little cringe?

If you say no, you're either too young to feel nostalgia or you're lying.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Monster Part 2: They Can Be Cute Too

I remember seeing Monsters Inc in theaters. I loved it, especially since I was definitely one of those kids who thought there was a monster in their closet or under the bed, which made the movie seem all the more plausible at the time. It also may have helped me get over this particular irrational fear. I mean, as long as Sully or Mike Wazowski was the monster coming to scar me.

Isn't this just the face of an angle?

Occasionally, monsters go through a child friendly retelling. Most of these stories, if I remember correctly, revolved around the cliche "don't judge a book by it's cover" narrative. It's a good story for kids to learn and understand, especially since monsters are often thought of as monsters because of what they look like.

Then again, Sully from Monsters Inc looked like an adorable cross between a teddy bear and furry alligator. He doesn't look that scary in the movie. But I bet if I ran across a real life combination of these two creatures I'd scream my freaking head off and run for the hills.

 Ah Real Monsters was a similar show from the 90s. It featured three young monsters learning how to be scary. It was a more gross version of Monsters Inc (I think they lived in a dumpster). On a day to day basis the monsters in the show were friendly and just trying to pass their classes. It was when they came across a human, that they would scare them. It was a fun, goofy show for young me to watch (and the monster designs were amazing).

Kids do need to learn that they shouldn't judge a person by their appearance alone. One of my favorite stories as a kid was The House that Drac Built. It was supposed to be a spooky house that was filled with ferocious and scary monsters.

I loved this story and made my parents read it to me all the time (along with Mickey Mouse in The Phantom Blot). The first part of the book included a great build up of how scary and angry the monsters trapped in the house were. The second part of the book had the kids showing up. At first it seemed like the kids would be terrified and run away, but when the kids saw that the monsters needed help or love, they instead spent time with them.

I remember a lot of these stories from the late 90s and early 2000s. Though I might have blocked some of them out of my memory. One day while I was meandering through the nostalgic side of YouTube I stumbled across the opening for a show called Seven Little Monsters. I don't recall actually watching this show (I was a little too old for it), but I do remember seeing it occasionally pop up on PBS while my younger sibling was waiting for a different show (or while I was babysitting).

Seven Little Monsters was about a family of monsters growing up in the human world (or at least that's what I remember). Each monster had their own quirk, which made them different from their siblings. It was a cute show and heavily featured several lessons about using the talents you've been given and not to judge people who look different from you.

In this case, monsters weren't supposed to be scary. They were nice and sweet or held day jobs. It was a way to teach kids to accept those who are different from them. Monsters are convenient to use in these stories, since most kids are already scared of monsters.

What better way to help someone conquer their fears than by making that fear seem more relatable?

Monsters will always be a part of our popular culture. They represent the unknown and inhuman parts of our lives. Monsters can be blood sucking forces of evil and they can be the cuddly 9 to 5 business man who just wants to keep his city supplied with power.

Personally I like both kinds of monsters. Much like people, you never know which monsters are good and which are evil. It's their actions that determine that.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome to Nostalgia

 You never get the past back...

This will probably be a short post. It’s been a long week and I’ve been in the car way too much. Just as a reminder, please let me know of any spelling or grammar problems.

I dropped my sister off for her first year of college yesterday. There were tears from her and my mom while I kind of sat back on my heels and realized that one of the coolest chapters of my life had ended. It felt weird for me to be dropping her off and heading home instead of staying at my old school (no we will not have the same alma mater). I know she’s probably feeling a little nervous about the whole thing, heck I remember I was terrified to talk to anyone, but I know she is going to have the best time of her life. It also reminded me how much I’m going to miss being a college student.

It’s not that I’m trying to complain about being an “official” adult or anything (disclaimer: this blog is not a place for me to rant, except at UPS, but that is a later post). I just feel a little lost without the safety net of school and my friends. I miss being able to feel completely safe anywhere I went on campus (I’m in a safe area, but I still wouldn’t wander around here at night). I also did not have to worry about having a car, the bus and trolley system was pretty good. It was easy to make friends and there was always something to do and something going on. Not to mention cheap movie deals and discounts at Good Will.

College was a great transition into adulthood. I loved the freedom of making my own choices and knowing I could crash on any of my friends couches if I had to. Now I still have the freedom to make those choices, but I have to deal with harsher consequences like having to pay to fix my car if it breaks down.

I’m starting to realize that this post is very similar to my first one, but after a month in Wonderland have discovered that I really miss my time at school. With summer ending I have had to face the reality that this job is not an internship, it’s the start of my career.

I am glad that my sister has moved out and it now becoming an “adult”. I can’t wait to hear about her classes and finding out how she does on her first midterm (I hope it’s not tears). I know she is going to make lots of new friends and her roommate seems really nice.

My mom and I had to stop at Dairy Queen on the way back from dropping off my sister. Mom got a Hot Fudge Sunday and got a mini blizzard. It made mom feel better. When we finally got home we watched The Rescuers Down Under because I will probably never mature enough to outgrow cartoons. I think it made her feel better.