Realizing that Childhood Movies Have Shaped You as a Person

I haven't been the unfortunate recipient of a poisoned apple or a cursed spinning wheel, but there's no denying that I have a Disney princess personality.

Don't get me wrong, there's been none of this waiting around for Prince Charming nonsense or soaring musical interludes sprinkled throughout my days-- but I've recently come to realize that a lot of the things I enjoy are derived from the Disney movies I used to watch as a kid.

One similarity after another has slowly crept upon me as I've revisited my Disney days-- blowing my mind with the awesomeness of just how much my favourite movies and characters have worked themselves into my psyche. It could just be coincidence-- I may be reading into it too much-- but I rather like the idea of being a Disney darling.

It's quite possible that my favourite colour is yellow because of Belle's ballgown in Beauty and the Beast-- and maybe I really like willow trees because of Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas. My fascination with Africa can be ultimately attributed to Simba in The Lion King, and my love of everything oceanic must be because of Arielle in The Little Mermaid-- my favourite childhood princess.

So when you think about it, a lot of my personality can be attributed to aspects of the Disney movies I grew up with, and quite frankly, it's awesome. Maybe in consequence I anticipate a  magic spell to be flung my way every once in a while, but what does that matter? 

--I mean really, who doesn't want to lead a fantastic fairytale of a life?

Discovering that there's a Superhero in the Next Lane

I'm not sure many people would believe me, but cruising along the highway to and from work every day, I'm joined by Clark Kent.

Cool in his black car, window down, he drives past faster than a speeding bullet-- cape flapping and kryptonite lacking, oozing awesomeness of superheroic proportions as he heads out incognito on his daily commute to fight crime and rid the world of evil.

Or at least, that's what I assume.

"CLARKENT", as reads his license plate, is perhaps but one of the many travellers joining me out on the highway with a secret identity-- the rest attempting to maintain their covers with unpersonalized plates and windows firmly closed.

One may speculate that Superman is trying too hard, but there is some reassurance to be had in knowing that he's out there, even in disguise-- so I, for one, am thankful to have him on my highway.

Better than a bird or a plane, he rescues the common commuter from Monday morning mundanity, and keeps the excitement of Friday's freedom alive-- singing along to the radio and tapping out a beat on the side of his super-mobile.

You rock, "CLARKENT".

Happy Father's Day!

My dad is awesome.

The all-star, go-to guy for everything from monsters under the bed to athletics to relationship advice-- he's the man I've counted on since even before I was born.

I admire him a lot-- perhaps the most articulate and side-splittingly funny human being I've met, my dad is like a superhero to me, and has been since I was a little girl.

Ridiculous and sweet and incredibly witty, he's raised me alongside my mom, and made me into who I am today. I thank him for being my role model and for thinking the world of me-- for all those late night TV shows that we've stayed up to watch the ends of, the story-lines and paper topics we've discussed, the inside jokes, the advice, the softball practices, and the remarkably similar culinary tastes that we share.

I love you Daddy, you're awesome.

A Picture That Tells A Story

With everything that's happened in Vancouver over the past couple of days, the news has become very dark.

People are losing their faith in humanity-- watching cars burn, windows break, and riots explode.

But is this really what we're all about?

Taken by photographer Rich Lam, this photo has gone global.

The young man pictured, Scott Jones, is seen embracing his girlfriend, Alexandra Thomas-- she had been injured by the riot police amidst the chaos of the Stanely Cup aftermath.

The full story can be seen here, outlining what the photo is able to say without words.

It's a powerful image-- standing as proof in favour of love, not war.

Trees Are Forever

Do you know what I mean when I say that trees are forever?

Yes, they live on for years and years, but that's not quite it.

There are trees that grow up with us, designed for climbing and adventure, housing entire flocks of birds and colonies of squirrels-- trees that feel and move with us, green and gold and smiling, as if to say "welcome home" whenever we recognize their waving branches. Trees that give us places to read, to think, to watch for thunderstorms-- to play hide and seek-- to paint and laugh, to cool down and to smile.

Trees that mean more to us than we would readily admit.

So, as the birch tree in my front yard is about to be uprooted, nearing the end of its lifespan, I dedicate this post to everything awesome that it's given to me-- to everything awesome that trees have given to us collectively.

It's a cliche for a reason: go hug a tree. Your big leafy bud will stand by you forever.

Happy World Oceans Day!

Perhaps a slightly obscure day of importance, June 8th was first declared World Oceans Day by Canada back in 1992-- a day dedicated to the wetter 70% of our planet and its 230,000 known inhabitant species.  Now recognized by the United Nations, World Oceans Day is making a splash (pun intended), with scheduled UN talks this afternoon from 3:00-5:00.

And the ocean really deserves it. A muse to artists, a challenge to adventurers, a playground for researchers, and a home for Nemo, it really does it all. A multitasking marine force, our oceans deserve our respect.

I mean, where else are you going to find creatures of exquisite awesomeness like the leafy sea dragon, the lionfish, the giant clam, and of course enormous coral reefs?

Our aquatic neighbours need a day of celebration, and for them I present the following-- grab your goldfish crackers and enjoy!

Zorrillas Really Do Exist!

A friend pointed this image out to me today, and it made me smile:

The Zorrilla of my imagination really does exist!

Pro-Environment Awesomeness

There's nothing better than a late-night realization that people out there do care about the environment-- a late-night realization, with a little humour and the right information, that leads to magic.

Or at least to the end of global warming.

For more information, see howtoboilafrog.com, and get proactive about what matters to you.

PS: Check out my new link under Other BEST Things EVER! The Global Ecological Initiative is a great example of what it means to be proactive, and has oodles of information and links for you to enjoy.

Cheers!

Do YOU Know What a Zorrilla is?

Google is my best friend.

This morning, reading an article on nationalgeographic.com, I came across the name of an animal that I had never heard of before.

Having been obsessed with animals in my earlier years, I refused to believe that I didn't actually know what this one was-- I read its name over and over-- ZorrillaZorrillaZorrillaZorrilla.

It sounded pretty at least, sort of rolling over the tongue.

But all I could picture was a sort of zebra-gorilla hybrid.

I would have liked to believe that there was some sort of striped horse-ape out there, somewhere in the far reaches of the Earth, but my curiosity and common sense eventually got the better of me-- admitting defeat, I turned to Google.

It turns out that Zorrillas are very much like skunks.

Stripier and smellier, they're the African equivalent of Bambi's little friend, declared by The Guinness Book of World Records to be the smelliest animal on Earth-- pungent enough to keep lions at bay out on the savannahs.

That's pretty impressive without gorilla-sized biceps to back you up.