BEDA #1 - Blogging, Fragility and Toy Story 3.

So I had kinda forgotten that today was the first of August. Firstly I was going to vlog every day this month more because it's fun than because I think anyone would watch. But then I decided blogging was probably a more obtainable goal because it's something I do anyway. Occasionally.

BEDA, if you don't know, stands for Blog Every Day In April. Except this year it is Blog Every Day In August so the organiser (young adult author Maureen Johnson) could take part (although due to VALID REASONS she is not doing it anyway but by this point lots of other people planned to do it anyway).

Okay - August 1st. Woke up a little bit fragile after a crazy night last night; my best friend turned eighteen and had a whole big party. It was equal parts fun and emotional. Then, in order to make me feel less fragile, I went to see Toy Story 3 and cried pretty much all the way through. So now I still feel fragile.

I really enjoyed the film. I think the great things about the franchise is that it seems like such a simple idea, one that seems so obvious you can't believe it hasn't been done before (incidentally, this is something I universally feel about good art whatever the medium). The characters are so well drawn, each with a unique personality even those who have limited screen time or dialogue, like the three-eyed aliens whose mantras of 'The claw!' and 'You saved our lives, we are eternally grateful' are seeped in humour and emotion.

But what made this film particularly sad for me at this precise moment in time is that, like Andy, I am about to pack my childhood away in boxes and go of to university. In the same way that Andy is saving his toys in boxes for an undisclosed future when he might want to dig them out again, I have tonnes of relics from my past stored away. Not only have I grown up with the films but now I've grown up with Andy. A little part of me though, the same part that is terrfied of the real world, wants to go back to when the first one came out; to go into the Disney Store and buy a new Woody doll and play with it for hours. Because Toy Story itself is a relic from my childhood, albeit one I still enjoy. The way Andy wants to hold onto Woody, I want to hold on to Andy. That simple truth makes every poignant moment even more potent. Or at least that's my excuse for bawling like a baby.

Beyond that though, it's a wonderful film and I would recommend it to anyone.

So that's it. My first BEDA blog. Guess I'll see you again tomorrow.

PS: Promise to think of some interesting things to write!