Blossom

Every little girl dreams about growing up and blossoming into a princess. While viewing Disney’s new family friendly film Enchanted, at The Bridge Theater on 40th and Walnut, I began to think of my own family films made over the years and how those films captured key moments of my youth and helped me personally blossom into the person I wished to become. I must warn my avid male readers though, you may not be able to personally relate to this, but it may help you deal with and better understand your sister, mothers, friends, and/or girlfriend.
Birthdays are one of the most popular family filmed events. It is during this event that family and friends gather together and hope to grant the wishes of their valued kin. The lens focuses just in time to hear the final line of Happy Birthday. Immediately after the catchy tune ends sung by the voices old of old and young I begin the daunting task of blowing out candles. After several futile attempts it looked as if no matter how hard I blew and how much I accidentally spit on the cake, the candles would not extinguish. Finally, after the trick candles were snuffed, the smoke rose above our heads and the scent quickly filled the room crammed with family members. Another birthday wish was captured on film as clenched my tiny hand around the wooden handle of my mothers longest knife. I closed my eyes to allow myself to think of my final wish while cutting the first piece of cake. The piece of birthday cake with the purple flower has always been the most valued piece of birthday cake for a young child. The dye from the sugary purple delight turns the tongue of anyone who graces their spoon or fork near it an abnormal shade of purple for a minimum of an hour and a half. But times have now changed. At some point the once acceptable slip ups and mistakes caught on film are deemed inappropriate for an adult to do.
The real movie, Enchanted, begins at The Bridge Theater as we are introduced to the movie’s leading lady, Giselle. Trying to find her prince and true love, the “hopeful queen” follows the customs of her far far far away fairytale land and begins to sing in hopes of finding a prince and future husband. When Giselle sings this song the “hopeful queen” is able to break the sound barrier. Giselle’s prince, who is also actively seeking the love of his life, hears her song from hundreds of miles away and decides to follow her voice and marry the vocalist.
Fast-forward three years within the real world of my own home footage. As the lens focuses I see myself as a young toddler perfecting my English. While watching this footage I cannot help but laugh as I am caught on film saying the most ridiculous things: “gifa gific tit” (gift certificate), “dundella” (umbrella), and finally “sus sesssy fuw” (successful). I still do not understand why my parents would want to keep evidence on film that I, their favorite daughter of course, was not proficient in the English language. On the contrary, if I were to say these words in the same manner at my current age of 18, I would still be laughed at. Unfortunately nowadays this butchered attempt at English would not fall into the category of a cute mistake.
In Giselle’s fairytale world in Enchanted she soon realizes that just singing a song and wishing for a prince will not help you find your true love. For true love you must work hard at making your relationship succeed, and allowing it to grow. This requires putting both time and effort into the relationship. Giselle decides against her fairytale land customs. The leading lady chooses not to marry her prince immediately after meeting him, but learn about her supposed prince charming and see if the two of them are compatible rather than just marrying based on physical appearance and high rank in the government.
The home camera’s lens now is focused on the dance stage of my first ballet recital. I, like every child on stage, am standing in a ridiculous hot pink tutu. The sequins on my flashy costume reflect into the lens of the camera creating an intense glare on the screen. The song begins and unfortunately we, the dancers who have practiced once a week for the past six months, stand there, frozen, searching for a familiar face in the audience. Once we find this face we wave and smile. We each exit the stage with a curtsey causing the audience to burst into applause. In present day situations when giving an oral report to a group I will still look for that familiar face to soothe me. Unfortunately this time when I freeze I am not greeted with the same applause and praise.The water from my mouth runs dry as my palms are saturated. Stuttering and shaking the audience begins to talk amongst themselves and heckle from afar. I can do nothing but smile as I exit the stage with an audience filled with complaints.
The word fairytale is usually associated with happily ever after and predictable marriages. Giselle, like a grown woman, knows the difference between both right versus wrong and marrying for love versus marrying for convenience. This is due to her maturation. In the end she decides against marrying her so called prince charming. She has finally matured.
The final scene of my home movie marathon begins as I process across the stage at my high school graduation. Taken less than six months ago, the microphone is able to pick up the faint voice of my parents filming the event from their seats in the muddy wet grass. Thinking that the microphone wasn’t picking up their voices, my mother states, “I never thought our little Christina would grow up to be so ‘sus sesssy fuw’ in life”. It is at that moment, while watching my graduation home video, in which I realized I have finally matured. I, like Giselle, had finally realized that some choices were deemed appropriate for a lady like myself to make. The easy way out, marrying the supposedly perfect prince, is not always a smartest decision to make. We all grow up, although the times have changed and we all have lost a bit of our cuteness, it is no longer acceptable to spit on our birthday cakes, mispronounce words, or freeze in front of a group. Taking all of this into account there is still one constant childish behavior that remains, the fight amongst family and friends all wishing for that single piece of birthday cake with the purple tongue dyeing delight.

For Better or Worse

For a freshman at college, fall is a season filled with homesickness. By the time Thanksgiving break rolls on by, freshman can't wait to come back home for family, familiarity, and good food. In turn, parents can't wait to see their little babies return to the nest and smother them with affection and calories. Family members tend to become more possessive of the time they have with you. In particular, grandparents tend to want to reconnect with the young folk and spread their worldly wisdom to the next generation. Of course, this is never received very well.
Like most moms, my mom makes it a habit of guilt-tripping me into spending time with my grandparents every once and awhile, and the visits usually do not end well for me. The latest incident was this Thanksgiving break. I was lying on the couch when my mom poked her head around the corner, and I knew she wanted something out of me. "Lizzzziiie, you haven't seen your grandparents in the longest time. Don't you think it's time to...?” The last time she uttered those words, I had a terrible time. As I recall:
I was sitting in the car with my grandma, grandpa, and mom. I was the victim of one of those things that mothers are spectacularly good at. That sly dog (aka my mom) had guilt tripped me into going out somewhere with my grandparents. It wasn’t that I minded seeing the old geezers. It was what we were about to do. Unlike a normal family, who would just go to dinner and bingo night at the senior citizens center, we were going to see a movie. Instead of spending my Friday night out with my friends having a blast, I was going to have a boring night with the g-rents.
As we headed to the movies, I was getting the usual questions and lectures. They would ask, “How are you doing in school?” or say, “Make sure you study hard.” Of course the words went into one ear and out the other. Honestly, school will always be there but my youth won’t be. The point was moot. However, I endured fifteen agonizing minutes of the badgering until I saw the blessed sight of the movie theater. Once we parked, my grandparents took their sweet old time moving their fragile bones into the theater. Not only were they dragging me there, but we were going to be late as well. Finally, we got to the front desk, and of course my chatterbox grandmother just had to converse with the lady selling tickets. The ticket lady seemed nice, but honestly, I just wanted to get the whole ordeal over with. In a little under an hour though, her kindness would be greatly appreciated.
My grandparents had purchased four tickets for Something’s Gotta Give. On the one hand, it might be a nice change from the crude humor I was used to experiencing, like that in American Pie. On the other hand, I thought it looked like a movie for the elderly because the main romance in it was between Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. As we sat in front of the giant screen that was about to either make or break this whole excursion, I realized that I was on the end of the aisle. They couldn’t even see me, and I bet they wouldn’t have even known whether I was there. That was just great. I was stuck in a movie I didn’t even want to see, and my grandparents probably didn’t care whether I went or not.
As my frustrations rose, the movie started. I finally began to enjoy myself a little. Silence from my grandparents was golden, and as the movie progressed, I realized it had some potential. It was funny, and despite their age, Nicholson and Keaton made a cute couple in a creepy, old people sort of way. I found myself enjoying the great acting in the film. However, the fact that Nicholson dates a younger girl and then moves on to her mother is a little disturbing (or “pimpish” to some of you). Not only was that disturbing, but more and more old people nude scenes began popping up. My eyes were scarred. Obviously, that’s not the best type of film to go see with extended family.
Apparently, my grandparents felt the same way. Here’s where my night was about to go from bad to worse. Eventually, my grandma started acting up, and I could hear her whispering to my mom. Then my mother turned towards me. I thought to myself, “Great. Here we go.” That was when my mom dropped the bomb. She whispered, “You’re grandparents are feeling uncomfortable. You have to leave...NOW!” Where was I supposed to go?! It’s not like I could jump in the car and drive home! However, like the good daughter I am, I went out and sat in the lobby.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. I thought my luck was beginning to change when the nice ticket lady from before came over to talk to me. She knew I was supposed to be in the movie and didn’t understand why I had left. I explained to her that my grandparents didn’t feel comfortable with me in the theater. She told me that a movie was about to start in another theater, and that I could go watch that one if I wanted. Thinking “Wow, this lady is really nice,” I blindly trudged into the theater without inquiring as to what other pain I was going to have to sit through.
Quietly, I walked into the theater. Once I got around the bend though, I saw no one else was in there. I figured I was early, so I sat down and waited for the movie to begin. When the lights dimmed, all I could do was groan in disgust. It was the movie Haunted Mansion, which in case you don’t know, is a “scary” movie for five year olds. I stifled the urge to go back out and beat the nice ticket lady with a stick.
However, to my dismay, not even an hour into this movie, my mom walked into the theater. Looking around, she saw that no one else was there. She called up to me, “Grandma and Grandpa are ready to go. Come on.” I responded, “Wait. I don’t even get to finish this movie?!” All I received in return was an authoritative “No! Let’s go.” Maybe I should have been happy, seeing as it was such a terrible movie, but still, it was the principle of matter. If I’m going to start a movie, I should be able to finish it no matter how terrible it may be.
As these thoughts raced through my head, I knew that whatever my mom had in store for me, it had the potential to be very, very bad. But, seeing as I hadn't seen my family in like 2 months, I couldn't be heartless and refuse. I'd just have to accept my fate, bite the bullet, and face whatever "fun" expedition my mom had planned for me – for better or for very, very, very bad.
Don't you love fall and Thanksgiving break?

Turkey, Stuffing, and Miss Piggy?

Turkey, Stuffing, and Miss Piggy?
The Boscov’s Thanksgiving Parade takes place the Thursday of Thanksgiving at 8:15 every year no matter the weather. It could be raining, or snowing, or maybe sunny; whatever the case, the show must go on! The parade begins at 20th and Market and continues down Market until it reaches 15th street. The parade then takes a turn onto Arch and finally down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
This may not seem to be the most exciting event for college students, and I know it is not at the top of your to do list, but I promise it is worth your time. If you are not from the area and are not going home for the holiday you should definitely consider attending. What else will you really be doing at 8 in the morning besides sleeping? This is not a valid excuse. You can sleep any other time you want. This is one of the events you can take part in and actually get a feel for the city of brotherly love. Just be forewarned, if you are indeed going to embark on this popular activity, make sure to dress accordingly for you will be standing outside for a while.
As you many have guessed, the parade is a very old tradition in Philadelphia. It may not seem to be a big deal for those who are not from Philadelphia or New York, but to the natives, it is a HUGE deal! It may be just as big of a deal as the actual holiday. The parade is known as the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the country. The original name of the parade was Gimbels’ Thanksgiving Day Parade, after the old department store. Ellis Gimbel, the founder of the department store, dreamt that everyone would shop at his store for their holiday presents. He knew this would not just magically happen so he made a plan. He instructed his employees to dress up and go out to the streets on Thanksgiving day to attract customers; therefore creating the first Thanksgiving Day Parade. When Gimbels shut down, Boscov’s continued the tradition.
The popularity of the parade has increased each year and is shown every year on WPVI. It is also broadcasted to other stations throughout the United States as well as on the worldwide web. You are guaranteed to see the most spectacular balloons, floats, live music, and other performances at the parade each year. The highlight of the parade is the finale. Children beg their parents each year to attend and anxiously watch the whole time just for the end of the parade. This is when Santa arrives for the first time of the season.
The parade has the same basic setup every year, but I assure you, it never gets boring. The parade is not one of those things that you can say, “If I’ve seen it once, I’ve seen it a million times.” The show is a different experience every year you attend. The parade opens every year with a few floats. As soon as the first float is seen, they entire crowd goes wild. It is hard to explain what an amazing feeling it is to see these floats in person. It is hard to grasp how large they actually are. After the floats have started their route, there is a performance. These performances can range from young ballerinas to popular musicians. You never know what you will get, but they are always entertaining. More floats and balloons are the next things to appear in the procession. There is then another break for more performances. They usually save the most extravagant floats and best performers till last. After all the floats and performances are done, it is time for Santa to come. Each year Santa Claus walks down the Art Museum steps and boards his float to finish out the parade. As you can imagine, this is the long awaited event of the parade. After all these years I didn’t think it would be as exciting as it once was. However, I must admit, I even found myself getting excited to see Santa. When you see him for the first time, the feeling you use to get when you were little comes back, and you cannot help but smile. At that moment in time, nothing could be more important than waving to Santa.
This year, I woke up early Thursday morning and got dressed for a long day. Being a Philadelphia resident for my entire life, attending the parade had become a tradition of mine. I know longer think about Thanksgiving without the parade. Since I had been attending for many years I hurried to get my favorite spot. I personally think a good spot is right outside the Philadelphia Art Museum . All the performances take place at the bottom of the Art Museum steps.. If you stand here you get a good view of the floats and the performances. I stood there with my family and friends and anxiously waited for the parade to start. This year the weather was beautiful, so there was no need to cuddle for warmth. There is no better feeling than standing in that crowd of people. I don’t think I can think of many other times in my life when almost everyone around me was happy. As you scan the crowds all you see is smiling faces. There are people of all ages and races. There are families with children as well as elderly couples all there for the same purpose; to see the parade. Everyone is friendly so don’t be scared to turn around and say happy holidays to your neighbor.
There were some new, old, and redesigned balloons and floats this year. The new balloons were a cornucopia, holiday presents, Alvin Chipmunk, Penguins, Wizard, Santa Garfield, and my personal favorite Paddington Bear. I was very excited that they brought back the Miss Piggy balloon. It was always a favorite of mine. They also brought back T-Rex and the Cow Jumped over the moon and redesigned Curious George (which was adorable). The new float this year was called Under the Sea, High School Musical on Ice. This was the first time that a float had an ice skating rink on it! It was cool to see people actually ice skating on the float as it went down the street. There are also different performers that come each year. This year Keke Palmer, Josh Gracin, Anwar Robinson, Bianca Ryan were there. The cast of High School Musical on Ice also performed on their float and the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders helped to entertain the crowd.
I really think that this is something that people of all ages and interests can enjoy. I know this may not be something a college student would normally consider attending, but I think it is at least worth trying. It is a time to be around your loved ones as well as strangers and still feel at home. This is something that could help you feel at home if you are feeling homesick away at college. You will most definitely get in touch with your inner child. And just think about it, with all the food and people it is like a huge party in the middle of the day!