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Aha! I have figured out one more of the Dust-era Narnian festivals, Promise of Hope. It takes place on the day after the longest night of the year, after the nights start getting shorter, and is also the Christmas equivalent, in honor of the gifts given to the Pevensies by Father Christmas. (Brought to you by this song coming on the radio. Thank you, NPR!)

For some reason, now that I am back in Ellensburg, I actually feel less freaked out about working on Dust. Maybe it's the snow?

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog was fabulous. Just -- oh my god, so New Orleans; the research the filmmakers did really shows. There are just a couple of spots where I go, "Uh, that's not...actually true," but they've acknowledged them. But! Oh my god! New Orleans. I desperately wanted to see this movie in New Orleans, but Disney scheduled the release during finals week, the bastards. (Actually, I'm kind of curious why they released when they did; it's set during Mardi Gras, release it then! Granted, I don't think anyone else in the country celebrates Mardi Gras, so no one except New Orleanians would probably get it. And everything's closed on Mardi Gras day. On the other hand, they release movies on Christmas day every year.)

Just! *flaily hands* OH NEW ORLEANS. The music is fantastic, by the way, and I desperately want a bowl of chicken andouille gumbo with a side of jambalaya finished off with bread pudding and a plate of beignets right about now, but alas, am in Washington. I have to work on that. And -- it was adorable! And yeah, there are a couple of Louisiana injokes ("You must be from very far away." "You could say that." "Are you from Shreveport?" and the requisit, "STELLLAAAAA!" yell), and one scene that kind of made me squirm and go, "Um...well, congrats on not being racist against African-Americans! Fail on being racist against Cajuns!" but generally? It was cute, and adorable, and very, very old-school Disney, except in really awesome ways. The princess is the hero! And hard-working, and practical, and just a little bit of a dreamer! And not a princess, as it turns out! And the prince learns not to be a wastrel! Oh, Disney. I know that sometimes you are made of fail, AND YET.

And in a really awesome coincidence, I went with my mother, and then ran into two of my best Ellensburg friends at the movie! Totally not planned.