Thanksgiving Thanks: Day Eight: The United Kingdom

I am thankful for the United Kingdom.  Not only have I visited twice and loved the country itself, but the UK has produced some of my favorite things and people.  Doctor Who for one, which I explained in great detail a few days ago... (okay, I gushed a bit)  Also Charles Dickens, the Beatles, David Tennant, Cadbury chocolate, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Sherlock, Wordsworth, Shakespeare, James McAvoy,  C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Monty Python, The IT Crowd, Ewan McGregor, ... I could go on and on, but I think I've hit the high points.

The United Kindom is also the home of the best accents in the world.  I swear that an Irish accent will always make me smile, a Scottish accent will make me grin, and a British accent can make me melt.  The UK consistently produces great actors, great dramas, and great literature- all things that I love.   Add in great music and it's not hard to see why I'm thankful.

Thanksgiving Thanks: Day Seven: Disney

I am thankful for Disney.  Like most 80s babies, I grew up with the Disney renaissance.  The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King were all an integral part of the soundtrack of my childhood.  My sister Kelsey and I would hours pretending to be Disney characters, attempting to construct costumes out of the odds and ends in the dress up box.

We took our first trip to Disney World in 1998.  We packed up the van, and made the drive from Maryland to Florida in one day.  The van only had one bench seat in the back- that meant there was always a girl in the middle seat ready to inadvertently touch or breathe the air of one of the adjacent girls, which was bound to happen in twelve hours of driving.  But it was worth it.  We were able to see the sun rise on Daytona Beach and then we arrived at Disney World.

Space Mountain was my first roller coaster- I can remember still being apprehensive but thinking, "What could be cooler than a ride through space?"  Going through each land felt like stepping into another world- something I had always longed to do with the books I read.  Disney's attention to detail and dedication to preserving the magic were things I didn't notice until later, but are definitely what made my first DW experience wonderful.

When my sister Kelsey attended the Disney College Program and had a blast, it didn't really occur to me to do the program myself because I was on the right track to finish my double major in four years and I didn't want to interrupt my studies, but when I was facing graduation and facing the prospect of "the real world" I found out that recent college graduates could attend the program if they applied before graduation. So I did and I spent a wonderful nine months working for the Mouse.

I was a character attendant and it was perfect- I worked with the Power Rangers (my 9 year old self was sooooo jealous), I could go to what ever park I wanted whenever I wanted, and I was able to see behind the scenes, which you would think would ruin the magic, but it actually added to the fun to be able to see how the magic was made and especially to be a part of it.  I would still be there now if they had hired me full-time, but the job market was looking bleak and no one was leaving.  Maybe one day I'll go back.

From my Beauty and the Beast pillowcases (which I only use when all the rest are in the laundry...),  to the tape of me singing "Part of Your World" when I was four, and the anticipation of the look on my little brother's face when he sees Mickey for the first time, I am thankful for Disney.

Thanksgiving Thanks: Day Six: The Gospel

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is hard to express how grateful I am that the church is in my life.  The gospel is something so personal and living it is not always easy, but I know it is true.

I know this church is true with a sure, quiet knowledge.  I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and who sent us here to give us the chance to return, the chance to learn and grow.  I know that we have an older brother, Jesus Christ, who loved us enough to take on our sins and die for us and who rose from the dead so that one day we may do the same. They love us, They know us, They know our trials and They know our joys.  They know our potential, even when we don't see it.

I know that when I am in need, I will be comforted.  That there is always time to start to make things better.  I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are together testaments of the life of Jesus Christ and those who followed Him.  I know that by studying these books, I can improve my own life.

I know that I am not perfect and that that is OK.  I know that if I continue to try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, that He will make up the difference, I know that I can never repay that debt, but I need to try.  I know that serving others is the way to happiness.

I know that this is the church that Jesus Christ established when He was here on the earth. I know that is was restored in the present day by Joseph Smith, who was called by God as a prophet to restore His church.  I know that there is a prophet on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson, who is able to receive revelation for us today, who is called to give guidance on issues that are especially important in our lives now.

I am grateful to belong to a church with the truth and the answers to many questions that I know many people in the world struggle with, or struggle to ignore.  I know where I came from, why I am here, where I am going and why bad things happen to good people.  And that is so important to me.

I am so grateful for my church, for the gospel, for this knowledge.  I hope that anyone who does not know what I know, who wants the answers, will look for them- go to mormon.org, ask that LDS guy you know, I promise you will find what you are looking for.

Thanksgiving Thanks: Day Five: Kit Kat

I am thankful for Kit Kat bars.  Especially from leftover Halloween candy. That's all for today. :-)

Thanksgiving Thanks: Day Four: College

(I lived in the large garret room on the top floor my freshman year and the small room to the right of it my sophomore year- the one with the dormer window)

I am thankful for my college education.  Not just for the piece of paper that says I worked my butt off for four years and finished a double major, but for the entire experience.  I loved attending Southern Virginia University.

I loved the cool (not literally- no AC!), oddly shaped attic rooms I lived in my first two years in Main Hall, where we weren't supposed to hang things on the sprinkler pipes, but where else was I supposed to hang my christmas lights? I loved the hours spent in Chandler Hall rehearsing, spending time offstage not backstage (who needs one of those?) but crammed on the stairs or in the scene shop with no place to sit or in the green room where hopefully you timed things right to get back onstage because there was no way you could hear what was going on upstairs.  Writing this and reading it back to myself it kind of sounds sarcastic but I really did love all the quirks of SVU because they were our quirks.  They were part of what made SVU a family.

Not only were we so small that you knew everyone's face or their name, though you might not necessarily put the two together, but we knew the campus and loved it together.  We knew not to walk off the paths near Durham after a rainstorm for fear of losing a shoe, and we knew that there was a secret passageway from Main Hall to Durham, or maybe the library, but no one could say they had personally gone through it, just they knew that someone had.  We knew our professors, and I can personally say that I never hated a professor at SVU.

I loved being able to take a class from one of my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card.  Not only did he give me a new perspective on my favorite genres, but he showed me that authors are people too- not just mythical figures spinning perfect prose, but people with opinions and families and a job that required a lot of work, but could also be incredibly rewarding.

I also loved classes from my other professors- Professor Stoddard, Professor Cluff, Professor Dwyer, Professor Dransfield, Professor Jones- at what other university would a couple of professors sit down at a table in the cafeteria with some students and start discussing Harry Potter?

I discovered that even though I hated algebra, I loved logic problems, to the point where I think I annoyed some of my classmates in my logic class (sorry!).  I rediscovered my love of Greek mythology.  I found out how to make an auditorium with an extremely limited stage and no permanent seats into- an abbey, a Russian village, a theatre in the round, a tacky old woman's house, a Southern hair salon, and many more.  I found out how to clothe an entire play from Goodwill.  I learned how to find Cassiopeia.

I think I'll make my friends from college another post.  I am extremely thankful for my education from Southern Virginia University and if you, dear random reader, are a high school senior considering going to SVU - Go.  If you value a feeling of community and family in your life- Go.  If you want to be challenged by professors who know your potential- Go.  If you don't mind putting in the work to achieve something wonderful- Go.

Thanksgiving Thanks: Day Three: Computers

Today I am thankful for computers.  They have gone through many incarnations within my lifetime and from Kidpix to Google Chrome, I have used and enjoyed them immensely.

I can't even imagine what college would have been like if I hadn't had a computer.  Research and simply writing would have taken so much longer.  I don't know if I could have completed both majors in four years without my computer.  With the sheer amount of time you need to spend backstage when you are a theatre major, if you have your laptop, you can start writing your paper on the Aeneid and finish your Latin homework and still be on stage in time for "Sunrise, Sunset."

With the internet, it's easy to send pictures to my sister or talk face-to-face even though she is almost 3,000 miles away (OK not exactly easy *cough cough* Skype *cough cough* living in the middle of nowhere with the worst connection ever *cough cough* but it can be done).

I can network with my friends from college who live all over the country. I can finally find out that I am not the only geek in the universe who likes science fiction and musicals. I can explore the inner workings of whatever industry interests me.  I can buy books and find out when the new Orson Scott Card/ Brandon Sanderson/ Terry Prattchett book will arrive.  I can revise and update my resume and print out as many as I need when I need them.  I discovered my own musical taste beyond musicals and the music my parents like. I can buy Scripture Scouts CDs for my baby brother for his birthday.

Any of these things would have been not impossible, but extremely difficult and/or time consuming even 30 years ago.  And for all these things that computers can do, I am thankful.

Thanksgiving Thanks: Day Two: Doctor Who

I am thankful for Doctor Who.  Due to a chance reference on The Big Bang Theory, my brother-in-law decided to give this BBC sci-fi show that he saw on Netflix a try- little did he know he was starting a chain of Whovians that continues to this day.  He started watching, and my sister started watching over his shoulder, which prompted her to tell me about it. I then proceeded to watch the first four seasons of the new Who (and the 2009 specials) in a little over two weeks- devouring the show in up-til-4am marathons.  I then bought all the new seasons plus the specials from eBay and watched them all again in a more leisurely manner with my roommate.  And then again through season three with another friend. And I told my grandfather about them and he watched them all.  And then my roommate's family started watching.  Who knows how far the joy will go?

 Doctor Who is a show that America wants to have- a show that the whole country loves that the whole family can watch and love together, but a family is not necessary for watching the show and enjoying it.  The reason there is no corresponding show in America is the constant view that live action shows for kids must a) always include children and/or talk exclusively to them- b)always include adults that are dumb or condescending- c) always have simple plots and/or plot devices because children couldn't possibly understand complexity.  And if it is a "family show" it must either be vanilla bland or include sly sexual jokes and innuendos "for the adults."  Ugh.

Doctor Who succeeds because of the strength of its characters and storylines.  It doesn't talk down to children or wink at adults.  When I first watched the series, I was unaware of the fact that it was seen as a "family show" or a "children's show" in the UK.  I just fell in love.

And I admit that no small part of that was because of David Tennant.  He is and will always be "my Doctor."  He portrayed a character who wasn't afraid of jumping into a wrong situation and talking his way into making things right.  He was haunted by his past but he didn't let it stop him from saving the world. A lot.  (Also why I like BtVS)  He used his brain instead of guns.  And he had fun!  He could walk up to a monster and say "Brilliant! I've never seen a monster quite like you!  Have you always had those large teeth?"  and walk away!  Christopher Eccleston did a remarkable job of reviving the Doctor's character and Matt Smith is wonderful and goofy and old in all the right ways, but David Tennant could go from fun and brilliant to intense and powerful in the blink of an eye (btw- love "Blink").  And he is just as amazing on stage- I was able to see him in Much Ado about Nothing this past July and he could stand on stage covered in paint and make the audience roll in the aisles with the twitch of his eyebrow.  I may not have been able to get his autograph (they are serious about  not being out backstage for long), but that show is a memory I will not be able to forget.

Finally, it is the best science fiction show ever. Period.  Not every show hits all the right notes, but the ones that do- really do.  Not because of their originality (though there is enough of that) or lack of holes (though the handwaving is, IMO kept to an ignorable minimum)  but because of their service to the characters and the experience they give the audience.  Neither I nor anyone who watches the show be in the position to save the world, but making sacrifices for our friends and standing up for what is right in the face of fierce opposition is certainly a possibility and having a character who isn't mostly vain and self-serving is, unfortunately for television in general, a fairly unusual occurrence.

And that is why I am thankful for Doctor Who.