In 11 years you grow UP

I know that you're leaving 

You must have your reasons 

The seasons are calling...  

The steps that I retrace, 

the sad look on your face... 

And its happen once again, 

I'll turn to a friend

Someone that understands 

That sees through the master plan 

But everybody's gone  

And I've been here for too long 

to face this on my own... 

Well I guess this is growing up. 

- Blink 182: Damn It 

Blink has been with my for years, their songs have resonated through several moments in my life. But never once did I really think that this song would go hand in hand with what I felt about a Disney movie, but it did. Honestly I had forgotten that this song even existed, until about a month ago when a college graduating friend sang it acoustically on a ukulele during her own party. Yes, no joke on a ukulele. Since then I realized the words of the song were much more powerful today, in these moments of life than they were years ago when this song first was released. Damn It was actually Blink 182's first real success and hit single hitting the charts in 1997, when I had no idea the lyrics would ring true outside of the fictional break up that was being sung about. 

I was listening to the song again on Sunday morning of this week, three days after seeing the midnight showing of Toy Story 3 and the lyrics reminded me of the movie. Toy Story was released in 1995 just two years before this song became a commercial success, and Toy Story 2 hit theaters in 1999 just two years after. So it seems that Toy Story (and basically Pixar) have been in my life as long as Blink 182 has and it seems fitting that for this latest installment I relate the old song. Of course I adored the newest Toy Story as I always knew I would (though there was that scare there when Disney was trying to do the movie without the Pixar peeps). From the moment I saw the extended scene at D23 with the home videos of Andy playing with that awesome Space Cadet and lovable Cowboy I knew this movie was going to be a bundle of emotion. I was never disappointed.  

Its been 11 years since the last Toy Story film and the audience grew up just like Andy did. The setting has changed, the story has grown but our old toys are still waiting to tell their story. It was just as captivating, funny and impressive as the first. I couldn't help but wonder if the young boys behind me (one in his cowboy suit and hat) were as impressed by the movie as I was. I mean at a whole six years old those boys didn't know that back in my day, cartoons didn't look like the well crafted 3-D wonders they do today. Pixar's Toy Story was to my generation what Snow White was to the generations before, a moment when story telling was taken to a new and unbelievable level. The incredible feat though is that even after 15 years, I'm still impressed by Pixar. Each movie brings something new to the table, the colors, the details, the maginficant backdrops have even brought tears to my eyes (I know, I know, dork). I don't want to give to much away about the story but I do warn anyone over the age of 15, all my adult friends that you might tear up a few times. The themes in the life of Andy, in the life of the toys is parrallel to our lives and growing up is easy when you don't have to think about. 

You are going to laugh. You are going to cry. You are going to have your breath taken away. Because this is the stuff that our dreams were made of, and don't lie you all thought one day that your toys were having meetings when you weren't in the room. Those 11 years were well worth the wait, because this is a great ending to a love saga we've had with Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch Toy Story 2 again.

The Reward System

I visited my own blog today and felt a bit like a failure, it's been so very long since I've updated. Believe me it isn't like I haven't had plenty to say. What with every network trying to rip out my heart with their series finales, or with the summer blockbuster season starting, or with all the interesting things I've been studying. But sometimes time and focus escape me, and currently my poor laptop has decided to hate typing the letter "A" which deters me from typing as much out of annoyance. Seriously you never notice how many times you type "A" until it stops working and then you want to sort of stab the little key that won't work.

But I actually didn't decide to jump on here and write tonight on any of those topics that have distracted me of late. Today, I wanted to write about voting because well it was voting day! I should explain off the bat that I'm not going to go into some in depth discussion on my politics, no sir. I want to talk about voting and voting day because that's the heart of the matter. Truthfully when it comes down to it, I don't care who you voted for as long as you vote (at least on voting day anyway, other days I care quite a bit about who and what was voted for).

I spent most of my day excited about voting. I'm aware that it's slightly strange that my uncontrollable grin only gets wider as I drive to my polling place, or as I get my ballot, or as I color in my little arrow line. Getting my "I voted" sticker actually leads me to skip, yes skip friends. Because my little white oval sticker declares as I so graciously put it earlier to someone as a functioning, caring member of my society. And this is what I've been thinking about since Monday night actually, the voting sticker. It's the icing on my voting day excitement that provides me with a great sense of accomplishment. Not that voting itself doesn't give me some sense of accomplishment because it does, but the sticker that's what makes it real. Because after I got my sticker, I drove a friend to her polling place and then we went to Starbucks where I proceed to ask my local baristas if they had voted. I text a few friends and reminded them that it was voting day and that they should jaunt down to their polling areas. I was like a one grinning get the vote out crew, reminding everyone that you get a sticker! Honestly I don't know if its some residual sense of craving physical reward from school when you got stickers on your papers as a sign of a job well done. Or if I just like stickers and small free trinkets that declare accomplishment of some sort (I also collect the celebration buttons from Disneyland). But if that's true for me then it must be true for others, because I doubt that the great U.S of A makes all those stickers just for little old me (though if they do, awesome).

Might it be that everyone likes the stickers? Are we a society that needs the rewards? The proof that we are active citizens? Better yet isn't it wonderful to think that in this age of fancy technology of interactive gadgets and expensive toys, we can still gain a true sense of enjoyment from a little sticky piece of paper? Its like the lollipops that the Doctor use to give you after a shot, a little something for all the trouble. So if you didn't vote today, remember the next time that polls open that if you go out of your way and vote (maybe even go the extra mile and be read your ballot books) that after those difficult moments of helping the district, the state, and the country make decisions YOU get a STICKER!