there's far too much to take in here

Any Disneyphile will immediately know the title line from "Circle of Life." It came to mind this morning as I am suffering from a major case of wannabe explorer/traveler/pioneer/gypsy. Maybe it's because I've been spending more time on Google Maps than anywhere else in the websphere lately, or maybe it's because I'm trying to avoid the monster that is the looming exam period. Whatever the reason, I'm overwhelmed by all the world I'll never see, and I'm at once exhilarated by the possibility to take in as much as I can.
My baby brother maintains a list of places he's been and places he wants to see. It's a pretty extensive list for a 19 year old, but he's been fortunate enough to be the baby and have the opportunity to travel with mom & dad on their dime for a little longer than the rest of us. I, too, have been bitten by the travel bug, although my vacation plans usually are consumed by the opportunity to go back to Disneyland or WDW. I need to either make a ton of money and live very simply so that a chunk of my earnings finance my budding family's adventures (Disney & non-Disney related), or I need to kick the Disney habit and give some other places a shot. Let's face it, folks... it's going to have to be the former or the only German village I'll ever see will be the one in EPCOT.
When my folks took the fam to the Mediterranean for mom's 50th, they invited Grams & Buddy to come with, and my grandpa rejected the invite. My grandpa traveled the world as U.S. Air Force fella, and we all thought he would jump at the chance to travel back as a civilian. We were all pretty surprised when he indignantly rejected the invite, and his reason was that he hasn't even been to Hearst Castle or many other CALIFORNIA landmarks, so he wouldn't go anywhere else until he explored more of the sunshine state.
So, that's my mission this summer. I'm coming home to Cali for 3 weeks, and 10 days without my Tag... so I'm picking up my grandpa and we're going exploring in our own backyard (well, technically Hearst Castle is about a 5 hour drive, but whatevs). I'm anxious to explore some other lesser known tourist attractions of the most beautiful and terradiverse state in the U.S. Sure, we'll likely be paying $5/gallon for gas, but no one said adventures were cheap!!
After Buddy and I tackle the backwoods of Cali, I think Tom and I will have to carry the mission to Michigan. So far, we've done pretty well exploring the states around Michigan, but we're missing out on our own Midwest backyard.
I hope my "path unwinding" allows me to take in as much as I'm able... I hope I find much of what's too be found. Endless possibilities aren't impossible, nor are they meant to be daunting. I believe God blessed humans with a pioneering spirit as a gift, and it's not one I intend to squander.

Meme?

Ok, Ms. Southerner. I give. I don't know 5 bloggers though... so the buck might stop here for now.

Here is the 5 Things Meme

First, the rules (and oddly, only two of them...why not five?):
1. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
2. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment letting them know they've been tagged and to ask them to play along and to read your blog.

what i was doing ten years ago...
1 soccer... constantly
2 homework... when I wasn't playing soccer
3 playing second mom to my bros when mom went back to work
4 planning my sweet sixteen party
5 getting up at 5am like it was fun and easy to run 3 miles every day

five things on my to-do list today...
1 hit the post office to mail my nephew his 1st Communion card
2 talk to an Ave hopeful from CA
3 love on Koda
4 make Tag dinner
5 blog... twice, evidently

five snacks i enjoy...
1 red pepper strips
2 apples with peanut butter
3 a ridiculously large glass of unsweetened, lemony tea
4 grilled cheese sandwiches
5 cookie dough

five things i would do if i was a billionaire...

1 pay off everyone in my family and close circle of friends' debts
2 set up a killer charity... not one for actual killers... that sounds really horrible. Set up a great charity for people who don't kill people but need money
3 have lots of babies and adopt more
4 buy a home big enough for my family but not so big that people realize we have money
5 take my and Tag's immediate families on (separate!) vacations around the world

five of my bad habits....
1 watching TNT drama in the daytime as often as I can and way more often than I should
2 eating stuff that's bad for me because it's cheap
3 being online during class (doing that now)
4 procrastination
5 apologizing... for EVERYTHING

five places i have lived....
1 Fairfield, CA (born and raised)
2 Davis, CA (college and a year after... am I that old?)
3 Lake Buena Vista, FL (DISNEYWORLD.. yep, I sure did live there for 5 months!!)
4 Ann Arbor, MI (law school... I don't want to talk about it)
5 Oakley, CA (dad's house... parental visitation counts, yeah?)

five jobs i've had....
1 Disney cast member
2 bus driver
3 sears jewelry sales associate
4 waitress
5 Assistant store manager of a starbucks

Special Features

Ok, now that I've been linked to, I officially have to start keeping this thing up. I'm going to have to ask my girl how to do nifty things like linking -- otherwise this is doomed to be a boring in mechanics blog that is left to wow through writing alone. That's too tall an order, methinks.

I suffered from the worst bout of bronchitis to grace my lungs last week, and as a result, my horizons have been broadened. Law students shouldn't watch movies during the semester. That being said, I watched about 15 movies last week. While my grades are certain to suffer, I experienced a new enlightenment -- DVD bonus features.

Koda (my rockstar of a dog) and I spent a glorious week of reliving some Disney classics. Now, I can admit that this was not the first time I glanced at the Special Features tab of my DVDs' menus--many a time I've heard the creators' of "FRIENDS" in their audio commentary. However, this was the first time I really gave Disney special features a second look. Here's a gem or three we discovered:

(1) The Jungle Book -- audio commentary by Mowgli himself!! All grown up, of course. To hear his perspective of working with the Disney masters of the 50s and 60s made this Disneyphile's** heart glow.

(2) Mulan -- Mushu delights in this bonus feature where he takes the viewers on an easter egg hunt of historical tidbits about China, from fireworks to paper to the Huns to Mulan herself. Educational and entertaining.

(3) Bambi -- This one's a biggie for any Disneyphiles out there... There's a feature that walks the viewer through the film as Walt and his team of animation imagineers artfully dream up and deliver Bambi's forest, family, and friends. It's an insight into how a wonderful story is adapted into a masterpiece screenplay, as well as how Walt personally lead his dreamers to achieve new heights in storytelling. Hearing Walt's voice command and guide his team as the viewer sees glimpses of original sketches evolve into the final product is like taking a time machine and taking a seat at the dreammaker's table.


**Disneyphile--a term Disney uses in its newsletters to communicate to adults who never stop reveling in Disney magic and wonder! LOVE It.

Although I decidedly learned NOTHING about the law while I was sick, I definitely learned that if I slow down and re-read, re-watch or delve further into a medium (just like rereading my favorite book for the hundredth time and then reading the "about the author" section) the gifts I receive can make my soul dance --

...and I'm grateful!