Beauty and the Beast

Sunday I realized how much fun doing something you really don't want to do can be fun. Being that it was father's day, I had lunch with my pops at Hooter's. Not much first choice, but, because I love my dad, I went anyway. And paid. Yeesh.

Even though I didn't want to, it made my day to make his.

That night I went to see Beauty and the Beast with an awesome friend from Disney, a friend that isn't really into stage shows. A friend that also really wasn't into Memphis, but decided to join me anyway on the many Memphian adventures we have had. He always says he has never made a bad decision to try something local with me and I have often wondered if I would ever be as open as him.

Hooter's is a small but important first step I guess, ha!

And he loved Beauty and the Best.

And, of course, the local place we ate at (Local on Main Street, yes, it is called "Local"). Great crabcakes and fish & chips.

It was a nice last night in Memphis. It was crazy to think that the next time I come home, I will have already been to France.

I think my dad was a bit upset the next morning as he hugged me by. Before I headed to the airport, I made a stop with another friend by our favorite local and greasy mexican restaurant, La Hacienda.

It's tradition.

My first night back in Celebration was spent, well, celebrating! I enjoyed one of the longest and most beautiful nights at a restaurant of my life with my roommate and a neighbor. At "Tavern" they serve great Sangria and even better spinach and artichoke dip. We spent hours on the patio talking over dinner before enjoying the best strawberry shortcake I have had in a LONG time.

Nothing makes dinner better than spending it in deep and varying conversation in the atmosphere of a great summer night overlooking the lake. I could feel the ebb and flow of everything involved that night, the pulse being our simple conversation. I realized how human I am that night.

I love those moments.

The ones that make you human.

Not just a working robot.

Run in the morning. Work in the day. Run in the evening. Sleep. Chores and chatter in between.

Malcolm Gladwell described this flow in his book "The Tipping Point." If I had it here in Celebration I would love to cut a chunk out of that section for you.

I guess you should go read it, ha!

Discovering balance in your life is wonderful.

There is beauty.

And beast.

In everything.

Everyday I realize the world is more gray than we thought.

Sure my job at Disney is monotonous, but together with my fellow cast members, we make it a great place. Maybe hooter's isn't the finest of dining, but the company is what means the most. For all I know, Tavern has horrid food, but the atmosphere was awesome. Last night I went to a SAK improv show in downtown orlando with a friend ($2 lab rat shows on Tuesdays!), but I doubt the show would have been as funny had I been there alone or with different company. I realized that Memphis has a much better downtown scene (granted it was a Tuesday), and I much as I used to want Disney in Memphis, I realized last night, it takes away from locals. And I wouldn't change my hometown for the world. Sometimes I hate running and feel as if I don't get any decent reflections out of it, but in the end, during my cool down. It was all worth it. (Especially when I dropped down a size this week!)

Much love.

Everyday a marathon

Being back in Memphis this past week has taught me a lot about stamina.
I went from moving countless miles across Tennessee farmland as a disgusting hippie to laying around in the a/c - going to bed early and waking up late. I realized how easy it is to get stuck in a rut.
Don't get me wrong.
I actually missed Memphis.
I finally saw Graceland. You should definitely do it if you have the extra $30 to spend on an overpriced ticket. It was cool to see and seemed to transport me to another era where I realized the effect Elvis had, and still has, on the world. I guess I realize why people travel all this way for it and it is just right down the road.
I roamed through downtown Memphis enjoying random live music - something you can't get in a lot of places (one that strikes me as odd is NYC, yeah, no live music in the streets in NYC that I saw)- and went on to watch the Peabody Ducks infamously march to the rooftop of the hotel before enjoying a delicious mini Yeti at Kooky Canuck (a 6 scoop yummy ice cream sundae).
I ran errands and shopped for Father's day with my awesome brother for an incredible dad.
I pushed through to finish an assignment for my stupid online History class right up until midnight the day it was due.
I spent a lovely afternoon lying by a pool talking about nothing important with a beautiful friend of mine. What a relief.
I ate at a new restaurant that evening (Sakura) before going to an old one (Muddy's-the best cupcakes in town).
I played trivia with old and new friends.
I went to the Memphis Zoo, the best zoo on the planet in my book.
I watched two people commit their lives to each other in a wedding ceremony before spending the evening getting dinner with a friend and watching a movie about a guy that maybe wasn't ready to commit. Or at least to the wrong person.
I made new friends over hookah.
All in all, an easy week.
Nothing to get sad or disappointed about.
Although, at the end of the day, I felt like I hadn't run my race.
Before I left Orlando, I was discussing my fear of slacking off in my running at Bonnaroo and then here at home. It's really hard training for a half marathon. I can't stay out late and get crazy drunk.
I need water.
I need sleep.
I need stamina.
He said, you're right. Everyday is you sacrificing for it. You have to treat everyday like it's the marathon.
Everyday a marathon.
I have poor stamina.
In running.
And in life.
If I don't want to go on, I won't. I'm fairly stubborn and I don't give in to peer pressure. I survived most of my life without succumbing to the will of those around me for the most part. In a way, it has worked out well, but maybe sometimes we need to be pressure a little.
In all honesty I think society pressure keeps me in college and keeps me going in normal clothes instead of a swimsuit or nothing at all, ha.
These aren't bad pressures.
Unless you're in a nudist colony I guess.
But, I really have a hard time being pushed to keep good habits in my life. Especially since I'm so busy.
So I bought mine and my brother's ticket for the St. Jude half marathon.
The pressure is on for sure now.
But as for my personal life, that's another struggle.
As busy as I keep myself. I still have these moments. The moments where you realize you are missing something you once had. And yeah, it's something that you don't need and shouldn't want anymore, but just as I have a hard time instilling great habits, I'm horrid at breaking them.
It is really hard to move past relationships. I've watched several of my friends go through it, one or two are still fighting, and it is a rough road.
In a world where we prescribe drugs for consistency in most things, it is hard to face something without them. Not that I'm a drug addict-simply making a non-abusive medication reference, there.
Here I am. At this moment of weakness. Despite having a fun-filled and distracting week.
I guess all the distraction in the world doesn't take things away. And leaving again will only delay what the fall will bring in facing my issues back here again.
So I guess this is the growing point. This is the point in the run when you don't think you can go any farther, but you remind yourself that this is a game against stamina. You run for stamina. This is only the start of the workout, before was just a warm-up. Getting to the pain moment and pushing through it is the point where you begin to grow.
Where you find yourself again.
Where you say, why don't I do this more often?
I realized that laying around the house and sleeping through my run only makes the days worse. They make moments like these, where writing a stupid blog post is the only thing that keeps you from crying all over yourself, all the harder.
There's just something about having physical stamina that enhances the emotional stamina.
While I was laying by the pool, my friend and I discussed all the billions of reasons we don't waste our time in church anymore. We spend that two hours learning far more elsewhere, through volunteering, yoga, or spending quality time with real people.

Volunteering helps us realize gratitude, whereas sitting in a church we only feel judged and insufficient.

Yoga not only improves our physical bodies (I mean, I want to respect my creator by maintaining what I was given), but challenges us far more spiritually and individually. It creates balance. It is more than someone preaching, it is someone learning and discovering with us. Someone who helps us to force ourselves to take the time out of each day or week to truly be still and listen to ourselves and whoever we believe our creator to be.

Real people make us human.

Real.

Flawed.

Humans.

You know, the ones that don't hold themselves to impossible rules. The ones who treat their lives like something more than just being potty trained for God on Sundays. The ones who may not even believe in God, but spend more time improving the lives of those around them more than I will probably ever see a church do. Those are my heros and mentors.

And so, everyday a marathon.

Training yourself to hear the things around you that create balance in your life.

To realize that getting hurt isn't enough, but fighting everyday with disciplined stamina ensures growth and fulfillment.

God created it all, so I think I will challenge myself to see him in more than the pretty sunday clothes box he is smothered into on Sunday mornings.

Everyday a marathon.

Bonnaroo!!!

The last week has been a kind of crazy that veers a bit from average.
I flew back to TN on Tuesday morning. Mediocre service and horrid neighbors aren't something I would have expected on a Delta flight. I had the privileged of sitting next to what seemed to be bored Nashville housewives unable to let there be a moment of the flight be crowded with their selfish, petty conversations. Not to mention one of them took my coveted, already reserved window seat.
Growl.
After finally landing in Nashville, I had a moment of revelation in which I decided I would no longer fly Delta if given the choice. I waited 40 minutes for a bag I felt like I already paid too much to check.
Why did I fly Delta (who always has more expensive flights with the same if not less customer service) and pay more than other carriers (especially southwest who flys bags free) when they take longer than others to get my bags out?
Bad decision on my part.
Conceptually I think it is ridiculous to charge to check bags anyway. The idea of going somewhere means that not only do I need the airline to transport my body, but the things it will need while I am gone.
Last I checked rental car companies don't charge me for putting stuff other than my body and a 24 inch bag in the car. Neither do buses or trains. Why do planes get the special privilege?
Moving on.
My brother picked me up and we headed towards Manchester, TN (about an hour drive) for the tenth Bonnaroo music and arts festival. With 85,000 general admission, 3,000 VIP's, 3,000 volunteers (that's me!), and about 5,000 staff there were around 96,000 in and around 700 acres of farmland in Manchester - a town that only has a Wal Mart because of the once a year bonnaroo.
Being a volunteer through workexchangeteam.org definitely had its perks. For one, we arrived a full day earlier than 88,000 other people. That means we saved hours of sitting in traffic and God only knows how much gas not sitting in traffic. We also got free showers, which we shared with vendors. Our camping area was for volunteers only and was a lot more spacious than the others. We also received a meal token valid for different things at different vendors for every shift worked (usually 3). Of course we got a cool staff shirt and a free ticket. We also saved time waiting in lines and going through security by utilizing staff entrances.
As it turns out Work Exchange had a not so fabulous or customer service oriented year. The downsides to these so-called perks. Upon arrival, check-in was confusing and unorganized. We weren't given any information on what we were doing or even where the hell we were going. We had no idea how to get anywhere or what to do and most of the WET staff were unbelievably rude and talked down to us consistently when asked questions. I never had a pleasant encounter with any of the staff.
Our showers were unfiltered so they smelled of sulfur (AKA rotten eggs), although they still got the job done. Hey, a free shower is a free shower. But the first full day that general admission got there, our showers were unguarded and therefore being used by everyone making them incredibly filthy and creating 2 hour lines. WET was incredibly delayed in helping. They also never guarded our campgrounds whenever GA arrived. Meaning that many of them were camping in our grounds which were laid out in spacious aisles (GA grounds were simply crammed in). As a result, many volunteer's tents were robbed.
Many of our newfound Bonnaroo friends were pre-festival volunteers, meaning that they arrived 2 days earlier than the rest of the volunteers to actually set-up Bonnaroo. The volunteer showers were not working upon their arrival and WET did not get them fixed until late the day my brother and I arrived.
That makes 3 days without a shower.
3 days slaving in the TN heat doing heavy lifting and building with no shower.
Pre-festival volunteers were also denied meal tokens since they were given stale turkey sandwiches (because they weren't given breaks long enough to return to camp to eat). Mind you, our contracts say EVERYONE gets meal tokens.
Superfly Productions should really consider an alternate group to hire for volunteers.
Our first night went fine setting up the tent and getting everything together. We bought a lot of snack food to carry around and A LOT of bottle water. I recommended doing most of your purchases at the local Wal Mart. They are SUPER friendly and heavily staffed for Bonnaroo. Plus they are well stocked with it making a lot of their end caps filled with necessary bonnaroo gear I would have forgotten.
We were off on Thursday so we made another run to wal-mart for forgotten essentials, the liquour store (and then the dollar tree to pour our alcohol into plastic containers as you could only bring so much alcohol per person and only in plastic containers), and starbucks to turn in an assignment for my history class plus to enjoy our last taste of civilization for the rest of the week. That night we celebrated one of my good friend's 21st birthday with many fellow roo'ers around us and had a great time before heading out to see Civil Twilight.
We worked Friday morning from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm, which worked out perfect since most of the good acts are in the afternoon and evening. We were essentially "Trash Talker" floaters. A trash talker stands by a disposal post and talks to people all the live long day about trash. Basically directing people on what is compost-able, recyclable, and landfill material. This is important in maintaining a "green" festival as TN is pretty picky about what goes in which container, and if they are contaminated, they cannot be accepted for composting or recycling. As a floater, we moved throughout our zone of about 5 posts ensuring the entire area was clean and that the trash talkers got bathroom and water breaks when necessary. We had a great time near the main entrance to Centeroo (the main area of Bonnaroo where all the action took place) welcoming folks to centeroo and chatting it up with our fellow trash talkers. Floaters are apparently a coveted position as you can move about and see shows without getting into trouble since you aren't assigned at any one station, so a supervisor can't expect to find you at any one.
We were good and stayed in our zone though. There weren't any great shows going on during the day anyway. :)
After we got off we went back to our tent to get a nap in before heading back for matt & kim (by far my favorite show).
They had so much energy and passion plus great music of course. The crowd was wonderful, and huge. They really should have been in a bigger arena!
From there I met up with my friend and napped while listening to Abigail washburn. I didn't know her before bonnaroo, but she was great. Especially wonderful music to nap in the sun to.
We then moved to the decemberist for the first half of that act and then on the Ray LaMontagne (another great performance). He really had a lot of passion and emotion as well, but he didn't really recognize his audience at all. It seemed like we werent there, but his voice was so damn beautiful it didn't matter! These shows we sat back a ways to enjoy on our towel with a little space. It was really competitive to get close with most shows (you could be competing with up to over 85,000 people!) and since we were really exhausted, it was just as nice to enjoy most of the shows from afar.
We moved to My Morning Jacket (I fell asleep halfway through, oops!). I stuck around for Arcade Fire afterwards while my friend went back to the tent to nap. Going back to the tent to nap wasn't always an option. Thats a half hour walk one way. And our campsite was one of the closest. Hence my often napping during mellow shows.
So I made friends with the people next to me so I didn't feel like I was watching a great band alone. These 2 fellows were from Louisiana, both going to LSU (i think) and were incredibly huge arcade fire fans. They were really cool and helped me keep jerkos out of my spot and let me nap while waiting on the show to start.
I love bonnaroo hospitality :).
Just before the show started some bonnaroo magic happened. Arcade Fire had what seemed to be cycling parachutist move through the sky dumping glitter onto the crowd. Except it wasn't glitter. It was like a line of glittering beauty across a clear TN night. It was beautiful, but too big to be glitter. As it finally reached the ground we realized it was LED lights bound together. Fans attached them to their clothes, bags, bandanas, whatever, to create an incredible awesome looking crowd rocking out to great music for two hours. It was a wonderful show. Another top pick.
Although we were 45 minutes early, we were already way back in the crowd for Lil Wayne. He performed as any mainstream rapper would. Lots of screen and a little good music.
We finally got back to the tent after his performance at about 3:45. When the sun wakes you up already sweating at 7:30, that doesn't give you much rest. We awoke and I decided to wait my hour and a half for a sulfur smeling shower (getting sunburned in the process) just to get dirty from the muddy floor of the building and the dust bowl outside (cleanliness doesn't last long a 'roo).
I didn't get to Centeroo until about 1 pm (an hour before Garden State started at The Bonnaroo Cinema with a Q & A with Zach Braff afterwards (one of my life heros). Apparently I was way late and tickets had already sold out. :(
I picked up my spirits by getting some 'roo merchandise (including a limited edition print poster signed by the artist, which I later also got signed by Amos Lee and Civil Twilight, happy!) and sampling at the Ben and Jerry's Tent (Bonnaroo Buzz is perfect for midday heat).
I returned to our camp site for about an hour to nap in the shade the car was giving off since our ground was less dusty and there was less noise. I arose to check out mumford and sons and the black keys before starting my trash talker shift at 9:30 (that went until 4 am!). I also had a really great crab cake sandwich for dinner from a vendor, yum!!!!!
We were actually assigned a post this time, which happened to be near the "This Tent" where Girl Talk was playing while I was working. Seeing them live, even from a small distance, for the first time was amazing. I wish I could have been in that crowd for those two great hours. It was nuts. I'm definitely seeing him the next time he is in Memphis.
STS9 was also playing at the same time, but far from my post. They went on until the sun was already up at 6 am (2 hours past planned time). I guess when you are the last act for the day, you can do whatever you want. It was crazy to be walking back to our tent while the sun was coming up.
Especially to be getting up only 45 minutes later to start the day again with a trash talker shift.
My shift that next morning went from 7 am to 1 pm. I spent my whole shift line picking the festival biggest stage area- What Stage. It had to be a mile long at least and probably the same in width. It took all 50 of us the whole 6 hour shift. The arena was supposed to open by 12 or 12 :15, as there was a 1:15 performance. We had to call in extra help at 12:30 to finish. It wasn't open until 1:00. Thank you Eminem fans for completely trashing the arena the night before.
I was so happy to be done at one and head over to see Neon Tree with a deliciously unhealthy pizza in hand. I moved over to catch the last bit of Amos Lee with my friend a couple new ones that were camping near us and then off to see a bit of Galactic and Iron & Wine before one of my favorites, Cold War Kids. They put on a great and passionate show. This was my second time seeing them live (they came to Memphis in December).
Afterwards we all enjoyed fried oreos (one of my favorites!) before heading to our last show, The Strokes. That was an okay show. I guess no one can really beat Matt & Kim or Arcade Fire or Cold War kids.
My brother and I rushed backed to the car, having already packed the afternoon before to leave. A lot of people left then and supposedly even more at midnight after the last show (Widespread Panic). But apparently traffic is even worse on Monday.
We moved quickly before tiring too bad to get to Jackson, TN to spend the night with family.
Before we entered the house we had to "Wet Wipe" our feet before entering, ha! It was so nice to have AC and a shower and even actually wash my hands, not just sanitize them. There was dirt under my fingernails all week and everytime I sneezed I had black snot thanks to the disgusting dust bowl of centeroo.
It was an awesome time with great music that made it worth the camping experience. Throughout the experience we did our best to jot things to definitely bring again or just for next time. Here they are:
Car Chalk to post our schedule on our back window of the car
A mylar balloon to mark your campsite
Glowsticks for a bit of light on you and around the camp site
Citronella candles
Flashlight
An air mattress or a cot (just something to keep you off the ground)
Of course a tent, but consider also a shade tent- Bonnaroo is very communal and most people enjoying sitting outside and chatting not cooped up in a hot tent
Thin sheets and towels that you don't mind getting disgusting with dirt and sweat
Having small snacks (especially trail mix) will keep you going through the day without spending a lot of money on vendors
Of course a lot of bottle water - not all the water stations are filter and it just isn't pleasant drinking sulfur smelling water
Put any alcohol that doesn't come in a plastic contained in one, people really get hurt since they often walk around barefoot
An SUV with laydown seats is also helpful for relaxing on and of course storage (we kept our bags in it instead of the tent)
Bug spray and bug buttons to hang around your site
sunscreen
a portable shower would come in handy plus cut down waiting time
if you have a big group a table under a shade tent would help too
your own toilet paper is nice to have whenever the portable toilets run out, plus its cleaner (always try and use the ones on your camp ground because the lines at centeroo toilets get long)
A camelback comes in handy since they hold a lot of water with ease
A battery operated fan helps to keep the heat down in your tent
A bandana is nice to keep the sweat and your hair back, plus it fits the hippie atmosphere
Of course a cooler is nice, use ice and a pack of frozen water bottles to keep everything cool
Only a couple shirts (MAYBE one a day) guys you won't wear a shirt unless your burned and girls will only want to wear a swimsuit and maybe with shirts
We have been talking about bringing a blow up kiddie pool, ha!
super comfortable shoes, my sanuks were perfects (they kept my feet semi clean and are some of the most comfortable shoes i have)

Getting My Nerd On

My dive in The Seas at EPCOT was awesome! The fish were okay and the tank was cool, but the best part, hands down, was swimming up to the windows as tourists gazed into the tank or the windows over looking Coral Reef Restaurant. It was so much fun to see the reactions of the guests.
I played patty cake with a slobbering toddler, mimicked a teenager, touched a shark, and danced with my friend Jess who stood on the dry side taking pictures.
A lot of people took me and nick home in their pictures this week from that.
Wednesday I just ran errands and did a little shopping. I went to IKEA and got some more storage for my clothes here. Space is of the essence in this apartment. I also bought a new scuba bag as a special treat to myself for getting to level 2.
I finally got my own nametag again. It is such a relief to be Madison from Memphis instead of Jess from NYC (no one believed anyway because of my southern accent, ha!).
After working several 10+ hour shifts (one til 2:30, thanks to extra magic hours), I was ready for these past couple days off. Yesterday I went to Typhoon Lagoon with a couple of friends and had a relaxing time. If you ever go, there are really great seats just past the wave pool if you keep walking down the right side. There is an almost private section of half-shaded sand that overlooks the pool and is close to a couple water slides, too on the left hand side. And never as busy as the main area in front of the wave pool.
The wave pool is why I go to typhoon instead of blizzard beach. I don't like body slides and I love just swimming along. Plus the snow theme irks me. Plus they have a killer water coaster called crush n gusher. Get to the park earlier to nab great seats and hit up the slides while lines are shorter and use the rest of the day napping and enjoying the wave pool. Don't forget a "sand pail," which is a sand pail filled with ice cream and tons of toppings, to share with friends, yum!
The day ended with a quick dinner before heading to hollywood studios for Star Wars Weekend. Disney's Hollywood Studios host Star Wars weekends for about 3 weekends in June every year. Basically a great way to get your nerd on. They have a lot of fun live entertainment- when else would you see Darth Vader dance to Back in Black, Ewok dressed like Slash from Guns N Roses OR C3-PO doing the robot (check out Hyperspace Hoopla for this Dancing with the Star Wars Stars stage show)? Plus nerdy merchandise and extra excitement over the new Star Tours attraction. It now has 54 possible ride combinations. I've only ridden twice and since my Star Wars knowledge is limited, I really can't tell you where I went or anything, ha!
Today I'm headed off for a packed day at Busch Gardens before I fly home for Bonnaroo.
Much love!